Mid-September Check-in with Nebraska's Undefeated Teams (Part 1)

Few unbeaten squads are left standing, but we'll give them the spotlight anyway.   The Nebraska high school season tends to bring exceptional parity. 2024 is offering more of the same, but a handful of teams have been immune from it so far.   Let's peruse the class-by-class leaderboard to find the teams and players who have been untouchable through the season's first few weeks. We're starting this series with Class A, Class B, and Class C1.     None Left Standing   We're using a familiar class-by-class approach in this feature, but we'll have one big omission here: Class A.   Class A has no undefeated teams left--the true mark of Nebraska's prep parity. Of course, some teams are hanging on to a single loss. We recently moved Omaha Westside to the top spot in our <a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/09/2024-nebraska-class-by-class-high-school-rankings-week-3/">Week 3 team rankings</a>, and the Warriors hold an impressive 10-1 record. Lincoln Southwest follows the Warriors in the wildcard standings with a 3-1 mark, and that lone loss came at Omaha Westside.   Every other Class A team has multiple losses, so bounceback matches are always on the table. Parity reigns.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/Zoe-Rademacher2.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-255281" style="width:216px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rademacher</figcaption></figure>     Class B   Not only is Norris the lone unbeaten in Class B, but the Titans have only dropped one set all year. That's an impressive stretch for last year's runner-up.   We can distribute a lot of credit for Norris' 12-0 start. Special shoutouts are due for seniors [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189326' first='Harper' last='Gable'], who have stepped into a tandem setter role while filling in for star sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='458117' first='Malorie' last='Boesiger']. Norris has not slowed down despite being without one of Nebraska's most talented underclassmen. Rademacher and Gable have embraced their unorthodox roles while maintaining the up-tempo offense that makes the Titans so formidable.   Unsurprisingly, senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] is dominating with 4.5 kills per set on a 0.371 clip. Veteran middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='189321' first='Lexi' last='Hasselbalch'] leads the efficiency category with a 0.445 hitting percentage on 2.5 kills per set.   Norris lost plenty of backcourt talent from last year's team, but returning libero [player_tooltip player_id='189328' first='Rya' last='Borer'] has helped pick up the slack. She is accompanied by sophomore defender [player_tooltip player_id='458164' first='Kaelynn' last='Lottman'], who is building off an exceptional club season at [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''].   One final asterisk on this conversation: nine-time defending state champion Omaha Skutt Catholic has no losses to in-state foes. Their lone blemish is a 1-2 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Kansas City area.     Class C1   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/09/IMG_8848-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-642381" style="width:398px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Minden competes in the 2023 NSAA State Volleyball Championships.</figcaption></figure>   Two unbeaten groups emerge in Class C1.   One of these is Minden, the defending C1 champs. The Whippets were our preseason favorites and have not wavered through ten matches. It's a squad that features familiar stat leaders with [player_tooltip player_id='173530' first='Mattie' last='Kamery'] and [player_tooltip player_id='276201' first='Myla' last='Emery'] leading the kill category. And, like last season, this duo also helps set the offense from the back row and will better the ball in various circumstances. Kamery is also hitting at a whopping 0.393 average while leading the team with 3.7 kills per set.   The middle blockers are locked in. Senior Makenna Starkey is hitting 0.422 on the year, and [player_tooltip player_id='395132' first='Makenna' last='Betty'] is not far behind at 0.388. Collectively, the Whippets are averaging an awe-inspiring 0.335 hitting percentage as a team. That won't lose many matches--or none at all.   Clarkson/Leigh is the other C1 team that has hit a "perfect ten" so far. This is a huge milestone for the Patriots, who moved up to Class C1 after losing generational scorer Chloe Hanel. Clarkson/Leigh has filled the void with Baylee Settje accumulating 3.7 kills per set. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='269955' first='Izzy' last='Hollatz'] has become more involved on the right pin and has eclipsed two kills per set. The result is a lethal two-setter offense that is tough to stop. None have succeeded so far.

Few unbeaten squads are left standing, but we'll give them the spotlight anyway.