Championship Contenders Converge for Omaha Westside Invite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just another star-studded mid-October tournament in Nebraska. We love this time of year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep volleyball enthusiasts across the Cornhusker State will likely have their eyes glued to this weekend's Omaha Westside Invitational. Once again, this event will serve as a fascinating late-season barometer for a few of the state's top title contenders. It's also an appetizer for several more huge tournaments the following week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, here's a quick look at the teams heading to Westside in search of some pre-November momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Frontrunners</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is quite the pack of championship-caliber teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We might as well start with the event's host, Omaha Westside. The Warriors were a popular pick for this year's Class A title ever since the preseason, and they've backed that up with a great 19-5 campaign up to this point. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='103097' first='Samantha' last='Laird']'s extraordinary senior campaign has helped Westside realize this championship potential. The South Dakota commit is putting down 4.6 kills per set on a searing .358 hitting percentage from the left side. Of course, the Warriors don't skip a beat when Creighton-bound attacker [player_tooltip player_id='59208' first='Destiny' last='Ndam-Simpson'] rotates to the frontcourt. Westside's stout lineup is complete with a collection of steady ball-control players like [player_tooltip player_id='109069' first='Jocelyn' last='Healy'], <strong>Daniela Gologan</strong>, and [player_tooltip player_id='102193' first='Audrey' last='Behrens'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":235420,"width":519,"height":341,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/10/IMG_9853-scaled-crop-1356x890-1665770375.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-235420" width="519" height="341"/><figcaption>Laird attacks for Omaha Westside at the 2022 Bellevue West Invitational.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just across the way from Westside is Omaha Marian, another team that has seen plenty of fall success in a variety of venues. The Crusaders' championship at last month's LPS Volleyball Classic was particularly impressive. Like Westside, Marian gets much of its frontcourt firepower from a veteran and South Dakota commit. Senior middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='59204' first='Amanda' last='Loschen'] continues to demonstrate her incredible versatility in her final prep season, and Marian setter [player_tooltip player_id='155046' first='Isabel' last='Campie'] has found a great rhythm with her leading attacker. Meanwhile, other experienced frontcourt contributors like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171638' first='Ashley' last='Wilwerding']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171636' first='Amelia' last='Roth']</strong> have also had a vital part in this team's breakthrough 2022 run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, we'll venture down to Lincoln Public Schools for two more Class A frontrunners getting set to compete at Westside. Lincoln Southwest has been one of Nebraska's most consistent teams this year, which is especially impressive given all the senior leaders that graduated from last year's team. Marquette commit [player_tooltip player_id='104989' first='Malayah' last='Long'] sets a physical offense that includes senior pin hitters [player_tooltip player_id='59196' first='Brinly' last='Christensen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='83540' first='Alexa' last='Gobel']. Balance is a huge plus for the Silver Hawks when you factor in [player_tooltip player_id='152856' first='Abbie' last='Appleget'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152857' first='Emerson' last='Lionberger'] in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='124953' first='Teagan' last='Little'] will lock down the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln East also joins the fray and is fresh off a five-set Monday classic against Southwest. The Spartans have put together a formidable lineup that is led by junior pin hitters [player_tooltip player_id='104986' first='Shandy' last='Faalii'], [player_tooltip player_id='109612' first='Megan' last='Waters'], and [player_tooltip player_id='187800' first='Brynne' last='Topolski']. [player_tooltip player_id='112002' first='Brooklyn' last='Fuchs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='210292' first='Sophia' last='Weed'] anchor the middle, and [player_tooltip player_id='109601' first='Aaliyah' last='Bradford'] remains one of the state's most dynamic 2024 setters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The "outlier" of this frontrunner group at the Omaha Westside Invitational is Elkhorn North. Unlike all the aforementioned teams, the Wolves will be a Class B representative at this event. Obviously, no one doubts that Elkhorn North can hang with top-tier Class A competition; this team has already done it several times already this fall. Senior opposite [player_tooltip player_id='59201' first='Grace' last='Heaney'] paces this 24-2 group with four and a half kills per set, while [player_tooltip player_id='155043' first='Shay' last='Heaney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152906' first='Ava' last='Spies'] will also contribute to the team's multi-faceted attack. UNI commit [player_tooltip player_id='109593' first='Reese' last='Booth'] is finding her groove running a 5-1 offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Playing Spoiler</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we've just hyped up these championship contenders a lot, don't lose sight of a couple of teams looking to play spoiler at the Omaha Westside Invite. You never know what to expect when the depth of talent is so great.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've been fascinated by this year's new-look Millard North squad. The Mustangs have an awesome foundation that will likely lead to the program's resurgence in the coming years. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='59206' first='Caitlin' last='McCormack'] leads the Millard North offense in 2022, but plenty of younger players are also carrying major roles. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='173528' first='Brylee' last='Nelsen'] directs a Mustang attack that features fellow underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='173518' first='Rilyn' last='Gish'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226172' first='Sydney' last='Rogokos']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, we have another Class B team that has been no stranger to important matches. Omaha Duchesne Academy has been a perennial contender in the state title race, and the Cardinals will bring some familiar faces to this Westside outing. [player_tooltip player_id='152093' first='Lily' last='Snodgrass'] is hitting at an amazing .404 clip this year and is backed up by terminal attackers like [player_tooltip player_id='173523' first='Elizabeth' last='Layson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='187792' first='Emily' last='Love']. Like Millard North, the Cardinals have a solid core group to keep building upon in successive seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->