Storm Rolls to Sweep of Millard West
Members of the Elkhorn South volleyball team celebrate Ibi Green’s kill which gave the Storm its 3-0 win over Millard West Tuesday night. (Photo by Berk Brown)
OMAHA – There might be some debate about whether or not Elkhorn South is the best team in Class B or not, but on Tuesday night the Storm left little doubt who the best team was in its match-up with Class A #4 Millard West.
The Storm, ranked #2 in Class B behind three-time defending champions Skutt Catholic, improved to 7-0 on the season with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 road victory over the Wildcats.
Elkhorn South controlled much of the first set early on, but Millard West battled back and the score was tied at 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19 until a Gabi Nordaker kill and hitting error on the Storm put the Wildcats, 3-3, up 21-19. After the teams traded sideout, Millard West was up 22-20 until Ibi Green and Rylee Gray had back-to-back kills for the Storm to tie it at 22. Kylie Emsick then delivered two straight ace serves and her serve on set point resulted in the Storm getting a free ball back, which Elkhorn South converted into another Green kill to take the set 25-22.
Millard West looked it it had rebounded from the first set loss and was in control of the second set at 18-13 before Elkhorn South mounted another rally. With libero Jordan McCormick – who transferred from Millard West to Elkhorn South over the summer – at the service line, the Storm went on a 8-0 run to take a 21-18 lead on a Gray block. Sadie Millard finally ended the run for Millard West with a kill on a slide, but Makenzie Saitta had two big kills in a 4-1 run by Elkhorn South to close out the set, which finished at 25-20 on a block by Elkhorn South’s Logan Conneally.
The third set was all Elkhorn South from the outset, although Millard West went on a run late to make it close as the Storm closed out the sweep 25-18 in the third.
Gray finished with 13 kills and four blocks for Elkhorn South while Saitta had 11 kills and three blocks and Green had 10 kills and two blocks. McCormick had 18 digs, Conneally had three kills, three blocks and 11 digs and freshman setter Madi Wooden had 42 assists and 10 digs.
Hailey Petersen led Millard West with 10 kills while Cameron Young had three blocks, Jaiden Centeno and Blakely Anderson each had 13 digs and Bree Green finished with 23 assists.