Thunder Drop A Tough Road Match Against Royal Valley

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On September 16, I scouted a highly competitive Big East League match in Hoyt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Royal Valley defended its home court in a match against Nemaha Central that went the full three sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thunder won the first set, but dropped the final two by a final score of 26-24, 25-27, 21-25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at five athletes who had solid performances in the Thunder's eighth loss of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446331' first='Ali' last='Jo Henry']</strong>, 5'9”, OH, Nemaha Central, '27 (Pictured Above)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the second time I saw Nemaha play this season, and Henry had a better match in this match, than the first time I saw her play. She is ranked No. 26 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027. She finished the match with six kills, eight digs, six serve receptions, and one block. She provides veteran leadership on this talented and balanced squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='883036' first='Meg' last='Honeyman']</strong>, 5'6”, OH, Nemaha Central, '28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the second time this season, I was super impressed by the Thunder's sophomore class. Honeyman had a Prep Dig Profile created for her after a match against St. Marys earlier this season. She had a solid night at the net with a team-high seven kills and four blocks. She also recorded three aces in the win. She is an up-and-coming prospect to follow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='883037' first='Macy' last='Holthaus']</strong>, 5'6”, OH, Nemaha Central, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holthaus is another quality sophomore for the Thunder. She was even more impressive in this match than when I first saw her this season. She impacted the game on both the front and back rows. She registered 11 digs, six kills, six serve receptions, one block, and one ace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809821' first='Nola' last='Sudbeck']</strong>, 5'8”, MB/OH, Nemaha Central, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sudbeck stood out in this match, mostly because I had her wrong number written down in the match against St. Marys and did not track her stats. She was an athlete I noticed last season as a freshman during summer workouts and during the prep season. She is ranked No. 69 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028. Sudbeck chipped in five kills, four digs, and two blocks in the loss. She got multiple high-pressure serves in play during the second set for the Thunder, helping them stay close in the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='883485' first='Kennedy' last='Carlson']</strong>, 5'5”, S, Nemaha Central, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carlson shared the setting duties earlier in the season, but Nemaha's senior setter missed the game due to illness. The Thunder coaching staff switched to a 5-1 offense, and Carlson carried the extra load like a Grand Canyon Pack Mule. She recorded 23 assists, three digs, and one kill in a league match. She will continue to log big playing time and game experience at a young age this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->