2020 Tournament Teams Poised for a Title in 2021 – Class D1

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’re nearing the conclusion of our series that looks at last year’s tournament teams that are poised for a breakout 2021 season. It’s been a lot of fun to think back to all the big performers from the 2020 postseason, and I think we’re poised for another exciting championship slate this fall.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s continue our march through the Cornhusker State with Class D1!</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mead</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mead is one of those schools that always seems to have a good concentration of volleyball talent. Some small schools just find a way to consistently build formidable rosters, and this is one of them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year, the Raiders carried a 23-6 record into the postseason, earning the fourth-overall seed. After defeating South Platte in the quarterfinal round, Mead fell in the semifinals to undefeated Pleasanton.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps the best news for Mead heading into the 2021 season is that [player_tooltip player_id="58792" first="Brianna" last="Lemke"] is back to lead them for one final year. This star senior tallied over 300 kills at the outside hitter spot last season and is poised to do even more this fall. The departure of fellow attacker [player_tooltip player_id="82618" first="Rebecca" last="Halbmaier"] might put a lot on Lemke’s shoulders this year, but Lemke also has the talent to rise to the occasion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a lot of other senior leadership on this team to get excited about, too. Megan Luetkenhaus and [player_tooltip player_id="103119" first="Emily" last="Oldenburg"] return after placing third and fourth on the team in kills last year, respectively. [player_tooltip player_id="103120" first="Emily" last="Quinn"] will run the offense from the setter position, and Demmy Patocka will continue to make big contributions defensively. All of these names are seniors looking to go out on top.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I like their chances.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>BDS</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bruning-Davenport/Shickley made the move to Class D1 last year. The step up in classification did not stop them from making a return trip to Lincoln for postseason play.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a 28-3 campaign in 2020 that propelled the Eagles to the state championships. BDS took down Cedar Catholic in the opening round but fell to Archbishop Bergan in the semifinals.</span></p> [caption id="attachment_101484" align="alignright" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-101484" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/07/Taylor-Sliva-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="102988" first="Taylor" last="Sliva"][/caption] <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This team is in a great position to go one round further in 2021. The duo of [player_tooltip player_id="103453" first="Mariah" last="Sliva"] and [player_tooltip player_id="102988" first="Taylor" last="Sliva"] returns to provide experience and production for the Eagles. Though the loss of [player_tooltip player_id="58212" first="Macy" last="Kamler"] will make for a challenging adjustment, this roster is full of players that know how to perform in big matches. Hannah Miller is a versatile setter for this team, and [player_tooltip player_id="102987" first="Taryn" last="Fiala"] has made a habit of racking up digs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BDS is a familiar sight in Lincoln at the end of the year. 2021 might offer more of the same.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bergan</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2020, Archbishop Bergan emerged as a serious threat to take the Class D1 crown. Given all the talent on this team, though, it wasn’t too surprising.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Knights went 24-10 in the regular season and claimed the three seed in Lincoln. Bergan came out of the gates hot with a sweep over Amherst and followed that up with a win over BDS to advance to the finals. Though Pleasanton prevailed in the championship match, Bergan looks poised for redemption in 2021.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A big reason for optimism is the youth of last year’s team. The Knights fielded several freshmen and sophomores that will only continue to improve this fall. Kaitlyn Mlnarik was second on the team in kills in 2020, and fellow rising junior Rebecca Baker also made big plays on offense. Last year’s defense, meanwhile, was led by Summer Bojanski and [player_tooltip player_id="122758" first="Carlee" last="Hapke"]. Both are back this year and will play a big part in Bergan’s pursuit of a title.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It all starts a few weeks from now.</span></p>