2021 Season Retrospective: Young Teams on the Rise for 2022

<p>Being a young team actually has its perks. Sure, it can be tough to battle with all the teams that are loaded with veteran seniors. At the same time, though, having an inexperienced roster allows a program to build up its strength for an extended period of time. Players begin to gel as they get comfortable with the teammates around them.</p> <p>Every offseason presents a new opportunity to look at which teams with a lot of returning starters could make a big jump the following year. That’s what we’re going to do here. Let’s take a look at some of 2021’s young squads that are poised to have quite an uptick next season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Elkhorn North</strong></p> <p>Yes, this is probably the obvious pick. Even so, this feature is not complete without the Wolves.</p> <p>Of course, Elkhorn North had no problems finding success in 2021 despite not having a senior on the roster. The team was a set away from breaking into the Class B title match, and now the Wolves look poised to make 2022 the year to crown a new champion.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="59201" first="Grace" last="Heaney"] is back to lead the offense on the right pin, and she’ll have all familiar faces around her. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109593" first="Reese" last="Booth"]</strong> made some big strides at the setter spot this year, and [player_tooltip player_id="155043" first="Shay" last="Heaney"] returns for her sophomore campaign after a brilliant debut season. Surely, we’ll be talking about many more players from this roster in the near future.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Omaha Marian</strong></p> <p>While this team had a few senior leaders that will be tough to replace, Marian also has a solid stable of returning veterans that could make some noise in 2022.</p> [caption id="attachment_166842" align="alignright" width="498"]<img class="wp-image-166842" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/08/IMG_1607-crop-3083x2025-1637687133-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="498" height="327" /> Campie sets for Omaha Marian.[/caption] <p>[player_tooltip player_id="155046" first="Isabel" last="Campie"] led the charge as one of the only starting freshman setters in the state. She’ll have a variety of rising seniors to feed in next year’s Crusader offense; <strong>Amelia Roth</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id="59204" first="Amanda" last="Loschen"], and <strong>Ashley Wilwerding</strong> were all major contributors in the 2023 class. <strong>Amanda Draper</strong> is back to anchor the backcourt.</p> <p>This program is no stranger to postseason success, and the team will be looking to continue that tradition next season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sutton</strong></p> <p>I like what the Fillies bring back for 2022. After finishing runner-up in Class C2 this year, Sutton has the potential to go one step further next year.</p> <p><strong>Alivia Huxoll</strong> is going to be fun to watch in her senior season. She gave opposing teams fits in the state tournament with her deadly efficiency on the middle quick. <strong>Lily McCroden</strong> returns after her major contributions on the pin, and <strong>Kennedy Perrien</strong> is another player to watch as she finds many ways to influence a match.</p> <p>Perhaps this team won’t carry so much of an underdog role in 2022.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Douglas County West</strong></p> <p>There are plenty of good candidates to make a climb in Class C1, but I’ve chosen to highlight DC West for this feature.</p> <p>The Falcons got output from a lot of different players this year, and most of them still have eligibility left for 2022. [player_tooltip player_id="104975" first="Nora" last="Wurtz"] led the offense as a sophomore and should put up one of Nebraska’s best kill totals as a junior. [player_tooltip player_id="104589" first="Keira" last="Murdock"] and [player_tooltip player_id="104977" first="Aubree" last="Liss"] also put up impressive totals in 2021 and will continue to build on that success with [player_tooltip player_id="104976" first="Anna" last="Borner"] also returning to anchor the backcourt and set up her hitters.</p> <p>We’re anticipating another exciting race in C1, and DC West could throw themselves into the fray.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Chase County</strong></p> <p>We’re staying in Class C1 for this last pick. Chase County is looking for redemption in 2022.</p> <p>After a 26-5 campaign this year, things could get even better next time around. [player_tooltip player_id="122754" first="Bryn" last="McNair"] will return after having one of the most prolific scoring seasons in the state. <strong>Joee Clevenger</strong> and <strong>Gisselle Acuna</strong> are two more talented attackers to watch from the Longhorns Class of 2023.</p> <p>Despite narrowly missing out on the state tournament in 2021, Chase County has a great opportunity to make amends.</p>