Lincoln-Area Liberos Digging in During Early-Season Action

Let's bring this Star City special to the backcourt.   Yesterday, we highlighted several <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/09/lincoln-area-attackers-bringing-early-heat-in-2025-season/">breakout attackers</a> lighting up prep scoreboards in Lincoln and its surrounding communities. This small geographical footprint still gives us a large pool of exceptional athletes to cover, and that's true at every position. So, we might as well give the defensive specialists some hype.   Backcourt gems are already racking up accolades in the season's first few weeks.    Lincoln Northwest will be a fascinating program to follow as the Falcons gain a foothold in the Star City scene. Fortunately, the team has plenty of veteran leadership at the ball control positions. Keifer leads the charge at libero and has shouldered big serve-receive responsibilities during Northwest's early-season gauntlet. The Falcons have faced a litany of high-powered offenses through two weeks: Bennington, Gretna East, Grand Island Northwest, Norris, and Waverly, to name a few. Keifer has embraced the challenge while racking up highlight-worthy moments in the contrasting jersey.     We recently highlighted Lincoln Pius X's quick 5-0 start, but we can also dive deeper into the team's defensive excellence along the way. Wemhoff was Pius's defensive anchor last year, and not much has changed in 2025. She is back to putting up monster numbers with 4.6 digs per set through six matches with the Thunderbolts. Having a seasoned senior leading the defense is an exceptional asset--one that could carry Pius back to the postseason after last year's late-season surge.     We've documented Quinn's influential role among Waverly's laundry list of 2027 stars. She commanded last year's Waverly backcourt and has somehow upgraded her numbers further this fall. Quinn has already reached triple-digit digs while compiling over five per set against quality competition. This defensive dominance has shown up in the win column with Waverly racing out to an undefeated start. The Vikings are a complete group with Quinn handling first contacts.     Lincoln North Star's balanced, electric offense garners a lot of attention, but we have to credit the defensive specialists setting up that success. Paneitz has enjoyed an outstanding start with the Navigators while competing with many of her [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] teammates. The sophomore libero makes quick reads in the libero spot and has a knack for picking up tips in the "campfire." These instincts have yielded over three digs per set so far, and Paneitz has the tools needed to climb even higher.     Another dynamic sophomore defender has emerged in the Star City. Lincoln Southwest needed a new lockdown libero this fall, and Weigel has filled that void from the underclassman ranks. She has soared past three digs per set in her first extended varsity action. It's a big step up with one of Nebraska's emerging high school powerhouses, but Weigel's high-level experience with [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] has prepared her for this stage.     Like Lincoln Northwest, Lincoln Standing Bear is embracing the challenge of being a relatively new squad on the prep circuit. The roster is nearly devoid of seniors, so game-changing sophomores like Pedersen are the norm for the Grizzlies. Pedersen thrived with [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 15 Elite this spring and consistently raised the bar for the team en route to Nationals. Expectations are soaring again this fall with Standing Bear out to a 5-1 start to the 2025 campaign. Pedersen has led the charge with 50 digs and a wealth of positive touches that can't be measured in a box score. Standing Bear's growth is ahead of schedule.

Let's bring this Star City special to the backcourt.