Twelve teams punched their ticket to the finals on Friday as the 2024 NSAA Volleyball State Championships rolled on with the semifinal round.
Class D1
No. 5 EMF def. No. 1 Southwest 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 17-25, 25-13)
The Bobcats shocked the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Roughriders behind an outstanding performance from junior outside hitter Kaydence Haase.
Haase unofficially finished with 28 kills and three aces, taking big swings from all over the court while flying around defensively in the back row.
Southwest looked to be in good shape early, building a 16-10 lead in set one. The Roughriders won the race to set point at 24-20, but the Bobcats dug deep and ripped off six straight points to steal the set.
The teams traded runs in set two before EMF pulled ahead for good behind strong play from Haase. The Bobcats stretched a two-point lead out to five then maintained the advantage until Haase closed it out with back-to-back kills. She terminated 11 times in the set.
Southwest responded early in set three, winning seven of the first 10 rallies to take control before extending the lead throughout the set, extending the match. Kyra Nelms took over with eight kills in the set.
The third set was tight… until it wasn’t. Leading 12-11, EMF ripped off a 13-2 run to end the match and earn a berth into the final. Haase capped the win with back-to-back aces to put an exclamation point on her stellar performance.
Kyra Nelms led Southwest with 23 kills while her sister Annika added 11.
No. 3 Superior def. No. 2 BDS 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 25-11, 18-25, 15-6)
The second D1 semifinal featured some wild swings and extended runs, but stellar sophomore outside hitter Reagan Meyers was too much for the Eagles to handle.
The 6-foot-2 pin hitter shook off a somewhat slow start to finish with at least 30 kills and four aces.
BDS got off to a terrific start defensively as the Wildcats, including Meyers, had a tough time finding the floor. The Eagles built a lead early then cruised to the first-set victory.
Meyers came alive as Superior dominated the second half of set two, pacing her team with nine kills. She notched nine more kills and a pair of aces in game three as the Wildcats dominated from start to finish.
Superior used a 7-1 run in set four to build a 13-6 lead, but things flipped quickly. BDS caught fire with Meyers stuck in the back row, ripping off a 17-1 run to take a 23-14 lead. The Wildcats finally got back on track, but it was too late as the Eagles finished it off to force a game five.
BDS led 5-4 early in the fifth, but Meyers took over from the end line, serving a 10-0 run that included a pair of aces to earn match point. A Superior error ended the run, but the Wildcats earned the sideout to advance to Saturday’s final.
The D1 championship, set for an 11 a.m. start at the Devaney Center, will feature No. 3 Superior and No. 5 EMF.
CLASS D2
Photo by Mike Sautter.
No. 1 Leyton def. No. 4 Central Valley 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 25-19)
The Warriors’ quest for an unbeaten season continues as Leyton picked up its 35th win of the season on Friday.
All four sets were tight down the stretch, but the Warriors stepped their game up in crunch time.
In game one, Leyton trailed 21-20 before closing the set on a 5-1 run. The second set was even tighter with a 24-24 tie late, but the Warriors again put together a strong finish, scoring the final two points to take a 2-0 match lead.
The Cougars didn’t go down easily, jumping out to a 9-5 lead in set three. The lead changed hands a few times leading up to a 20-all tie, and this time it was Central Valley who finished strong with a 5-0 run to extend the match.
The Cougars carried that momentum into the fourth set, racing out to a 12-6 lead. However, Leyton weathered the storm then fired back with a 9-1 run to pull ahead. The teams battled back and forth to a 19-all tie, but Leyton didn’t let a ball drop the rest of the way and closed the match with a 6-0 run.
No. 3 Shelton def. No. 2 Overton 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-21)
The Bulldogs dethroned the reigning champions in unceremonious fashion, sending the Flyers home with a sweep.
Shelton blitzed Overton out of the gates in the first two sets, building a 17-6 lead in game one then an 8-2 edge in game two. Overton battled back in both sets, but Shelton did enough to hold on, including a 9-1 run in set two after the Flyers had pulled within one.
The third set was close early, but Shelton managed to create a bit of separation at 9-6 then kept the Flyers at an arm’s distance the rest of the way.
