Nebraska’s Big Winners from Mid-Week 3 Matches

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's take a quick tour around the Cornhusker State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been focusing on big-time individual performances in recent features, but this article will pivot toward teams and recent results. We've had some major movement in Nebraska's hierarchy this week, and we haven't even reached the bulk of the weekend yet. So, we're honing in on teams who notched pivotal mid-week triumphs to start Week 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's the rundown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln Schools Dominate</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Star City is showing out. A few Lincoln-area teams have used Week 3 as a building block toward their postseason aspirations, and it's hard to pick just a few big winners here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":255209,"width":450,"height":300,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/70_Hayden-Osmera-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-255209" style="width:450px;height:300px" width="450" height="300" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Osmera</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of course, it's no surprise to see Lincoln Lutheran thriving. The defending C2 titleholders haven't lost in a long, <em>long</em> time. Week 3 started with an emphatic sweep over intra-city rival Lincoln Christian. The Warriors then had an immediate Thursday turnaround, where Lutheran took care of a triangular slate against Ashland-Greenwood and Milford. This decorated squad hasn't dropped a set since the five-set season opener against Waverly. [player_tooltip player_id='109592' first='Sophie' last='Wohlgemuth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='275943' first='Lily' last='Wohlgemuth'] are paving the way in the kill department, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='349457' first='Bella' last='Sjuts'] has compiled an incredible hitting efficiency in early-season action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Northeast also deserves a shoutout after back-to-back wins. The Rockets have a new leader in [player_tooltip player_id='155051' first='Hayden' last='Osmera'], previously a multi-year standout at Wahoo. Other returning players like [player_tooltip player_id='336618' first='Tasia' last='Sadler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='104987' first='Laney' last='Songster'] are gaining momentum, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can hop over to Lincoln Northwest, a school in its second year of competition and putting more wins on its docket in 2023. This week was highlighted by a straight-set win over Ralston to give the Falcons their fourth W of the season. Sophomore middle blocker Alivia Clemmons is hitting a scorching 0.378 for LNW, while Chante Dowd is leading the charge in total kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Southwest is still rolling. A sweep over Omaha Westside keeps the Silver Hawks atop the Class A wildcard standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, we'll note Lincoln North Star's five-set gauntlet to take down Columbus this week. The Navigators have shown their best stuff in these one-off matchups against Class A district foes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>In the Metro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha always has its own batch of intriguing mid-week results.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha Marian has to get our first mention here. The Crusaders picked up a monumental sweep over Papillion-La Vista to get back on track in the Class A race. Few seniors can be found on the Marian roster, so look for juniors like [player_tooltip player_id='189378' first='Gabi' last='Hern'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189350' first='Lainey' last='Bosiljevac'] to carry a heavy load in these big matches. [player_tooltip player_id='155046' first='Isabel' last='Campie'] is reaching her own career milestones at the setter spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Millard West had its own Tuesday breakthrough against Papio, too. [player_tooltip player_id='122816' first='Kaelin' last='Pribyl'] and [player_tooltip player_id='104995' first='Camille' last='Renken'] put down double-digit kills in the four-set affair, and [player_tooltip player_id='275897' first='Taya' last='Thaden'] paced everyone in hitting efficiency at 0.364. The Wildcats are finding their groove as we progress through September.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elkhorn North is rolling. The Class B frontrunner swept Elkhorn South Tuesday and followed it up with another straight-set triumph over Waverly. These constant crossovers between Class A and Class B competition cannot slow down the Wolves' rhythm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll also pick out Omaha Westside after the Warriors nabbed a sweep over Gretna. This turned into a big-time pin performance for [player_tooltip player_id='253928' first='Madeline' last='Lamb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155047' first='Ashlyn' last='Paymal'], both of whom will continue to lead the program for the rest of the year and beyond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Around the Map</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll close this out with an assortment of shoutouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overton scored a pair of Tuesday triumphs over Axtell and Sumner-Eddyville-Miller. If there was any doubt about which team is leading the charge in Class D2 this year, let Overton's unblemished record nix any apprehension. We'll likely see S-E-M back on the championship stage, too, so this is a monumental statement for the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cross County feels confident after scoring a 3-1 win over BDS, the current wildcard points leader in Class D1. The Cougars are chasing their state title in Class C2, and these results against small-town powerhouses are encouraging. Senior outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='104973' first='Lilly' last='Peterson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='104974' first='Shyanne' last='Anderson'] are stepping up well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, Grand Island Central Catholic held its ground in a 2-1 thriller against Sutton. The defending C1 champs are back to their winning ways this year and are undaunted by the prospect of defending their crown. The next few weeks will offer an even better glimpse at how these frontrunners are faring at the season's midpoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->