Nebraska State Volleyball, Class A: 5 set thriller leaves volleyball fans in awe

CLASS A Championship #4 seed Gretna (28-11) Vs #7 seed Papillion-LaVista South (23-17) With the emotions high in the night cap of the Nebraska High School State Championships, the Class A match between #4 seed Gretna (28-11) and #7 seed Papillion-LaVista South (23-17) created an energy filled atmosphere on all sides of court. In set 1, the Dragons won the game to 10, 15, 20, and 25, but the strong Titan block of Aliah Clarke, Breckyn Moore, and Ava Legrand flourished at the end to win 27-25. Junior Aliah Clarke’s 7 blocks stymied the Dragon hitters throughout the match. Sophomore setter/hitter Ava Legrand (21 kills, 20 assists, 16 digs, 5 blocks) paced the Titans with high volleyball IQ. As the teams went back and forth in set 2, the Dragons pulled away after reaching 20 first. They managed to hit around the Titan block party with kills from senior Lydia Yost (18 kills, 13 digs) and junior Emma Prentice (20 kills), a North Dakota State recruit, and a set ending block of their own by senior Lauren Anderson, a Morningside Recruit, and sophomore Brooklyn Schuler, winning 25-21, tying the game 1-1. The Dragons, coached by Mike Brandon in his 19th season, moved up to Class A in 2018. They have never won a state championship. The Titans, a step or two in front of the Dragons in most of set 3 until tied at 20 and 21, prevailed with a 25-22 win with another block party by sophomore Emma O’Neill (8 kills, 8 blocks) and a Dragon service error. Playing great volleyball, both teams battled with scrappy defense and aggressive play. On the Dragon side, senior libero Kennedy Schaecher (29 digs) and junior defensive specialist Morgan Sangl (21 digs) combined for 50 digs in the match. Senior setter Ashlyn Dierksand (26 assists, 23 digs), senior libero Delanie Valinch (21 digs) and senior all around player Sophie Hendrix (13 kills, 19 digs) paced the back row for the Titans. First year Titan coach Katie Wright and her team advanced to the championship by beating #2 seed Elkhorn South and #3 seed Lincoln Pius X. With Papilion-LaVista South in front 2-1, set 4 belonged to Gretna, 25-18. With a 6-0 run early, the Dragons pushed only with the Titans pushing back to tie the set at 11. And then the Dragons went on another 3-0 run and then a 5-0 run behind kills from Lydia Yost, Emma Prentice, and sophomore Skylar McCune (14 kills, 23 digs). Headed to a fifth set, the teams switched sides. The adrenaline ran high with early missed serves. The Titans went on a 5-0 run behind the serve of Ava Legrand and kills from Emma O’Neill and Sophie Hendrix. At 10-4, Gretna called an effective timeout but were not able to hold the serve long. With two timely kills by junior Breckyn Moore (10 kills, 5 blocks) and a fitting block by Ava Legrand on game point, the Titans finished the match with a 15-7 win. The first year Titan coach Katie Wright took the championship plaque home. Papillion LaVista South was runner-up in 2008, 2009, and 2016. Champions in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Kills <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Thursday </td> <td> Friday </td> <td> Saturday </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 19 Kylen Sealock, Lincoln PIus X </td> <td> 23 Skylar Janovich-McCune, Gretna </td> <td> 21 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 18 Eve Fountain, Millard North </td> <td> 19 Lydia Yost, Gretna </td> <td> 20 Emma Prentice, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 18 McKenna Ruch, Millard North </td> <td> 10 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> <td> 18 Lydia Yost, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 18 Lydia Yost, Gretna </td> <td> 9 Stella Adeyemi, PLSo </td> <td> 14 Skylar Janovich-McCune, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 17 Skylar Janovich-McCune, Gretna </td> <td> 9 Sophie Hendrix, PLSo </td> <td> 13 Sophie Hendrix, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 14 Sophie Hendrix, PLSo </td> <td> </td> <td> 10 Breckyn Moore, PLSo </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Blocks <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Thursday </td> <td> Friday </td> <td> Saturday </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 6 Alexis Markowski, Pius X </td> <td> 3 Brooklyn Schuler,Gretna </td> <td> 8 Emma O’Neill, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 5 Emma O'Neill, PLSo </td> <td> 2 Lauren Anderson, Gretna </td> <td> 7 Aliah Clarke, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 4 Emma Prentice, Gretna </td> <td> 2 Avery Kallman, Gretna </td> <td> 6 Emma Prentice, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 3 Aliah Clarke, PLSo </td> <td> 2 Emma Prentice, Gretna </td> <td> 5 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 3 Sophie Hendrix, PLSo </td> <td> </td> <td> 5 Breckyn Moore, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 3 Molly Plahn, Millard North </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Aces <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Thursday </td> <td> Friday </td> <td> Saturday </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 4 Kenedy Schaecher, Gretna </td> <td> 2 Kenedy Schaecher, Gretna </td> <td> 3 Morgan Sangl, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 3 Adison Markowski, Pius X </td> <td> 2 Lydia Yost, Gretna </td> <td> 2 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2 Mollie Fee, Millard North </td> <td> 1 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2 Lauren Taubenheim, Pius X </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2 Eve Fountain, Millard North </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2 Izzy Lukens , Millard North </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Digs <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Thursday </td> <td> Friday </td> <td> Saturday </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 30 Miriam Miller, Pius X </td> <td> 33 Kenedy Schaecher, Gretna </td> <td> 29 Kenedy Schaecher, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 25 Delanie Vallinch , PLSo </td> <td> 25 Lauren Anderson, Gretna </td> <td> 23 Ashlyn Dierks, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 22 Sophie Hendrix, PLSo </td> <td> 21 Kenedy Schaecher, Gretna </td> <td> 23 Skylar Janovich-McCune, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 22 Savannah Shelburne, Gretna </td> <td> 20 Delanie Vallinch, PLSo </td> <td> 21 Morgan Sangl, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 19 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> <td> </td> <td> 21 Delanie Vallinch, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 19 Lauren Maciejewski, Milalrd North </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Assists <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Thursday </td> <td> Friday </td> <td> Saturday </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 47 Lauren Anderson, Gretna </td> <td> 49 Lauren Anderson, Gretna </td> <td> 55 Lauren Anderson, Gretna </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 43 Izzy Lukens , Millard North </td> <td> 16 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> <td> 26 Ashlyn Dierks, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 31 Hannah Pham, Pius X </td> <td> </td> <td> 20 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 27 Adison Markowski, Pius X </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 15 Ava Legrand, PLSo </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 12 Ashlyn Dierks, PLSo </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>