No. 3 Shelton will take on No. 1 Leyton for the Class D2 championship on Saturday at 9 a.m.
CLASS C1
Photo by Mike Sautter.
No. 1 Minden def. No. 4 Kearney Catholic 3-1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18)
The Stars surprised the Whippets in game two, but the reigning C1 champion cruised through the other three sets to continue its quest for a repeat.
Minden raced out to a 9-3 lead in set one and didn’t let up, stretching it out to 11 at 18-7 before trading points the rest of the way.
Minden earned a 10-6 advantage early in set two, but this time Kearney Catholic found an answer. The Stars pushed back, breaking through to take the lead at 18-17. They kept applying pressure the rest of the way to even the match at 1-1.
However, the victory was short-lived as the Whippets pulled away midway through the third and fourth sets for comfortable victories. Myla Emery put the finishing touches on the win with a match-point kill.
No. 6 Wahoo def. No. 2 Pierce 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 15-12)
Class C1 produced the most competitive match of the day as Wahoo and Pierce went the distance while finishing in a tie for total points scored. However, the Warriors did just enough to survive and earn their spot in the final.
The first two sets were close most of the way, but Wahoo made enough plays down the stretch to create a bit of separation. Pierce turned the tables in three and four, however, staving off elimination to set up a winner-take-all game.
Wahoo wasted no time asserting control in the fifth, scoring the first six points and opening up an 11-2 lead in the race to 15. Pierce didn’t roll over, cutting the deficit all the way down to two, but Wahoo finally scored the point it needed to secure victory.
No. 6 Wahoo will take on No. 1 Minden in Saturday’s C1 championship, set for 3 p.m.
CLASS C2
Photo by Mike Sautter.
No. 1 Lincoln Lutheran def. No. 4 Norfolk Catholic 3-0 (25-21, 21-12, 25-13)
The Warriors earned their 23rd straight postseason victory in impressive fashion, dominating the last two sets.
Setter Jillian Donovan kept all her hitters involved as Lily Wohlgemuth (13 kills on .300 hitting), Bella Sjuts (13 kills on .500 hitting) and Ava Jurevicius (12 kills on .550 hitting) all had great games. Nebraska libero commit Keri Leimbach produced some her typical highlight-worthy plays, including a diving one-handed dig that fell on the other side of the net for a kill, and finished with 18 digs.
The first set was competitive early as Norfolk Catholic erased a four-point deficit to tie the game at 13-13. However, Lutheran answered with a 5-0 run and that was enough separation for the Warriors to hold on.
Lutheran didn’t waste any time in sets two and three. The Warriors jumped out to leads of 13-6 and 15-6, and the Knights didn’t have enough firepower to climb back into it.
Lincoln Lutheran will play for its fourth straight state championship on Saturday.
No. 3 Thayer Central def. No. 7 Johnson-Brock 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-16)
Johnson-Brock looked like a potential team of destiny early. After upsetting the No. 2 seed in the quarterfinals, the seventh-seeded Eagles soared out to a 14-4 lead in set one on Friday.
It didn’t last long, however, as Thayer Central rallied to win the game then took sets two and three as well to earn its first trip to the state championship.
Emma Brueggemann, Ella Brueggemann and Piper Havel all notched double-digit kills for the Titans.
Thayer Central answered Johnson-Brock’s 14-4 start with a 6-0 run of its own, then later the Titans ripped off 12 straight points to completely turn the tables and turn what looked like a lost set into a win.
In set two, Thayer Central opened up a 14-9 lead midway through the set. Johnson-Brock cut it to two several times but couldn’t get any closer as the Titans finished strong. The Eagles got off to. Good start in set three as well, but the Titans quickly answered with a 4-0 run to take the lead and controlled the action the rest of the way to complete the sweep.
No. 3 Thayer Central will look to end No. 1 Lincoln Lutheran’s reign in the C2 final set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
CLASS A
Photo by John S. Peterson.
No. 1 Papillion-La Vista South def. No. 5 Millard West 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-19)
The top-seeded Titans avenged one of their regular season losses on Friday by sweeping the Wildcats in impressive fashion.
After falling in the first round as the No. 1 seed in 2023, Papillion-La Vista South is heading back to the championship.
