2023 NSAA State Tournament Semifinal Recap: Class C2, D1, D2

Day 3. Friday semifinals. It doesn't get much better.

The semifinal round of the 2023 NSAA State Volleyball Tournament led off with Class D2 and D1 in a pair of waves. Class C2 followed soon after.

Here's a look at which teams clinched championship match berths in these competitive groups.

Class C2

Class C2 was paired with Class C1 in the semifinal round. We'll discuss the C1 results in the "midnight" version of this feature series. This one's all about C2.

Up first was the neighborly showdown between #1 Lincoln Lutheran and #5 Elmwood-Murdock. The top-seeded Warriors entered the postseason as the consensus championship favorites, and the back-to-back titles have a bit to do with it.

We saw that championship form right away in Friday's semifinal. Jillian Donovan Jillian Donovan 5'11" | S Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State NE was dishing an unstoppable offense that had senior Sophie Wohlgemuth Sophie Wohlgemuth 5'9" | OH Lincoln Lutheran | 2024 State NE showing off her quick arm. The block also showed up, anchored by sophomore middle blocker Bella Sjuts Bella Sjuts 5'10" | S Lincoln Lutheran | 2026 State NE and aided by Ava Jurevicius Ava Jurevicius 5'9" | OH Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State NE on the right pin. A 25-8 result in the first set raised eyebrows.

But volleyball is a fickle game, and a team can climb back into a match after a major setback. That's what Elmwood-Murdock did. Veterans like setter Delaney Frahm and outside hitter Jordan Vogler Jordan Vogler 5'7" | OH Elmwood-Murdock | 2024 State NE raised the standard. Tatum Backemeyer Tatum Backemeyer 5'4" | DS/L Elmwood-Murdock | 2024 State NE locked down the back row, allowing the Knights to diversify. We were treated to a 1-1 tie.

The pendulum kept swinging. Lincoln Lutheran quickly organized the kind of comeback you'd expect from a championship favorite. Keri Leimbach Keri Leimbach 5'4" | DS/L Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State #45 Nation NE dimed passes and kept the Warriors in long rallies. It's hard to stop Lincoln Lutheran when they're in system, and the Warriors remained in that rhythm through Set 3 and Set 4. Even after admirable resistance from Elmwood-Murdock, Lincoln Lutheran reclaimed its familiar spot in the state championship match.

The second Class C2 match had a couple of the state's most consistent postseason competitors: #2 Clarkson/Leigh and #3 Oakland-Craig. Both teams are on multi-year tournament runs, which also includes Oakland-Craig's 2021 state championship. However, few could have predicted the level of dominance that Clarkson/Leigh achieved in Friday's semifinal meeting.

The Patriots have been denied their championship berth over the past few years, and perhaps that served as extra motivation in the bout with Oakland-Craig.

Junior middle blocker Baylee Settje was a revelation in this match. We all knew what Chloe Hanel Chloe Hanel 5'11" | MB Clarkson/Leigh | 2024 State NE could bring to the frontcourt as one of Nebraska's most efficient attackers, but Settje's emergence gave the Patriots a constant scoring threat regardless of rotation. Junior setter Izzy Hollatz Izzy Hollatz 5'9" | S Clarkson/Leigh | 2025 State NE deserves some credit for her flawless pace and location.

Oakland-Craig had its share of standout moments from outside hitters Brandi Helzer Brandi Helzer 5'10" | OH Oakland-Craig | 2025 State NE and Briar Ray Briar Ray 5'9" | OH Oakland-Craig | 2026 State NE . We had a classic duel of talented junior setters with Adi Rennerfeldt Adi Rennerfeldt 5'7" | S Oakland-Craig | 2025 State NE on the Oakland-Craig side.

However, tough serving from Clarkson/Leigh was able to quell much of the Knights' offensive momentum. Hanel brought even more value behind the line as the Patriots soared their way to a statement sweep.

Class D1

The 9 a.m. wave in Class D1 brought #1 Guardian Angels Central Catholic and #5 Amherst back into the spotlight. Right away, it looked like the underdog Broncos were not content with another semifinal finish.

An experienced Amherst bunch pounced to take Set 1 and put the South Court on upset watch. A familiar band of attackers led the way. Saryn Prickett Saryn Prickett 5'10" | OH Amherst | 2024 State NE maintained her excellence as a setter-hitter who is one of D1's best at either position. The combined efforts of Prickett and fellow senior Hannah Herrick Hannah Herrick 5'8" | MB Amherst | 2024 State NE might be enough to field a top-tier team, but the Broncos are also starting to find some balance. Middle blocker Sydney Mouw was particularly effective at shutting down GACC's offense.

The Bluejay attack was perhaps more pin-heavy than Thursday's quarterfinal. Kelsy Steffen Kelsy Steffen 5'7" | OH Guardian Angels Central Catholic | 2024 State NE had a big say in that distribution with her hard-hitting style. Charlie Dinslage also chipped in on the outside while Isabel Hass Isabel Hass 5'4" | DS/L Guardian Angels Central Catholic | 2024 State NE made her patented sprawling digs along the end line.

