Nebraska's State Title-Winning Standouts: Pin Hitters

<p>Finally, it's time to bring the championship-winning pin hitters into the spotlight.</p>   <p>We've already discussed liberos, setters, and middle blockers in this feature series. The talent level is certainly not about to yield with this pin hitter feature, and it should be no surprise that some high-volume outside attackers came out on top this year.</p>   <p></p>   <p><strong>By the Numbers</strong></p>   <p>State championship teams almost always need a pin hitter (or two) who can reliably fill the stat sheet and put up big numbers on the biggest stages. These athletes did just that.</p>   <p>In the realm of stat-stuffing performances, there is simply no parallel to [player_tooltip player_id='59193' first='Grace' last='Baumert']'s Class D2 championship outing with Howells-Dodge. It didn't take long for the Wayne State commit to reach double-digit kills in the finale, and Baumert's numbers just kept spiraling to head-spinning heights. She took her 100th swing of the match--yes, one hundred--on the first point of the fifth set and tallied her 40th kill on that swing. The senior finished with 42 kills, 29 digs, and nine blocks to polish off one of the most remarkable individual performances we've ever seen on the championship stage.</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/1588924013329321984?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>When Baumert was not in the front row, fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='172603' first='Natalie' last='Pieper'] promptly stepped in to take care of business on the left pin. The all-around outside hitter finished with 12 kills and 20 digs in her final high school match, helping the Jaguars earn back-to-back state titles in two different classes.</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/1588901970794131456?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>Pin production was a huge storyline in Cedar Catholic's run to the D1 championship from the #7 seed. And, like the D2 championship, a star senior led the scoring for the eventual D1 title winners. Trojan left-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='103103' first='Laney' last='Kathol'] built on her outstanding week in Lincoln with a 26-kill performance to down Norfolk Catholic in five sets. Another senior, [player_tooltip player_id='104590' first='Jozie' last='Becker'], added six kills and three blocks on the right pin. It wasn't all about upperclassmen on the pins, though, as sophomore <strong>Melayna McGregor</strong> put down 16 kills and established herself as a future leader for Cedar Catholic.</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/1588966164142903298?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>We saw a similar medley of youth and experience in the Papillion-La Vista South lineup. Of course, it's no surprise that senior [player_tooltip player_id='59192' first='Stella' last='Adeyemi'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='109585' first='Lauren' last='Medeck'] led the way for the Titans' pin offense en route to another state championship. These two dynamic D1-bound hitters almost matched each other in the stat sheet against Westside, with Medeck compiling 25 kills and Adeyemi having 22. Each had 13 digs. It's just another chapter in the long encyclopedia of success for this duo, but this veteran pin core would also not be complete without senior [player_tooltip player_id='171634' first='Shealie' last='Wiebers'] on the right side. Titan upperclassmen just keep rising to the occasion.</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/1589085810066083840?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>But, we also had a glimpse into the future this year with sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='189347' first='Chloe' last='Livingston'] taking on a starting role on the left. She pitched in with five kills and a block against the stingy Warrior defense, and Livingston will keep expanding her role within this program.</p>   <p>You can also draw quite a few parallels at the pin position between Papio South and Omaha Skutt Catholic, both of which ran a two-setter offense in 2022. Skutt Catholic's season pin hitters undoubtedly played a huge part in earning an eighth consecutive state title. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='59194' first='Morgan' last='Burke'] fittingly wrapped up her career by leading the SkyHawks in the kill department with 18 against Elkhorn North. On the opposite pin, senior [player_tooltip player_id='104586' first='Ivy' last='Leuck'] added 14 kills despite her part-time role as a backcourt setter.</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/1589050575508762625?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>These two veterans will be tough to replace, but there's also an exciting youth movement happening at Skutt Catholic. Freshman left-side hitter <strong>Addison West</strong> has been a revelation for the SkyHawks this year, and she never seemed to be weighed down by the pressure of keeping the championship streak alive. She added eight kills and two blocks to the Skutt Catholic docket in the Class B title match.</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/1589046310547529728?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>Likewise, sophomore opposite [player_tooltip player_id='173527' first='Abbie' last='Hagedorn'] emerged as a key contributor in Skutt's 2022 lineup. Hagedorn found a variety of ways to pile up stats in the Devaney Center and finished with four kills, an assist, an ace, three digs, and three blocks.</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/1589043815662641152?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>Lincoln Lutheran is another repeat champion that got a lot of contributions from veterans and newcomers alike. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='59212' first='Abby' last='Wachal'] was one of the most effective left-side attackers in the entire state this year, and that didn't change on the championship stage. The St. Cloud State commit had 18 kills in the finale to go along with nine digs, an ace, and a block. Wachal's leadership and ability to pull through in clutch situations are unmatched.</p>   <p>But, of course, it was a total team effort from the undefeated Warriors. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='109592' first='Sophie' last='Wohlgemuth'] has carved out a leadership role of her own and had 11 kills against Archbishop Bergan. On the right pin, freshman <strong>Lily Wohlgemuth</strong> got her first championship experience and performed well with five kills on a 0.364 hitting clip. The Wohlgemuth synergy on the pins will be strong again next season.</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/1588979135782604800?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>   <p>Lastly, we address a team whose pin hitters can do a little bit of everything. Grand Island Central Catholic runs a unique system that allows many of its players to have an outside-middle hybrid role. Senior <strong>Avery Kelly</strong> had four kills in the championship match while playing a combined left-side/middle position, and <strong>Hadlee Hasselmann</strong> added six kills while playing in the middle and at opposite.</p>   <p>The more "traditional" pin hitter in GICC's lineup was senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='59214' first='Gracie' last='Woods']</strong>, who has been a leader in the Crusader offense throughout her career. However, in the C1 title match, it was her defense that really shined. Woods tallied a whopping 29 digs in a six-rotation role to go along with her 12 kills in the frontcourt. Not bad for a final outing.</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/1589006632427495424?s=20&t=BpJz_SAms3axYZezCxKNXg </div></figure>

Finally, it's time to bring the championship-winning pin hitters into the spotlight.