Unfinished Business: Class A and B Teams Ready for Tourney Repeat

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What's this? A high school preview? It's that time of year again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Longtime readers are already familiar with the Unfinished Business series. For those who are unfamiliar, we're examining teams that made last year's state tournament but fell short of the title. That gives a sample of seven teams per class. These are teams that have "unfinished business" in pursuit of the state title, and we're identifying the squads that are poised to make a repeat trip to Lincoln this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, let's give you some Class A and Class B picks for 2023. Expect at least a few of these squads to go a step or two further than they did last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class A</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln Southwest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Omaha-area schools are starting to get some serious competition in Class A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year's buzz around Lincoln schools often centered around Lincoln Southwest. The Silver Hawks were Class A trailblazers throughout the 2022 season and compiled a 30-3 record before postseason play. LSW then pushed toward the semifinal round before falling just short of a title match appearance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 is a fascinating year for last year's #2 seed. There are some voids to fill on the pins, but LSW also boasts a wealth of veterans from the Class of 2024. That includes Marquette commit and superstar setter [player_tooltip player_id='104989' first='Malayah' last='Long'], who has been an exception performer throughout her prep career. She is joined by fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id='152857' first='Emerson' last='Lionberger'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152856' first='Abbie' last='Appleget'] in the middle, as well as [player_tooltip player_id='124953' first='Teagan' last='Little'] in the backcourt. That's a seasoned core group that can bring the Silver Hawks back to the big stage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587944092314517506?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587944092314517506?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Papillion-La Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Papio has been experiencing somewhat of a youth movement for the past couple of seasons, and that figures to pay big dividends in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even with a young team, the Monarchs earned a 27-9 record in the 2022 regular season and reached the semifinals. A hotly contested matchup with archrival Papio South was painfully close to going the Monarchs' way, and that might fuel a little extra motivation this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And it's a stacked group of familiar faces here. Oregon pledge [player_tooltip player_id='109603' first='Mia' last='Tvrdy'] will pace the offense for one final season. [player_tooltip player_id='109586' first='Reagan' last='Hickey'] is still running the show at setter as she has since the dawn of her prep career. Other upperclassmen like [player_tooltip player_id='393560' first='Lauren' last='Burden'], [player_tooltip player_id='216100' first='Lillian' last='Vitera'], and [player_tooltip player_id='109602' first='Morgan' last='Glaser'] will be huge factors in the frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1588688491697012737?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1588688491697012737?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a breakthrough for Lincoln East. Can lightning strike twice?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans forged a magical 2022 season that put Lincoln East in the state volleyball tournament for the first time in 15 years. Despite the drought, it's conceivable to think that Lincoln East will be aiming higher this time around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our discussion of savvy seniors continues with the Spartans' roster. [player_tooltip player_id='109601' first='Aaliyah' last='Bradford'] has spectacular command of the offense from the setter spot. She is surrounded by tons of talented 2024s. [player_tooltip player_id='109612' first='Megan' last='Waters'], [player_tooltip player_id='104986' first='Shandy' last='Faalii'], and [player_tooltip player_id='187800' first='Brynne' last='Topolski'] have been multi-year contributors and will likely find an even better groove in their swan song seasons. The backcourt also has upperclassmen like [player_tooltip player_id='109613' first='Reese' last='Boyd'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher'] to take care of the ball control phase. It's a perfect storm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587976324353871872?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587976324353871872?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class B</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Norris</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will this be the year for a new Class B champion?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norris seems to make perennial appearances on this feature series, but that's more of a testament to Omaha Skutt's Class B dominance over its eight-year championship streak. The Titans will always be in the title conversation, however, and nearly had its shot after going toe-to-toe with the SkyHawks in last year's semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Losing do-everything athlete Gracie Kircher is tough, but the Titans have so many rising seniors to lean on this fall. The back-row platoon is fully loaded with standouts like [player_tooltip player_id='105001' first='Alivia' last='Hausmann'], [player_tooltip player_id='152864' first='Mallorie' last='Meyer'], [player_tooltip player_id='105830' first='Sydney' last='Guthard'], and [player_tooltip player_id='187687' first='Grayson' last='Piening']. That's a decorated group. [player_tooltip player_id='105000' first='Celia' last='Spilker'] will be an important senior in the front row, but plenty of 2025s are also taking the lead in this area. [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] is poised to rack up huge numbers on the outside with club teammates [player_tooltip player_id='189321' first='Lexi' last='Hasselbalch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189322' first='Kendall' last='Cose'] joining her along the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587855405484482562?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587855405484482562?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bennington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's another breakout team that hopes to be back in the hunt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennington's long-awaited appearance on the big stage was buoyed by a 27-7 mark in pre-tournament action. The Badgers snagged Class B's #4 seed and took it to the semifinals before falling to top-ranked Elkhorn North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Questions linger for Bennington's 2023 roster after losing high-volume scorers like Lauren Buzbee, Kennedy Gansebom, and Evie Howard. Young athletes are ready to usher in the next era. Of course, this youth movement is also accompanied by senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='109590' first='Olivia' last='Mauch'], who will depart for the Cornhuskers following the fall season. She'll also be fresh off international competition with the USA U19 National Team right before the 2023 high school season begins. That's big-time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='125418' first='Taylor' last='Olsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='179361' first='Madelyn' last='Uhlir'] are two more Badger seniors to watch. But, regarding that youth movement, we're looking forward to expanded roles for players like [player_tooltip player_id='240573' first='Keatyn' last='Liebsack'] in the 2025 class and [player_tooltip player_id='187703' first='Evynn' last='Olsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='222618' first='Kate' last='Sebree'] among the 2026s. We've already seen these athletes perform under pressure, so the postseason push will not be too daunting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587864289343422464?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1587864289343422464?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elkhorn North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The end to Omaha Skutt's near-decade reign over Class B nearly came at the hands of a school that was in its third year of competition last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elkhorn North fell in a five-set nail-biter in the 2022 title match after securing Class B's #1 tournament seed. It was a remarkable symbol of the talent and hard work at a school that didn't take long to establish its volleyball roots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Major roster losses from last year's team will be a storyline for the Wolves. It centers around Grace Heaney, a Purdue enrollee whose dominance cannot be overstated. Kailey Hrbek and Morgan Going were also vital leaders in the frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But other veterans are still in the mix. Northern Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id='109593' first='Reese' last='Booth'] is back to set the offense that will include fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='152906' first='Ava' last='Spies'] in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='155043' first='Shay' last='Heaney'] will carry out the family trandition of terminal scoring on the outside, and [player_tooltip player_id='109595' first='Haylee' last='Wolf'] has the libero spot locked down. Optimism persists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1588691409938546688?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1588691409938546688?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->