Unfinished Business: Class D2 Teams Poised for Postseason Return

Let's wrap up the series!   Our glimpse at Class D2 will complete the entire Unfinished Business series. We've toured Nebraska's high school teams and looked at last year's tournament participants that have a great shot of making a return trip to Lincoln this fall. This has been a great way to preview some of the state's fiercest competitors heading into the season, but we're only just getting started.   Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's wrap things up with D2.     Diller-Odell   Having Diller-Odell in the preseason championship contender conversation is usually a safe bet.   The Griffins transitioned to Class D2 last season and made a widely expected trip back to Lincoln. After 2021's first-round exit, Diller-Odell is sure to have big aspirations this fall, and those goals will likely include bringing home yet another championship trophy.   Everything is in place to make that happen, too. The biggest boost to this year's squad would be the return of [player_tooltip player_id='59202' first='Karli' last='Heidemann'], the senior outside hitter who kept putting up astonishing numbers last year before missing the postseason due to injury. Heidemann was notching over six kills per set on an incredible .422 clip when she was in the Diller-Odell lineup, and that's just a continuation of how she has produced throughout her entire prep career. The Montana State commit has set a high bar going into her senior season.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/08/IMG_4041-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1660664589.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-216980" width="433" height="285"/><figcaption>Diller-Odell (white) competes at the 2021 state championships.</figcaption></figure>   What's even more encouraging for Diller-Odell is that several other rising stars emerged alongside Heidemann last year. One of those players was 2024 outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='152905' first='Lilly' last='Swanson'], who ended her sophomore campaign as the Griffins' second-leading scorer and hit well over .300 in the process. Swanson and Heidemann have a good chance to form Class D2's most formidable hitting tandem, and that kind of firepower is usually a good omen for championship success.   A few other high-impact players are back in the fold. [player_tooltip player_id='172600' first='Keira' last='Hennerberg'] returns to run the offense after a successful sophomore stint at the starting setter. Young defenders are also a key storyline with Diller-Odell, with 2025 defenders Baileigh Vilda and Ashley Duis making up that group.     Overton   How about another reclassifying team?   D1 and D2 regularly exchange teams from year to year, and Overton is one of those squads in this season's reclassifications. The Eagles appeared in the D1 state tournament a year ago and are now poised to make a splash against a new group of opponents.   [player_tooltip player_id='105006' first='JoLee' last='Ryan'] will keep leading the charge. Her colossal .434 hitting percentage was among the state's best in 2021, and she did it on 5.5 kills per set. Like so many other dominant hitters from small-town schools, Ryan can get it done in the middle or on the outside. Overton will find any way possible to get her the ball as Ryan becomes an upperclassman leader this fall.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/11/IMG_4160.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-165534" width="433" height="285"/><figcaption>Ryan swings for Overton at the 2021 state championships.</figcaption></figure>   The setter-hitter connection will also be the same for Ryan this season. [player_tooltip player_id='105005' first='Ashlyn' last='Florell'] was one of D1's most productive setters last fall and should not slow down as a junior. She will also have some good backcourt support from returning defenders like Ella Luther.   Florell will have plenty of incentive to spread the ball around with many other talented attackers coming back and forming a complete offense alongside Ryan. 2024 hitters [player_tooltip player_id='172559' first='Natalie' last='Wood'] and Blair Brennan should have no problem adapting to more feature roles in the Eagles' lineup. These two may also contribute to Overton's floor defense, which took some big steps forward en route to the team's 2021 tournament appearance. For a program that was previously accustomed to being an underdog pick within its class, the Eagles have suddenly built a roster that will make them a championship favorite in Class D2.     Humphrey St. Francis   Finally, we'll check back in with last year's D2 runner-up.   St. Francis fell in a five-set slugfest against Falls City Sacred Heart to kick off a full day of championship contests at the Devaney Sports Center last November. Luckily for the Flyers, the team has a chance at D2 redemption.   The focal point of the offense will be [player_tooltip player_id='152092' first='Kylee' last='Wessel'], a senior outside hitter who became Nebraska's newest 2023 commit with her pledge to Bellevue University. She racked up over 300 kills in her junior season and remains a player to watch in a stacked field of Class D2 attackers. Don't dismiss Wessel's backcourt impact, either, as she will undoubtedly generate a lot of first contacts for the Flyers and keep the team in system.   Speaking of passing and defense, libero Hannah Baumgart joins Humphrey St. Francis' talented senior class and made huge contributions as the libero in 2021. There's some double trouble here, too. The Flyers boast a stout sister tandem with Emma Baumgart also getting plenty of reps at defensive specialist. That kind of cohesion will be valuable as St. Francis looks to remain one of D2's top defensive teams to supplement that lethal offense.   Good luck making any firm preseason predictions in Class D2.

Let's wrap up the series!