<p>Tuesday’s results were so wild that it warrants its own quick recap. So, let’s break it all down.</p>
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<p><strong>Metro Chaos</strong></p>
<p>The Metro Conference Tournament has delivered its usual excitement and a whole lot more. What a day.</p>
<p>In particular, there were two big upsets in the quarterfinal round that have everyone buzzing. <strong>Bellevue West</strong>, which has demonstrated its ability to compete with anyone this year, took down Class A #2 Millard West in a three-set thriller. After coming so close to several signature wins throughout the regular season, the Thunderbirds have undoubtedly scored a big one.</p>
<p>The drama would not end there, as <strong>Omaha Westside</strong> would then conquer the mighty Elkhorn South, a program coming off title runs in this tournament and the state championships last season. It was a night of career milestones for [player_tooltip player_id="59208" first="Destiny" last="Ndam-Simpson"], [player_tooltip player_id="58799" first="Madilyn" last="Siebler"], and [player_tooltip player_id="109069" first="Jocelyn" last="Healy"]. It was, in short, a perfect storm to defeat the Storm.</p>
<p>Now, these two teams, fresh off their spectacular victories, will face each other in the semifinal round at Baxter Arena. On the other side of the bracket, <strong>Papillion-La Vista South</strong> and <strong>Gretna</strong> have taken care of business to meet again in what should be another classic battle. All of this could be a preview of what’s to come in the battle for the state title.</p>
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<p><strong>Clash of #1s</strong></p>
<p>Another Tuesday matchup that generated a lot of hype was the triangular meeting between Class B #1 <strong>Norris</strong> and Class C1 #1 <strong>Lincoln Lutheran</strong>.</p>
<p>It was a match in which the home team exerted their dominance. The Titans secured a convincing two-set victory to cement its place as the Class B frontrunner. Despite the final scoreline, the Warriors are surely still a big title contender in C1, as they have a great balance of elite hitters and strong backcourt defenders. I can’t wait to see these two squads battle in their respective brackets in Lincoln.</p>
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<p><strong>Quick Hitters</strong></p>
<p>Here are some other notable results in the world of Nebraska volleyball.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Lincoln Southwest</strong> and <strong>Lincoln Pius X</strong> will play for the Heartland Athletic Conference championship on Thursday. The Silver Hawks raced past cross-town rivals North Star and Lincoln East, while the Thunderbolts were victorious in sweeps over Grand Island and Fremont.</li>
<li><strong>Oakland-Craig</strong> scored a huge sweep over Clarkson/Leigh in a matchup between teams that have legitimate title aspirations this year.</li>
<li>A contest between <strong>Howells-Dodge</strong> and <strong>North Bend Central</strong> went the distance, and the homestanding Jaguars eventually prevailed in a 3-2 slugfest.</li>
<li><strong>Omaha Skutt Catholic</strong> wrapped up their regular season slate with big wins over Aurora and Omaha Gross. The SkyHawks will certainly not relent in their pursuit of a seventh consecutive state title this season.</li>
<li>A meeting between <strong>Columbus Scotus</strong> and <strong>Hastings St. Cecilia</strong> was incredibly even throughout. Scotus claimed the W with a 15-8 triumph in a fifth set.</li>
<li>One more five-setter of note: <strong>Exeter-Milligan</strong> picked up a huge win over perennial powerhouse BDS.</li>
</ul>
