2023 NSAA State Tournament Recap: Class C1, B, A Championships

Class C1

The second half of Championship Saturday was ushered in by a history-rich contest featuring #1 Kearney Catholic and #2 Minden.

We'll go all the way back to a mid-September weekend at Gothenburg High School, where then-undefeated Minden took down Kearney Catholic in the Harvest Festival Invite. By the end of the regular season, however, the Stars were asserting themselves as the hottest group in Class C1. That culminated in a 3-2 win over the Whippets in the sub-district finals, which allowed Kearney Catholic to inherit C1's top seed.

The rubber match was set up by five-set wins by Kearney Catholic and Minden in the semifinal round. With so much up-and-down play in C1 this week, it was hard to predict what we'd get from this contest.

It turned out to be a hotly contested thriller akin to October's sub-district meeting. The first punch was landed by Kearney Catholic, which swiped a 25-23 triumph in Set 1. Senior setter Callie Squiers Callie Squiers 6'0" | S Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE guided a high-powered offense that featured double trouble in the Haarberg camp. Margaret Haarberg Margaret Haarberg 5'9" | OH Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE terminated early, and Hazel Haarberg Hazel Haarberg 5'8" | OH Kearney Catholic | 2026 State NE followed suit in the frontcourt rotations. However, Saturday's leader turned out to be Aibrey Mandernach Aibrey Mandernach 6'0" | MB Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE , whose fresh legs off the bench allowed her to rack a team-leading kill total on a near-0.400 hitting efficiency.

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Of course, Minden knew how to respond to adversity. Friday's reverse sweep victory was evidence of that. Junior utility player Mattie Kamery Mattie Kamery 5'10" | S Minden | 2025 State NE didn't take long to lock up a triple-double as a setter-hitter hybrid. Myla Emery Myla Emery 5'10" | S Minden | 2026 State NE was right there with her in a similar role. The Minden middles are also due plenty of credit with Makenna Starkey and Makenna Betty Makenna Betty 6'0" | MB Minden | 2025 State NE bolstering all elements of Minden's net play.

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The Whippets claimed Set 2, which prefaced more back-and-forth chaos in the third. It was decided by a pair of points, and Minden earned the clutch victory after Kinsie Land Kinsie Land 5'10" | OH Minden | 2025 State NE tipped in the final kill.

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On to the fourth. This was Kearney Catholic's turn to run the show. Middles blockers asserted themselves for the Stars as Payton Dzingle Payton Dzingle 5'9" | MB Kearney Catholic | 2025 State NE and Londyn Carnes Londyn Carnes 6'3" | MB Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE found the floor. A 25-19 decision brought on another fifth set in Class C1.

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Both C1 semifinals went to a tiebreaker, so this felt fitting. The Whippet block immediately produced quality touches that set up the offense in transition. Kamery called for the ball whenever she was in the front row, eventually finishing with 22 kills. One final net play won by Minden put the Whippets atop a wild, unpredictable tournament run in Class C1.

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Class B

Norris and Omaha Skutt Catholic. Have we seen this one before?

The legacy of tournament meetings between these schools is well-known. Among other classics, Norris and Skutt Catholic met in the 2020 and 2021 Class B championships and the 2022 semifinals. Entering this year's title bout, Norris held the honor as the last team to defeat Skutt Catholic in the postseason--way back in 2014.

2023 brought a familiar storyline right away: Omaha Skutt Catholic was locked in. The SkyHawks made a clear effort to get their left-side hitters involved early. Perhaps it was motivated by favorable matchups on that side, but the SkyHawks also have two outside attackers who can score against anyone. Sophomore Addison West Addison West 6'2" | OH Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State #56 Nation NE was the hot hitter in the first several points, and junior Abbie Hagedorn Abbie Hagedorn 5'11" | RS Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE reciprocated soon after.

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Aside from Skutt Catholic's offensive prowess, the SkyHawks also put together one of the most dominant blocking performances in any of Saturday's matches. This success was anchored by junior Kiera Link Kiera Link 6'1" | MB Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE , who was concurrently leading Skutt Catholic in kills and blocks for much of the match.

