2021 Season Retrospective: Breakout Tournament Teams
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At the end of a high school season, it’s fun to step back and look at the teams that surprised us. 2021 had plenty of squads that took a huge leap forward compared to 2020’s results, and those are the…
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Continue ReadingAt the end of a high school season, it’s fun to step back and look at the teams that surprised us. 2021 had plenty of squads that took a huge leap forward compared to 2020’s results, and those are the teams we’re featuring here.
Let’s take a look at some of this year’s breakout teams!
Omaha Westside
Okay, this one is easy.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Westside’s roster reloading efforts in the offseason. Players like Destiny Ndam-Simpson Destiny Ndam-Simpson 6'1" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #37 Nation NE and Audrey Behrens Audrey Behrens 5'6" | S Omaha Westside | 2023 State NE can make an impact with any program, and they joined the Warriors’ roster with aspirations of lifting the team to new heights.
It took a while for this new-look team to gel, but Westside saved their best volleyball for the very end. That’s usually a good thing. This year’s Class A semifinal appearance was a huge moment for a program that should only continue to rise.
Elkhorn North
The Wolves are obviously a newcomer in the high school scene, and they almost reached the Class B title match in their second year of volleyball competition.
This young team is already finding its footing. Purdue commit Grace Heaney Grace Heaney 6'2" | RS Elkhorn North | 2023 State #33 Nation NE is a natural leader on the right pin, and 2024 setter Reese Booth Reese Booth 5'7" | S Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE has such a mature presence on the court. Haylee Wolf Haylee Wolf 5'7" | DS/L Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE holds down the backcourt with similar savvy. Again, we have to remind ourselves that this squad reached the semifinals with no seniors on the roster.
2022 is going to be fun.
Pierce
The 2021 Class C1 tournament featured a lot of familiar faces, but Pierce was a breakthrough team that not many saw coming.
After posting a 14-17 mark last year, the Bluejays entered the 2021 season with some increased vigor. A couple of large win streaks were the highlight of Pierce’s season, and an eight-match stretch of victories at the end put this breakthrough team in the state tournament.
Brielle Unseld Brielle Unseld 5'7" | S Pierce | 2023 State NE looked incredibly confident leading this team from the setter spot. Jaya Wachholtz and Maggie Painter also took big steps forward in their ability to put down clutch kills. All of the aforementioned players will be back next year and could help Pierce be even more than just a dark horse team.
Oakland-Craig
Of course, this has to be the greatest breakthrough of all.
Oakland-Craig hadn’t seen action at the state volleyball tournament in almost 30 years. Now, they got to hoist the trophy as the Class C2 champions.
This team was a perfect storm of seasoned veterans and talented underclassmen. Outside hitter Bailey Helzer Bailey Helzer 5'11" | OH Oakland-Craig | 2022 State NE left her mark in her final year with the program. She will now give way to players like Brandi Helzer, Gretchen Seagren, and Adi Rennerfeldt, who will all be looking to prove that this title was not an anomaly.
Nebraska Christian
It’s been quite a journey for this team.
Last year, the Eagles clawed their way into the Class D2 tournament as the eighth seed with a record of 18-8. After that, Nebraska Christian hopped up to D1 and proved in the 2021 season that they were not flustered by the reclassification. The Central City squad soared to a 29-3 record in the regular season and returned to the tournament as the fourth-overall seed. After an opening-round victory, the Eagles came agonizingly close to a title match berth but fell just short to eventual champion Howells-Dodge.
This team has such an exciting future with Ali Bruning Ali Bruning 5'8" | S Nebraska Christian | 2024 State NE and Reghan Flynn helping to lead the charge. The upward trajectory of this program will be fun to follow, and it starts in 2022.
Stuart
Here’s another team that just had a meteoric rise in the win column.
After a sub-.500 campaign in 2020, Stuart really hit the gas this fall. A 26-5 regular season gave Stuart and breakthrough tournament berth and a fourth-overall seed in the bracket. The Broncos battled hard but dropped the quarterfinal match in a five-set thriller with Wynot.
Lexi Schroder departs after she was a major sparkplug for Stuart in her senior season, but there are players on this team to get excited about. Lacey Paxton and Sydney Estill had some solid production this year and will carry an even bigger role in 2022. Don’t count out another tournament run from Stuart.