Little River’s bid for a “four-peat” as Kansas Class 1A Division I state volleyball champions started Thursday afternoon at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena with a 3-0 record in Pool I play.
In Pool I play, the Little River Redskins defeated Frankfort 25-15, 25-17, Goessel 25-15, 25-13 and Centralia 25-14, 25-8.
In other Pool I matches, Centralia defeated Goessel 25-20, 25-18 and Frankfort 25-18, 25-17. Goessel defeated Frankfort 25-18, 25-18.
South Gray went 3-0 to win Pool II. The Rebels defeated Quinter 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, Tribune-Greeley County 25-20, 28-26 and Spearville 25-21, 25-13.
Quinter defeated Spearville 25-18, 17-25, 25-19 and Greeley County 25-23, 25-11. Greeley County defeated Spearville 25-27, 28-26, 27-25.
In the 9 a.m. semifinals Saturday, Little River (42-2) will play Quinter (30-11) and South Gray (39-4) will play Centralia (35-9).
Consolation and championship matches on Saturday will begin 25 minutes after the last semifinal match has concluded.
Little River features four All-State candidates — senior Arika Feldman, junior Saelyn Raleigh, senior Havana Olander and senior Evie Look.
Other key players for Little River are senior Adelynne Strecker, senior Lucy Wright, junior Avery Lafferty, sophomore Macy Schubert and junior Kate Hendrickson.
Little River seniors have a career record of 161 wins, 14 losses. Their state title wins came against Centralia in 2024, South Gray in 2023 and Flinthills in 2022.
The Kansas Class 5A state volleyball tournament began Thursday morning at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.
St. Thomas Aquinas went 3-0 to place first in Pool I. The Saints defeated Lansing 25-20, 25-6, St. James Academy 25-14, 25-15 and Wichita Bishop Carroll 25-11, 25-21.
Lansing went 2-1 to place second in Pool I play. The Lions defeated Bishop Carroll 16-25, 25-21, 25-20 and St. James Academy 25-15, 25-27, 25-15. St. James Academy defeated Bishop Carroll 25-20, 25-14.
Blue Valley Southwest defeated Kapaun Mount-Carmel 25-15, 25-10 and Maize South 25-20, 25-16 to finish 3-0 in Pool II play.
Great Bend went 1-2 in Pool II play and finished the season with a 28-11 record. Maize South and Wichita Kapaun-Mount Carmel also went 1-2 in pool play.
Maize South earned the semifinal berth with a 3-4 record in games played, Great Bend was 3-5 and Kapaun was 2-5.
The Great Bend Panthers lost to Blue Valley Southwest 25-11, 25-10, defeated Maize South 13-25, 26-24, 25-20 and lost to Kapaun 27-29, 25-18, 25-21.
The Class 5A state volleyball semifinals begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Aquinas, Blue Valley Southwest, Lansing and Maize South made the Class 5A State Final Four.
Aquinas will play Maize South in one semifinal match and Blue Valley Southwest will play Lansing in the other semifinal.
Third-place and championship matches will begin approximately 25 minutes after the last semifinal match has concluded.
First-round play at the Kansas Class 2A state volleyball tournament, also being hosted by Dodge City, begins at 10 a.m. Friday. Ellinwood (42-0) is the No. 1 seed.
The Class 1A Division II state volleyball tournament is being played at Emporia’s White Auditorium.
Pool play matches for Class 1A DII begin at 10 a.m. Friday. The No. 1 seed is Melvern-Marais Des Cygnes Valley (39-2).
The Class 6A state volleyball tournament begins at 10 a.m. Friday at Emporia’s White Auditorium. Shawnee-Mill Valley is the No. 1 seed with a 31-4 record.
