2024 NSAA State Championships Instant Reactions: Day 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's how you start a state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 State Volleyball Championships started on Wednesday with quarterfinal contests in Class A, B, and C1. We have plenty of quick reactions, highlights, and observations from this opening wave, so let's dish them out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Early fight from the underdogs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right away, we learned this quarterfinal would be no easy ride for the state's championship favorites.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday's first wave put a spotlight on Class B's top two seeds with Norris and Omaha Skutt Catholic vying for repeat title match appearances. However, fast starts from their quarterfinal challengers put everyone on notice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 8 Lincoln Pius X battled hard in the first set and took Norris to deuce points. As expected, we got a steady dose of [player_tooltip player_id='189362' first='Faith' last='Venable'] in the Thunderbolt offense. Senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='495060' first='Emilia' last='Reiling'] also set up her team in transition after hard-driven Norris swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We almost got the underdog story of the tournament as Gretna pushed nine-time defending champion Omaha Skutt Catholic to the brink of elimination. The Dragons won a thrilling 30-28 opener behind the consistent onslaught of [player_tooltip player_id='155044' first='Elle' last='Heckenlively'] and [player_tooltip player_id='575235' first='Logann' last='Dostal']. Gretna then went up 2-1 with a dominant Set 3 performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class C1's most assertive underdog was seventh-seeded Milford in its contest with Pierce. The Eagles hadn't been to the state tournament since 1997 and had never advanced past the quarterfinal round. You wouldn't know it by the way this team competed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Milford bounced back from a Set 1 loss to take the next two against the Bluejays. This under-the-radar contender leaned on its middle blockers, particularly freshman [player_tooltip player_id='555495' first='Shayla' last='Rautenberg']. Rautenberg's length and range were nearly impossible to counter on in-system swings. [player_tooltip player_id='342569' first='Hannah' last='Reynolds'] fortified the net on the other side of the rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":716965,"width":"333px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_4015-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-716965" style="width:333px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rautenberg</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, No. 8 Gothenburg led through much of the first set in its meeting with top-seeded Minden. The Swedes were the only team to take down the Whippets this year, so we weren't entirely surprised to see a close opener. [player_tooltip player_id='731665' first='Lindly' last='Anderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='498956' first='Grace' last='Evert'] maintained their status as go-to attackers during Gothenburg's stint in Lincoln.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All of the aforementioned teams came up short in their upset bids, but that changed when No. 6 Wahoo took the floor against Scotus Central Catholic in the second wave of the C1 quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors narrowly lost the first set but took control thereafter. [player_tooltip player_id='269932' first='Gretchen' last='Seagren'] and [player_tooltip player_id='173526' first='McKenna' last='Smith'] were the primary offensive targets for setter [player_tooltip player_id='173537' first='Audrey' last='Waido']. This senior trio anchored a four-set win to punctuate one of Wednesday's biggest underdog triumphs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wahoo opened the floodgates for more upset winners on the south court. Class A was next on the docket, and we ended up with a "wildcard winner" to remember.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Island Senior High lost its district final matchup against Lincoln North Star but made the tournament via Class A's wildcard. The Islanders quickly returned to form by taking the opening set against No. 2 Omaha Westside in Wednesday's quarterfinal. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='155042' first='Tia' last='Traudt'] was nearly unstoppable, and setter [player_tooltip player_id='462588' first='Jaysa' last='Wentzlaff'] knew when to find her go-to attacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westside rallied to win the next two sets, but the Central Nebraska visitors had more left. GISH pulled away in Set 4 before winning an unforgettable fifth set, 15-12. Traudt fittingly put down the final kill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We were looking for the upset trifecta when No. 6 Elkhorn South entered the fray against third-seeded Fremont. The south court dished out another one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the most emphatic upset of all: a straight-set statement. The Storm wielded an electrifying offense behind senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='189370' first='Julia' last='Ringenberg']. Elkhorn South's middle blockers were particularly effective with [player_tooltip player_id='275902' first='Siena' last='Sumner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='173520' first='Ava' last='Stone'] finding the floor often.