South Central NE 15 Black’s Small-Town Gems Shine at GJNC
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The Nebraska Stock Up Showcase is quickly approaching! Registration details can be found here. Be sure to use code ‘KingsleyDig2023‘ for a discount on the signup fee! The 15s season has come to a close. Let’s start breaking down the…
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Continue ReadingThe Nebraska Stock Up Showcase is quickly approaching! Registration details can be found here. Be sure to use code ‘KingsleyDig2023‘ for a discount on the signup fee!
The 15s season has come to a close. Let’s start breaking down the final outing of the year at USAV Nationals.
GJNC is always unpredictable at the 15s level, so we didn’t know what to expect heading into the opening wave. That’s especially true for the Nebraska teams, which were all over the map in their respective divisions’ seeding.
But what a wave it was. We have surprise teams, Gold bracket runs, and everything in between. Perhaps no Nebraska team embodied the unpredictable nature of GJNC better than South Central NE 15 Black. This group brought so many of Nebraska’s rising stars to the forefront, and our geographic reach is expanding to new horizons after this club season.
Meet some of the new names to know in the Nebraska prep scene as we recap the USAV Nationals journey of South Central NE 15 Black.
South Central’s Surge
What a year for South Central.
This team of small-town stars put everyone on notice late in the qualifier season by winning the 15 Liberty championship at the Show Me Qualifier. Of course, the glory of that victory also came with a coveted bid to Chicago’s USAV Nationals. South Central NE 15 Black was determined not to let Show Me be the last of its breakouts on big stages.
South Central’s Round 1 pool featured a wild array of results in which few of the seeds held much weight. That’s just the unpredictable nature of Nationals, especially in the 15s age group. A 2-3 record yielded a third-place finish for 15 Black in its pool. There were some initial bumps in the road, but South Central did enough to withstand the constant deluge of surprising results.
And if you thought South Central’s Round 1 pool was chaotic, check out the next wave. 15 Black was reseeded in a Gold pool featuring Tampa North and UC Elite. South Central started out hot with a sweep over Tampa North but fell to UC Elite in straight sets. But, to initiate some tiebreaker madness, Tampa North scored its own sweep over UC Elite. All three teams finished with the same overall record and set record, bringing the tiebreaker criteria all the way down to point percentage.
USAV rules stipulate that a team can advance to the next round based on point percentage but cannot be eliminated from Gold contention due to point percentage. This meant that Tampa North, which had the best point percentage of the group, was declared the winner of the pool and would move on to the next round. However, South Central and UC Elite weren’t done yet. A tiebreaker set to 15 ensued in which only the winner would stay alive.
It was sweet vengeance for South Central. 15 Black avenged its loss in pools and won 15-11 to reach the challenge round.
The crossover match featured a familiar foe: AZ Sky 15 Blue. Amid all the turmoil in South Central’s Round 1 pool, AZ Sky emerged undefeated without a single set loss. This would be a tall task. But, in accordance with the clutch factor we’ve seen all year from 15 Black, the Nebraska crew pulled a stunning 2-0 win to reach the final four bracket in 15 Liberty.
15 Black fell in a three-set semifinal battle with Ozark Juniors, the eventual 15 Liberty champion. Regardless, a podium finish was an extraordinary testament to the incredible accomplishments that Nebraska’s small-town gems can make.
The Lineup
Why not start with the all-tournament honorees?
15 Black placed two athletes on the 15 Liberty all-GJNC team: outside hitter Jalyn Branson Jalyn Branson 5'8" | OH Shelton | 2026 State NE and middle blocker Reagan Meyers Reagan Meyers 6'2" | MB Superior | 2027 NE .
Note that we haven’t put Meyers into our player database yet, as she is the lone player on the 15 Black roster representing the Class of 2027. Of course, it won’t be long until the 2027s are high school enrollees and we start to see some high-impact athletes from that class. But Meyers has surely given us a lot to think about before her high school career even starts. Her length in the middle was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams, as she could simply go over well-formed blocks. South Central took every opportunity available to get Meyers involved while she was rotated into the frontcourt.
Branson, meanwhile, was a constant factor for 15 Black who would never leave the court. Not only was she killing the ball with tremendous heat from the left side, but her passing and defense made her a vital piece of the puzzle in the middle-back area. We’ve already seen this kind of all-around influence from Branson on the prep side, so her big outing with South Central is no surprise.
Aside from the two honorees, we saw a complete effort from the entire 15 Black roster. Branson wasn’t the only left-side hitter who played all the way around, as Isabel Dejonge Isabel Dejonge 5'8" | OH Adams Central | 2026 State NE put her own six-rotation skills on display throughout GJNC. Her steady platform was a valuable asset in the team’s serve receive pattern and backcourt defense, keeping South Central alive in some critical rallies.
Speaking of defense, we have to give a nod to Kyla Griess Kyla Griess 5'6" | DS/L Sutton | 2026 State NE after her outstanding work in the libero jersey. The Sutton prep athlete was incredibly proficient at reading opposing attackers and putting herself in the proper position to make a play. Griess will surely return to the spotlight this fall.
And while Meyers nabbed an all-tournament selection, we also can’t forget about the extraordinary influence of Payton Sullivan Payton Sullivan 6'1" | MB Hastings St. Cecilia | 2026 State NE at the same position. South Central boasts so much physicality at the middle blocker spot no matter who is along the net. Sullivan has rocketed up the 2026 ladder through her year-round dominance as a go-to attacker. The future is very, very bright.
15 Black’s net presence was further bolstered by a pair of opposites who thrived in South Central’s 6-2 system. Payton Bauer Payton Bauer 5'9" | RS Deshler | 2026 NE and Courtney Carlstrom Courtney Carlstrom 5'9" | RS High Plains Community | 2025 State NE formed a dynamic duo on the right side that cranked out some critical kills when the team needed it most. The transition between these two attackers is seamless, as both demonstrated a knack for working around opposing blockers to find the open seams.
Personnel exchanges were similarly effective between 15 Black’s two setters. Kambri Andel Kambri Andel 5'6" | OH David City | 2026 State NE and Taytum Perdew Taytum Perdew 5'6" | OH Nebraska Christian | 2026 State NE made up the two-headed monster at setter, and it’s remarkable to see the versatility these two have displayed. Both setters have extensive prep experience at the outside hitter spot, further adding to South Central’s lineup flexibility.
Collectively, 15 Black is helping to restore optimism in the prevalence of small-town Nebraska in the club volleyball scene. 2023 is just the beginning.