Nebraska’s Game-Changing Servers from the 2023 Fall Season (Pt 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Time to bring an underappreciated skill to the forefront: serving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tough serving doesn't always show up in the stat sheet, but it's undoubtedly something that can change the complexion of any match. Getting teams out of system is a vital part of any successful squad, and several players mastered that art during Nebraska's 2023 high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a fun layer to featuring tough servers, too. Anyone can make an impact at the service line. Whether you're a star outside hitter racking up five kills per set or a serving sub coming in for a middle blocker, you can alter the course of a match with some aggressive serving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, here's Part 1 of our glimpse at Nebraska's most successful servers during the 2023 high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["173529"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Why not start with this year's state leader in total aces? Lewis paced all players with a remarkable 91 total aces, or just over an ace per set for Omaha Northwest. This dynamic athlete, who competes as a setter and a pin hitter, can crank out deep serves that fool passers into thinking the ball is travelling long. Serving is just one of the many things Lewis was proficient at this year, and we'd expect the same during the club season with Nebraska Elite.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["173527"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Sure, it's easy to talk about all of Hagedorn's floor-denting kills in the Omaha Skutt Catholic frontcourt. But Hagedorn's development as a six-rotation star has been a joy to follow, and that also applies to her service pressure. The junior outside hitter led the way with 0.7 aces per set as the SkyHawks marched to a ninth consecutive title by winning the serve-pass battle.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["104976"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Liberos can serve, too! It's easy to assume that the toughest servers are long athletes with high contact points, but Borner has demonstrated that this isn't always the case. The DC West defender was among Nebraska's most effective servers with 0.9 aces per set. Borner generated the kind of velocity that passers often weren't expectingu002du002dand that's in addition to all of Borner's stat-stuffing performances on the defensive end.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["173530"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"We all know Kamery was near the top of Nebraska's kill leaderboards this year, but that wasn't the only stat where this state champion thrived. Kamery put up some serious numbers in the ace column, including six in the three-set quarterfinal contest against Grand Island Central Catholic. She tallied eleven in the entire state tournament as Minden earned the Class C1 crown. The opponent didn't matter. Kamery was going to bring the same aggression and consistency every time she stepped to the service line.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["230003"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Setters who are adept servers bring so much value to their team. If a team prefers to maximize its three-hitter rotationsu002du002dwhich is a common strategyu002du002dthat means the setter is going to see plenty of serving opportunities. Potthoff responded to that challenge for Gretna East and tallied a team-high 63 aces and a ton of other valuable serving runs. It was the perfect spark to Gretna East's tournament berth in Year 1 of the program.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["253919"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"The jump-spin serve. It's consider a u0022lost artu0022 by some, and it's certainly not common at the prep level. Don't tell Liebsack that. The Bennington outside hitter wielded a tough jump spinner that produced colossal numbers, including four service winners in the Class B semifinal bout with Norris. Not only is a jump-spin serve tough on its own, but not many teams are able to replicate it in their practice gym. That lack of familiarity is something Liebsack can keep exploiting as she continues her outstanding high school career.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["122761"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Senior leaders often become a team's most reliable servers. That was the case at Omaha Westside as Brislen keyed up her share of scoring runs from behind the line. The veteran outside hitter was incredibly disruptive with three aces in the quarterfinal match against Grand Island. Better yet, Brislen played gritty floor defense and made the Warriors more than comfortable during her serving rotation.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["155041"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"It's hard to describe the difficulty of coming in cold off the bench and immediately delivering service pressure. Still, that's what Kremer did all year for this year's Class A champion. She dialed up 0.6 aces per set for Lincoln Southwest to go along with all the other defensive contributions she made in sideout situations. 2024 is a big year for Kremer as one of the few returning starters in the Silver Hawk lineup.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["109591"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Middle blockers have to get in here somehow, and it's worth giving a nod to one of Nebraska's best. Of course, O'Neill was not an ordinary middle blocker, as she never came off the floor for Sumner-Eddyville-Miller. Regardless, her assertiveness behind the line was rare for the middle blocker position, and it was one of the many factors that led the Mustangs to a historic state title.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["104986"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"We won't soon forget the relentless, match-altering serving runs that Faalii assembled this year. Lincoln East frequently surged this fall behind Faalii's flat, driving serve that was rarely passed right to the net. This tough knuckleball was on full display during the Spartans' back-and-forth battle with Lincoln Southwest for the HAC titles. Once again, it was a senior taking charge with dominant serving.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65680532cfc00"} /-->