Nebraska 2025 Spotlight: Winning Moments from 2023 Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're almost there. One more day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The recruiting floodgates are about to open for the Class of 2025, marking just the beginning of a long recruiting journey for thousands of prospective student-athletes. Remember to be patient, ask questions, and embrace the uniqueness of your future planning. We'll be rooting for you the whole way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On our end, we're going to keep cranking out some Class of 2025 spotlights that will help show Nebraska's growing talent base. That continues with this feature, which aims to showcase some of my favorite moments from Nebraska's 2025s during this year's club season. Of course, we still have one more chapter to write at GJNC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before then, though, here are a few moments that stick out during my Midwestern travels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two Break Through at NLQ</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a huge weekend for Nebraska's 2025s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most notably, Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold clinched Open bids with podium finishes in Minneapolis. It was certainly worth the trip to see both of these squads lock up postseason spots, and we came away with so many updated scouting reports as a result.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16 Synergy brought a combination of new and familiar wrinkles that dazzled us at NLQ. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='155029' first='Keri' last='Leimbach'] was still proving why she's our top-ranked player in the class, and [player_tooltip player_id='189320' first='Natalie' last='Wardlow'] was busy taking her game to another level. Both have since appeared in our <a href="https://prepdig.com/national/rankings/2025-rankings/">2025 national rankings</a>. We had little doubt they would be there with weekends like NLQ offering further testament to their greatness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But other names were making themselves known in 16 Synergy's stacked lineup. Sierra Crist, a new addition to the team in 2023, displayed tremendous versatility by playing a little bit of everything for this team. Likewise, [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher'] has elevated her own stock with some standout performances in the backcourt. Keep these two names in mind on the recruiting trail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640001371645566977?s=20","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/1640001371645566977?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And what a venue to behold the rise of Premier 16 Gold. This group brought in some new contributors in 2023, namely libero [player_tooltip player_id='155037' first='Sierra' last='Pokharel'] and outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='288606' first='Halle' last='Kerkman']. What an impactful duo this was.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='155053' first='Charlee' last='Solomon'] rose to the forefront with some stellar setting in a 5-1 system. This allowed attackers like [player_tooltip player_id='173527' first='Abbie' last='Hagedorn'], [player_tooltip player_id='155044' first='Elle' last='Heckenlively'], and [player_tooltip player_id='209291' first='Hayden' last='Hart'] to thrive with highlight plays of their own. It was a perfect storm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640027180951281664?s=20","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/1640027180951281664?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Show Me Slugfest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kansas City hosted plenty of Nebraska action this year, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'd be remiss not to mention the runner-up finish for Premier 17 Silver at the Show Me Qualifier. Even though representation on that roster is primarily from the Class of 2024, we can't forget about athletes who are playing up. [player_tooltip player_id='342504' first='Joslynn' last='Jasa'], [player_tooltip player_id='342493' first='Kathryn' last='Gaughen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='205834' first='Lucy' last='Lowe'] have all been major trailblazers from 17 Silver who would fill a variety of roles at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1642957204201541633?s=20","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/1642957204201541633?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the 16s side, we can't help but mention the work that Nebraska Pride Gold 16s did to steal a bit of the Show Me spotlight. It's a team that cropped up with a wealth of small-town Nebraska talent, particularly from a championship-caliber Minden high school program. [player_tooltip player_id='173530' first='Mattie' last='Kamery'] leads the way as a setter-opposite with other 2025 standouts like [player_tooltip player_id='269911' first='Payton' last='Dzingle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='395131' first='Aubree' last='Bules'] leading the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1570853976085757952?s=20","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/1570853976085757952?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Banzai VBC 16 Select was right in lockstep with Nebraska Pride as an impressive Great Plains performer at Show Me. Athletes like [player_tooltip player_id='395227' first='Zoe' last='Petersen'], [player_tooltip player_id='155056' first='Raeghan' last='Craven'], and [player_tooltip player_id='155055' first='Lilly' last='Pillay'] have factored in several recent features on this site. They're making moves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>In the Region</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Great Plains Region Bid Tournament obviously had a big role in bringing up-and-coming 2025s into the spotlight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That aforementioned Nebraska Pride team clinched its spot at GJNC with a perfect run. Banzai VBC did the same, so we'll have a lot of Nebraska talent to put on display in front of the Chicago crowd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GPR also gave us a chance to shout out Premier Nebraska 16 Black. This team made a big impression during early-season action, so I was glad to see that high-level play get rewarded. Though she's technically part of the Iowa player pool, Brooke Larsen has been a revelation for 16 Black. [player_tooltip player_id='189352' first='Hailey' last='Levinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='230003' first='Nyah' last='Potthoff'] are strong Gretna standouts to follow. Best of all, our narrative on this team can get some additions with GJNC on the horizon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->