State Champs Quarterfinals Recap: Class D1 and C2

Here's a big, bundled recap of the latter two classes to take the court Thursday night, Class D1 and C2. The rundown on Class D2 can be found <a href="https://prepdig.com/2021/11/state-champs-quarterfinals-recap-class-d2/">here</a>. Let's get into it!   Class D1 D1 made up the middle section of Thursday's quarterfinals.   (1) Howells-Dodge vs. (8) BDS Class D1 got a very interesting 1-8 matchup this year. BDS has won its share of titles lately. Not all of those were in D1, of course, but this is a team with a track record. They'd have to get through top-seeded Howells-Dodge to advance. The #1 Jaguars bring a lot of physicality and versatility to their lineup. It all starts with sisters Grace and [player_tooltip player_id="58770" first="Ellie" last="Baumert"]. Grace put her full skillset on display Thursday as an adept setter-hitter in the Howells-Dodge system. She unsurprisingly has a great connection with Ellie, who hammered away on the left pin throughout this contest. Junior captain Blair Fiala was another impact player who could set up her hitters nicely when she wasn't taking swings of her own. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Get to know one of the best sister duos in the state: Ellie and [player_tooltip player_id="59193" first="Grace" last="Baumert"] of D1 #1 Howells-Dodge. <a href="https://t.co/dEgr7aU3gB">pic.x.com/dEgr7aU3gB</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1456329507800027140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Howells-Dodge came out with the fire that you'd expect from a #1 seed. A 25-19 win in the first quickly put the Jaguars ahead in the set count. This was followed up by a 25-16 victory to put themselves in position for a sweep. BDS, though, showed their eagerness to fight in the third set. They have an offense in which anyone can step in and become a secondary setter. [player_tooltip player_id="102192" first="Jess" last="Hudson"] had some nice plays in the blocking phase and BDS held a slim lead late in the third. Howells-Dodge would then battle back with a 3-0 run down 24-21, earn a set point of their own, and capitalize with an ace to win 26-24. This sweep was far from easy, but the top seed is moving on nonetheless.   (2) Mead vs. (7) Elmwood-Murdock Another hotly contested 2-7 match. What's new? It was no secret coming in that Elmwood-Murdock had a lineup that could make a run from the #7 seed. [player_tooltip player_id="58784" first="Brenna" last="Schmidt"] has had a stellar year from the middle blocker spot. She demonstrated Thursday that you can just lob a high ball up to her and she'll find a way to put it down. Bailey Frahm also proved to be a nice complement to Schmidt in the middle, and [player_tooltip player_id="124779" first="Tatum" last="Backemeyer"] also stood out as she held down the backcourt in the bright blue libero jersey. The Knights caused a stir as they took the first two sets over second-seeded Mead. Clearly, the Raiders would not go quietly, and they responded with a 25-20 win in the third set. [player_tooltip player_id="58792" first="Brianna" last="Lemke"] provided a lot of the scoring for Mead from the left side. Megan Luetkenhaus pitched in with some clutch swings, and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="103119" first="Emily" last="Oldenburg"] generated several great block touches for the Mead backcourt. A crucial fourth set ensued, and both teams traded the lead. As the set wore on, the Raiders began to build a scoring cushion and rode that advantage all the way to a nail-biting 27-25 win to force five. Despite all of Mead's forward momentum after winning the third and fourth sets, the tiebreaker belonged to Elmwood-Murdock. The Knights led throughout the fifth and always had an answer when Mead inched closer. After a lot of close calls in 2-7 matchups, the upset happened.   (3) Archbishop Bergan vs. (6) Cambridge Bergan is probably a team that you'd classify as an upper-echelon three seed, and they backed that up on Thursday. The Knights displayed some serious firepower from opening serve on Thursday. [player_tooltip player_id="152901" first="Paige" last="Frickenstein"] is a difficult attacker to deal with as she moves all around the court and hits from a high contact point. There's a vast array of other effective attackers on this team, including Emma Walz and [player_tooltip player_id="152097" first="Kaitlyn" last="Mlnarik"]. As if that wasn't enough, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="152865" first="Summer" last="Bojanski"] does a great job of anchoring the back line as the libero. A 25-14 win in set one started the wave of Bergan momentum. Cambridge put together some solid counterattacks with players like Autumn Deterding and Schyler Hoberty. Erin Johnson is a freshman with a lot of success awaiting her. Despite great effort from the Trojans, Bergan again picked up a win in the second set. Another physical battle in the third frame eventually went to the Knights as the storied program from Fremont moved one step closer to another championship appearance.   (4) Nebraska Christian vs. (5) Overton The battle of the Eagles! Blue school colors, too. This one was fun. Nebraska Christian looked incredibly comfortable out on the north court. Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id="152907" first="Ali" last="Bruning"], who has already earned captainship, does such a great job of keeping everyone organized and on the same agenda. She distributed the ball well to electric hitters like Reghan Flynn and Molly Griess. This offense was fast and fun. A tight opening set really set the tone for this entire match. Nebraska Christian found some nice leads, but Overton usually responded. [player_tooltip player_id="105006" first="JoLee" last="Ryan"] had awesome range as an outside-middle hybrid hitter. Natalie Wood also played with the kind of maturity that is well beyond her years. These Eagles are going to be fierce for a while. The opener eventually went deuce with Nebraska Christian coming out on top. This was the only boost that the team from Central City needed. They proceeded to take over in the succeeding two sets to lock up a sweep and get a shot at semifinal success. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> A huge comeback midway through set two gives Nebraska Christian a 2-0 edge on the north court! <a href="https://t.co/NgHbYczm2P">pic.x.com/NgHbYczm2P</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1456374062222037002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Class C2 The quarterfinal round concluded with Class C2.   (1) Oakland-Craig vs. (8) Hastings St. Cecilia The top seeds in this tournament have demonstrated a variety of strengths. For Oakland-Craig, though, it's hard to choose one standout asset for this incredibly well-rounded team. C2's top seed got plenty of pin production Thursday night. The sister duo of [player_tooltip player_id="58776" first="Bailey" last="Helzer"] and Brandi Helzer was lethal from start to finish. But there were also several great displays of ball control from just about everyone in the lineup. Laryn Johnson had great command of the libero spot throughout. The Knights started off with a commanding 25-16 win in the first set. St. Cecilia battled back in the second set behind some nice swings from [player_tooltip player_id="58780" first="Addie" last="Kirkegaard"] and Ryann Sabatka. Oakland-Craig brought too much heat, though, and the top seed eventually snagged a 2-0 lead. From there, the Knights pieced together some relentless serves to keep the Bluehawks off balance. With the ball control battle firmly in Oakland-Craig's favor, the Knights finished the sweep with a 25-9 win. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Oakland-Craig has brought a big fan contingent to Lincoln, and they're all happy as the orange-clad Knights take a 2-0 lead on the north court. <a href="https://t.co/FgezSLoo78">pic.x.com/FgezSLoo78</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1456397364634300427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   (2) Wisner-Pilger vs. (7) Norfolk Catholic At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you just can't take these seventh-seeded teams lightly. Defending Class C2 runner-up Norfolk Catholic came out of the gates swinging and seized an early lead. Addison Corr and [player_tooltip player_id="104998" first="Alli" last="Brungardt"] were incredibly effective at the pins, while [player_tooltip player_id="104999" first="Avery" last="Yosten"] had her typical floor-denting kills in the middle and on the right. The Knights subsequently got on the board first with a 26-24 win. Wisner-Pilger found their groove shortly after. The middle blocker duo of Lindsey Kneifl and Lily Otten was particularly impressive, and Maggie Schweers added a ton of length on the right pin. Through some efficient offense, Wisner-Pilger rebounded with a 25-22 win in the second set. After that, the #2 Gators started to take over. A couple of big scoring runs lifted the two seed to an emphatic 25-15 win in the third set. Though the fourth stanza was more competitive, Wisner-Pilger stepped up when it mattered most and sealed the match with a 25-22 triumph.   (3) Clarkson/Leigh vs. (6) Sutton These two programs came into the quarterfinals with clear enthusiasm, and it showed when they faced off Thursday night. The intrigue rose as the underdog Fillies took the opening set 25-21. Sutton got contributions from a lot of different positions, and Alivia Huxoll was the primary driving force on offense. Marlie Drudik did a good job of feeding her hitters with pace and precise location. And, on the defensive end, sophomore libero Reagan Robinson generated plenty of positive touches to keep her team in system. Of course, it would have been foolish to dismiss Clarkson/Leigh's chances after they dropped the opening set. In fact, the Patriots were able to regroup well enough to take the next two sets by identical 25-17 scores. [player_tooltip player_id="122806" first="Chloe" last="Hanel"] continues to do it all for this club; she can hit from the middle, the outside, or the back row. Tanyn Larson also stepped up to put down some big swings in tight situations. Fittingly, it was Sutton's turn to rally back. The Fillies found a new gear when they couldn't afford to drop another set, and the six seed eventually pulled through to force five. Momentum had shifted again. Fresh off a fourth-set win, Sutton came out in the tiebreaker and quickly seized control of the lead. They never relinquished it, and another six seed came away with a late-night upset. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I can't get enough of these victory views! Sutton comes back from down 2-1 to win the fifth and march up the bracket! That's all for day two! <a href="https://t.co/OPSVtdfatc">pic.x.com/OPSVtdfatc</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1456443976257507335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   (4) Superior vs. (5) Amherst Another 4-5 match for the ages. This one had constant, unpredictable shifts. Amherst showed their grit right away. [player_tooltip player_id="122830" first="Saryn" last="Prickett"] was a big part of the offense from the outside hitter spot. She had some impressive swings Thursday night and was often accompanied by senior middle blocker Tenley Hadwiger. Junior setter Kayten Hagan effectively gave both players their fair share of swings. Superior battled back in the first set, though, and [player_tooltip player_id="58771" first="Shayla" last="Meyer"] did much of the bidding for the Wildcats. The Ole Miss-bound outside hitter has no misgivings about her big role with this team. [player_tooltip player_id="152103" first="Ella" last="Gardner"] continues to show her great feel in delivering the ball at the right tempo and location. Meanwhile, Cailyn Barry was keen on putting up a big roof in the middle. All told, Superior prevailed 25-21 in the first. The first big shift came shortly after, as Amherst jumped out to a big lead in the second and maintained that lead en route to a 25-21 win of their own. Swing the pendulum even more. Superior responded with a third-set victory before Amherst came back and force a tiebreaker. Things were getting spooky to close out the quarterfinal round. With a season hanging in the balance, the Wildcats looked to their star senior outside hitter to carry the load. Meyer had some big kills down the stretch that helped lift Superior to a 15-7 win in the fifth. The volleyball powerhouse is still alive. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Shayla. Meyer. The FINISH! Superior wins the fifth set 15-7 to advance in the Class C2 bracket! <a href="https://t.co/yesLl7r9oB">pic.x.com/yesLl7r9oB</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1456443146066440216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>