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

Friday's semifinal gauntlet finished with Class A, B, and C1. There's a lot to get to with this group--there always is.

Here's the instant rundown from the conclusion of the semifinal round as we filled in the rest of the 2023 championship matchups.

Class A

Class A was the nightcap in tandem with Class B. What a way to close out the day.

First on the North Court was the Omaha metro matchup featuring #4 Omaha Westside and #8 Papillion-La Vista. The Warriors hoped to make their second consecutive Class A title match while Papio wanted to ride the high of upsetting #1 Papio South in the quarterfinals. Storylines abound.

It's hard to slow down a team that's playing its best volleyball and having fun doing it. That's Papio, an underdog playing championship-level volleyball. Wednesday's triumph seemed to fuel the same kind of success on Friday night.

Junior outside hitter Lilly Pillay Lilly Pillay 5'8" | OH Papillion-La Vista | 2025 State NE established herself as a scoring force for the Monarchs. Her emergence has allowed Papio to become increasingly balanced, allowing Mia Tvrdy Mia Tvrdy 6'0" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #35 Nation NE and Lilly Pillay Lilly Pillay 5'8" | OH Papillion-La Vista | 2025 State NE to find seams behind the setter.

One set snowballed into another as the Monarchs claimed a 2-0 lead. But, as we learned from Papio's quarterfinal contest, finishing Set 3 is an entirely new challenge.

Omaha Westside offered its own array of weapons to deal with. Senior middle blocker Mikyna Ferguson has risen to the occasion in recent weeks and brings indispensable on-court energy. Talented sophomores like outside hitter Madeline Lamb Madeline Lamb 6'0" | OH Omaha Westside | 2026 State NE and libero Jane Kubat Jane Kubat 5'6" | DS/L Omaha Westside | 2026 State NE offer optimism regarding future postseason appearances for the Warriors.

But, this time, Westside could not stop the momentum-driven dominance of Papillion-La Vista. The Monarchs took three consecutive sets by comfortable margins and carried the #8 seed to the Class A championship match.

The Class A finale featured #2 Lincoln Southwest and #6 Bellevue West. Recent tournament histories vary between the two sides. Lincoln Southwest was in the semifinals for the second year in a row. Bellevue West hadn't been this far since the mid-2000s.

A seasoned lineup of postseason pros might have made the difference for LSW. The Silver Hawks deploy a host of stout seniors. This week gives us our final look at multi-year stars like setter Malayah Long Malayah Long 6'0" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State #142 Nation NE , libero Teagan Little Teagan Little 5'8" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE , and right-side hitter Madison Rink Madison Rink 6'2" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE . We're enjoying it while we can.

Lincoln Southwest capitalized on an immediate 5-0 scoring run to win Set 1. The Silver Hawks wouldn't have this privilege in Set 2, however, as the Thunderbirds took their turn at swiping a lead. Kayla Eggiman Kayla Eggiman 5'8" | OH Bellevue West | 2024 State NE and Tessa Reitsma Tessa Reitsma 5'9" | OH Bellevue West | 2025 State NE received the most volume in the Bellevue West frontcourt. Junior setter Madison Emery Madison Emery 5'9" | S Bellevue West | 2025 State NE spread the ball around with incredible precision. And, of course, we can't leave out the stunning ball control from sophomore libero Angela Berger Angela Berger 5'2" | DS/L Bellevue West | 2026 State NE . Her stock is soaring after this postseason.

But when clutch scoring runs are needed, experienced teams usually take advantage. LSW erased a late three-point deficit to steal the second and go up 2-0.

It was all LSW from there, putting a Lincoln Public Schools team in the Class A final for the first time since 2001.

Class B

Class B semifinals have produced one classic after another for the past few years. Friday night was no different.

It all started with top-seeded Norris facing #4 Bennington. These two both fell short in the semifinals last year, so one was going to find redemption.

Norris started proceedings with the Set 1 win. We saw the familiar up-tempo, low-error offense led by freshman setter Malorie Boesiger. Her favorite targets, like upperclassmen Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State #174 Nation NE and Celia Spilker Celia Spilker 6'5" | OH Norris | 2024 State NE , took the lead at outside and middle, respectively.

But the narrative started to shift toward the defense, especially as Bennington roared back to take Set 2. Badger libero Olivia Mauch Olivia Mauch 5'7" | DS/L Bennington | 2024 State #49 Nation NE has shined on this stage before, but Friday's match might have been her best. Her reads and reactions were extraordinary, and she worked perfectly in tandem with whoever was alongside her in the backcourt. Evynn Olsen Evynn Olsen 5'8" | DS/L Bennington | 2026 State NE is another standout defender on the roster who's just getting started.

Each side exchanged scoring runs and sets with the serve-pass battle dictating much of the contest. Bennington sophomore Hayden Liebsack Hayden Liebsack 6'2" | OH Bennington | 2026 State #115 Nation NE deployed a tough jump-spin serve in addition to all the termination she provides along the net. Norris's defensive specialists were up for the challenge, and it's a group led by veterans like Alivia Hausmann Alivia Hausmann 5'5" | DS/L Norris | 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 .

Our alternating pattern held true with Norris winning Set 3 and Bennington taking Set 4.

Early leads are vital in the race to 15, and the top seed jumped out to an immediate lead. Despite some valiant back-and-forth from the Badgers, that advantage was enough to lift the Titans to a five-set win.

