Early August Top 5 Rankings for Class C1

Berk Brown

August 5, 2019 @ 12:22 PM

First official practices of the 2019 high school volleyball season begin a week from today and the first contests are now less than four weeks away. What, exactly, happened to summer? It feels like I spent my entire summer driving the back roads of the state hitting as many team and individual camps as I could this summer, probably because that’s what I did. With that knowledge in hand, I give you a look at what I consider – right now – to the the top five teams in each class. I will post the full top 10 in each class the weekend before the start of competition, but for now here is a look at the teams I would rank in the top 5 in Class C1 right now. #1 - Wahoo A case could be made not only for Wahoo to sit atop the rankings right now, but also St. Paul and Kearney Catholic. For now, I'm keeping Wahoo here - as the Warriors were in the early June rankings - because the two-time defending Class C1 champions deserve that respect. That having been said, Wahoo did split with St. Paul at the Omaha Team Camp last month and trying to replace all-staters like Kyla Swanson and Elly Larson won't be easy. But with USC setter recruit Elle Glock back along with sophomore Mya Larson, libero Kendal Brigham and attackers like Josie Sutton, Lauren Kavan, Kelsie Sears and Lillie Mann, Wahoo should be in pretty good shape to make another run at a state title. #2 - St. Paul St. Paul lost some key contributors from last year's team that went 35-2 and finished third in Class C1, but the Wildcats are absolutely loaded again this fall and will put a lot of talent on the court. St. Paul also had a standout showing against Class A and B programs at the Omaha Team Camp, showing that they aren't just one of the best in Class C1, but in the state as a whole. Sophomore setter Olivia Poppert is a really special player and libero Paige Lukasiewicz also returns giving the Wildcats two strong pieces at key positions. Josie Jakubowski and Brooke Poppert are the two top returning attackers back for the Wildcats as each had more than 200 kills a year ago. St. Paul's balance and athleticism are going to be a problem for most every team it plays this fall. #3 - Kearney Catholic Kearney Catholic had its streak of 12 straight trips to the state tournament snapped in 2017 and the Stars then went 18-12 last year with a young team and look ready to get back to the top of Class C1 after playing in six state championship matches - winning four of them - earlier in this decade. Athletic and powerful middles Sarh Clinch and Jill Collins both return along with sophomore setter Syd Conner and attackers Ainsley Aden, Julia McReynolds and Ashley Keck. The Stars will be deep and talented and right in the mix of things come November. #4 - Lincoln Lutheran I wasn't really expecting a whole lot out of Lincoln Lutheran coming into this fall until I watched them at the Omaha Team Camp where they were one of the better teams regardless of class. Sure, the Warriors have returning Gatorade Player of the Year Marriah Buss, but they graduated an all-state libero and an all-state setter, but no player other than Buss with more than 100 kills. However, Lincoln Lutheran really looked good this summer and with players like Abigail Wohlgemuth, Ashlyn DeBoer and Lexie Kreizel, it looks like the Warriors should once again be very competitive. #5 - Lincoln Christian Lincoln Christian was another team that looks to be better than what I expected this fall based on how the Crusaders played this summer. All-state setter Barrett Power returns, as does the team's top returning attacker in Alexis Johnson. It's going to be another strong year for the Centennial Conference, so how Lincoln Christian holds up during its difficult question will be interesting to watch, but it showed it is going to be capable of hanging with the top teams in C1.