C-1 Sleeper: Ord

<p>On opening night, Ord looked as if they were a month into the season. The Chants just play well together. Credit that to some players with a few years of varsity experience. However, don't overlook the fact that they lost their two leading attackers, and starting setter after the 2016 season. <strong>Delani Fahey</strong>, first-year starting varsity setter, distributed the ball to Ord's equally balanced attackers with notable accuracy. Fahey had 33 assists in the match against Minden.</p> <p><em><strong>Offense</strong></em></p> <p>The Chant attackers split kills pretty evenly throughout the game. <strong>Kelli Deriso</strong> (Jr.) led the team with 9 kills while <strong>Susie Vavra</strong> (Sr.) tallied 6, and <strong>Reilly Peetz</strong> (So.) and <strong>Cali Lech</strong> (Jr.) both had 5 kills. The balance of the Chant's offense makes them tough to defend, and if ever one of them has an off night, the others can no doubt carry the load. </p> [caption id="attachment_7494" align="aligncenter" width="235"] Photo Creds: Lincoln Journal Star[/caption] <p><em><strong>Defense</strong></em></p> <p>On the defensive end, senior <strong>Ali Smith</strong> showed no nerves the first night out. The four-year defensive player for the Chants has definitely earned her wings in the back row and is one of the unrecognized "greats" in her position as libero. Against Minden, Smith had 8 digs, but countless hustle plays and dead-on serve receive throughout the night.</p> <p>Ord will play tough teams throughout the season, in St. Paul, Omaha Concordia, Kearney Catholic, and Centura. The C-1 front runners had best keep an eye on the Chants throughout the season as they will continue to improve. And, their tenacity on defense and ability to win long rallies may just carry them to Lincoln in November. Maybe being underestimated is one of the greatest competitive advantages a team can have in the cutthroat nature of C-1.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>