State Championship Recap: Class C2 and C1

The second session of Championship Saturday featured matchups from Class C2 and C1. Three of the four finalists in this session came into their title match with one loss or fewer. It was a perfect setup for an elite pair of matches. That’s exactly what we got. Here are the highlights from the Class C2 and C1 championships!   Class C2 The Eagles and Knights exchanged scoring runs throughout the first set. LHNE got much of their offense from senior outside hitter Becca Gebhardt, as was the case for much of the regular season. Sophomore outside hitter Addison Corr had a big role offensively for Norfolk Catholic, picking up 6 kills in the first set. With a series of big stuff blocks on the outside, it was the Lady Knights prevailing in set one, 25-19. It was another tight contest at the start of set two. Chloe Spence picked up plenty of digs for the Eagles and chipped in a couple blocks, too. The Lady Knights started to get some unstoppable offense from athletic sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="83539" first="Channatee" last="Robles"], as well as Mary Fennessy in the middle. After both teams remained deadlocked late in the set, a pair of kills from Gebhardt gave the Eagles set point at 24-22. That’s when Norfolk Catholic mounted their comeback. Great net play from Fennessy and clutch swings from Robles gave the Lady Knights what they needed to rally back and take the second, 27-25. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Down 24-22 in the second, <a href="https://x.com/NorfolkCatholic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NorfolkCatholic</a> rallies to win it, 27-25! The Lady Knights are a set away from a C2 title! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/kcnGcimCQ3">pic.x.com/kcnGcimCQ3</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325181626561687554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> C2’s top seed got back on track in the third set. Some strong serving and stifling blocks at the net put the Eagles up throughout the set. Gebhardt picked up her 19th kill of the match before LHNE went on to win the set, 25-19. The Eagles had found their rhythm now. [player_tooltip player_id="77503" first="Lauren" last="Buhrman"] reached double-digit kills as Lutheran High Northeast took a commanding fourth-set lead. Once down 0-2, LHNE tied the match at two sets apiece with a 25-18 win in the fourth. After that, LHNE would not be denied. Tough serves aplenty and some gritty defense rounded out a huge comeback for the Eagles in five sets. Gebhardt picked up her 30th kill to give Lutheran High Northeast the Class C2 title. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> What a comeback! Becca Gebhardt picks up her 30th kill of the match to win it for <a href="https://x.com/LHNEeagles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LHNEeagles</a> in the fifth! Class C2 champs! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/7P9QfPwrgz">pic.x.com/7P9QfPwrgz</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325197129233494018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Class C1 In the battle of undefeated teams, it was St. Paul with the early advantage. 2022 setter [player_tooltip player_id="37562" first="Olivia" last="Poppert"] established herself as an offensive threat early in the match with two quick kills. Sisters [player_tooltip player_id="37985" first="Josie" last="Jakubowski"] and [player_tooltip player_id="78669" first="Jenna" last="Jakubowski"] joined in the scoring. Wahoo would respond, though, with some great blocking by Kelsie Sears and Josie Sutton. [player_tooltip player_id="37530" first="Mya" last="Larson"], an exceptional 2022 outside hitter, chipped in 9 kills for the Warriors in the first. In the end, though, the balanced Wildcat attack gave St. Paul the edge in the first, 25-22. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://x.com/StPaulVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StPaulVB</a> takes the first set of the C1 title match, 25-22! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/ygWiCcRaH2">pic.x.com/ygWiCcRaH2</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325211155078537216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wahoo took an early lead in set two as their excellent floor defense began to shine. Some crisp tempo sets from USC commit [player_tooltip player_id="82557" first="Elle" last="Glock"] got the Warriors in the kind of groove that has carried them to so many victories. St. Paul responded, however, as several Wildcats put together clutch serving runs late in the set. Then, it was Wahoo’s turn to put together a clutch comeback. Down 24-22, the Warriors scored four consecutive points to win 26-24 and tie the match. St. Paul’s tough serving gave them an edge in the third and kept the hot Wahoo offense off balance. The Warriors rallied back after a pair of early timeouts, but the Wildcats seized the momentum once again. [player_tooltip player_id="78633" first="Abby" last="Elstermeier"] picked up some key blocks, and the offense from the Jakubowski sisters helped lift the team to a 25-20 victory in the third. The Warriors returned to form in the fourth, feeding [player_tooltip player_id="37530" first="Mya" last="Larson"] her 30th kill of the match early in the set. St. Paul, as always, had an answer. A tight fourth set evolved into a serving battle, which each side putting out some heat from behind the line. Wahoo gained a late edge off the serve of Larson, and Kelsie Sears went on a tear in the front row. With a 25-18 win in set four, the stage was set for another fifth set to decide a championship. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> ANOTHER five-set championship match!<a href="https://x.com/wahoovball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wahoovball</a> force a fifth on [player_tooltip player_id="37530" first="Mya" last="Larson"]’s 34th kill of the match! Here we go! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/9EsyVP74mW">pic.x.com/9EsyVP74mW</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325230286502768641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> St. Paul jumped out to an early advantage in the fifth before Wahoo slowly came crawling back. Clutch blocks on both sides swung momentum from one point to the next. Sears put together a serving run that had the two teams tied at 11. The Warriors then took the lead on a Larson kill and never looked back. With a 15-12 victory, Wahoo completed their unbeaten season. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://x.com/wahoovball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wahoovball</a> wins it! The Warriors come back from a big fifth set deficit to win, 15-12! Wow! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/pZLnyFQ4Eq">pic.x.com/pZLnyFQ4Eq</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325234766778671106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>