COACH LARSON DONATES $2500 TO SUPPORT LOCAL VOLLEYBALL PROGRAMS IN NEED

Olathe Northwest High School Varsity Volleyball Coach and DYNASTY club director Bryon Larson recently completed his CAP III outreach project for USA Volleyball by donating $2500 to go towards the purchase of volleyballs for local programs in need. Coach Larson shifted the focus for his outreach project multiple times prior to opting to facilitate a partnership with the HOA volleyball region and Molten. Coach Larson taught private lessons over the course of the summer and donated 100% of the proceeds to the outreach project. Larson said, “I really enjoyed my time in the gym teaching lessons for this great cause. I wanted to make sure the money that I raised went to a place where it would be put to good use. It was also important to me that we ensured that there would be transparency where the funds were going. I want to thank the HOA Volleyball and Molten for rallying around this great cause.” Larson’s money purchased a combination of 180 volleyballs and volley lites for area programs.

Ravens Selected To Kick Off The Metro Sports Volleyball Slam in 2012

3rd ANNUAL METRO SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL SLAM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012 AT ST. JAMES ACADEMY

8:00 am – St. Pius X vs. Olathe Northwest

9:30 am – O’Hara vs. Blue Valley Northwest

11:00 am – Lansing vs. Olathe East

12:30 pm – Blue Springs South vs. Blue Valley

2:00 pm – Topeka Washburn Rural vs. Blue Valley North

3:30 pm – Lee’s Summit West vs. St. Teresa’s

5:00 pm – Blue Springs vs. St. Thomas Aquinas

6:30 pm – Gardner Edgerton vs. St. James Academy

Lindsey Goes Out In Style

Leslie Lindsey concluded her high school volleyball game with an appearance in the MO-KAN All-Star match. Leslie was selected as one of the best high school seniors in Kansas. She had a great night and provided the final kill on a night where the Kansas All-Stars earned a 3 – 0 victory over the Missouri side. Earlier in the week Leslie signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in front of a large crowd assembly. Coach Larson said, “Les had a great career as a Raven. She is largely responsible for the success that we have experienced during her career at ONW. We wish her the best at the next level. She will always be part of the Raven Volleyball Family.”

VARSITY FALLS IN SUB-STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

The 2011 season came to a close with a loss in the sub-state championship match to 2nd ranked Gardner. Olathe Northwest breezed through the sub-state semi-final match against Leavenworth by scores of 25 -9 , 25 -7 . The sub-state championship match was a battle between two of the top five teams in the state. Cassie Wait and her teammates proved too much for ONW. Gardner won the match with scores of 25 -14 , 25 -19 . Olathe Northwest concluded the season with a final record of 30 – 11. Coach Larson said, “It was a great season for this team. The girls showed steady progress throughout the season. I’m very proud of the work ethic that we have in our gym. We have a lot to build on in 2012.”

RAVENS BEAT 2ND RANKED OLATHE EAST TO WIN OLATHE INVITATIONAL

The varsity volleyball team concluded its regular season by winning the Olathe Invitational Tournament. The girls went 5 – 1 on the day and played some inspired volleyball in the final match victory over rival Olathe East. The Ravens were led by middle hitters Leslie Lindsey and Aryana Crittleton who combined for 77 kills on the day. Sophomore Sophie Poslon had her best day as a Raven with 121 assists. Cristina Marquez and Maddie Schneider led the team in serving with 9 aces each. Coach Larson said, “Our team is playing well right now. I am happy with the way that practices are going. We are finally starting to play defense with the sense of urgency that great teams display. Our seniors are starting to really push their teammates down the stretch.”

RAVENS SWEEP ON SENIOR NIGHT

The varsity volleyball team swept SM South by scores of 25 – 13, 25 – 10, 25 – 9 on their seniors last evening match in the ONW main GYM. Coach Larson said, “These girls have done so much for this program. They have set an example for the underclassmen to follow. It’s been rewarding to see these girls develop a culture where our athletes expect to win every time they step on the floor.”

JV Wins the Sunflower League Tournament

Congratulations to Coach Patty and the Olathe Northwest JV Volleyball team on a great season. The girls wrapped up the season by winning the Sunflower League Volleyball Tournament. The JV team finished with an overall record of 22 – 6 on the season.

Freshmen Win Sunflower League Tournament

Congratulations to Coach Jennifer and the Olathe Northwest Freshmen Volleyball team on a great season. The girls wrapped up the season by winning the Sunflower League Volleyball Tournament. The Freshman team finished with an overall record of 22 – 6 on the season.

