Stars, Squads, and Storylines to Follow at 2025 LPS Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one is stacked.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've reached mid-September, and Nebraska's prep volleyball enthusiasts know the significance of this spot on the calendar. Several of the state's top powerhouses will converge on Lincoln Southeast High School for the LPS Classic. Storylines abound.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How about a little primer? Get your scouting reports organized for this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class A versus Class B, The Sequel</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a storyline we've covered before.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we visited the season-opening Bellevue West Invite, we saw the juggernauts of Class A and Class B trading blows. Class B frontrunner Elkhorn North took down a host of Class A frontrunners, and teams like Gretna and Omaha Skutt Catholic were not far behind.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class B ought to loom large again at the LPS Classic. The aforementioned Gretna squad travels for this one, bringing a group of heralded sophomores with it. [player_tooltip player_id='575235' first='Logann' last='Dostal'], [player_tooltip player_id='567542' first='Ava' last='Nowling'], [player_tooltip player_id='566265' first='Leighton' last='Froehlich'], and others hope to build off a semifinal appearance at the Bellevue West Invite.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of course, the group of Class B titans is not complete without, well, the Titans. Norris brings in a 14-0 record and some head-spinning statistics to boot. Nebraska commit [player_tooltip player_id='458117' first='Malorie' last='Boesiger'] is putting up a state-leading assist total and has commanded the state's most efficient offense. [player_tooltip player_id='807841' first='Alli' last='Bornschlegl'] and [player_tooltip player_id='739707' first='Loryn' last='Piening'] are hitting north of 0.400. Norris has been unstoppable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Star City Hierarchy</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln's prep scene will be fully represented at this weekend's event, so we're about to find out where these capital city squads stack up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The HAC spotlight will immediately be on Lincoln Southwest, which enters the LPS Classic with an unblemished record. [player_tooltip player_id='349455' first='Alivia' last='Gustafson'] is having her senior breakout with 4.1 kills per set, and veteran setter [player_tooltip player_id='251144' first='Ellie' last='Eckman'] has found her stride after multiple years of starting experience. This will be the biggest test of the young season for the Silver Hawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln North Star is keeping pace with LSW in the wildcard standings after last year's tournament breakthrough. The 'Gators are 9-1 behind the "[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] onslaught" featuring [player_tooltip player_id='807924' first='Elsie' last='Schmidt'], [player_tooltip player_id='458167' first='Delainey' last='Volkmer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='521266' first='Lauren' last='McKernan']. Another postseason charge continues here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How about the Thunderbolt resurgence? Lincoln Pius X needed a late-season spark to reach last year's Class B quarterfinals, but the Bolts are a bona fide contender so far in 2025. [player_tooltip player_id='830000' first='Ava' last='Markowski'] has embraced her role as a full-time attacker while dishing out some quality ball control contributions along the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye on other Lincoln teams that could progress through the LPS Classic. Standing Bear and Lincoln Northwest are making incremental gains in their early years of existence. Meanwhile, teams like Lincoln Northeast and Lincoln East are battle-tested heading into this one. The field of contenders is vast--even if we're exclusively looking at Lincoln.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":576669,"width":"231px","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/5/2024/07/Faith-Wiechman.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-576669" style="width:231px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wiechman</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">The Visitors</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have a few more traveling teams looking to play spoiler in the field of Lincoln squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Omaha Marian should provide plenty of entertainment value. The 9-2 Crusaders are led by [player_tooltip player_id='458162' first='Taylor' last='McLeay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458163' first='Erin' last='Cramer'], both of whom are dishing out at least three kills per set apiece. Marian is firmly entrenched in the top tier of Class A's wildcard, and this weekend could cement that status further.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Island is the lone school making a long eastward trek to Lincoln. The Islanders are finding new leaders for their high-powered offense. [player_tooltip player_id='828218' first='Elzada' last='Gernstein'] and [player_tooltip player_id='828484' first='Lilly' last='Goodwin'] are fascinating hybrid players who can take over in the middle or on the pins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're also about to learn a lot about Papillion-La Vista. Like Grand Island, the Monarchs have wielded multi-position standouts to lead their offense. This has allowed juniors [player_tooltip player_id='458181' first='Faith' last='Wiechman'], [player_tooltip player_id='458161' first='Aubree' last='Fettin'], and [player_tooltip player_id='808018' first='Logan' last='Hickey'] to climb the statistical leaderboards. A young lineup means long-term gains for Papio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's no better place to make those gains than at one of Nebraska's premier high school invites.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->