2023 NSAA State Tournament Recap: Class D2, D1, C2 Championships

The 2023 Nebraska high school season concluded at the Bob Devaney Sports Center with six championship matches. Let’s relive those final moments.

Here’s the breakdown of Saturday’s first trio of title bouts in Class D2, D1, and C2.

Class D2

Our lead-off match was the much anticipated–or predicted–sub-district final rematch between #1 Cambridge and #2 Overton. The Trojans swiped the #2 seed from Overton with a thrilling win in the sub-district round, but the Eagles never missed a beat after the setback. Overton was looking to be one spot better after last year’s runner-up finish in the Devaney Center.

The early portion of the title match was dominated by the Eagles. Saturday’s match was the final prep outing for Overton’s storied senior class, headlined by middle blockers JoLee Ryan JoLee Ryan 5'9" | OH Overton | 2024 State NE and Natalie Wood Natalie Wood 5'10" | MB Overton | 2024 State NE . Unsurprisingly, both seniors were heavily involved right away and didn’t take long to reach a half dozen kills.

Cambridge flexed its own strength in the middle with senior Erin Johnson Erin Johnson 6'1" | MB Cambridge | 2025 State NE . Johnson, like Ryan and Wood, can split out to either pin for first-ball swings and out-of-system attacks. These similarities make Cambridge and Overton such a compelling matchup.

The Trojans battled back by denying several Overton set points, but the Eagles eventually converted for a 25-21 win in Set 1.

Similar storylines played out in Set 2 as Overton grabbed an early lead. Cambridge made a more effective comeback in this frame, however, and held a very late one-point lead. Senior outside hitter Jalen Kent Jalen Kent 5'9" | OH Cambridge | 2024 State NE seized momentum alongside Brylyn Springer Brylyn Springer 5'10" | MB Cambridge | 2024 NE in the middle.

Overton wouldn’t yield. Wood soared during her last trip through the frontcourt and helped steal Set 2 by another 25-21 score line.

That triumph and 2-0 lead was enough for Overton to swipe initial control in the third. Senior outside hitter Adysen McCarter had a string of massive blocks that expanded the Eagle lead to 16-8.

Cambridge found another late surge and exchanged blows with Overton en route to extra points. Ryan rotated to the frontcourt and immediately registered a kill to bring up a match point at 28-27. McCarter terminated the next ball to give Overton its first state volleyball title in program history.

Class D1

An improbable #5-versus-#6 matchup came to the Devaney Center Taraflex for the Class D1 championship. Amherst arrived after scoring upsets over BDS and top-seeded Guardian Angels Central Catholic. On the other side of the bracket, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller went through St. Mary’s and Elgin Public/Pope John.

Set 1 gave us the back-and-forth gauntlet you might expect from these talented teams. Like the D2 title match, much of the firepower here can be found in the middle.

Sumner-Eddyville-Miller is eerily similar to Overton in that the Mustangs will work its two six-rotation middle blockers from anywhere. Senior Mikah O’Neill Mikah O’Neill 5'11" | MB Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2024 State NE and sophomore Taryn Arbuthnot Taryn Arbuthnot 5'6" | MB Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2026 State NE pull a lot of weight and will frequently hit on the pin in first-ball situations. Their presence in the backcourt also entails a role in serve receive and floor defense.

The analogous all-around middle blocker on the Amherst side is senior Hannah Herrick Hannah Herrick 5'8" | MB Amherst | 2024 State NE . O’Neill and Herrick have had a near-permanent presence atop Class D1’s kill leaderboards, so we were in for a battle.

It all started in the opening set as both squads traded points toward a deuce conclusion. O’Neill reached double-digit kills before the final whistle, which ended in a 28-26 triumph for Sumner-Eddyville-Miller.

The Mustangs were back for more in Set 2. A steady S-E-M block yielded positive touches on Amherst senior Saryn Prickett Saryn Prickett 5'10" | OH Amherst | 2024 State NE , who led the Broncos in total attempts while also recording double-digit assists as the part-time setter.

Arbuthnot clinched a double-double late in Set 2 as Sumner-Eddyville-Miller won 25-15 to go up 2-0.

Set 3 seemed to be a continuation of S-E-M’s forward momentum as Arbuthnot added to her team-high four blocks. Cayleigh Jackson Cayleigh Jackson 5'11" | OH Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2024 State NE was performing well on the left side.

But the Broncos found balance and ball control to take the lead. Senior Grace John upped her hitting percentage to 0.400 on seven kills. Keelie Hagan Keelie Hagan 5'7" | OH Amherst | 2025 State NE followed close behind from the left-side hitter spot. Amherst won Set 3, 25-20, on a well-formed block from Herrick.

In a tournament defined by big bouncebacks, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller had one for the fourth set. The Mustangs raced out to an immediate scoring run and never looked back. O’Neill registered her 33rd kill of the match as S-E-M claimed its first state volleyball title since 1981.

Class C2

The top two seeds remained on a collision course throughout the Class C2 tournament. That set up a Devaney Center battle between #1 Lincoln Lutheran and #2 Clarkson/Leigh.

It’s hard not to favor the two-time defending champions in any matchup, and Lincoln Lutheran’s offense had been humming for most of the week. However, it was the #2 seed that surged ahead early in Set 1.

We’ve noted the effectiveness of senior middle blocker Chloe Hanel Chloe Hanel 5'11" | MB Clarkson/Leigh | 2024 State NE this year, and the Clarkson/Leigh veteran has put up head-spinning efficiency numbers this season. But the Patriots looked toward other contributors during its successful Set 1 run. Tanyn Larson had a breakout performance on the right side and was accompanied by Gracelyn Eisenmann Gracelyn Eisenmann 5'9" | OH Clarkson/Leigh | 2024 State NE on the left. The Patriots led 19-12.

That’s where the #1 seed made its move. Freshman middle blocker McKenzie Sidlo McKenzie Sidlo 5'10" | RS/S Lincoln Lutheran | 2027 State NE had an impactful frontcourt trip and capitalized on ball control missteps. Later, it was sophomore outside hitter Lily Wohlgemuth Lily Wohlgemuth 5'8" | RS Lincoln Lutheran | 2026 State NE running points in the front row. The Warriors converted on their second set point to win 25-23 in the opener.

Trends reversed somewhat in the second set. Lincoln Lutheran was dominant early behind the onslaught of junior opposite Ava Jurevicius Ava Jurevicius 5'9" | OH Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State NE . Jillian Donovan Jillian Donovan 5'11" | S Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State NE always managed to set the hot hand.

After a Clarkson/Leigh timeout, the Patriots capitalized on errors to close the gap. Hanel and junior setter-opposite Izzy Hollatz Izzy Hollatz 5'9" | S Clarkson/Leigh | 2025 State NE tallied blocks. However, the point cushion was regained as Lincoln Lutheran forged ahead to go up 2-0.

The Patriots built another lead while down 0-2, but this advantage persisted. Limiting errors became the theme of the match for whichever team had the advantage. Hanel had a stretch of three consecutive kills, helping keep Clarkson/Leigh in the match with a 25-20 win.

This brand of low-error volleyball was magnified in Set 4 as the Patriots took the lead again. Baylee Settje got involved on the opposite side of the rotation as Hanel. At the end, though, it was Hanel who clinched Set 4 to keep the comeback rolling.

We reset in the fifth, where an all-out gauntlet ensued. Hanel tied the score at ten, but Lincoln Lutheran pounced after a timeout. Sophie Wohlgemuth Sophie Wohlgemuth 5'9" | OH Lincoln Lutheran | 2024 State NE ‘s final prep kill sealed a third championship in a row.