Ten Nebraska Teams Loading Up for Postseason Repeat in 2025

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Time to run it back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been feeling the preseason buzz ever since we released our <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/08/2025-nebraska-class-by-class-high-school-rankings-preseason/">initial class-by-class Top 10 rankings</a> for the upcoming high school campaign. Unsurprisingly, those lists were full of last fall's tournament participants who have the depth and talent to make another postseason run in 2025. Let's discuss a few of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are ten Nebraska squads reloading for another charge at the big prize.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lincoln Southwest</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Star City is establishing a permanent foothold in the Class A title race.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Southwest rolled out a new-look lineup in 2024 after hoisting the first-place trophy the year before. This fresh cast of stars still returned to the postseason and is looking for more this November.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='251144' first='Ellie' last='Eckman'] will distribute to a stacked group of pin hitters, including [player_tooltip player_id='349455' first='Alivia' last='Gustafson'], [player_tooltip player_id='838775' first='Suzie' last='Riggins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='349484' first='Piper' last='Bellamy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1854356378229375417","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1854356378229375417 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lincoln North Star</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Why not build on last year?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln North Star was last fall's surprise entrant in the Class A tournament after a regional upset over Grand Island. The Navigators bring back several key figures from that triumphant underdog, including setter [player_tooltip player_id='458146' first='Alex' last='Kroll'] and middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='521266' first='Lauren' last='McKernan']. We're also looking forward to the continued pin dominance from [player_tooltip player_id='458167' first='Delainey' last='Volkmer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807924' first='Elsie' last='Schmidt'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the players listed above joined forces at [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] for the club season, so team cohesion will be at an all-time high on the prep side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Waverly</strong></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remember that deep sophomore cast on last year's Waverly team? Youth is quickly transforming into upperclassman leadership.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big Ten-bound setter [player_tooltip player_id='458165' first='McKinley' last='Moser'] pilots a quick Viking offense led by [player_tooltip player_id='807946' first='Hallie' last='Lauenstein'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458124' first='Gracie' last='Lauenstein'] on the outside. Another key component from the Class of 2027 is [player_tooltip player_id='521256' first='Emmalyn' last='Quinn'], who commanded Waverly's libero jersey last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1854235567963115588","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1854235567963115588 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Gretna</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year's Gretna team was all about the Class of 2028. The Dragons could be title frontrunners for a while.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='575235' first='Logann' last='Dostal'] is gaining exceptional momentum after winning a 15 USA title with Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. The Dragons get further Premier Nebraska representation from [player_tooltip player_id='575234' first='Koco' last='Janssen'], [player_tooltip player_id='566265' first='Leighton' last='Froehlich'], and [player_tooltip player_id='567542' first='Ava' last='Nowling'], all of whom are 2028s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Pierce</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bring back the Bluejays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pierce was one of our biggest drama producers of last year's tournament. The Jays played two five-set matches during their Lincoln stay and came agonizingly close to the Class C1 title match. 2025 is a redemption opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The return of pin hitters [player_tooltip player_id='808069' first='Nora' last='Herian'] and Abbie Cone provides ample optimism for Pierce's 2025 prospects. [player_tooltip player_id='498978' first='Adrienne' last='Riggert'] represents the next wave of talent coming through the Pierce pipeline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1855003447356977247","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1855003447356977247 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Scotus Central Catholic</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scotus Central Catholic is one of Nebraska's most history-rich volleyball programs, and the Shamrocks returned to their winning ways last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Savvy seniors like [player_tooltip player_id='724703' first='Kayla' last='Hoffman'], [player_tooltip player_id='351528' first='Sophia' last='Langan'], and [player_tooltip player_id='816076' first='Lola' last='Doerneman'] are back for another title push. Perhaps a new streak of tournament berths is beginning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Hastings St. Cecilia</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Add another one of last year's No. 8 seeds to the mix.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hastings St. Cecilia scratched and clawed into last year's Class C2 tournament, but 2025 could offer a different storyline. Wayne State-bound attacker [player_tooltip player_id='396732' first='Payton' last='Sullivan'] is back for her swan song season and will continue to gel with veteran setter [player_tooltip player_id='464659' first='Kathryn' last='VanSkiver']. [player_tooltip player_id='830062' first='Ava' last='Wiles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='845761' first='Kerrigan' last='Vargas'] also return to the stacked Bluehawk frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Central Valley</strong></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Greeley crew made waves last fall en route to a third-place finish in Class D2. This year could prove that 2024 was no fluke.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='498986' first='Annaka' last='Wood'] enjoyed a breakout season as Central Valley's starting setter last fall. She will reestablish her connections with dynamic attackers like [player_tooltip player_id='807986' first='Katlyn' last='Oakley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='702684' first='Bentleigh' last='Dugan'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even as Central Valley ascends to Class D1 this year, expectations remain sky-high.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Cambridge</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cambridge has made a habit of trekking to Lincoln every November, so we shouldn't be surprised to see the Trojans here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Replacing all-everything middle blocker Erin Johnson will be difficult, but Cambridge brings a host of steely veterans to the fold. We're eager to watch the sibling tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='839960' first='Brooklyn' last='Holtze'] and Joslyn Holtze operate, and [player_tooltip player_id='464912' first='Mallory' last='Springer'] brings excellent continuity to the setter spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->