Final Stat Stuffer Roundup: Defensive Specialists
Our final look at the 2021 stat sheet rolls on today with defensive specialists. There have been plenty of eye-popping statistical performances from Nebraska’s backcourt players this year, and now we have a chance to look at how the season’s…
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Continue ReadingOur final look at the 2021 stat sheet rolls on today with defensive specialists. There have been plenty of eye-popping statistical performances from Nebraska’s backcourt players this year, and now we have a chance to look at how the season’s numbers ended up.
Tournament Talent
At this point, it should not be a shock that many of Nebraska’s dig leaders represented teams that made a postseason appearance in Lincoln. Let’s run through a few names that repeatedly stood out in the regular season and the tournament.
Junior libero Aniah Seiler had a busy year for Maywood/Hayes Center. She piled up over eight digs per set for the third-seeded Wolves and cemented her place among the top defenders in Class D2.
Moving up the ladder to Class D1, Summer Bojanski Summer Bojanski 5'4" | DS/L Bergan | 2024 State NE and Tatum Backemeyer Tatum Backemeyer 5'4" | DS/L Elmwood-Murdock | 2024 State NE were two players we mentioned in our impact underclassmen post-tournament feature. Collectively, they both put together some incredible backcourt performances that helped their respective teams make it to Lincoln.
Jordie Nekl Jordie Nekl 5'5" | DS/L Columbus Lakeview | 2022 State NE had a huge senior season for Columbus Lakeview. The Vikings came agonizingly close to breaking into the Class C1 title match, and the team’s stout ball control along the end line had a lot to do with it.
Meanwhile, Class B brought a ton of stat-stuffing liberos to Lincoln. Karsen VanScoy Karsen VanScoy 5'4" | DS/L Waverly | 2022 State NE left it all out on the court in her final matches for Waverly. For Class B runner-up Norris, it was freshman Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE who led the charge in the libero jersey and did not look intimidated by the big stage.
Lastly, Class A was largely a showcase of players who have been dominating for a long time. Estella Zatechka Estella Zatechka 5'8" | DS/L Elkhorn South | 2022 State #54 Nation NE saved her finest volleyball for the end of her tenure with Elkhorn South. Harlei Cole Harlei Cole 5'6" | DS/L Papillion-La Vista South | 2022 State NE did the same for state champion Papillion-La Vista South.
The Next in Line
Like some of the other features in this series, we’ll be throwing out a few names that should appear atop the stat leaderboards in upcoming seasons. Watch out for these backcourt gems in 2022.
Faith Frame Faith Frame 5'6" | DS/L Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #167 Nation NE held down the Gretna backcourt admirably in her sophomore year. This rising libero anchored one of the top ball control teams in the state and should continue to grow into a leadership role with the Dragons.
Rheagan Stanley Rheagan Stanley 5'3" | DS/L Sidney | 2023 State NE is a player to watch out in the panhandle. Sidney fields a competitive volleyball team every year, and they’ll surely have an experienced libero they can lean on next season.
Of course, Olivia Mauch Olivia Mauch 5'7" | DS/L Bennington | 2024 State #49 Nation NE will always be a 2024 libero worth following. She’s on pace to break a lot of Bennington records before she’s done, and those numbers only just begin to illustrate her impact in this volleyball program.