Nebraska’s Surprise Small-Town Contenders in 2025 Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nebraska's prep season always brings out a few surprises--especially in the small-town scene.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every fall, we have our eyes peeled for the next wave of breakout teams and players. The first few weeks of the 2025 campaign have already given us new names and teams to watch heading into the midseason stretch. We're ready to highlight a few of them here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rural circuit has expanded our recruiting radar even further.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Ogallala</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Suddenly, Ogallala sits atop the ultra-competitive Class C1 wildcard standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":888131,"width":"398px","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/5/2025/09/IMG_5883-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-888131" style="width:398px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ervin competes with Nebraska Juniors 16 Black during the 2025 club season.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians have enjoyed plenty of success over the past few seasons, but 2025 is on an entirely new trajectory after a 12-1 start. Ogallala suffered its first blemish of the year to Kearney Catholic at last weekend's Harvest Festival Invite, but the team responded with five remarkable wins over small-town powerhouses like Minden, St. Paul, and York.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Do-everything attacker [player_tooltip player_id='498996' first='Alex' last='Ervin'] has taken over the offense with a whopping 5.5 kills per set to lead the Indians. This dynamic lefty is accompanied by fellow 2027 star [player_tooltip player_id='476960' first='Laney' last='Caskey'], who is chipping in with 3.3 terminations per set of her own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Holdrege</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Look out for the Dusters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holdrege High School has been on a steady upward trend lately, culminating in 2024's 26-7 campaign. The team is on an even sharper ascent this fall with a 7-1 mark and marquee triumphs over Amherst, Aurora, and York.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A fascinating medley of veterans and young gems has anchored the Holdrege resurgence. This summer brought the rise of sophomore middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='774622' first='Gracie' last='Johnson'], who earned all-GJNC honors with South Central NE. She has followed that up with over three kills per set on a team-leading 0.385 hitting percentage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='807896' first='Carson' last='Sundquist'] and [player_tooltip player_id='841890' first='Averi' last='Bilka'] make up a pair of high-scoring seniors in the Duster lineup. [player_tooltip player_id='800361' first='Ellie' last='Pelster'] adds to the senior influence with 4.8 digs per set at the libero spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Centura</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class C2 wildcard hierarchy is something to behold. Several teams have pushed into late September with either one loss or none. Centura has joined the club.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Centurions are 12-1 with the lone loss coming to that aforementioned Ogallala squad. A wicked combination of [player_tooltip player_id='808238' first='Kennedy' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='838989' first='Taya' last='Taukiuvea'] has yielded over seven kills per set in the frontcourt. Both of these high-flying athletes have eligibility left after this year, so future prospects are encouraging.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is just the beginning for Centura.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Elgin Public/Pope John</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're back with the Wolfpack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sure, Elgin Public/Pope John has piled up wins lately and is not far removed from 2023's semifinal run. But we also need to contextualize this year's 10-2 start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior superstars Chloe Henn and Sara Bode ran the show for EPJJ last year. The physical duo combined for nearly eight kills per set and were undoubtedly the top dogs for the Wolfpack. We questioned whether EPJJ could replace this production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New leaders have emerged. Junior pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='809951' first='Braelyn' last='Martinsen'] has upped her averages to almost three kills per set. Kayton Zwingman and Mady Kurpgeweit have followed suit in their development. The two-setter system is also working with Camry Kittelson and Elizabeth Moser running the offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Riverside</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A youth movement is underway at Riverside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior class is notably absent from the Chargers' stat sheet, but that lack of experience hasn't quelled the team's momentum. This Class D2 competitor is 12-1 and building on an eight-match winning streak.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='810014' first='Tessa' last='Weltruski'] and Lilly Molt have exceeded two kills per set, but Riverside has carved out its success through offensive balance. [player_tooltip player_id='832345' first='Grace' last='Mahony'], [player_tooltip player_id='817063' first='Michelle' last='Esch'], and [player_tooltip player_id='877328' first='Ella' last='Molt'] have all been in on the action to lead an upstart Riverside program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And, of course, everyone is back next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->