State Champs Quarterfinals Recap: Class A
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The opening day of quarterfinal action at the state championships wrapped up with Class A. Here’s how it all went down! (1) Papillion-La Vista South vs. (8) Fremont There is perhaps no more intimidating sight than Papillion-La Vista South…
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Continue ReadingThe opening day of quarterfinal action at the state championships wrapped up with Class A. Here’s how it all went down!
(1) Papillion-La Vista South vs. (8) Fremont
There is perhaps no more intimidating sight than Papillion-La Vista South lurking in your bracket. They’re the only team in Nebraska that put together an undefeated season, and they’re loaded at every position.
Fremont earned Class A’s eight seed after a great 2021 campaign. This is a team full of experience and talent. Elise Estudillo Elise Estudillo 5'8" | DS/L Fremont | 2022 State NE has had a fabulous career in the libero jersey, and Emmalee Sheppard Emmalee Sheppard 5'4" | DS/L Fremont | 2023 State NE is another gritty libero in that backcourt. Grace Williams Grace Williams 6'0" | MB Fremont | 2022 State NE and Ellah Hofer hold things down along the net.
Wednesday night’s match started with a flurry of solid swings from both sides. Lauren Medeck Lauren Medeck 5'10" | OH Papillion-La Vista South | 2024 State #31 Nation NE and Stella Adeyemi Stella Adeyemi 5'9" | OH Papillion-LaVista South | 2023 State #95 Nation NE found success tooling the block on the left pin, and Kansas State-bound setter Ava LeGrand Ava LeGrand 5'11" | S Papillion-LaVista South | 2022 State #46 Nation NE is reaching peak form in her last appearance at the state championships. The Titans leaned on their veteran leadership as they took a 25-14 win in the first.
The second set brought more firepower from PLVS. Shealie Wiebers brought some nice production from the right pin, and Titan backcourt stars like Harlei Cole Harlei Cole 5'6" | DS/L Papillion-La Vista South | 2022 State NE and Makenzie Dyrstad Makenzie Dyrstad 5'7" | DS/L Papillion LaVista South | 2023 State NE helped keep the team in rhythm. South prevailed in the second set 25-10.
Fremont put up a few nice counterpunches. Brylee Nelsen is a freshman pin hitter that will have plenty of great opportunities to shine before her career is done. Wednesday was a nice showing for her on such a big stage.
As the third set progressed, Papio South showed no signs of wavering. They took a 25-12 win in the final stanza to lock up the sweep and keep the perfect season alive.
Perfection persists.@PLSouthTitanVb is going to the Class A semifinals! pic.twitter.com/7Y33k8o7Co
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 3, 2021
(2) Millard West vs. (7) Papillion-La Vista
You’re always in for a treat when these two close neighbors meet. Add in the pressure and stakes of the state championships, and you’ve got some surefire entertainment.
Millard West clearly made a point of showing up to this quarterfinal round with some extra edge. The hype came from a variety of sources. Maddie MacTaggart Maddie MacTaggart 5'10" | OH Millard South | 2022 State NE was juiced throughout the night as she hammered balls to the floor from the left pin. Senior middle blocker Kylah Brewer provided a lot of spark, too.
It was Papillion-La Vista that got out to an early lead in this one, however. Morgan Glaser Morgan Glaser 6'0" | OH Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State NE is an ever-present scoring threat on the left pin, and she put that on display Wednesday night. Mia Tvrdy Mia Tvrdy 6'0" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #35 Nation NE made some nice plays in transition and always made herself available to take a swing.
So, it took a lot of energy for the Wildcats to rally, but they quickly erased their first-set deficit. The Monarchs clawed back and fought off a few set points before MacTaggart put away the clincher to win 25-23.
Millard West found a new gear after the close first set. Junior setter Skylar Walters Skylar Walters 5'9" | S Millard West | 2023 State NE distributed the ball well, and fellow junior Alanna Bankston Alanna Bankston 6'1" | MB Millard West | 2023 State #68 Nation NE got going with kills from the pin and in the middle. The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead with a 25-17 win in the second.
That energy just kept flowing. Sadie Millard Sadie Millard 5'9" | MB Millard West | 2022 State NE clobbered several serves at the beginning of the third set to put the Wildcats in control. Several more scoring runs helped the Class A #2 finalize a 25-11 victory in set three and a clean sweep in the quarterfinal round.