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Skutt Catholic claimed the first set by a four-point margin. Norris had its best strings of offensive production from many of the usual suspects. Junior outside hitter Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State #174 Nation NE was quick to record a double-double. On good passes, senior middle blocker Celia Spilker Celia Spilker 6'5" | OH Norris | 2024 State NE was a popular option. The other side of the rotation featured junior middle blocker Lexi Hasselbalch Lexi Hasselbalch 5'10" | MB Norris | 2025 State NE , who frequently flexes over to the left pin for first-ball sideouts.

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Eventually, the offensive balance of Skutt Catholic pushed the SkyHawks further ahead. Ellie Ortmeier Ellie Ortmeier 5'11" | MB Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State NE , Sydney Schram Sydney Schram 5'9" | RS Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State NE , and Avery White Avery White 5'8" | RS Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State NE all diverted pressure away from the aforementioned outside hitters. Both setters, Brooke Banker Brooke Banker 5'3" | S Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE and Meghan Anderson Meghan Anderson 5'11" | S Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE , deserve credit for helping push this trend forward. Skutt Catholic's lone senior, libero Paisley Douglas Paisley Douglas 5'5" | DS/L Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2024 State #123 Nation NE , kept the team in system the whole way.

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The nine-peat was coming. A win in Set 2 was followed by a breakaway Set 3, giving the SkyHawks another year atop the Class B throne.

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Class A

The 2023 high school season wrapped up with Class A. It was a Lincoln-Omaha showdown between second-seeded Lincoln Southwest and #8 Papillion-La Vista.

It's easy to marvel at the two vastly different paths taken by these two teams. Lincoln Southwest was a favorite to get to the championship match after a stellar regular season that earned it the #2 seed. The Silver Hawks responded to those expectations by barrelling past Lincoln Pius X and Bellevue West to reach the title match.

Papillion-La Vista, meanwhile, was the decided underdog with a string of impressive late-season results to clinch a spot. The Monarchs' high ceiling was evident in the Metro Conference Tournament, which was highlighted by Papio handing Papio South its first loss of the year. Still, Papio had to sneak into the Class A tournament as the bottom seed after dropping the district final to Pius X.

That didn't matter in Lincoln. Papio became the story of the tournament after another upset win over Papio South, the two-time defending champion. An emphatic semifinal win over Omaha Westside followed.

Early control of Saturday's improbable matchup belonged to Lincoln Southwest. The Silver Hawks, led by senior setter Malayah Long Malayah Long 6'0" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State #142 Nation NE , operated its up-tempo offense that was seldom deterred by the opposing block. Julia Trost Julia Trost 5'7" | OH Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE and Shelby Harding Shelby Harding 5'8" | OH Lincoln Southwest | 2025 State NE were incredibly consistent through the seams and into the crosscourt.

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But the narrative behind LSW's electric offense isn't complete without mentioning the players away from the left pin. Senior middle blocker Emerson Lionberger Emerson Lionberger 6'0" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE dominated, and veteran opposite Madison Rink Madison Rink 6'2" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE was a game-changer in three-hitter rotations. That balance was enough for the Silver Hawks to seize a 2-0 lead at an astonishing pace.

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Papio's breakthrough came early in the third. Junior middle blocker Lillian Vitera Lillian Vitera 5'10" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2025 State NE provided a ton of value in the frontcourt, giving the Monarchs a stable middle presence across from senior Mia Tvrdy Mia Tvrdy 6'0" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #35 Nation NE . Faith Frame Faith Frame 5'6" | DS/L Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #167 Nation NE , another libero, made some courageous plays in the libero jersey.

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However, the Silver Hawks had enough for a late rally. LSW is not afraid to use up its allotment of subs, allowing Aaliyah Bradford Aaliyah Bradford 5'4" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE , Reese Boyd Reese Boyd 5'5" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE , and Olivia Kremer Olivia Kremer 5'11" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2025 State NE to all shine in the defensive phase. With one final scoring surge, Lincoln Southwest won its first title in program history and kept the Class A title in Lincoln for the first time this century.