Who Are the Contenders for Nebraska Gatorade POY?

Perhaps unlike any season in recent memory, the race for the top individual honor in Nebraska high school volleyball seems like it's up for grabs. Here is a look at previous winners from this decade. 2017 - Jaela Zimmerman, Malcolm (Creighton) 2016 - Brooke Heyne, Skutt Catholic (Kansas State) 2015 - Raegan LeGrand, Papillion-LaVista South (USC) 2014 - Megan Wickey, Omaha Concordia (Ohio State) 2013 - Olivia Boender, Waverly, (Nebraska) 2012 - Amber Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Nebraska) 2011 - Kadie Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Nebraska) 2010 - Amber Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Nebraska) There are a lot of common denominators within that group. First, and most obvious, is that each was committed to a major Division I program. Second, each played on a very successful team in high school that was in the state tournament during the winning player's senior season. I would like to point out that I have absolutely no voice or influence whatsoever in the Gatorade POY honor. So, I'm simply making educated guesses below as to who I think the front runners for the honor are this year. In a season in which no individual player has really stepped up and become that dominant player that everyone feels is clearly the best, the final week of the regular season and postseason play likely will mean more than ever before. Before I get into the players that are, in my opinion, the 10 best candidates for Gatorade POY, here are seven that just missed the cut. Cece Beahm, 6'0, Sr., OH, Hastings (Hastings College): Beahm's athleticism is on par with the very best players in the state and she has been a driving force in Hastings having its best volleyball season in - well - a really long time. She's a really long shot, but deserves to be in the discussion. Emersen Cyza, 6'1, Sr., OH, Alliance (Wyoming): Cyza very well could lead the state in kills by the end of the year. It's going to be difficult for her to win, though, because of where she plays at the level of competition she faces. To have a shot, she and her Alliance teammates would need to make a shocking run at state. Mayah Delgado, 6'0, Jr., RS, Omaha Duchesne: Delgado has to be in the discussion when you talk about the most dominating and important players for their teams. It's difficult to win the award as an underclassman, especially when there is a senior on your team that is also in the conversation. Rylee Gray, 6'4, Soph., MH, Elkhorn South (Nebraska): Clearly Gray is one of the best volleyball players in the state, but when you start breaking down who the most outstanding player in the state is, it's really hard to only be on the court 50% of the time and still be the best player in the state unless you are absolutely dominating beyond belief. Gray might get to that point n the next year or two, but isn't there now. Norah Sis, 6'0, Soph., OH, Papillion-LaVista (Creighton): Sis is genuinely one of the best pure all-around players in the state and it certainly wouldn't surprise anyone if she won this award before her career is up. But, she's just a sophomore, so the odds are not in her favor this fall. Megan Woods, 5'10, Sr., OH, Grand island CC (Omaha): Woods is an absolute warrior that can hurt you from any place on the court. She has a bright future ahead and has had an outstanding high school career to this point, but she remains a long shot right now. Emma Worthington, 5'10, Sr., Setter, Omaha Duchesne (Cornell): It's a very, very short list of setters that have ever won the award in Nebraska, but there are few better than Worthington in the state. In order for her to win the award, though, Duchesne likely needs to win the Class B title behind a monster tournament from Worthington. Now, here are the 10 players that I would consider as the lead pack when it comes to the Gatorade POY award. Emily Bressman, 5'10, Sr., OH, Omaha Marian (Creighton): Bressman checks a lot of the boxes when it comes to a potential Gatorade POY winner. She's Marian's all-time kill leader, she's easily the team's best all-around player, a two-time state champion and her team is likely headed back to state. Bressman is sure to get a lot of consideration for the award, and justifiably so. Marriah Buss, 6'0, Jr., OH, Lincoln Lutheran (Wichita State): Buss is a legitimate contender for the award and is likely to end up being the state's kill leader. She has 473 kills right now and when Lutheran is in system, she's basically impossible to stop. The fact that she's just a junior probably works against her, but if she can help Lutheran to a