The energy from @mw_volleyball is just on another level tonight! pic.twitter.com/eAI3JJXAWa
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 3, 2021
(3) Lincoln Southwest vs. (6) Omaha Westside
I was very intrigued to see how this match would go. I’ve always harped on the idea that these two teams have the talent to compete with anyone in the state. Wednesday night’s match was an excellent display of that talent.
It was a night of incredible highs and lows for both teams, but the match started out fairly even. Lincoln Southwest gained an advantage and held off a late Westside charge to win the first 25-23.
Then, it was Westside’s turn to seize control. As expected, the Warriors got a fair share of kills from their big hitters. Destiny Ndam-Simpson Destiny Ndam-Simpson 6'1" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #37 Nation NE had a stellar night on the left side, as did her counterpart, Samantha Laird Samantha Laird 6'0" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #171 Nation NE . Madilyn Siebler Madilyn Siebler 6'0" | OH Omaha Westside | 2022 State NE was effective behind the setter, too.
Everything went Westside’s way in the second, including a ridiculous dig kill by Jocelyn Healy Jocelyn Healy 5'8" | DS/L Omaha Westside | 2023 State NE on a ball that was bombed down the line. The Warriors won it 25-11.
A replay of set one followed. LSW gained an early lead and fought off a Westside rally to win 25-22. Shaylee Myers Shaylee Myers 6'0" | OH Lincoln Southwest | 2022 State #199 Nation NE was taking huge rips on the left, and Courtney Holsteen Courtney Holsteen 6'0" | RS Lincoln Southwest | 2022 State NE accompanied her nicely.
We then decided to rewind to set two instead. Westside jumped out to another massive lead and built a ton of momentum for the fifth set. As it turns out, that was just what the Warriors needed. A 15-4 win in the fifth set sent Westside into a historic appearance at the Class A semifinals.
WESTSIDE!!!
The Warriors come back from 2-1 down and win the fifth set 15-4! is going to the Class A semifinals! pic.twitter.com/80wU6m06le
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 4, 2021
(4) Elkhorn South vs. (5) Gretna
Most of the pre-match chattered I heard regarding this pairing made reference to a “defensive battle.” Indeed, these are two of the best ball control teams in the state. They showed it Wednesday night.
The pendulum just kept swinging in this match. Elkhorn South got things going with a stellar start that was fueled by that vaunted backcourt defense. Estella Zatechka Estella Zatechka 5'8" | DS/L Elkhorn South | 2022 State #54 Nation NE and Katie Galligan Katie Galligan 5'6" | DS/L Elkhorn South | 2022 State #162 Nation NE have played countless sets together, and that experience was showing when it mattered most. Another senior, Kylie Weeks Kylie Weeks 5'7" | OH Elkhorn South | 2022 State #151 Nation NE , chips in with her six-rotation skills and tremendous consistency in serve receive.
Though Elkhorn South took the opening set 25-18, the Dragons were keen on fighting back. Gretna showed Wednesday night that they have a bit of everything. Savannah Shelburne Savannah Shelburne 5'7" | S Gretna | 2022 State NE is a precise setter who knows how to dish to her hitters with pace. With Skylar McCune Skylar McCune 5'9" | DS/L Gretna | 2022 State #53 Nation NE on the left, it’s fair to say that we had two of the best six-rotation outside hitters in the state for this match. The Dragons also have young rising stars like 2024 libero Faith Frame Faith Frame 5'6" | DS/L Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #167 Nation NE and 2025 middle blocker Elle Heckenlively Elle Heckenlively 5'10" | OH Gretna | 2025 State NE .
Gretna claimed the second set 25-17. The pendulum continued to swing as Elkhorn South came back to take the third 25-22. Just to complete the pattern, the Dragons forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory in the fourth.
With everything on the line in a tiebreaker, we saw the star seniors get a healthy number of swings. Lead changes were frequent. In the end, though, a stuff block by Mia Mroczek Mia Mroczek 6'2" | MB Elkhorn South | 2022 State NE gave Elkhorn South a 15-13 win and a shot at the semifinals.
The defending champs are moving on!!@eshsvb takes a 15-13 fifth set to advance to the semifinals! Rematch of last year’s title match incoming. pic.twitter.com/IBMZTgE7ly
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 4, 2021