The first set was close for a time, but Papio South used a 7-1 run to open a 15-9 lead and never looked back. The Titans didn’t waste any time in the second set, scoring eight of the first 10 points then pushing the lead to 10 at 15-5 before cruising the rest of the way.
Millard West didn’t roll over in the third. The Wildcats held a slight lead for much of the first half, but the Titans delivered the knockout blow with a 7-2 run to surge ahead for a 20-14 advantage and traded points the rest of the way.
No. 6 Elkhorn South vs. No. 7 Grand Island
The Islanders knocked off No. 2 Westside in the semifinals, avenging their loss to the Warriors in last year’s state tournament, but the magic ran out on Friday.
The Storm, who pulled off their own upset against No. 3 Fremont on Wednesday, used the momentum from a big comeback in set one to roll through set two, then fended off a rally attempt from the Islanders in game three.
Led by UNLV commit Tia Traudt, Grand Island built an 18-12 lead in set one with a 9-2 run. However, the Storm fired back with eight straight to take the lead. The Islanders tied it up at 21-all, then the teams traded sideouts for a long while. Grand Island saved three set points, but on the fourth attempt Elkhorn South finally broke through.
Already leading 10-7 in set two, Elkhorn South ripped off an 11-2 run to blow the game wide open.
Elkhorn South used a 5-0 run in set three to build a seven-point advantage, then stretch it out even further at 23-14. The Storm looked to be headed for a stress-free sweep, but the Islanders had other plans. Traudt took some big swings to spark a 9-1 to cut the lead to one, but an errant serve sank their comeback attempt.
The sixth-ranked Storm will take on No. 1 Papillion-La Vista South in Saturday’s Class A final, set for 7 p.m.
CLASS B
Photo by John S. Peterson.
No. 1 Norris def. No. 4 Elkhorn North (25-17, 25-17, 25-21)
The 2023 Class B runner-up completed the season sweep of its Eastern Midlands Conference mate on Friday, beating the Wolves 3-0 for the third time this season to earn a return to the championship.
Senior Anna Jelinek, a Long Beach State commit, put together a terrific performance with 17 kills on nearly .500 hitting. The Titans went to her on game point in all three games and she delivered every time.
Alli Bornschlegl and Lexi Hasselbalch added 11 kills apiece while the Titan defense prevented few openings for the Elkhorn North attackers.
The lead changed hands a few times in set one, leading into an 11-all tie. Then the Titans put together a 10-1 run to turn it into a blowout. Norris made its move a bit earlier in set two, building a 14-8 lead then gradually adding to it the rest of the way.
The Wolves put up a fight in set three, taking a 14-12 lead as sophomore Reagan Wallraff got loose for seven kills in the frame. However, Norris responded with a 6-0 run to jump back in front. Elkhorn North pulled within two a couple of times, but Norris scored four of the final six points to complete the sweep.
No. 2 Skutt Catholic def. No. 3 Waverly 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-10)
The SkyHawks went 2-0 against the Vikings on Friday night as both the volleyball team and the football team knocked off Waverly to advance in the postseason.
Junior outside hitter Addison West, a North Carolina commit, led the SkyHawks with a strong performance on her birthday. She unofficially finished with 17 kills on nearly .400 hitting, displaying a variety of shots to go with strong back-row defense.
Seniors Abbie Hagedorn and Kiera Link also notched double-digit kills for the victorious SkyHawks.
Waverly couldn’t have asked for a better start, winning five of the first six rallies thanks to some big swings from sophomore Hallie Lauenstein. However, the success didn’t last long as Skutt settled in and more than doubled up the Vikings the rest of the way. Skutt closed the set on an 8-3 run capped by a Nicole Ott ace.
The second set saw a better start from Skutt and a rally from the Vikings as Waverly cut a four-point deficit down to one at 14-13. The SkyHawks responded with a 9-2 spurt, turning a tight set into a comfortable win.
There was no comeback in the third set as Skutt jumped out to a 7-2 lead and kept extending it the rest of the way.
The second-seeded SkyHawks will take on No. 1 Norris with their 10th straight state title on the line. The rematch of last year’s title match is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.
