C2 March Madness: Dual Sport Athletes Shine

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several top notch volleyball players are also showcasing their athleticism on the basketball court this week at the Nebraska High School Girls State Volleyball Tournament March 1-4th in Lincoln. Many teams who were successful this fall on the volleyball court have carried that winning momentum to the basketball court. Here is a look at some of the dual sport standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Class C2 the top seed Crofton looks to be the favorite to capture the title. They have built a basketball dynasty up there. There are many names on this list who played major roles in helping their team reach the State Tournament in volleyball this past fall too.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior middle hitter Caitlyn Guenther from Crofton: Guenther has a fast arm swing and can get up in the air. She hammered 244 kills, had 32 aces and 252 digs this past fall for the Warriors. Guenther has a strong block and press to keep offenses trying to swing around her allowing her to tally 53 total blocks. She posts up well and plays great defense on the basketball court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='495076' first='Sammie' last='Allen'] from Crofton: Allen had 359 set assists, 32 aces and 88 kills for the Warriors this past fall to break out her sophomore campaign. Sammie has pillow soft hands and does a great job of mixing up her sets to keep offenses off balance. She also squares to her hitters well. She has a nice outside shot on the basketball court as well. Her 3 point shots are a thing of beauty.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'11” middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='122806' first='Chloe' last='Hanel'] from Clarkson-Leigh: It seems like Hanel has been at Clarkson-Leigh forever. I watched her play at state&nbsp; her freshman year and was so impressed with her composure and competitiveness as a freshman. In my opinion, she is one of the top athletes in Class C2 for both volleyball and basketball. She is so explosive and has a fast arm swing. Hanel has a great cut shot around the block in the middle that makes her hard to defend. She hammered an astonishing 550 kills to average 5.7 kills per set and had 87 total blocks on the year for the Patriots.. She runs the quick so well and brings so much energy to the court. On the basketball court she averages 6 rebounds and 19.9 points a game. Enjoy the ride for one more year with Hanel on both courts!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='464730' first='Briar' last='Ray'] from Oakland-Craig: Keep your eyes on this Class of 2026 player. She has a great jump serve and is not afraid to get after it on the pin. Briar sees the court well for a freshman and does a nice job of tooling the block. Despite just having 38 kills in her freshman campaign on a very successful Knight team she has a huge uptick and it will be fun to watch her grow and develop with big time players like [player_tooltip player_id='173516' first='Brandi' last='Helzer'] around her to lead the way. Ray averages 2.5 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game. She will also gain some big time experience at State Basketball this week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='122827' first='Ann' last='Bose'] from Southern Valley: Bose had 312 kills and 367 digs for the Eagles this past fall. She does a great job of planting behind her setter to swing. She has a quick arm swing and also closes the block well. One of the more impressive things is that as a middle she had 367 digs as well so is a good 6 rotation player. Ann has great defense on the basketball court intercepting passes and stealing the ball from guards. She can also shoot the 3 as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='104974' first='Shyanne' last='Anderson'] from Cross County: Anderson moved from setter/right side to outside this past fall. She hammered 256 kills, had 268 digs and chipped in 39 ace serves for the Cougars this fall helping them make the State Tournament for the first time since 2013. Anderson has great volleyball IQ and is a veteran out on the court with so much playing experience since she was a freshman. She is a very balanced volleyball player that can play all 6 rotations. Despite not primarily setting this past fall, she has good hands too. On the basketball court she averages 14 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game. Shyanne has a great 3 point shot and leads the Cougars in scoring.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'11” Freshman setter [player_tooltip player_id='219728' first='Sydney' last='Hengelfelt'] from Cross County: Sydney was a standout setter at the Top 250 Prep Dig Expo in LaVista last December. She has great hands and distributes the ball well pin to pin. She is physically strong, squares to her hitters well&nbsp; and has a great volleyball IQ. Her height as a setter in C2 is an advantage as well. She had 829 set assists and 33 ace serves in her freshman campaign. She will return with a great core group around her for the Cougars next fall hoping to return to the State Tournament once again. On the basketball court she averages 1.7 points a game and 2 rebounds per game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'10” Junior middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='104973' first='Lilly' last='Peterson'] from Cross County. The junior hammered 234 kills from the middle this year. She brings positive leadership and energy to the floor. Lily is strong and can see the floor well. Her strength is at the net where she netted 71 total blocks on the year. On the basketball court she averages 8.0 points per game with 5.8 rebounds per game. The Cougars avenged their first round State Volleyball loss to Amherst in the basketball District Championship to punch their ticket to Lincoln this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In smaller schools many of the athletes play multiple sports and do multiple activities. These athletes are great examples of young women who represent and compete for their school and community with pride. Keep these volleyball players on your radar even at the State Basketball Tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->