Class A and B District Preview: Must-See Players and Brackets

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A has always done things a little differently, but Class B is joining the party.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have district and sub-district brackets in hand, so Nebraska's postseason chaos can commence. Class A has historically been the outlier at the start of postseason play with a district-only format. It's only fitting that Class B adopted this formula in 2025 after all the A-B collisions we've covered this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, the roadmap to Lincoln for these two classes is all laid out. The top eight wildcard teams remaining after district play will advance to the state tournament, but we have plenty of marquee matchups to cover in the meantime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's break it down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Close Margins</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":897237,"width":"393px","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/5/2025/10/IMG_4198-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-897237" style="width:393px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bartling attacks for Elkhorn South at the 2024 NSAA State Volleyball Championships.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Naturally, we have to gravitate toward the districts with the closest seeds on a collision course.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Class A, Elkhorn South snagged the final district final hosting rights as the No. 7 wildcard squad. The defending runners-up are out to prove that last year's Cinderella run was no fluke, and the Storm have a familiar cast of stars to make it happen. Senior veterans [player_tooltip player_id='292243' first='Cosette' last='Bartling'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349418' first='Chloe' last='Rauner'] are scoring at a high clip in the frontcourt, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='443108' first='Reese' last='Eilenstine'] leads everyone with 3.6 kills per set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If seeds go chalk in A-7, the Storm would meet up with Lincoln Southeast in the district finals. The Knights have not reached the state tournament since 2017 and have an enormous opportunity to break the drought. [player_tooltip player_id='573382' first='Haleigh' last='Bauer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='521271' first='Emery' last='Williams'] remain the big trendsetters for LSE.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A-6 is another compelling bracket with Lincoln Southwest and Millard West making up the top two seeds. LSW is eager to atone for a five-set loss to the Wildcats on Oct. 2, and [player_tooltip player_id='349455' first='Alivia' last='Gustafson'] should loom large with her four kills per set. Meanwhile, junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='458126' first='Ava' last='Waters'] is dishing out a balanced Millard West offense that has put up solid numbers through October.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What about Class B? Keep your eyes glued to B-6, where we could get a final collision between Columbus Lakeview and Lincoln Pius X. It's a tough draw for Lakeview, which has leveraged its exceptional ball control from [player_tooltip player_id='464913' first='Grace' last='Dawson'] and Kenzie Griesen. Pius X boasts a balanced offensive onslaught led by [player_tooltip player_id='830000' first='Ava' last='Markowski'], [player_tooltip player_id='591585' first='Millie' last='Andreasen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='518588' first='McKenzie' last='Becker'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>B-7 brings about the final hurdle for Gering, one of Class B's most fascinating "underdogs." [player_tooltip player_id='443104' first='Jacey' last='Cochran'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807959' first='Jaxie' last='John'] have led the Bulldogs to a 26-8 mark and are looking across at Bennington and Gretna East on the other side of the bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":576555,"width":"341px","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/5/2024/07/20-Hailey-Hoff.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-576555" style="width:341px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hoff</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Dark Horse Picks</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which teams will sneak up on us and put a scare in the frontrunners? This is spooky season after all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The B-5 bracket has our attention. Waverly will surely be a formidable host with its junior superstars: [player_tooltip player_id='458165' first='McKinley' last='Moser'], [player_tooltip player_id='807946' first='Hallie' last='Lauenstein'], [player_tooltip player_id='458124' first='Gracie' last='Lauenstein'], and [player_tooltip player_id='521256' first='Emmalyn' last='Quinn'], among many others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, central Nebraska powerhouse Grand Island Northwest lurks as the No. 2 seed in this group. We're bringing plenty of [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] flair in this potential matchup with [player_tooltip player_id='593775' first='Ava' last='Janulewicz'] leading the kill ledger. [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] gem Kenna Bowman would make this an elite setter showdown if seeds go chalk.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We could fill our central Nebraska quota again in A-5. The dark horse to know in this group is Kearney, with its high-flying terminators like [player_tooltip player_id='735073' first='Jamie' last='Wilkens'], [player_tooltip player_id='838626' first='Sophie' last='Glandt'], and Willa Lewandowski. The Bearcats could see a meeting with Omaha Westside, which is on one of the best multi-year runs in school history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throw Aurora into the mix. Sure, the Huskies have a big hill to climb in the B-2 district, where Elkhorn North stands tall as the No. 1 seed. Still, Aurora brings elite 2028s to the fold with [player_tooltip player_id='570568' first='Kaitlyn' last='Staehr'], [player_tooltip player_id='702898' first='Elizabeth' last='Luebbe'], and [player_tooltip player_id='572563' first='Hailey' last='Hoff'] heading up the sophomore corps. This won't be the last time we see Aurora on a prominent postseason platform.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->