Nebraska Opening Day Results Roundup

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's try to pack in all the notable results from Day 1 action in one feature.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had the privilege of perusing some streams from around the state to get a preliminary glimpse at the excitement we can expect in this year's high school season. It makes me that much more anxious to take in some thrilling tournaments and triangular this year. Time for me to hit the road!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, though, let's get a quick overview of opening Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Five-Set Survivalists</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's nothing like playing a five-set thriller in the season opener.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among the five-set matches played in the Cornhusker State on Thursday, few are more intriguing than Oakland-Craig's tiebreaker triumph over Howells-Dodge. Of course, this match was tabbed as one of our opening day contests to follow, and the two defending champions clearly did not disappoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you're looking for a five-set win that ought to be a huge confidence booster, Lincoln Southeast opened the season with a hard-fought victory against cross-town rival Lincoln High. "Newness" will definitely be a theme to follow with the Knights--including a new coaching staff and a new influx of young talent. What a great start to 2022 for my alma mater.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":168322,"width":244,"height":390,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/35-Avery-Franzen-641x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-168322" width="244" height="390"/><figcaption>Franzen</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elsewhere, Kearney survived a nailbiter with Lincoln North Star to win in five. [player_tooltip player_id='109596' first='Avery' last='Franzen'] led the way for the Bearcat offense, while Kiara Dutenhoffer also produced some nice numbers on the stat sheet. Keep an eye out for the Bearcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>An Assortment of Statement Wins</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few more results and individual performances caught my eye yesterday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, kudos to Lincoln Lutheran for putting together a quality live stream. We love to see that commitment to the fan experience. Those fans got to see some great volleyball, too, as the Warriors battled past Waverly in four sets to start 1-0. [player_tooltip player_id='59212' first='Abby' last='Wachal'] put up another 20-plus-kill performance in the opener, which is basically the status quo for her after last year's championship onslaught. We're still a long way to this year's state championships, but this is a good start for Lincoln Lutheran.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norris also had a strong opening day and joined Lincoln Lutheran in the live streaming club. We got an initial glimpse at this year's Norris lineup as the Titans swept past Aurora and Wahoo in the annual triangular between these schools. This team is on a mission after last year's runner-up finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll stay in the Lincoln area and acknowledge the strong Day 1 win for Lincoln East over Grand Island. The Spartans were clearly not phased by the trek to central Nebraska and put everyone on notice with a straight-set W. Despite the setback, I'd expect a strong bounceback from the Islanders and its group of impressive hitters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of GI, Grand Island Central Catholic started its own redemption tour with a Thursday victory over Northwest in three sets. Our emphasis on this year's senior outside hitters will continue throughout the year, but you can already see that [player_tooltip player_id='59214' first='Gracie' last='Woods'] is bringing the heat for her senior campaign. If she continues her dominance from the season opener, look out for GICC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Few small-town schools made the kind of opening statement that Shelton did Thursday. The Bulldogs took a four-set W against Nebraska Christian, one of last year's Class D1 semifinalists. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='122756' first='Dru' last='Niemack'] leads the charge for a team that should have tournament aspirations in 2022. And, yes, our discussion of senior outside hitters just keeps going.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, look out for Elkhorn North. We previously featured their critical Thursday tilt with Elkhorn, and it turns out that the Wolves yielded their frontcourt firepower with great success in the opener. A 3-0 win might help turn some of that preseason hype into in-season attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->