Two team titles a spark for Blue Valley West girls golf squad
Senior Alex Larson of Blue Valley West High School has shown over the past three years that she is a fierce competitor, whether it is on the golf course or on a softball diamond.
Now, Larson has taken it up a notch in her first couple of golf tournaments, helping Blue Valley West to a pair of team titles while winning the Blue Valley Cup and placing second in the first leg of the Eastern Kansas League tournament.
“Alex has done a great job of setting the tone and letting the rest of them relax and shoot the scores they need to,” BV West coach Aaron Anderson said. “She knows how to play the game properly, doesn’t make stupid mistakes and is a tremendous leader.”
Larson, who is committed to UMKC on a softball scholarship, shot a 78 to win the Blue Valley Cup Sept. 9 at Eagle’s Landing in Belton. She shot an 81 and won a scorecard playoff and placed second in the Blue Valley North Invitational on Sept. 3, the first leg of the EKL tournament.
Molly Saporito and Catie Ducharme have added some consistency behind her. They also placed in the top 10 in both contests. Allison McCausland, Eunha Kim and Nikki Reyes also placed in the Blue Valley Cup, which BV West won by 20 strokes. The Jaguars have a six-stroke lead on Blue Valley after the first round of the EKL tournament. Individually, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Tatum King has a two-stroke lead in the EKL meet.
St. James is MO-KAN Tournament champion
Coach Nancy Dorsey and the St. James Academy volleyball team had just one practice to get back on track following a disappointing season opener at their home tournament.
The Thunder decided to focus on the basics and the love of the sport that brought them there, and the strategy seems to have paid off. Since then, St. James had a successful road trip to Indiana and won the championship of the MO-KAN Tournament. At the MO-KAN, they avenged an earlier loss this season to Olathe Northwest with a 25-19, 25-27, 25-15 victory in the title match.
“It might have been the best thing, because it kind of woke them up,” Dorsey said. “They know now what they can do and hopefully they can continue to play with that intensity for the rest of the year.”
The Thunder topped Kansas Class 5A defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the MO-KAN semifinals, Blue Springs in the quarterfinals and drew Blue Valley, Lafayette and Kearney in pool play.
Dorsey said the biggest strength of this year’s squad is experience. The team returns Stanford commits Audriana Fitzmorris and Jenna Gray.
“They have been there and done that, so they have the experience and poise they need to overcome obstacles,” Dorsey said. “They are all really intelligent people and they have played a lot of volleyball, so they have a lot of experience to draw from.”
Olathe East gymnastics opens with a victory
With five varsity returners on the gymnastics team, Olathe East coach Julie Bayha knew she would have an experienced squad entering the fall season.
However, the girls even seemed to surprise her a bit with their victory in their first quad, which featured Olathe North, Olathe South and Olathe Northwest.
“It definitely sparks some enthusiasm for the girls and gets them excited for the rest of the meets we have,” Bayha said. “It’s a good way to gain confidence going into the season, as well.”
Two of her most decorated gymnasts, Darby Gertsema and Samantha Bond, tied for the all-around title. Gertsema is the defending state champion in the vault and all-around and Bond placed seventh in all-around last year at state.
“They worked out over the summer, so they came in ready and excited to show what they are capable of,” Bayha said. “They both had some mistakes on beam, but their routines on the other three events went really well.”
The Hawks will return to action Wednesday night in another quad at Shawnee Mission South. They will face SM East, SM South and Olathe Northwest at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Two team titles a spark for Blue Valley West girls golf squad."