Quarterfinal Wednesday at the NSAA State Volleyball Championships produced some fantastic performances and a lot of chalk as Class B, Class C1 and Class A took the stage at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Here’s a list of some superlatives from the first day of action.
Most Dominant Individual Performance
The single most dominant performance I saw belonged to Milford junior middle blocker — and 2028 Nebraska volleyball commit — Shayla Rautenberg.
The reigning Class C1 state champions and No. 4 seed in this year’s field took the first of three big steps toward repeating by sweeping No. 5 Kearney Catholic behind 25 kills on .391 hitting, nine digs, three blocks and an ace from Rautenberg.
Rautenberg set the tone with nine kills in the first set then tacked on six more in the second as Milford won 25-22 and 25-12. Through two sets, Kearney Catholic’s whole team had 19 kills while Rautenberg had 15 herself.
The Eagles looked to be in trouble in the third set, falling behind 23-18 late, before the future Husker put her team on her back. She terminated to trigger an 8-1 finish to the match that featured four Rautenberg kills. She also teamed up with Brynn Grossart for a block to give Milford match point then finished it off herself — thanks in part to an incredible effort from senior libero Libbie Reil and junior setter/outside hitter Braelynn Muller to keep the play alive.
Rautenberg added 10 more kills in the third and accounted for all but 10 of Milford’s kills as a team.
The 6-foot-4 middle’s block total also doesn’t truly capture her defensive impact. The Stars finished with 24 attack errors (compared to 10 for Milford), many of which came from trying to hit around Rautenberg.
Here’s a sampling from my court-side seat of 2028 Huskers commit Shayla Rautenberg’s 25 kills, 9 digs and 3 blocks in Milford’s first-round win at the state tournament. pic.twitter.com/OaY1HIidY0
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) November 4, 2026
Best Offensive Operation
Nebraska commit Malorie Boesiger has run arguably the best offense in the state all season long with Class B’s top seed in Norris, and that held true in the first round of the state tournament.
The Titans made quick work of No. 8 York (25-13, 25-15, 25-15) while hitting .416. Boesiger dished out 13 assists in the first set, an incredible 18 in the second then 16 more in the third to finish with 47 assists and three kills (on three swings).
Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that Norris recorded 49 assists and 51 kills in the match. That meant the Titans passed and defended well enough to get their ball to their setter on the second touch on nearly every play. Boesiger only recorded three digs in the match.
Norris senior Malorie Boesiger sets the ball against York. Photo by Rob Olvera.
Keeping Boesiger in system is certainly a recipe for success as the state’s leader in assists has some terrific weapons around her. Senior South Dakota State commit Alli Bornschlegl totaled 17 kills on .361 hitting (plus 16 digs and two blocks) on the left pin. Junior East Tennessee State commit Loryn Piening added 12 kills on .247 hitting and two blocks in the middle while senior outside hitter London Meints wasn’t far behind at 11 kills on .500 hitting and two blocks.
The two-time reigning champs look to be a well-oiled machine once again as Boesiger looks to cap her career with another state title before joining the Cornhuskers.
An honorable mention in this category goes to Norri’s former conference rival in Elkhorn North, who is now in Class A and the top seed there. The Wolves swept No. 8 Papillion-La Vista behind senior setter Millie Mauch’s 42 assists and 12 digs.
The Wolves have been heavily reliant on Creighton commit Reagan Wallraff this season, and she was terrific in her Class A state tournament debut with 14 kills on .353 hitting and two aces (although her defense was perhaps more impressive to me with 18 digs and some quality passing).
However, their balance shined against the Monarchs as freshman Ashytn Liebsack was stellar with 13 kills (one shy of her season high) on .444 hitting and six digs while junior Payton Palmer added 13 kills on .280 hitting.
Best Defensive Display
This one belongs to Class C1’s top seed in Concordia Omaha who dominated Norfolk Catholic at the net to the tune of 15 blocks and a minus-.029 hitting percentage for the Knights.
The Mustangs also recorded 60 digs in the sweep, giving Norfolk Catholics few weak points to attack throughout the match.
Senior middle Claire Perkes led the way with nine blocks (including one solo) while fellow senior middle Grace Samuelson added six stuffs. Senior libero Claire Ponjarez racked up 17 digs while senior setter Alyse Moulton wasn’t far behind with 13 digs plus 27 assists and three blocks.
