Instant Stars at 2025 NSAA State Volleyball Championships: Day 1

The stars always come out on opening day.   Nebraska's state volleyball tournament kicked off Wednesday with Class A, B, and C1 taking center stage at Pinnacle Bank Arena. These groups bring a little of everything to this annual event--especially standout performers.   Here are a few of the big names we noted after Day 1.    Most observers would expect this Creighton commit to be a standout among her tournament peers. Still, Wallraff managed to exceed expectations with a 22-kill performance in just three sets against Bennington. Elkhorn North allowed Wallraff to exhibit her full range on the outside, middle, and on 'rip' sets in the gap. She scored from anywhere en route to the quarterfinal victory.     Top-seeded Norris has leaned on its offense throughout this fall's one-loss campaign, but Piening reminded us of the team's sky-high defensive potential, too. This physical sophomore led the Titans with five blocks and generated positive touches for Norris' transition offense. Piening and her squad continue their title defense in Friday's semifinals.     Moser continues to be the coal point of Waverly's entire operation. The Vikings endured wild momentum swings in its quarterfinal bout against Gretna, but Moser's steadying presence brought Waverly past the finish line. Her deceptive setting and lightning-fast tempo allowed the No. 4 seed to escape multiple deuce sets and claim the quarterfinal triumph.     Let's give a nod to one of the other victorious setters in Class B's second wave. Omaha Skutt Catholic has deployed a 6-2 throughout much of the 2025 campaign, but that hasn't stopped Stevens from distinguishing herself as a backcourt distributor. When she wasn't the one handling the second contacts, Stevens often found herself in the line of fire as a floor defender. She handled that challenge and dug heat during the SkyHawk sweep.     Greisen did not shy away from facing a stacked cast of Omaha Skutt Catholic terminators. The junior libero anchored a stingy Columbus Lakeview defense and reached double-digit kills by the end of Set 2. Despite falling in Wednesday's contest, the Vikings got an extraordinary performance out of their leading backcourt gem. Greisen is the foundation for further Lakeview success in 2026.     Johnson transformed Holdrege's frontcourt whenever she rotated in. This middle-opposite hybrid player was impossible for opposing blockers to track, as she could mix up her routes in any scenario. Holdrege captured everyone's attention by claiming the first two sets over top-seeded Ogallala, and the Dusters finished the job in Set 4. We got our monumental upset of the quarterfinals.     Having a seasoned senior setter is a distinct advantage on the state tournament stage. Milford leveraged Jakub's leadership after dropping the first set to a hard-charging Adams Central team, making major progress as the match wore on. Jakub has a knack for setting against the flow and is not afraid to force her middles in tough spots. A well-earned quarterfinal win has Milford primed for Friday's next obstacle.     We got everything we expected from Adams Central's leader--and a little bit more. DeJonge didn't take long to pick up a double-double for the Patriots in Wednesday's match. Her remarkable six-rotation influence brought back memories of her decorated tenure in the South Central NE gym. Though her reign on the prep stage has ended, DeJonge will be remembered for changing the trajectory of Adams Central's program.     We could have gone the "safe" route and chosen one of the Dolliver sisters, both of whom were phenomenal and produced double-double performances. However, we can't leave Johnson out of the picture when discussing Malcolm's extraordinary five-set upset over Lincoln Lutheran. Johnson emerged as a go-to scorer on the right side and fortified the Clipper block against Lutheran's outside hitters. This was a complete effort to take down the four-time defending champs.     Omaha Concordia has a go-to frontcourt attacker in every rotation. That's often the determining factor for postseason success, and Stater has already notched one big outing on Nebraska's biggest stage. Her quick right arm was unrelenting, even after the Mustangs dropped a hotly contested opening set. As we got deeper into the night, Stater got even better.     Whaley has completely rewritten our scouting report after Wednesday's performance. She has made her mark as a defensive specialist, both with Premier Nebraska and on the Prep Dig Circuit. But Whaley's attacking prowess was a game-changer as Ashland-Greenwood gained an early advantage against Omaha Concordia. This sophomore should be a six-rotation mainstay during her upperclassman tenure with the Bluejays.     Millard South's renaissance is as much about ball control as it is about high-octane scoring. The Patriots have looked to Wyzenski at the setter spot, and she has taken the reins with tremendous results in 2025. She perpetuated her breakout junior season with a double-double in Millard South's sweep over Elkhorn South. Wyzenski also added six kills to her ledger, reminding us of her aggressive mindset at the net.     Schmidt is so much more than an elite scorer for top-seeded Lincoln North Star. She can also lock down Gator serve-receive pattern and provide invaluable transition digs for her offense. This six-rotation outside hitter logged a team-high 12 digs in North Star's intra-city triumph over LSE, sending the Navigators to their first-ever semifinal appearance.     Wingett's meteoric development has been awe-inspiring. We remember her quick start as a Millard North standout, and she brought the same influence after joining Omaha Westside last year. Her hitting percentage consistently hovered around 0.400 during the Warriors' battle with Omaha Marian--all while leading Westside in kills. The Warriors are back in the Class A semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years, punctuating the best multi-year stretch in school history.     Moone has flourished in the Papio South lineup since earning valuable starting time on last year's championship-winning squad. She took the initiative to lead Papio South's offense Wednesday night, producing 15 kills on a 0.294 clip in the 3-1 win over Lincoln Southwest. Moreover, Moone's persistent service pressure swung momentum after the Silver Hawks claimed the opening set. The Titans dominated the rest of the way and are getting the best from Moone when it matters most.

The stars always come out on opening day.