State Championship Recap: Class D2 and D1

Championship Saturday. We made it! A day of title action began with Class D2 and D1 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. These matchups featured teams that didn’t do a whole lot of losing throughout the regular season. D2 pitted Chambers/Wheeler Central against defending D1 champion Diller-Odell. The D1 title would be decided between Archbishop Bergan and the undefeated Pleasanton Bulldogs. Here’s some reactions and highlights from the first session of championship play!   Class D2 Chambers/Wheeler Central got out to a quick early lead, with the Lady Renegades keeping Diller-Odell off balance with a series of tough serves. The Griffins quickly got in a rhythm, though, which allowed [player_tooltip player_id="82558" first="Addison" last="Heidemann"] to run her smooth, efficient offense. This future Iowa State Cyclone showed her exceptional skill in dishing flawless sets, as well as being aggressive at the net. The Lady Renegades countered with tough defense of their own, keeping the set deadlocked until the end. A kill by [player_tooltip player_id="58819" first="Madelyn" last="Meyerle"] gave the Griffins the 26-24 win in the first. This contest remained close as the second set began, with plenty of big swings coming from Tessa Metschke and Rachel Dierks for CWC. The top-seeded Griffins responded. [player_tooltip player_id="103023" first="Ava" last="Lovitt"] came up with some clutch digs and put Diller-Odell on top. [player_tooltip player_id="82558" first="Addison" last="Heidemann"] finished the second set at 25-20 with an ace. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> An ace from [player_tooltip player_id="82558" first="Addison" last="Heidemann"] puts <a href="https://x.com/OdellDiller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OdellDiller</a> up 2-0! One set away from a title for the Griffins! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/es9mAFqW8z">pic.x.com/es9mAFqW8z</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325104950888833026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> With the Griffins a set away from the championship, the Lady Renegades were not going to quit. CWC stormed out to a 15-6 lead in the third with [player_tooltip player_id="58240" first="Morgan" last="Ramsey "]and Emma Jonseth making major contributions offensively. With solid ball control and a ton of momentum, the Lady Renegades dominated the third set, 25-14. The momentum continued. CWC, through the persistence of Ramsey and Metschke, led throughout the fourth set. The Griffins put together a late surge with some spectacular blocking on the outside, but Michelle Koenig hammered one from the left to send the opening match of the day to a fifth set. And the momentum wasn’t going to stop. The Lady Renegades jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fifth. They suddenly looked like the team to beat after dropping the first two sets. But Diller-Odell is the top seed for a reason. The Griffins mounted a massive comeback behind the arm of [player_tooltip player_id="59202" first="Karli" last="Heidemann"], who notched a match-high 29 kills. Diller-Odell had match point at 14-10, only to drop four consecutive points. In the end, though, the Griffins triumphed 16-14 to win the fifth set and the D2 title. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Wow!<a href="https://x.com/OdellDiller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OdellDiller</a> goes up 14-10 in the fifth, squanders four set points, but wins 16-14! Class D2 champs! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/SWBTUAB8ZO">pic.x.com/SWBTUAB8ZO</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325120810806202369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Class D1 Pleasanton started out strong with kill after kill from the high-flying Katy Lindner. This outside hitter is just insanely talented. She can hit on the left, right, and straight down the two-gap. The Bulldogs got 8 kills from Lindner in the first set alone and won the opener, 25-12. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Heavy dose of Katy Lindner for <a href="https://x.com/BulldogsPHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BulldogsPHS</a>. This is why: 🔨🔨🔨 <a href="https://t.co/x2JIhlvNbl">pic.x.com/x2JIhlvNbl</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325131849128095745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The Bulldogs continued to show why they’re unbeaten this year. The 32-0 squad rolled through the second set behind Lindner and senior outside hitter Isabelle Paitz. Archbishop Bergan got good production from [player_tooltip player_id="82606" first="Lauren" last="Baker"] and Kaitlyn Mlnarik, but it wasn’t enough to counter the electrifying Pleasanton attack. The Bulldogs went up 2-0 after a 25-17 win in the second. The top seed got even more from Lindner in the third set. What else is new? Sophomore libero [player_tooltip player_id="103098" first="Regan" last="Weisdorfer"] pitched in some great passing and defense to set up the offense, too. Archbishop Bergan took the lead midway through this set, though, and showed some nice backcourt ball control. The Bulldogs stormed back with disciplined blocking and brought the set to a 19-19 tie. From there, Pleasanton took control and picked up the sweep and a D1 title with a 25-20 win in the third. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Pleasanton completes an undefeated season with a Class D1 title! A 3-0 sweep! <a href="https://x.com/BulldogsPHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BulldogsPHS</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nebpreps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nebpreps</a> <a href="https://t.co/ldLIcn8cFd">pic.x.com/ldLIcn8cFd</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1325145035894042624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Congrats to all teams involved on their spectacular seasons!