2023 NSAA State Championship All-Position Teams: Liberos
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With one ball control position covered, how about a feature for the liberos? Yesterday, we started naming our all-position teams for the 2023 NSAA State Championships. Our first subject was setters, where a large group of stars emerged among Nebraska’s…
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Continue ReadingWith one ball control position covered, how about a feature for the liberos?
Yesterday, we started naming our all-position teams for the 2023 NSAA State Championships. Our first subject was setters, where a large group of stars emerged among Nebraska’s top teams. It’s time to shift our focus to the backcourt, where defensive specialists locked down the end line and played vital roles in these postseason efforts.
Don’t underestimate the value of these standout defenders.
Little is another one of those Lincoln Southwest seniors who walked off with a state championship. This libero’s incredible command of the crosscourt aided LSW’s historic triumph, making Little an obvious choice for the all-libero team. Even with all the substitutions the Silver Hawks spent on backcourt specialists, Little still managed to stand out and distinguish herself as one of Class A’s best.
Get used to hearing this name–as if you weren’t already. We’ve gone from one Dyrstad to another at Papio South’s libero position, and Kami has a couple more years to showcase her skills at one of Nebraska’s top prep programs. A strong club outing with Premier Nebraska this spring set the stage for Dyrstad to seize Papio South’s libero jersey as a sophomore. She promptly delivered with a stellar year featuring about 400 digs.
Meyer joins a myriad of big libero signings in Nebraska’s 2024 class, as the outgoing senior heads to Pitt. Before the dawn of her collegiate career, Meyer had one more big tournament match with Lincoln East. Her addition to the Spartan lineup was a big reason why Lincoln East kept its renaissance going with a second-straight postseason trip.
The solo senior. Douglas might have been the only Class of 2024 representative for Skutt Catholic, but she carried enough weight to make it a transformative senior class. The SkyHawks slotted Douglas in the middle-back area and let her command the end line from there. It was a perfect choice for the USC commit, who made tough reads and contacts look absolutely effortless.
Mauch’s final prep match gave us more than we ever could have imagined. The epic five-set battle with Norris brought out the best in this Nebraska commit, who rocketed past 40 digs as if it was just another day in the office. This is a libero whose mere presence forces opposing teams to change the way they attack and place shots. Liberos like Mauch don’t come around often.
Nebraska’s senior class had some serious libero talent, right? Wolf is another name that has kept popping up over the past few years, especially as Elkhorn North found its footing as a new school in Class B. She wraps up her career with another outstanding season and a trip to the semifinals.
Johnson has been an unsung hero of Kearney Catholic’s sustained success. Sure, it’s fun to watch all the high-flying athletes who scored points in the frontcourt, but you have to credit Johnson for her tremendous defensive instincts in the back row. The notion of “no wasted movement” is a hallmark of Johnson’s game, as she always takes deliberate first steps to put herself in the right spots.
Bules turned into a microcosm of this year’s Minden lineup: gritty, fearless, and technically sound. The Whippets couldn’t have won this year’s Class C1 title without some spectacular defense and ball control, which starts with Bules anchoring the backcourt at libero. It’s scary to think that this talented libero has another prep season left to gel with many of the same players who took over C1 this year.
Three seasons, three titles. That’ll work. Leimbach has dazzled us at every venue imaginable, from her club days at Nebraska ONE to the prep dominance with Lincoln Lutheran. Her improbable sprawling digs will get a lot of hype, but Leimbach also does the little things well in serve receive and as a secondary setter.
We’ll carry so many fond memories of Backemeyer’s time on the state tournament stage. She was a common sight at Pinnacle Bank Arena as she helped anchor one of the scrappiest teams of the last few years. Backemeyer wielded her superior instincts and quick reactions every time she donned the Elmwood-Murdock libero jersey, and that kind of impact won’t soon be forgotten.
It was a senior year to rewrite the record books. Hass notched over 600 digs before GACC made the trip to Lincoln–besting all of her peers in any class. Watching Hass in live action revealed the method behind those head-spinning totals. The Bluejays did an excellent job of funneling tips and roll shots toward their senior libero, who promptly delivered one perfect transition dig after another.
Furstenau entered the 2023 tournament with one of Nebraska’s loftiest dig totals. She eclipsed the 500-dig mark during the postseason and kept building on those numbers as EPPJ scored the quarterfinal upset over Southwest. Look for more of the same during Furstenau’s senior campaign next fall.
Myrah Sudbeck Myrah Sudbeck 5'5" | DS/L Wynot | 2024 State NE
Myrah Sudbeck Myrah Sudbeck 5'5" | DS/L Wynot | 2024 State NE
Sudbeck offered a lot more than the standard array of passing and defense that you look for from a libero. She was also Wynot’s most aggressive server throughout the 2023 season and gave us a reminder of that dominance in Lincoln. Huge scoring runs off of Sudbeck’s serve were a huge catalyst for the team’s semifinal appearance–in addition to all the great work Sudbeck did as the primary defender.
Cambridge didn’t just have the frontcourt firepower to be Class D2’s runner-up and the #1 seed. This was a balanced Trojan team with Ahlemeyer leading the way in the back row. Ahlemeyer’s veteran presence added another layer to Cambridge’s extraordinary senior class–one that will go down as one of the program’s best.