VARSITY SWEEPS LAST TWO TRI’S AND FINISHES 2ND IN THE SUNFLOWER

The Raven Varsity Volleyball team has won eight of the last ten matches. The girls swept SM North and Leavenworth in straight sets, took 3rd at the Spring Hill Invitational Tournament, and swept SM Northwest and Olathe South to close out league play. The varsity team finished league play with a record of 9 – 2 and is currently 22 – 8 on the season. Freshman Maddie Schneider and seniors Leslie Lindsey and Lucy Toplikar led the Ravens with a combined 40 kills against SM Northwest and Olathe South. Coach Larson said, “I’m proud of the way that our kids are playing right now. We have reduced our hitting errors and we are finally starting to play with a sense of urgency. We needed our seniors to step up, and they are.”

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL FINISHES 2nd IN LOUISBURG

The varsity volleyball team had a rough week in the win – loss column, but showed resilience by bouncing back to finish 2nd in the Louisburg invitational tournament. The girls started off league play a perfect 5 – 0 and then suffered back to back tough three set losses to SM East and Lawrence Free State. The losses marked the Ravens first league losses in two years. The team traveled to Louisburg Saturday and went 3 – 2 on the day. The two close losses in Louisburg were both to # 4 ranked BV North. The Ravens were led in attacking by senior middle hitter Leslie Lindsey and sophomores Rachel Gardner and Ary Crittleton. Cristina Marquez, Taylor Zimmerman, and Lauren Gay all passed above a 2.2 in serve-receive.

Coach Larson said, “Our team is not used to losing. This week showed the girls and our staff that we are able to compete with the best teams in the state, but we have weaknesses that need to be addressed. We have nine freshmen and sophomores in our twelve person line-up. There are going to be some bumps in the road along the way.”

RAVENS UPSET 2nd RANKED OLATHE EAST IN A SLUGFEST

The Lady Ravens went 2 – 0 on the night and remained unbeaten after 5 matches of league play. The varsity team topped Olathe North by scores of 25 – 19, 25 – 14 before beating previously unbeaten Olathe East by scores of 23 – 25, 25 – 17, 28 -26. Sophomore Ary Crittleton led the Ravens attack with 25 kills and a .542 hitting percentage. Senior Lucy Toplikar and sophomore Cristina Marquez led the Ravens in passing on the night. Sophie Polson had 54 assists, 2 aces, and a block. Coach Larson said, “The match against Olathe East was one that the kids and fans will remember for a long time. It’s a shame that someone had to lose, because both teams were really playing hard. It’s a great win for our program. I’m proud of the leadership that our seniors showed tonight.”

RAVENS 3rd IN LANSING INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT

The Olathe Northwest Lady Ravens finished in third place on Saturday at the Lansing Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The Ravens had an extremely tough draw because they were forced to play six straight matches without a break. The girls went 4 – 2 on the day where they experienced two tough three set losses to Lansing and Topeka Seaman. Sophomore Aryana Crittleton led the Ravens with 49 kills and a .452 hitting percentage. Lucy Toplikar was the top passer on the day tallying a 2.37 in serve receive. Sophie Polson finished the tournament with 126 assists and a .394 assist percentage. Coach Larson said, “Our girls have improved so much since this summer. I’m proud of the way that we battled on every point throughout the tournament. We are moving in the right direction.” The 9 – 2 Ravens return to the court this Thursday night to take on rivals Olathe North and third ranked Olathe East.

RAVENS PERFECT AFTER 1st NIGHT OF LEAGUE PLAY

The Olathe Northwest Lady Ravens varsity volleyball team started Sunflower League play off right where it left off a year ago. Last year’s team did not drop a single set during league play. On Thursday night, this year’s team managed to avoid losing a set on the first night of competition.

The Ravens beat: Lawrence 25 – 17, 25 - 9; SM South 25 – 14, 25 -23; and SM West 25 – 17, 25 – 9

The Ravens were led by middle hitters Leslie Lindsey and Aryanna Crittleton who combined for 26 kills on the night. Cristina Marquez and Taylor Zimmerman each passed above a 2.4 in serve receive, while sophomore setter Sophie Polson tallied 42 assists.

Coach Larson said, “I’m proud of how far this team has come since our summer training. We have a long ways to go, but we are making strides every day.”

RAVENS PREPARE FOR SEASON OPENER

The 2011 Olathe Northwest Ravens Volleyball Team will open the season on August 30 with a home dual match with Sumner, followed the next night with a home dual match with Desoto. Coach Larson has been putting his team through intensive training to have his team ready to begin the 2011 season. The Ravens are coming off a 35 - 7 record in 2010, a season that saw them ranked in the top five from start to finish. The Ravens will begin defense of their Sunflower League Championship on September 8 with a quad with Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission West, and Lawrence. Coach Larson is looking for strong support from the ONW student body this season.