The Mustangs improved to 36-2 on the season and proved the top seed is well deserved.
Biggest Upset
This category was the easiest to decide, mostly because there was only one seed line upset on the day.
In Class C1, No. 6 Aurora took down No. 3 Pierce in four sets. The Huskies took the first two sets 25-20 before the Bluejays woke up and dominated the third, 25-12. However, Aurora rebounded in the fourth and sealed the upset with a 25-22 victory featuring a great serve from Ava Meyers that forced an overpass and a kill from Omaha commit Kaitlyn Staehr on match point.
Drake-bound Nora Herian put up 22 kills for Pierce, but the Huskies held the Bluejays to .9090 hitting overall.
Junior right side Elizabeth Luebbe led Aurora with 12 kills while senior middle Grace Wieseler added 11 on 22 errorless swings. The duo tallied five blocks and one ace apiece while Luebbe added seven digs.
The Huskies are heading to the semifinals for the first time in 18 years 😳
Coach Michaela Perry talks after No. 6 Aurora upset No. 3 Pierce 3-1 in the Class C1 quarterfinals. #nebpreps | Presented by Edwards Auto Group pic.twitter.com/hxrCEfkPIa
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) November 5, 2026
Best Single-Set Showing
The single most dominant set victory belonged to Class C1 No. 2 Bishop Neumann, who swept No. 7 Lincoln Lutheran to advance to the semifinals.
Bishop Neumann senior Brooke Thiele prepares to serve against Lincoln Lutheran. Photo by Jackson D. Luethje.
The Cavaliers handled the Warriors 25-15 in the first set then ratcheted up the intensity several more notches in the second to post a 23-6 victory. They kept Lutheran completely out of sorts all set long, resulting in 12 attack errors and just three kills. Two different Cavaliers (senior Brooke Thiele and junior Kyler Cada) tallied four kills by themselves in the set as they hit .400 as a team.
Thiele served a 9-0 run early to open a 12-1 lead then Cada served a 7-0 run late for a 22-5 advantage. The former, a Nebraska golf commit, led the Cavaliers with 11 kills on .333 hitting and nine digs in the match.
To Lincoln Lutheran’s credit, instead of folding, the Warriors rallied in the third to push Bishop Neumann to extra points, but Cade terminated to earn match point and sophomore setter Ila Bolden called her own number to end it. Overall, the Cavaliers held the Warriors to minus-.009 hitting — including a minus-.290 mark in that dominant second quarter.
Triple Threats
One player came up just shy of a triple-double in a victory while another accomplished the feat in defeat.
First, Minnesota-bound setter McKinley Moser led Class B No. 2 Waverly to a 3-1 win over No. 7 Lincoln Pius X. She totaled 32 assists, 10 digs, nine kills on .400 hitting, three blocks and two aces in one of the better all-around performances of the day.
Moser also set Gracie Lauenstein to 15 kills, and the outside hitter added 16 digs, six aces and the match-point kills in games one and four.
In Class A, No. 3 Omaha Marian took down No. 6 Millard West 3-1 behind 15 kills and 13 digs from Omaha-bound Taylor McLeay and 10 kills apiece from Villanova commit Erin Cramer and junior Fallyn O’Connell.
However, sophomore setter Whitney Pfannenstiel did all she could to keep the Wildcats in the fight with a team-high 13 kills, 18 assists, 11 digs, two aces and two blocks in Millard West’s two-setter offense.
Looking Ahead
With all but one of the top seeds advancing, Friday’s semifinals in the biggest three classes should be spectacular.
In Class B, No. 1 Norris will face No. 4 Grand Island Northwest at 5 p.m. while No. 2 Waverly takes on no. 3 Gretna at 7 p.m. in a conference rival clash.
In Class C1, No. 1 Concordia Omaha will take on fourth-seeded and reigning champion Milford at 1 p.m. while No. 2 Bishop Neumann faces No. 6 Aurora at 3 p.m.
In Class A, top-seeded Elkhorn North will meet No. 4 Lincoln North Star after last year’s runner-up outlasted No. 5 Lincoln Southwest in the lone five-set match on day one. That match is set for 5 p.m. while two-time reigning champion and second-seeded Papillion-La Vista (3-1 win over No. 7 Millard North) advances to face the third-seeded Crusaders of Omaha Marian at 7 p.m.
Stay tuned to the NebPreps and Hurrdat Sports social channels for comprehensive coverage throughout the tournament.
