K-P kicks off state tourney play against Tripoli

(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) K-P's Briana Schaeuble and Amanda Dirksen join forces to block a hit against Gehlen in last week's regional final. [Click to enlarge]

It's state tournament time and this fall Plymouth County will be represented by the Kingsley-Pierson Lady Panthers. K-P faces off with the unranked Panthers of Tripoli on Thursday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. in the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

After defeating 11th-ranked Galva-Holstein in an intense five-set match in the quarterfinal, K-P continued to roll as they defeated Boyer Valley and Gehlen Catholic in three sets each.

Tripoli battled through a tough bracket where they defeated the top seed in 1A, Wapsie Valley, in a five-game match in the semifinal round. They advanced to the final where they shut down Ventura in straight sets to advance to state.

(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) K-P freshman Deandra Mahrt will be a key player at the net for the Lady Panthers in Thursday's match. [Click to enlarge]

Let's look at some of the key match ups between the two Lady Panthers' squads.

At the net, K-P's offense has been dominated by both the height and power of seniors Briana Schaeuble and Amanda Dirksen.

In the middle, the 6-1 Schaeuble averages nearly five kills per game with a team-high .370 attack efficiency. Her height will be met by Tripoli's freshman middle hitter Megan Gilbert. At 6-0, Gilbert averages nearly one block per game, with 63 total on the year. Senior Elizabeth Platte also adds her height of 5-10 in the middle where she has totaled 49 blocks this season.

On the outside, the 5-9 Dirksen comes into the state contest averaging 2.5 kills per game with a .199 attack efficiency. Her key opponents could be Kalie Kirchhoff and Micah Wedemeier. A 5-10 junior, Wedemeier totaled 29 blocks so far this season. Helping Dirksen with the outside duties is freshman Deandra Mahrt. The 5-6 outside hitter has 65 kills on the season, third on K-P's squad.

Senior Kelsey Krieg will also play an integral role on the Lady Panthers' offense as she dishes out an average 6.4 assists per game. She also adds 41 kills this season from her setter's role.

Leading the back row defenders for Tripoli is junior Morgan Peters. The 5-3 defensive specialist averages 2.2 digs per game for a Tripoli team that averages 11.5 digs per game. Adding to Tripoli's defense will be Kirchhoff and sophomore outside hitter Natalie Figanbaum, who each average 2.6 digs per game.

"They look like a fairly well-rounded team," K-P coach Jon Mouw said. "From what I've heard, they're a tough defensive team."

"We've seen some really good defensive teams this season. Galva-Holstein and Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto were really great defensive teams. We need to expect a team that is going to throw some balls back at us."

"We've really got to get up and hit. We also have to be on with our free ball passing, on with our sets and our hitters have to put the ball away. If you can't kill, you're going to struggle."

When Tripoli has the ball, watch for these Panthers to set up Gilbert. The freshman middle hitter averages a team-high 3.1 kills per game while maintaining a .299 attack efficiency. Defending her will be Schaeuble, who averages one block per game in a season where she has recorded 85 so far. Tripoli's other middle hitter, Platte, comes into the contest averaging 1.1 kills per game with a .138 attack efficiency.

K-P's Ashley Ruba will add to the defense at the net as she has 36 blocks on the season, 33 of which are assisted. Ruba and Dirksen will defend against Kirchhoff, who averages 1.8 kills per game, and Wedemeier, who averages 1.1 kills per game.

In the back row, senior Dani Sudbeck will lead the K-P defense in covering the floor. Sudbeck averages 2.9 digs per game and has a total of 264 this season. Dirksen, Deandra Mahrt and Krieg will all contribute to K-P's defense as well. Dirksen averages 2.1 digs per game while Krieg and Mahrt average 1.7 and 1.5 digs per game, respectively.

K-P will need to watch for Tripoli's setter, Marissa Shinstine, who averages one kill every two games from her position, totaling 43 on the season. The 5-5 junior averages 6.6 assists per game.

At the service line, K-P will be challenged by a team that boasts a .929 serving percentage. Leading the efficiency for Tripoli will be the setter. Shinstine is serving at a .950 clip this season and adds 31 aces to her mark.

Leading the power for Tripoli will be Figanbaum who leads her squad with 53 aces this season, an average of 0.6 per game. Peters adds 42 aces this season while Kirchhoff has 39 and Hillary Schwemm has 36. As a team, Tripoli averages 2.9 aces per game.

Power and accuracy will benefit K-P from the service line. Dirksen will lead the squad with her powerful arm as she averages nearly one ace per game in a season where she led her squad with 78 ace serves. Schaeuble will join her in the power campaign as she recorded 60 ace serves so far this season.

While the K-P squad is serving slightly lower than Tripoli - at a .858 clip - they are led in accuracy by Allison Bird and Krieg. Bird has been a force at the service line as of late, serving at a .957 clip, while Krieg is also serving above .900 at .911. The senior setter adds 48 ace serves this season for an average 0.5 aces per game.

"We know they're going to serve a high percentage," Mouw said. "We're hoping that we can take those. If they're serving a high percentage, chances are they are not hitting the ball the hardest. They're probably hitting their spots and trying to take out the other team's hitters. So we need everybody to make sure we're relaxed and passing right on. We know we're going to have to pass against these guys."

"By our serving, we hope we can keep them out of their system and keep them out of their offense. It's what we did against Gehlen. We served tough and never really let them get going offensively. Hopefully we can do the same thing down there."

Tripoli and Kingsley-Pierson will face off Thursday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. on court one at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

The winner of Thursday's match will face the winner of the match between #8 Coon Rapids-Bayard and Springville. The semifinal match is scheduled for Friday at 7:15 p.m. with the championship match set for Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.