state title, she's got to get a ton of consideration. Kelsie Cada, 6'1, Sr., OH, Bishop Neumann (Wayne State): Right now, in my opinion, Cada is either the winner or runner-up for Gatorade POY. Cada has Bishop Neumann at 26-1 in the deepest and most competitive class (C-1) and conference (Centennial) and she can absolutely beat you in a number of ways. A fierce attacker who puts up a big block and also has one of the best serves in the state. She's a tremendous full-rotation outside. Would they give the award to a player not committed to a big-time Division I program, though? They definitely should. It's not Scott Kneifl's fault he stole a big-time recruit from the D1s. Jaiden Centeno, 5'8, Sr., Libero, Millard West (Iowa State): In an effort to keep it real, I have to say that the odds of a libero winning the award are very, very slim. But, Centeno is the straw that stirs the drink for Millard West and the Wildcats are capable of winning the Class A title. It would be a pretty easy argument to make that Centeno impacts the game just as much if not more than most players in the state. It's an uphill battle for a libero to win the award, though. Elle Glock, 6'1, Soph., Setter, Wahoo (USC): When you think about pre-requisites for winning the Gatorade POY award, Glock has a lot of them. Already a state champion and already committed to a big-time program, Glock could help lead Wahoo to back-to-back state titles this fall. Plus, when you watch her play you realize how special of an athlete and player she is and that she belongs in the conversation. But, being just a sophomore might be too much to overcome. Lindsay Krause, 6'3, Soph., OH/MH, Skutt Catholic (Nebraska): Coming in to this season, I thought Krause had a real legitimate chance at becoming Nebraska's first three-time winner of the award. And while the sophomore Nebraska recruit may be the best prospect in the state, she's been a little banged up this year and missed the start of the season while playing with Team USA. Being on a very balanced team doesn't help matters much, either, but Krause has had just six matches with double-digit kills. Krause will win this award at some point in her career, it just doesn't look like this is the season. Izzy Lukens, 5'10, Jr., Setter, Millard North (Arkansas State): As an underclassman and a setter, the odds are kind of stacked against Lukens to begin with, but ultimately I think she is worth some serious consideration. Millard North lacks a real super star on its team, so when I picture what the Mustangs would be like without certain players, I still see them as being pretty well off, unless you take Lukens out of the picture. She's a gun-slinger of a setter. At the end of the day, Lukens has had an incredible season, has led her team to a state championship and a runner-up finish and has the Mustangs right in the thick of it again. Kalynn Meyer, 6'4, Jr., OH/MH, Superior (Nebraska): In my mind, right now, it's Cada and Meyer at the front of the pack in the chase for the award. A lot has been made about how raw of a talent Meyer is in volleyball, but when it comes down to it, she might still have a long ways to go, but where she is at now still makes her one of the most dominating players in the state. She is probably the best female athlete in the state, she's committed to Nebraska, she led her team to a state title last year and has them 25-2 and steamrolling along. I think she deserves a very, very long, hard look from those who decide the winner. Fallon Stutheit, 6'1, Sr., MH, Johnson-Brock (Nebraska): Stutheit recently broke the Class D-1 career record for kills and all she has done during her time at Johnson-Brock is win three state titles in three years. The Eagles are 24-3 again this year despite losing an all-state setter and all-state attacker, making this perhaps the most impressive season of Stutheit's career - even though her numbers may not suggest it. If Stutheit can bring a fourth state title back to her school this fall, the question becomes, "how can Fallon not win it?" Kyla Swanson, 6'3, Sr., MH, Wahoo (Illinois): If it wasn't for the fact that Swanson is a middle that gets subbed out for a libero, I would say Swanson is the leader for the award. But, again, being on the court only half the time is a real hinderance when it comes to being named the Gatorade POY. Swanson has a lot of things that past winners of the award had, though, in terms of being a senior, being committed to a big time program and being a part of a very successful high school program. If Wahoo can win another state title and Swanson has a big tourney, I think she's right in the thick of it.