Elkhorn South Closes Out EMC Title With Win Over Norris

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FIRTH – The stakes weren’t quite as high as the last time Elkhorn South and Norris played each other for a title, but it sure seemed like it.
Elkhorn South emphatically closed out each set in taking a 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 win at Norris in the Eastern Midlands Conference championship match Thursday night, in a rematch of last year’s Class B state championship.
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Elkhorn South improved to 18-8 with the victory while Norris dropped to 18-3. The two teams will face each other at least one more time this year on Oct. 21 in Elkhorn. Earlier this month the Storm defeated Norris 2-0 at the Lincoln Pius X Invitational.
Even though Elkhorn South won in a sweep, each set was competitive until the end. The first set was tied at 15 apiece, but the Storm wound up finishing the set on a 6-1 run to pull away. Kelsey Green had a kill and ace block in that stretch for Elkhorn South and a Sophie Auch Moedy kill ended it.
In the second set, a kill by Kylie Hohlen for Norris and a net violation on the Storm gave the Titans a 19-18 lead, but Elkhorn South responded with another 6-1 run to go up 24-20. A Green kill from the back row eventually gave Elkhorn South the 25-21 win.
In the third set, Norris got within 21-20 of Elkhorn South on a kill by Maddy Bruder, but back-to-back kills by Sarah Swanson and Green helped the Storm again pull away at the end of the match.
Green led Elkhorn South with a match-high 15 kills and Swanson added 10. Bruder and Hohlen each had 13 for Norris.
#12 Elkhorn South def. #14 Norris 25-18, 25-21, 25-22.
Elkhorn South (kills-ace serves-blocks)
Ashley Knight 0-3-1, Sarah Swanson 10-0-2, Ali Clark 4-0-0, Kelsey Green 15-2-2, Sophie Auch Moedy 4-0-0, Leslie Booth 3-0-1, Josie Givens 0-1-0.
Norris (kills-ace serves-blocks)
Maddy Bruder 13-1-0, Payton Ruhl 2-1-1, Kylie Hohlen 13-1-0, Reagan TeKolste 0-0-1, Allysa Catt 1-0-2.
Assists: Elkhorn South 32 (Knight 31, Riley Newton 1). Norris 25 (Ruhl 25). Digs: Elkhorn South 62 (Jaden Thiem 18). Norris N/A.