Emerging 2025 Attackers at Nebraska’s State Championships

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's state championships weren't just a showcase of standout upperclassmen. We have a youth movement going on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2025 started to find its footing among Nebraska's top teams. It follows a typical trend of sophomores stepping into the spotlight and taking on much bigger roles, as freshmen are still a rare sight in varsity starting lineups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, we had a mixture of new and familiar faces rise to the forefront among the 2025s in Lincoln, and here are a few who turned heads in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Familiar</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":243608,"width":512,"height":341,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/11/FgxJtgmWIAI_H_2-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-243608" width="512" height="341"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jelinek swings from the back row for Norris in the 2022 Class B state championships.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A select few 2025s already made a big impression on us as freshmen last fall, and they were back to showcase their improved skills in this year's championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norris's [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] is a good example, though her role in the Titan lineup was drastically different this year. The multi-talented sophomore put her ball-control prowess on display last season as the team's starting libero. I surmised that Jelinek might transition to an attacking role given her experience on the outside in club, and that materialized in Jelinek's sophomore campaign. Having an outside hitter with Jelinek's serve-receive skills is almost unfair, and that doesn't even factor in her efficient attacking in the frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173521' first='Erin' last='Johnson']</strong> is another name that has been on our radar for a while thanks to her stellar work in the club season. On the prep side, Johnson's near-.300 hitting percentage elevated Cambridge to the #2 seed in the Class D1 bracket. The Trojans are poised to make a similar run during Johnson's tenure as an upperclassman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Johnson, <strong>Payton Dzingle</strong> is a small-town middle blocker who made big strides in her second high school campaign. The Kearney Catholic standout made an impression during my trip out to Gothenburg for the Harvest Festival Invite, and her major hitting role held firm as the Stars made yet another postseason trip to Lincoln. This program is no stranger to physical front-row phenoms like Dzingle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1570859882538242048?s=20u0026t=-FbRzB-JWiLr-S9HDakGGA","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <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/1570859882538242048?s=20&amp;t=-FbRzB-JWiLr-S9HDakGGA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='173516' first='Brandi' last='Helzer'] also had another stellar showing on the outside for 2021 Class C2 champion Oakland-Craig. With older sister Bailey graduating from last year's team, Brandi was bound to step up and take a leading role in the Knight offense. Helzer put up almost four kills per set in 2022, so consider this mission accomplished.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The New</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several new names are emerging in this stacked 2025 class, and the state championships are an unparalleled venue to add more athletes to our radar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='209291' first='Hayden' last='Hart'] of Gretna has been a serious stock riser throughout the 2022 calendar year, and that culminated in a huge breakout season with the Dragons. I remain fascinated by Gretna's consistent ability to churn out young frontcourt talent, and Hart was a high-impact addition who hit well over 0.300 this season. This is another name to watch as we transition to club season in the spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plenty more small-town schools deployed electric sophomores this season. <strong>Claudia Riggert</strong> was a valuable attacking outlet for Pierce, and <strong>Kelsey Miller</strong> carried a similar role for Seward. Both averaged nearly three kills per set and will likely improve on those numbers in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We already mentioned Helzer's dominance for Oakland-Craig, but fellow sophomore <strong>Gretchen Seagren</strong> has also emerged as a vital component of the team's frontcourt. Like many of the players in this feature, Seagren can readily play in the middle or on the pin and will thrive in either role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->