But Amherst always had a response to any GACC scoring run. With a terminal hitter available in every rotation, the Broncos swept D1's top seed to reach the championship match--a step further than last year.

The second Class D1 semifinal featured the battle of the underdogs. Sumner-Eddyville-Miller and Elgin Public/Pope John both scored upsets in the quarterfinals to produce a #6-versus-#7 contest for a bid in the championship.

Right away, S-E-M deployed the terminal hitters that helped already helped produce tournament magic. Mikah O’Neill Mikah O’Neill 5'11" | MB Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2024 State NE and Taryn Arbuthnot Taryn Arbuthnot 5'6" | MB Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2026 State NE carried their uncommon niches as six-rotation middle blockers, giving the Mustangs plenty of first-ball options. However, senior outside hitter Cayleigh Jackson Cayleigh Jackson 5'11" | OH Sumner-Eddyville-Miller | 2024 State NE started swiping storylines with her quick right arm. As S-E-M's attacking repertoire expanded, the Mustangs rolled to wins in the first two sets.

Elgin Public/Pope John churned out its best volleyball after falling down 0-2. High-flying lefty Ashlynne Charf got the Wolfpack back on track en route to a large Set 3 lead. Chloe Henn Chloe Henn 6'0" | MB Elgin Public/Pope John | 2025 State NE was still a force in the middle, aided by the ever-solid passing of junior libero Kate Furstenau Kate Furstenau 5'5" | DS/L Elgin Public/Pope John | 2025 State NE .

But, as we saw in Thursday's quarterfinals, these big matches can get streaky. Just as we seemed to be barrelling toward a fourth set, S-E-M had some gas left. Stellar blocking reads gave the Mustangs a considerable defensive advantage. Jackson fittingly tallied a kill on match point to complete the comeback. Sumner-Eddyville-Miller earned its first trip to a state volleyball championship match since 1981.

Class D2

Friday's D2 opener featured top-seeded Cambridge and #5 Wynot. The Trojans reached the semifinals via a 3-1 win over Shelton. Wynot swept #4 Wallace.

The #1 team looked the part in the first two sets. Cambridge wielded a relentless onslaught guided by sophomore setter Mallory Springer Mallory Springer 5'8" | S Cambridge | 2026 State NE . Of course, senior leaders Jalen Kent Jalen Kent 5'9" | OH Cambridge | 2024 State NE and Erin Johnson Erin Johnson 6'1" | MB Cambridge | 2025 State NE remained effective. Brylyn Springer Brylyn Springer 5'10" | MB Cambridge | 2024 NE , another productive middle blocker in her final prep season, was a trendsetter in the blocking phase.

The Trojans built a 2-0 lead, but the Blue Devils would not yield. Wynot immediately surged ahead in Set 3 behind an imposing front row. Seniors like Kayla Pinkelman and Allison Wieseler Allison Wieseler 5'11" | MB Wynot | 2024 State NE thrived, just as they had in the win over Wallace. Sophomore Kenna Oligmueller Kenna Oligmueller 5'8" | MB Wynot | 2026 State NE is emerging as a future leader in the middle.

But, as you might expect, #1 was resilient. Cambridge pulled ahead late in Set 4 and found Brylyn Springer Brylyn Springer 5'10" | MB Cambridge | 2024 NE on match point. A trip to the Devaney Center was on the horizon.

The other end of the Class D2 docket had #2 Overton meeting #3 Meridian.

And what an outing it was for last year's runner-up. Overton looked completely unstoppable in Thursday's quarterfinal, and it was fair to question whether the Eagles could sustain this high standard. They did.

JoLee Ryan JoLee Ryan 5'9" | OH Overton | 2024 State NE and Natalie Wood Natalie Wood 5'10" | MB Overton | 2024 State NE did their typical share of heavy lifting at the middle blocker position. Sophomore outside hitter Daisy Ryan Daisy Ryan 5'9" | OH Overton | 2026 State NE joined the fray, too. Moreover, this is a team that routinely plays without a libero and gets strong ball control from every position--including the middle blockers.

Meridian was able to match up physically with Overton at a few key positions. Jaala Stewart Jaala Stewart 5'9" | OH Meridian | 2024 State NE is a volume hitter who can mirror the production of Ryan and Wood. Jaylee Sobotka Jaylee Sobotka 5'9" | RS Meridian | 2025 State NE and McKenzie Hofstetter McKenzie Hofstetter 5'6" | MB Meridian | 2025 State NE met the challenge of attacking against Overton, too.

But the Eagles were too tough to break. Overton's quality first touches allowed it to reap many points off of fatigue errors or frustration plays. Once the Eagles earned big wins in the first two sets, there was no looking back. A 3-0 win set up a 1-2 contest in the Class D2 championship--and a rematch of the sub-district finals from just over a week prior.