Class A – Raegan LeGrand, 5-foot-10, OH, Sr., Papillion-LaVista South
The embodiment of a complete volleyball player, LeGrand is heading to top-ranked USC on a scholarship to play libero but led all Class A hitters in kills by a wide margin this season. LeGrand saved perhaps the two best matches of her career for Papillion-LaVista South’s two state-tournament matches this fall, which is the signature of all great players. In a 3-2 quarterfinal win over Lincoln Southwest LeGrand finished with 27 kills and 34 digs and in a 3-1 semifinal loss to Omaha Marian, LeGrand had 20 kills and 30 digs. For the season, LeGrand hit .311 with 485 kills, served at 94% with 25 aces, had 44 blocks, 443 digs, 69 assists and 700 serve receptions.
Class B – Halie McArdle, 5-foot-9, OH, Sr., Gretna
McArdle was simply dominating during her senior season for the Dragons. Her 4.9 kills per set was the highest in Class B and her ability to terminate was unmatched, especially at the state tournament. In Gretna’s 3-0 loss to Omaha Skutt in the Class B finals, McArdle had 27 kills in the three sets on .324 hitting against one of the top defensive teams in the state. In Gretna’s first two state-tournament matches, McArdle had a combined 42 kills and 42 digs. The Wyoming recruit finished her season with 500 kills, a serving percentage of 98.6% with 42 aces, 24 blocks, 472 digs and 403 serve receptions.
Class C-1 – Morgan Alexander, 5-foot-7, Setter, Sr., Ord
Alexander was blessed to have many weapons at her disposal during the season, but the Wayne State recruit ran Ord’s offense to near perfection on a match-by-match basis during a 31-4 season and Class C-1 state runner-up finish. Alexander led the Chants to a pair of 3-0 sweeps in the first two rounds of the state tournament with 77 assists and 34 digs and then turned in 68 assists and 23 digs in the heart-pounding 3-2 loss to Kearney Catholic in the C-1 finals. The 68 assists established a new all-time Class C-1 record for a single match and is tied for the second most assists ever in a Nebraska high school match. Alexander also finishes her career with more assists than anyone in Class C-1 history.
Class C-2 – Payton Robley, 5-foot-8, OH, Sr., East Butler
Robley’s 511 kills this season for East Butler was the second most of any player in the state, trailing only TCU recruit Sarah Swanson’s 515, but the Elkhorn South junior played in 21 more sets than Robley. Robley had double-digit kill totals in 27 of her 30 matches this year, and broke the 30-kill mark three times, including in a three-set match against High Plains. In leading her team to a 3-2 win over Dorchester earlier this year, Robley had 35 kills, four ace serves, 21 digs and 27 serve receptions. The College of St. Mary’s recruit finished her season with 511 kills on .312 hitting, 76 aces, 20 blocks, 338 digs and 386 serve receptions.
Class D-1 – Madison Jurgens, 5-foot-10, Setter, Jr., Diller-Odell
Jurgens becomes the first underclassman to ever win a Player of the Year title for Nebraska Prep Volleyball. Her 460 kills this season was 51 more than the next-closest total by a D-1 player and Jurgens also happens to be an elite-level setter, drawing Division I interest from several schools. She helped lead the Griffins to their first-ever top division title in the MUDECAS tournament this year and guided the team to the Class D-1 championship match as well. Despite a 3-0 loss in the championship to Johnson-Brock, Jurgens posted a triple-double in all three state tournament matches, finishing the weekend with 53 kills, 63 digs and 42 assists. For the season she finished with 460 kills on .381 hitting, 58 ace serves on an 88.4% serving ratio, 55 blocks, 361 digs and 393 assists.
Class D-2 – Chainey Tompkin, 6-foot, MH, Sr., Giltner
Tompkin was a one-woman wrecking crew for Giltner this season in leading the two-time defending Class D-2 champions back to the state tournament again this year. Despite being the only major presence at the net for the Hornets and having several injuries to teammates, Tompkin almost single-handedly led Giltner to a 20-12 season, which ended with a first-round loss to O’Neill St. Mary’s in the first round of the state tournament. Tompkin led her team with 485 kills, which was nearly twice as many as the rest of her teammates combined. She also led the team with 61 blocks, 30 ace serves and 187 digs.
