Unfinished Business: Class A and B Teams Ready for Tourney Repeat
In this article:
What’s this? A high school preview? It’s that time of year again. Longtime readers are already familiar with the Unfinished Business series. For those who are unfamiliar, we’re examining teams that made last year’s state tournament but fell short of…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWhat’s this? A high school preview? It’s that time of year again.
Longtime readers are already familiar with the Unfinished Business series. For those who are unfamiliar, we’re examining teams that made last year’s state tournament but fell short of the title. That gives a sample of seven teams per class. These are teams that have “unfinished business” in pursuit of the state title, and we’re identifying the squads that are poised to make a repeat trip to Lincoln this fall.
So, let’s give you some Class A and Class B picks for 2023. Expect at least a few of these squads to go a step or two further than they did last year.
Class A
Lincoln Southwest
The Omaha-area schools are starting to get some serious competition in Class A.
Last year’s buzz around Lincoln schools often centered around Lincoln Southwest. The Silver Hawks were Class A trailblazers throughout the 2022 season and compiled a 30-3 record before postseason play. LSW then pushed toward the semifinal round before falling just short of a title match appearance.
2023 is a fascinating year for last year’s #2 seed. There are some voids to fill on the pins, but LSW also boasts a wealth of veterans from the Class of 2024. That includes Marquette commit and superstar setter Malayah Long Malayah Long 6'0" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State #142 Nation NE , who has been an exception performer throughout her prep career. She is joined by fellow seniors Emerson Lionberger Emerson Lionberger 6'0" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE and Abbie Appleget Abbie Appleget 6'0" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE in the middle, as well as Teagan Little Teagan Little 5'8" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE in the backcourt. That’s a seasoned core group that can bring the Silver Hawks back to the big stage.
Papillion-La Vista
Papio has been experiencing somewhat of a youth movement for the past couple of seasons, and that figures to pay big dividends in 2023.
Even with a young team, the Monarchs earned a 27-9 record in the 2022 regular season and reached the semifinals. A hotly contested matchup with archrival Papio South was painfully close to going the Monarchs’ way, and that might fuel a little extra motivation this fall.
And it’s a stacked group of familiar faces here. Oregon pledge Mia Tvrdy Mia Tvrdy 6'0" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #35 Nation NE will pace the offense for one final season. Reagan Hickey Reagan Hickey 5'8" | S Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State NE is still running the show at setter as she has since the dawn of her prep career. Other upperclassmen like Lauren Burden Lauren Burden 5'10" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State NE , Lillian Vitera Lillian Vitera 5'10" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2025 State NE , and Morgan Glaser Morgan Glaser 6'0" | OH Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State NE will be huge factors in the frontcourt.
Lincoln East
What a breakthrough for Lincoln East. Can lightning strike twice?
The Spartans forged a magical 2022 season that put Lincoln East in the state volleyball tournament for the first time in 15 years. Despite the drought, it’s conceivable to think that Lincoln East will be aiming higher this time around.
Our discussion of savvy seniors continues with the Spartans’ roster. Aaliyah Bradford Aaliyah Bradford 5'4" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE has spectacular command of the offense from the setter spot. She is surrounded by tons of talented 2024s. Megan Waters Megan Waters 5'10" | OH Lincoln East | 2024 State NE , Shandy Faalii Shandy Faalii 5'7" | OH Lincoln East | 2024 State NE , and Brynne Topolski Brynne Topolski 5'11" | RS Lincoln East | 2024 State NE have been multi-year contributors and will likely find an even better groove in their swan song seasons. The backcourt also has upperclassmen like Reese Boyd Reese Boyd 5'5" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE and Zoe Rademacher Zoe Rademacher 5'6" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE to take care of the ball control phase. It’s a perfect storm.
Class B
Norris
Will this be the year for a new Class B champion?
Norris seems to make perennial appearances on this feature series, but that’s more of a testament to Omaha Skutt’s Class B dominance over its eight-year championship streak. The Titans will always be in the title conversation, however, and nearly had its shot after going toe-to-toe with the SkyHawks in last year’s semifinals.
Losing do-everything athlete Gracie Kircher is tough, but the Titans have so many rising seniors to lean on this fall. The back-row platoon is fully loaded with standouts like Alivia Hausmann Alivia Hausmann 5'5" | DS/L Norris | 2024 State NE , Mallorie Meyer Mallorie Meyer 5'5" | DS/L Lincoln East | 2024 State NE , Sydney Guthard Sydney Guthard 5'3" | DS/L Norris | 2024 State NE , and Grayson Piening Grayson Piening 5'8" | DS/L Norris | 2024 State NE . That’s a decorated group. Celia Spilker Celia Spilker 6'5" | OH Norris | 2024 State NE will be an important senior in the front row, but plenty of 2025s are also taking the lead in this area. Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE is poised to rack up huge numbers on the outside with club teammates Lexi Hasselbalch Lexi Hasselbalch 5'10" | MB Norris | 2025 State NE and Kendall Cose Kendall Cose 6'0" | RS Norris | 2025 State NE joining her along the net.
Bennington
Here’s another breakout team that hopes to be back in the hunt.
Bennington’s long-awaited appearance on the big stage was buoyed by a 27-7 mark in pre-tournament action. The Badgers snagged Class B’s #4 seed and took it to the semifinals before falling to top-ranked Elkhorn North.
Questions linger for Bennington’s 2023 roster after losing high-volume scorers like Lauren Buzbee, Kennedy Gansebom, and Evie Howard. Young athletes are ready to usher in the next era. Of course, this youth movement is also accompanied by senior libero Olivia Mauch Olivia Mauch 5'7" | DS/L Bennington | 2024 State #49 Nation NE , who will depart for the Cornhuskers following the fall season. She’ll also be fresh off international competition with the USA U19 National Team right before the 2023 high school season begins. That’s big-time.
Taylor Olsen Taylor Olsen 6'0" | MB Bennington | 2024 State NE and Madelyn Uhlir Madelyn Uhlir 5'10" | S Bennington | 2024 State NE are two more Badger seniors to watch. But, regarding that youth movement, we’re looking forward to expanded roles for players like Keatyn Liebsack in the 2025 class and Evynn Olsen Evynn Olsen 5'8" | OH Bennington | 2026 State NE and Kate Sebree Kate Sebree 5'8" | S Celina (TX) | 2026 NE among the 2026s. We’ve already seen these athletes perform under pressure, so the postseason push will not be too daunting.
Elkhorn North
The end to Omaha Skutt’s near-decade reign over Class B nearly came at the hands of a school that was in its third year of competition last year.
Elkhorn North fell in a five-set nail-biter in the 2022 title match after securing Class B’s #1 tournament seed. It was a remarkable symbol of the talent and hard work at a school that didn’t take long to establish its volleyball roots.
Major roster losses from last year’s team will be a storyline for the Wolves. It centers around Grace Heaney, a Purdue enrollee whose dominance cannot be overstated. Kailey Hrbek and Morgan Going were also vital leaders in the frontcourt.
But other veterans are still in the mix. Northern Iowa commit Reese Booth Reese Booth 5'7" | S Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE is back to set the offense that will include fellow senior Ava Spies Ava Spies 5'9" | OH Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE in the middle. Shay Heaney Shay Heaney 6'2" | OH Elkhorn North | 2025 State NE will carry out the family trandition of terminal scoring on the outside, and Haylee Wolf Haylee Wolf 5'7" | DS/L Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE has the libero spot locked down. Optimism persists.