Nebraska Class of 2022 Retrospective
What a journey for Nebraska’s Class of 2022. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to cover this group over the past couple of years. In both high school and club settings, Nebraska’s 2022s have given us countless highlight moments that we’ll remember…
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Continue ReadingWhat a journey for Nebraska’s Class of 2022.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to cover this group over the past couple of years. In both high school and club settings, Nebraska’s 2022s have given us countless highlight moments that we’ll remember for a long time.
Of course, the prep careers of most 2022s came to a close at 18s Junior National Champions in Phoenix last weekend. The event was a great way to celebrate everything that 2022s nationwide have accomplished over the last several years, and it also provided a final glimpse of some future stars at the college level.
Nebraska has a lot of those future stars, too. Before we look too far ahead, those, it’s time to take a look back. Here are just a few names and memories that are still fresh on my mind as we give a big sendoff to Nebraska’s Class of 2022.
Retrospective
I think last fall’s high school season really helped demonstrate the impact and depth of Nebraska’s 2022s.
In the wake of the 2021 state championships, I put together this feature that really turned into a “who’s who” of the Class of 2022 in the Cornhusker State. That article evokes so many memories of the senior dominance we saw throughout the fall.
Of course, some of the top talent in the class used this spring as a time to make an instant impact at the college level. Bekka Allick Bekka Allick 6'3" | MB Waverly | 2022 State #7 Nation NE and Ava LeGrand Ava LeGrand 5'11" | S Papillion-LaVista South | 2022 State #46 Nation NE , our top two prospects among Nebraska’s 2022s, chose to forgo this year’s club season to enroll early at Nebraska and Kansas State, respectively. Maisie Boesiger Maisie Boesiger 5'5" | S Norris | 2022 State #198 Nation NE , another athlete in our top five, joined Allick at Nebraska in January. Each of these players produced championship-caliber volleyball last fall that solidified their places among the state’s best. Allick’s 37-kill performance in the Class B semifinals was an unforgettable moment, and LeGrand’s leadership in securing an undefeated season for Papillion-La Vista South was incredibly special.
The 2021 high school season ends with perfection!@PLSouthTitanVb caps off an undefeated season with a Class A championship! pic.twitter.com/4DgEsCPVms
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 7, 2021
@NorrisTitanVB HAS DONE IT!
The Titans are going back to the Class B title match! pic.twitter.com/vHJs6R2wYs
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) November 6, 2021
Many of Nebraska’s top 2022s stuck around for the club season, however. Some of the state’s top 18s performers came from a variety of clubs and teams, which is always awesome to see.
I won’t soon forget Premier Nebraska 18 Gold’s path to Nationals this year. The team’s bid was earned after an NLQ weekend that put its resilience on full display. Players like Skylar McCune Skylar McCune 5'9" | DS/L Gretna | 2022 State #53 Nation NE and Shaylee Myers Shaylee Myers 6'0" | OH Lincoln Southwest | 2022 State #199 Nation NE have made massive year-round impacts during their prep careers, and it all came together in this exciting qualifier.
Two 18s teams full of athletes who have given us so many highlight moments over the years.@Premier_18Gold and @NeJrs18 Black facing off in the third-place match! pic.twitter.com/7uSt97sySY
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) April 3, 2022
It’s hard to briefly summarize just how much defensive talent there was in this 2022 class. For 18 Gold, Estella Zatechka Estella Zatechka 5'8" | DS/L Elkhorn South | 2022 State #54 Nation NE and Ella Hazen Ella Hazen 5'8" | DS/L Millard West | 2022 State NE brought a kind of backcourt consistency that we were able to enjoy for a long time. The Premier gym was also just ridiculously stacked with defensive talent, as Kate Galvin Kate Galvin 5'7" | DS/L Millard North | 2022 State NE and Presley Liberty Presley Liberty 5'6" | DS/L Bellevue West | 2022 State NE anchored a stout backcourt for 18 Black.
This plethora of skilled liberos extends to other clubs, too, with the VCNebraska duo of Karsen VanScoy Karsen VanScoy 5'4" | DS/L Waverly | 2022 State NE and Jordie Nekl Jordie Nekl 5'5" | DS/L Columbus Lakeview | 2022 State NE always cranking out some stout defensive plays. On the topic of that VCN team, it was really rewarding to see 18 Elite come together and have a nice showing at the Midwest Power League this year.
You could argue that Nebraska’s 2022 class was skewed toward ball control. After all that discussion of defensive specialists, we can’t leave out how much setter talent was in this group. Having LeGrand and Boesiger is already impressive, but then you can add names like Abby Schomers Abby Schomers 6'0" | S Skutt Catholic | 2022 State #94 Nation NE , Ellie Baumert Ellie Baumert 6'1" | S Malcolm | 2022 State #159 Nation NE , and Madi Woodin Madi Woodin 5'6" | S Elkhorn South | 2022 State NE . Schomers was the face of many great Nebraska Elite teams, while Woodin helped pilot what turned out to be an excellent Nebraska Juniors 18 Black squad this year.
There are so many more athletes that I’ll miss seeing in the prep game. You have to give one more nod to Mya Larson Mya Larson 5'11" | OH Wahoo | 2022 State #168 Nation NE ‘s unbelievable achievements at Wahoo and beyond. Put simply: 2,000 kills in a high school career is a lot. I also have to point out how ecstatic I am to see Larson join forces with Madilyn Siebler Madilyn Siebler 6'0" | OH Omaha Westside | 2022 State NE at Montana State. Give some extra credit to the Bobcats for their recognition of Nebraska talent.
We’ve got a few other future college combos for you to keep an eye on in the fall, as well. The aforementioned LeGrand will be joined by fellow Nebraska Juniors alum Brenna Schmidt Brenna Schmidt 6'4" | MB Elmwood-Murdock | 2022 State NE at Kansas State. Washburn University (KS) also landed a few of Nebraska’s 2022 prep stars in Ella Waters Ella Waters 6'3" | OH Norris | 2022 State NE , Kealy Kiviniemi Kealy Kiviniemi 5'11" | RS Bellevue West | 2022 State NE , and Sydney Conner Sydney Conner 5'10" | S Kearney Catholic | 2022 State NE . I’ve seen these players on opposite sides of the net a few times, so this reunion will be a nice change of pace.
I think this look into the future is a good place to conclude this retrospective (as weird as that sounds). The point is that while this is the end of one chapter, new opportunities are about to emerge for Nebraska’s Class of 2022. People close to me know how much college volleyball I watch every fall, so you know I’ll be continuing to follow these 2022s every step of the way.