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, the 4-versus-5 matchup was producing eye-popping moments of its own. Fifth-seeded Millard West was technically the underdog for this contest, but the Wildcats had plenty of physicality to hang with Lincoln Southwest. [player_tooltip player_id='288606' first='Halle' last='Kerkman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209291' first='Hayden' last='Hart'] used their athleticism to overpower the Silver Hawk block, particularly in a Set 2 victory. The Wildcats would then force a fifth set and steal victory to take us deep into the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top individual performers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is where we'll riff on some of the many standout players from Wednesday's contests. Settle in for this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High-volume outside hitters were critical to victories in the first wave of Class B semifinals. Norris senior [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] was as sharp as ever while also contributing to her team's outstanding ball control.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest numbers of the day can be attributed to Skutt Catholic's star junior. [player_tooltip player_id='275935' first='Addison' last='West'] didn't take long to reach double-digit kills despite the SkyHawks' early struggles against Gretna. She soared past 30 kills in her team's five-set triumph to keep the ten-peat dream alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Showstopping setters took over the second wave of Class B. Elkhorn North junior [player_tooltip player_id='275901' first='Hayden' last='Booth'] showed why she has sat atop Nebraska's assist leaderboard throughout 2024. Her masterful distribution gave the Wolves' hitter so many advantageous swings along the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of the tarp, Waverly setter [player_tooltip player_id='458165' first='McKinley' last='Moser'] guided her team to a 3-0 win over Bennington. Speed and precision define the Viking offense, and Moser is the catalyst.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class C1's favorites wielded their familiar stars. Do-everything athletes [player_tooltip player_id='173530' first='Mattie' last='Kamery'] and [player_tooltip player_id='276201' first='Myla' last='Emery'] were exceptional as Minden battled to a 3-0 win over Gothenburg. The wicked middle duo of Makenna Starkey and [player_tooltip player_id='395132' first='Makenna' last='Betty'] was also a difference-maker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pierce had the day's most thrilling comeback behind its usual group of terminators. [player_tooltip player_id='498907' first='Nora' last='Herian'] and [player_tooltip player_id='497420' first='Abigail' last='Cone'] anchored the outside hitter spot and connected well with veteran setter [player_tooltip player_id='462587' first='Skylar' last='Scholting']. The Bluejays rallied from down 2-1 to force a fifth, faced a five-point deficit in the tiebreaker, but rallied to win 15-13. Pierce secured its second-straight semifinal bid in the C1 tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":716963,"width":"338px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_4096-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-716963" style="width:338px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Solomon</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kearney Catholic experienced less duress en route to a 3-0 win over fifth-seeded Battle Creek. The Stars were led by [player_tooltip player_id='269911' first='Payton' last='Dzingle'], a high-flying senior who has spent time at middle blocker and outside hitter during her prep career. Her wing attacking took precedence in this one, and she was a phenomenal complement to [player_tooltip player_id='396767' first='Hazel' last='Haarberg'] on the other side of the dial.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A was last on the scene for Wednesday's contests, and the top seed got on the board first.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to pick out just a few individual standouts from Class A No. 1 Papillion-La Vista South. The Titans soared past Lincoln North Star to ensure last year's quarterfinal defeat would not be repeated. Senior setter-attacker [player_tooltip player_id='155053' first='Charlee' last='Solomon'] remained the focal point of the operation, she got a lot of help from electrifying sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='458153' first='Lyric' last='Judson'] in the middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Southwest deserves a nod for its brand of fast-paced volleyball. [player_tooltip player_id='342615' first='Shelby' last='Harding'] has embraced her role as the veteran in a lineup full of new faces. [player_tooltip player_id='349481' first='Eleanor' last='Griffin'] has also carved out a fascinating role as the team's new go-to opposite.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->