Week 3 Saturday Tournament Recap
Yesterday, teams from around the state traveled to take part in a variety of round-robin tournaments. Every one of the tournaments discussed below ended with the same result: an undefeated champion was crowned. After sifting through plenty of live streams,…
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Continue ReadingYesterday, teams from around the state traveled to take part in a variety of round-robin tournaments. Every one of the tournaments discussed below ended with the same result: an undefeated champion was crowned.
After sifting through plenty of live streams, I was able to get a good look at what made Saturday’s champions so dominant. Here’s a glimpse at some of the top performers from the weekend slate!
Norris Invite
The Norris Invite was an eight-team round-robin tournament split into two pools, with teams only playing within these designated pools. So, we’ve got two champions to discuss here.
In Pool A, it was the host team taking the title in dominant fashion. The Titans picked up sweeps over Columbus, Crete, and Platteview to take the trophy in their group. Norris, as is usually the case, had just too much offense for their opponents to handle. Maisie Boesiger Maisie Boesiger 5'5" | S Norris | 2022 State #198 Nation NE has such great command over her offense, as she consistently dished out quality sets to talented hitters like Sydney Jelinek Sydney Jelinek 5'10" | OH Norris | 2022 State NE , Ella Waters Ella Waters 6'3" | OH Norris | 2022 State NE , and Kalli Kroeker. Saturday’s tournament was a special occasion for Norris, too, as they hung senior banners for Kroeker, Brianna Stai Brianna Stai 5'11" | MB Norris | 2021 State NE , Molly Ramsey, and Reagan Forry Reagan Forry 5'5" | DS/L Norris | 2021 NE .
In the Norris High School South Gym, meanwhile, it was Waverly who came out on top in Pool B with sweeps over Blair, Ralston, and Seward. Like Norris, the power of the Waverly offense is well documented, with Husker commits Bekka Allick Bekka Allick 6'3" | MB Waverly | 2022 State #7 Nation NE and Whitney Lauenstein Whitney Lauenstein 6'1" | OH Waverly | 2021 State NE crushing it all day. Overall, it was a nice way for the Vikings to bounce back from their loss to Elkhorn in the championship match of the Beatrice Invitational last week.
And, in case you’re disappointed that the champions of these pools didn’t play each other this weekend, don’t be. Waverly returns to Firth to face off against Norris on Tuesday night.
Millard North Invite
What more can I say about Elkhorn South?
The Storm swept through a tough gauntlet consisting of Millard North, Millard South, Millard West, and Elkhorn North to become the undisputed champions of the Millard North Invite. Anything I could say about this team, who now sits at 13-0 on the year, would likely be repeating something I’ve said already. It’s just a roster of players that can do anything: pass, hit, play defense, or serve. So many versatile options.
Now, I must mention that I enjoyed watching the other teams at this invite develop and show some great things. Millard West picked up where they left off at the Heartland Crossroads Tournament, where they also finished runner-up to the Storm. Senior setter Bridget Smith reached 1,000 assists in her career with the Wildcats program on Saturday. She’s got plenty of great players she can set, too.
Millard South showed once again that their team runs through the pins. I’m always impressed by the play of outside hitters like Paisley Gibson Paisley Gibson 5'9" | OH Millard South | 2022 NE and Emily Hagedorn Emily Hagedorn 5'11" | OH Millard South | 2022 State NE , and I love the way that junior setter Makayla Fleming Makayla Fleming 5'8" | S Millard South | 2022 State NE can distribute the ball.
The host team, Millard North, also has a lot on which it can build. For one, Alanna Bankston Alanna Bankston 6'1" | MB Millard West | 2023 State #68 Nation NE is a star. This dynamic sophomore was lethal on the left side. She could pass with great accuracy, too, even though she has spent much of her time in the middle during club season. With Kate Galvin Kate Galvin 5'7" | DS/L Millard North | 2022 State NE also anchoring the backcourt, this Mustang team looks to be on an upward trajectory.
Speaking of upward trajectory, how about the brand new school? Elkhorn North is in a unique position as an upstart program with a young roster. If there’s a leader for this program into the future, it’s sophomore opposite Grace Heaney Grace Heaney 6'2" | RS Elkhorn North | 2023 State #33 Nation NE . This lefty is legit. I’m excited to see where the Wolves can go!
Bellevue East Invite
The Bellevue East Invite belonged to Bellevue West. The Thunderbirds emerged unscathed after facing Fremont, Lincoln High, and a double-header against Omaha Westside.
Obviously, the Bellevue West can attribute much of its success to the top-ranked player in the 2023 class, Destiny Ndam-Simpson Destiny Ndam-Simpson 6'1" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #37 Nation NE . So athletic and smart, there’s a reason why she’s number one. There’s talent at every other position for the Thunderbirds, too, with junior opposite Kealy Kiviniemi Kealy Kiviniemi 5'11" | RS Bellevue West | 2022 State NE and sophomore defensive specialist Makenzie Dyrstad Makenzie Dyrstad 5'7" | DS/L Papillion LaVista South | 2023 State NE performing well in early-season play. This invitational, like the one at Millard North, was largely a display of why it’s so hard to figure out how Class A is going to pan out at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City…
Here’s a quick shoutout to the Skutt Skyhawks, who traveled down to Kansas City on Saturday and swept past St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) and St. Theresa’s Academy (MO). In about a month, it will be Skutt’s turn to host a multi-state invitational. You won’t want to miss that.