Nebraska 2025 Rankings Update: MORE New Additions to Watch
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We’re not done yet! Over the past few years, we’ve covered the large group of new additions to the Nebraska 2025 rankings that participated in this year’s NSAA State Championships. It took a three-part series to get through those (Part…
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Over the past few years, we’ve covered the large group of new additions to the Nebraska 2025 rankings that participated in this year’s NSAA State Championships. It took a three-part series to get through those (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Not all of our latest additions fall under that category, however, so this feature is for them.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the other fresh faces who hail from all over Nebraska’s prep landscape.
Thayer Central has been on the cusp of state tournament appearances lately, so perhaps 2024 will be the breakthrough year. Brueggemann will surely have a say in that. The junior led Thayer Central in a variety of statistical categories by doing just about everything: setting, hitting, and everything in between. Brueggemann dished out over five assists per set as a backcourt setter and added 2.7 kills on a 0.316 clip. That’s a lot to take in. The Titans know who their senior leader will be next year, and Brueggemann is due for another big season.
Highlights
North Platte St. Patrick’s has seen its share of productive liberos, and Fleck is the next in line. Her 5.8 digs per set this fall was nearly unrivaled among her Class of 2025 peers. Moreover, this talented defender led the Irish with 0.6 aces per set–or nearly 50 total service winners on the season. We’re starting to see Nebraska’s liberos impact the serve-pass game on both ends of the equation, and Fleck is a perfect example.
Time to give a shoutout to Anselmo-Merna’s unquestioned frontcourt leader. Miller paced the Coyotes with over three kills per set on the outside while also maintaining a team-best hitting percentage. She’s the kind of pin hitter who can take a large volume of tough swings and turn all those attempts into quality touches. That’s still the case when Miller rotates into the back row, where she also finished second on Anselmo-Merna’s individual dig tally. Six-rotation gems are all over the Cornhusker State, and we’ve found another one here.
Stanton posted an impressive 23-9 record this fall with a junior setter guiding the operation. Pohlman has held a starting varsity role throughout her career with the Mustangs, but 2023 featured her best output yet. She racked up over 9.3 assists per set and added four digs per set to her credit, too. So, regardless of whether she was taking the first or second contact, Pohlman set her Stanton teammates up for success. That’s the leader you want at the setter spot, and Pohlman is not done yet.
Badje cemented her spot in the rankings through her standout performance at this month’s Top 250 Expo in La Vista. Before that outing on the Prep Dig Circuit, Badje earned a featured role in the Douglas County West offense and terminated over two times per set. She showed a knack for tooling high hands and was efficient with her well-placed tip shots. The Omaha area is churning out plenty of well-rounded outside hitters like Badje, especially in the Class of 2025.
We’re not done adding 2025s from the small-town scene. Samuelson joins the fray after she took part in an excellent 21-13 campaign with Holdrege. The Dusters were comfortable deploying Samuelson on the right side or in the middle, and she received ample attacking opportunities regardless of position. We’ll have our eye on Samuelson and her high school group with a sizeable chunk of the roster coming back next fall.
Highlights
Like Badje, Willey used a stellar morning at the Top 250 Expo to springboard her rise into the 2025 rankings. The Ralston product shined at our showcase by setting against the grain and connecting with many new faces on her side of the net. This leadership and flexibility is likely why Willey was elevated to captain status with Ralston this fall, and she will be the focal point of any Ralston resurgence in 2024.
Here’s one more showcase participant for the list. Stewart’s dominance at the Top 250 Expo was a continuation of the monster numbers she put up at Ponca. She surpassed 200 kills from the middle blocker spot while also showing some range as an outside hitter when the Indians needed a side out. Now that Stewart has gained experience competing with athletes across the Cornhusker State, she will not be daunted by whatever her senior year brings.
Highlights
If you want to find some of the next rising stars in central Nebraska, Grand Island Northwest is usually a safe bet. Poland was an indispensable part of Northwest’s two-setter offense and led all players with about five assists per set. Having this junior setter in the back row also gave a boost to the Viking defense, as Poland kept pace with the team’s defensive specialists in the digging category. Above all, we’d expect Poland and her GINW team to be extra motivated in 2024 after missing out on the postseason for the first time in a while.
Sekutera has been a dynamic addition to the Pleasanton lineup. The junior started her prep career at Ansley/Litchfield but found her stride this fall as the starting Bulldog setter. She amassed over eight assists per set as Pleasanton posted another winning season in a long list of successful outings. With a talented senior setter in the mix next year, we could see Pleasanton reclaim its postseason spot.