State Championship Preview: C-1

Class C-1 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive fields where the difference between the #1 seed and the #8 is no more than making a few extra plays. These top 8 teams in the state will…

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Class C-1 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive fields where the difference between the #1 seed and the #8 is no more than making a few extra plays. These top 8 teams in the state will battle it out for the title of Nebraska State C-1 Champion this weekend.

#1-Wahoo (31-2)

Throughout the season three or four teams constantly battled for position of #1 ranking, but Wahoo’s final push at the end of the regular season and into the postseason led them to be at the top to begin the state tournament. With numerous weapons, the Warriors are very difficult to defend as they swing extremely efficiently from all zones of the net. Elly Larson leads the team with 336 kills and Kyla Swanson, Illinois University commit, is right behind with 298 kills. Setter, Kinsley Tingelhoff is most recently the record holder for most assists in a career in C-1 and leads the offense with precision. The presence of various athletes and knowledgeable players makes the Warriors a favorite and a very tough match up for teams of this field.

#2-GICC (31-2)

GICC comes in with the same record as Wahoo, which illustrates the small margin of difference between these two teams. The majority of the Crusader’s wins this season came in the minimum number of sets possible: they are dominant. GICC has been known for having teams with exceptional fundamentals and the will to win. Sharon Zavala, head coach, has built the program into a dynasty and this team is doing their part to uphold it. Megan Woods, UNO commit leads the team with 418 kills while setter, Katie Maser comes in with 891 assists on the season. This team has great history at the state tournament and expects to be playing their best this weekend.

#3-Lincoln Lutheran (29-5)

Another constant frontrunner in C-1, the Warriors blazed through subdistricts and substate to get to the state tournament. With the addition of Marriah Buss and Erin Williams, Lincoln Lutheran has constantly taken steps up this season and is prepped to play at their highest level this weekend. Buss leads the team with 605 kills and Hope Leimbach comes in with 901 assists. This team is offense-based, they swing hard and beat teams by continuously wearing on the opponent’s defensive morale.

#4-North Bend Central (30-1)

NBC is a more balanced team in this field. Their one loss comes from Stanton, a contender for the C-2 title. Kristin Lux, 6’1″ senior MH leads the team in kills with 379 and Brooke Fredrickson, senior OH hitter is close behind with 264 kills. With two other attackers over 100 kills, the Tigers distribute the ball well and run a sound offense. They could be a dangerous team to run into as they have experience with winning throughout this season.

#5-Malcolm (28-3)

After a tough loss in subdistricts, the Clippers were able to turn things around in a dramatic fashion, beating Syracuse in 5 sets to advance to state. Coming off of an exciting win has definitely given this team some momentum and positive energy coming into this weekend. Malcolm is led by senior OH and Creighton commit, Jaela Zimmerman who has tallied 545 kills already this season. Though their offense may seem predictable, the caliber of Zimmerman is enough to keep teams off balance.

#6-Ord (27-5)

Also coming off of a loss in subdistricts, Ord earned their trip to state by beating a solid Bishop Neumann team. This team has experience, is fundamentally sound, and stays level-headed, which makes them a dangerous match up. The Chants are led in kills by Reilly Peetz with 233, but Kelli DeRiso and Cali Lech are close behind with 214 and 208 kills respectively. Again, a balanced offense keeps the Chants unpredictable and the defense from Ali Smith, senior libero, keeps their offense in system more times than not.

#7-Omaha Concordia (21-13)

Though Concordia’s record isn’t as clean as the ones above, their losses are exclusively to quality teams many of which are still playing this weekend. The Mustangs are led by Taylor Pribyl who has 343 kills on the season and setter, Samantha Clarkson has 1036 assists coming into the tournament. Various other players have over 100 and even 200 kills, so they can rely on a good number of swingers to get the job done. As the C-1 defending champions, they know what it takes to win three days in a row against high caliber teams and they will compete at a high level down in Lincoln.

#8-Minden (23-11)

Minden’s record is also somewhat deceiving as most of their losses come from state tournament teams. The Whippets are on a twelve game winning streak and have some momentum going into this weekend. Jensen Rowse leads the team in kills with 531 and Emma Ryan and Janessa Madsen carry some of the load with 202 and 246 kills respectively. This team’s defense and ability to play long will challenge opponents, no matter their record.

Kill Leaders: