Elite Teams Compete in Omaha Westside Invite Championship Bracket

<p>We surmised that the Omaha Westside Invitational would be a great display of state championship frontrunners. That certainly panned out.</p>   <p>Saturday morning's action offered an extended look at Lincoln East, Lincoln Southwest, Elkhorn North, and Omaha Westside as each team vied for an invitational championship. In a larger sense, though, this event served as a great postseason prep opportunity for each of these four state title hopefuls. I left Saturday's tournament bracket convinced that each of these teams has the tools to contend for the big crown in early November.</p>   <p>Let's break all that down.</p>   <p></p>   <p><strong>The LPS Duo</strong></p>   <p>Lincoln Public Schools has long fought to challenge the Class A reign of Omaha and its connected suburbs. The state's capital now has two competitors who could finally break through this fall.</p>   <p>The Omaha Westside Invite championship match showed how much intensity and focus Lincoln Southwest is bringing to late-season matches. You could see it in the way the Silver Hawk backcourt dug some serious heat when competing for a title with Elkhorn North. This team is ready to make a title push.</p>   <p>Depth and balance continue to be a storyline for LSW. [player_tooltip player_id='59196' first='Brinly' last='Christensen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='83540' first='Alexa' last='Gobel'] are a dynamic senior pin-hitting duo that will also make tons of contributions on the defensive end. Few teams in the state can boast such a steady six-rotation pair. Floor defense is a huge plus with the Silver Hawks with Christensen and Gobel working alongside talented defensive specialists like [player_tooltip player_id='124953' first='Teagan' last='Little'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155041' first='Olivia' last='Kremer'].</p>   <p>Offensively, you can find another unstoppable tandem with [player_tooltip player_id='152856' first='Abbie' last='Appleget'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152857' first='Emerson' last='Lionberger'] running the frontcourt from the middle. It's so exciting to watch the connection that these middles have with junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='104989' first='Malayah' last='Long']. Appleget and Lionberger thrive on gap plays that put a lot of stress on opposing middle blockers to get in the right position. That complexity in the attacking phase was a big part of last weekend's championship run.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581359276966105089?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>And don't forget about the impact of junior opposite [player_tooltip player_id='187809' first='Ava' last='Tomlin']. The Silver Hawks leaned on Tomlin a lot throughout the weekend, making Southwest even more difficult to defend in three-hitter rotations. Good luck keying in on one player when making a game plan for this Class A frontrunner.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581350410937577473?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>Just across the Star City, Lincoln East is running in lockstep with Southwest atop the Class A hierarchy. East's emergence in the Omaha Westside Invite's championship bracket is just another testament to the team's dramatic surge this fall. A roster that was once among the state's youngest now has a wealth of experience at every position.</p>   <p>Like the Silver Hawks, the Spartans thrive off of technically sound backcourt defense--and that comes from pin hitters and true defensive specialists. [player_tooltip player_id='104986' first='Shandy' last='Faalii'] and [player_tooltip player_id='109612' first='Megan' last='Waters'] bring tons of six-rotation leadership to the floor. They will gladly lock down the middle-back area when they're not lighting up teams from the net. [player_tooltip player_id='109613' first='Reese' last='Boyd'], [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher'], and [player_tooltip player_id='59195' first='Brynn' last='Carey'] are also regular contributors in primary DS roles and bolster this strong unit on the end line.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581339851869208576?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>Junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='109601' first='Aaliyah' last='Bradford'] calls the shots for Lincoln East and has no problem finding her talented senior leaders in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='112002' first='Brooklyn' last='Fuchs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='210292' first='Sophia' last='Weed'] are no-brainer options at the net when the Spartans get a good pass, and this team's finest moments come when these two are getting plenty of swings.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581329301454360576?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>The Host</strong></p>   <p>Let's talk about Westside.</p>   <p>The Warriors have maintained their status as a Class A championship contender despite a variety of unforeseen circumstances. Most notably, Westside has endured three injuries at the middle blocker positions, forcing a bit of experimentation and creativity from the coaching staff.</p>   <p>Depth and versatility are clearly not a problem for Westside. The talented outside hitter duo of [player_tooltip player_id='103097' first='Samantha' last='Laird'] and [player_tooltip player_id='59208' first='Destiny' last='Ndam-Simpson'] has embraced some unique roles in the past few weeks. Both have spent some time at middle blocker amid all this injury strife, and it's so impressive to watch these two adapt to the change. Just when I thought I had seen everything from these decorated seniors, they show us something new.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581312553686536194?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='189372' first='Liv' last='Odvody'] also deserves a lot of credit for stepping up at the middle blocker spot. She had some authoritative swings last weekend. These shuffles have also allowed [player_tooltip player_id='124775' first='Tatum' last='Godinez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='122761' first='Eleanor' last='Brislen'] to make a regular impact in the Warriors' frontcourt, and these juniors are finding a new gear late in the season.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='109069' first='Jocelyn' last='Healy'] engineers this new look offense well from the setter spot. She also has solid backup from defensive specialists like Daniela Gologan and [player_tooltip player_id='102193' first='Audrey' last='Behrens']. Even with all the injuries, this is still a complete unit.</p>   <p></p>   <p><strong>The Class B Powerhouse</strong></p>   <p>Finally, we reach our Omaha Westside Invite runner-up.</p>   <p>It's no secret that Elkhorn North is going to be difficult to stop in the chase for a Class B title. There will surely be some formidable competition along the way, but the Wolves are looking dominant.</p>   <p>It's no surprise that the Heaney duo continues to lead the offense. Senior opposite [player_tooltip player_id='59201' first='Grace' last='Heaney'] runs one of the few D-ball patterns you'll see in the entire state, giving opposing teams a lot to think about when setting up their block. Then you factor in [player_tooltip player_id='155043' first='Shay' last='Heaney']'s rapidly rising numbers on the left side, and it's hard to know how to slow down both hitting options.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581296394396004353?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>Meanwhile, junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='109593' first='Reese' last='Booth'] has really taken the reins of the Elkhorn North offense this year. The Northern Iowa commit runs a fast, precise offense that presents her attackers with a lot of split-block opportunities. That has allowed for some nice balance with veterans like [player_tooltip player_id='152906' first='Ava' last='Spies'] and [player_tooltip player_id='171631' first='Kailey' last='Hrbek'] taking advantage.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1581300126471008257?s=20&t=2AHQ6kcPm4PYXDYqeexCRQ </div></figure>   <p>Amid the offensive onslaught that Elkhorn North regularly deploys, we still have to give a ton of credit to libero [player_tooltip player_id='109595' first='Haylee' last='Wolf'] for setting everything up. This savvy defender has a great feel for court positioning and can adjust her platform to any ball drifting outside her midline. Wolf's consistent first contacts make it that much easier for Elkhorn North's high-powered offense to flourish, and that well-rounded skill set can carry the Wolves to a state title this year.</p>

We surmised that the Omaha Westside Invitational would be a great display of state championship frontrunners. That certainly panned out.