The second Class B matchup had its own history behind it. This was a rematch of the 2022 Class B championship match between Omaha Skutt Catholic and Elkhorn North, a title bout that ended in a thrilling five-set win for the SkyHawks.

Skutt Catholic took its share of losses this year while globetrotting around and facing some of the nation's best. That doesn't preclude the SkyHawks from thriving in the state tournament--which has been a constant for almost the past decade. A push toward a ninth consecutive title would have to go through Elkhorn North.

The SkyHawks pounced early. We once again saw the full contingent of Skutt Catholic setters with 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 running the offense. Left-side hitters Addison West Addison West 6'2" | OH Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State #56 Nation NE and Abbie Hagedorn Abbie Hagedorn 5'11" | RS Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE carried heavy attacking burdens early but were able to remain consistent throughout.

Skutt Catholic's left sides had another challenge: block Reagan Wallraff Reagan Wallraff 6'0" | OH/MB Elkhorn North | 2027 State #52 Nation NE . Elkhorn North's dynamic freshman middle blocker can carry an entire offense if opponents fail to side out. Wallraff is particularly productive on the slide, forcing wing blockers to get to the pin quickly. Senior setter Reese Booth Reese Booth 5'7" | S Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE takes full advantage of this.

Set 2 progressed similarly to Set 1 with Skutt Catholic taking care of a slim lead. Kiera Link Kiera Link 6'1" | MB Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2025 State NE had flashes from the middle for the SkyHawks. Elkhorn North countered with its left sides, especially converted middle blocker Ava Spies Ava Spies 5'9" | OH Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE .

It seemed like Set 3 would follow the same path, but Elkhorn North closed the gap late. Still, a final push put Skutt Catholic over the top. The nine-peat pursuit was off to the Devaney Center.

Class C1

This group gave us more than we bargained for.

Our first Class C1 semifinal featured top-seeded Kearney Catholic and #5 Pierce, which scored a "minor upset" over Malcolm in the opening round.

Many would have dismissed this match as being heavily favored toward Kearney Catholic, especially with how good the Stars have looked in late-season action. The top seed continued that dominance in Set 1 of the semifinal, too. Senior outside hitter Margaret Haarberg Margaret Haarberg 5'9" | OH Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE elevated well and terminated with authority. Veteran setter Callie Squiers Callie Squiers 6'0" | S Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE also opened up seams in the block with her up-tempo assists. And, to round everything out, the Stars looked to senior middle blocker Londyn Carnes Londyn Carnes 6'3" | MB Kearney Catholic | 2024 State NE to kill balls behind the setter.

This perfect storm didn't stop Pierce from finding its own rhythm in Set 2. The Bluejays operated through its proven trio: senior outside hitter Jaya Wachholtz Jaya Wachholtz 5'9" | RS Pierce | 2024 State NE , junior middle blocker Claudia Riggert Claudia Riggert 5'11" | MB Pierce | 2025 State NE , and freshman outside hitter Nora Herian Nora Herian 6'1" | OH Pierce | 2027 State #108 Nation NE . Pierce mirrored the front-row athleticism that it faced across the net--not an easy feat when battling Kearney Catholic.

Wachholtz converted on set point for a 25-23 win in Set 2. The pendulum swung again shortly afterward as the Stars cruised to a win in Set 3. But, if you thought this is where Kearney Catholic would run away with it, Pierce had another answer. An improbable fifth set was on the way.

The fifth set was a microcosm of the entire match. Kearney Catholic immediately jumped out to a 4-0 lead and expanded that advantage to as many as six. The Bluejays refused to lay over and narrowed the gap to one near the set's halfway mark. We were deadlocked at 10 apiece.

Pierce rode the wave of momentum to earn match point at 14-11. As we learned throughout the match, no lead is safe. Kearney Catholic churned out defensive magic to stay alive and send the set to extra points. The Stars converted on their second match point to win 17-15 and survive an unforgettable match.

There's no way we could get the same amount of drama from the second Class C1 semifinal, right?

Well, #2 Minden and #3 Gothenburg had their history heading into this semifinal meeting. Gothenburg finished the regular season with two losses, and both were to Minden. Something about "third time's the charm" resonates here.

For a while, it looked like that was the case. The Swedes took full command of the first two sets behind their balanced offense and formidable block. Junior opposite Whitney Cottingham was effective in both these areas. She formed a solid wing block alongside senior middle blocker Madison Smith Madison Smith 5'10" | MB Gothenburg | 2024 State NE , who was one of Class C1's most productive blockers this season.

The Whippets weren't about to fold after falling down 0-2. Instead, Minden's multi-talented athletes stepped up. We got another display of the setter-hitter tandem act featuring Mattie Kamery Mattie Kamery 5'10" | S Minden | 2025 State NE and Myla Emery Myla Emery 5'10" | S Minden | 2026 State NE . They offered stout ball control that junior libero Aubree Bules Aubree Bules 5'7" | DS/L Minden | 2025 State NE aided.

Back and forth we went toward a fifth set.

This is where experience would shine. Senior outside hitter Clara Evert Clara Evert 5'6" | OH Gothenburg | 2024 State NE got the first swing of the set for Gothenburg, which is no surprise. Kamery answered for Minden. Eventually, the Whippets seized a healthy lead and would not be denied the 0-2 comeback. The "reverse sweep" was Minden's ticket to the C1 title match.