One Away from Lincoln: Class A District Final Matchups Set

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're down to the last wave of matchups before the final Class A bracket is assembled. District finals have arrived.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our postseason coverage has jumped around from class to class as we hone in on all of Nebraska's pre-tournament storylines. At the same time, we have to pay close attention to Class A's results with its condensed district format. We never have to wait long to find out which eight teams will head to Lincoln to compete for the Class A crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That puzzle will be completed Wednesday night as all seven Class A districts wrap up with their respective title matches. We have the pairings after Tuesday's battles, so let's set the stage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(1) Papillion-La Vista South vs. Kearney</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Papio South took care of business Tuesday by sweeping Lincoln High en route to the A-1 district finals. Class A's top seed has a date with Kearney left as it sets its sights on a redemption tour.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kearney faced a tough four-set battle with Omaha Northwest but eventually prevailed in the 2-versus-3 showdown. The Bearcats keep leaning on their offensive balance with [player_tooltip player_id='735073' first='Jamie' last='Wilkens'], [player_tooltip player_id='462566' first='Sophie' last='Vanderbeek'], and Sophie Glandt all making big strides with this group. Central Nebraska's escalating talent pool has laid the foundation for school like Kearney to keep popping up in these district finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(2) Omaha Westside vs. Millard South</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's an all-Omaha brawl in the A-2 district finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha Westside continued its recent tradition of postseason success by sweeping Omaha South to reach the district finals. The Warriors plan to be in the hunt a lot longer after reaching the Class A semifinals in each of the last three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, A-2's No. 3 seed scored a mild upset in the 2-3 contest. Millard South traveled to Bellevue West and took a 3-1 win on the Thunderbirds' home floor to secure a meeting with Omaha Westside. The match's turning point was a deuce 26-24 win in Set 3 that pushed the Patriots forward to a dominant fourth set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha Westside and Millard South have one prior meeting this year. The Warriors won it in a five-set thriller earlier this month, so don't overlook the upset potential here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(3) Fremont vs. Lincoln East</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Heartland Athletic Conference runs the show in A-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fremont took care of business in Tuesday's semifinal meeting with North Platte. The Tigers have kept rolling since earning the HAC crown to wrap up the regular season, and the school is a win away from its first tournament bid in three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The challenger here is Lincoln East, which is hoping to build off back-to-back tournament appearances. The Spartans swept cross-town rival Lincoln Northeast in the semifinal bout to bring us another iteration of the Fremont-Lincoln East series. The two teams have met twice this month with Fremont taking both matches over the Spartans. Will the pressure of tournament time bring a different result?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(4) Lincoln Southwest vs. Omaha Marian</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cross-town showdowns were no problem for the top two seeds in A-4. Lincoln Southwest took care of a talented Lincoln Southeast squad to reach the district finals. The defending champs are still rolling, even if it's with a new-look lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha Marian is a dangerous No. 2 seed and defeated Omaha Central to reach the final. The Crusaders have faced several Lincoln teams this year, but the Silver Hawks are not one of them. That changes Wednesday in the highest-stakes contest of all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(5) Millard West vs. Millard North</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's load up a rivalry bout with a quarterfinal berth on the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A-5's top two seeds rolled to wins in the semifinal round. Millard West swept Norfolk while racing out to quick early leads in every set. Second-seeded Millard North produced a similar result in its matchup with Bellevue East and was led by 13 kills from junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='518581' first='Taylor' last='Elsasser'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The hosting Wildcats have not dropped a set to Millard North in two prior meetings this year. A repeat performance would atone for Millard West's 2023 tournament hiatus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(6) Grand Island vs. Lincoln North Star</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Island is one win away from repeating last year's historic postseason run. The Islanders worked past Omaha Burke in the semifinals and looked locked in with its group of headlining seniors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Out in the eastern Nebraska scene, Lincoln North Star defended its home court against Omaha Westview. The Navigators prevailed in every set by a comfortable margin look ready to make the westward trip down I-80.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":442771,"width":"411px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/627-Lilly-Pillay.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-442771" style="width:411px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pillay</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Island defeated Lincoln North Star at September's LPS Classic, but the story gets more compelling from here. North Star got revenge in an Oct. 8 meeting in the Star City, so this A-6 district final is a true rubber match. Let's settle this.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">(7) Elkhorn South vs. Papillion-La Vista</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We probably don't need to tell you which of these teams embraced the underdog role in last year's postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Papillion-La Vista experienced a tough 2024 campaign after finishing as last year's Class A runner-up. The Monarchs lost several talented veterans from that 2023 team and battled to an 8-23 record in this year's regular season. Despite all the setbacks, Papio is still in it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Monarchs scored a huge 3-0 upset over eighth-seeded Columbus in the A-7 semifinals. Outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='155055' first='Lilly' last='Pillay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458161' first='Aubree' last='Fettin'] commanded the offense with double-digit kills and put the team one step closer to a remarkable late-season comeback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elkhorn South is next on the docket. The Storm have taken down Papio in two prior meetings this year, and the home team looked sharp in a straight-set win over South Sioux City in the semis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->