Clarkson/Leigh finishes 4th at State

 

It was a season to remember for the Clarkson/Leigh Volleyball Team as the Patriots took 4th Place at State, sweeping Howells-Dodge 3-0 last Thursday night in the 1st round from Pinnacle Bank Arena in action aired on 107.9 the Bull before losing 3-2 to Lutheran High Northeast in Friday afternoon's Semifinals from PBA also aired on the Bull, and then falling 3-0 to Overton in Saturday's 3rd place match from Lincoln Southeast.

Clarkson/Leigh defeated Howells-Dodge 25-17, 30-28, 25-17.

Chloe Hanel had 11 kills for Clarkson/Leigh. Makenna Held recorded 28 set assists and 12 digs. Also notching double digit digs were Alissa Kasik with 19, Kayden Schumacher with 16 and Kennedy Settje with 11. Schumacher and Settje each had 8 kills. 

LHNE had lost only one game and just six sets all season heading into the game with the Patriots.

Clarkson/Leigh stunned the Eagles early, by coming out and winning the first set 25-23.

LHNE responded with a vengeance in set two, winning 25-13.

The Patriots battled back to claim set three 25-22.

The Eagles again ran away with set four, 25-14, sending the game to a fifth and deciding set.

The teams fought back and forth early in the set when LHNE started to create a little separating.

Clarkson/Leigh came back and were able to fend off multiple match point attempts by the Eagles, before LHNE was able to eventually win 17-15, taking the match 3-2.

Hanel had 17 kills and 8 digs for the Patriots, going along with 15 kills from Cassidy Hoffman. Schumacher added a double-double with 13 kills and 29 digs, while Settje had 7 kills and 23 digs. Held handed out 48 set assists and also had 10 digs. Kasik registered 28 digs while Bailey Lemburg posted 15.

The Eagles won Saturday's match 25-16, 25-23, 25-18.

Chloe Hanel had 12 kills for the Patriots, Schumacher had 9 kills and 9 digs, Hoffman had 8 kills with Kennedy Settje recording 16 digs and Makenna Held handing out 28 set assists. Kasik added 14 digs.

Clarkson/Leigh ends its season at 22-9 overall, and as the fourth place team in Class C2.

The Patriots picked up two big wins over Howells-Dodge, two big wins over Pender, three big wins over BRLD, and other big wins over High Plains, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Hartington Cedar Catholic, Mead, Fremont Bergan, Wisner-Pilger, and Oakland-Craig.

It was truly a season to remember for the Patriots, according to Head Coach Becky Schneider. Oh, we are extremely proud of them!! It was so awesome to see them put the pieces together that we had laid out for them all season!! They played out of their minds and left everything on the court!! These girls have worked so hard and they deserve everything they have accomplished!!

A big reason for that was this year's Senior Class consisting of Hoffman, Schumacher, Gracelyn Baumert, Kasik, and Lemburg.

Coach Schneider talks about what she will miss the most from these Seniors. "Everything! I cannot say enough great things about our seniors! They are absolutely incredible and have been such a huge part of our success! They have grown so much these past four years and have been outstanding leaders especially to the underclassmen! They have shown them what it takes to be successful and that nothing comes easy! Everything these girls accomplished was because of hard work and dedication made not only during the season but in the off-season as well! They are a group that wanted to leave their mark and they have definitely accomplished that!! The relationships we have built and the success they've had these past years are definitely unforgettable! Saying goodbye to them is the most difficult part of the job and all five of them will definitely be missed!"

Key returners for next year include Hanel, Held, Settje, Kasik, Korbee Went, and Sammy McEvoy.

Coach Schneider says she's very excited for the future. "It's really exciting!! We return four players with varsity experience who were all big contributors to our success! We expect those four to step up and push themselves and their teammates in order to reach the goals they set! We have no doubt that these girls will be motivated and will have the drive to do whatever it takes to accomplish those goals!"

Of course we can't forget the near upset of LHNE in the Semifinals this year. Coach Schneider says her team really stepped things up in that match and played to their full potential. "Yeah, that match was unbelievable! It definitely speaks volumes about our program and the culture we have built! These girls have totally bought in and they want to be successful and they want to put the work in in order to reach that success! The whole season, we talked a lot about the potential they had and we've seen glimpses of it throughout the season, so we knew it was there! But the way these girls performed down at State was phenomenal! They all played to their potential and then some, like I can't even begin to describe it! They made it look so effortless! It was so amazing and so fun to watch them at their absolute best! "

Of course this past season was different due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Coach Schneider says she is thankful the team was able to make it through the entire season. "We are beyond thankful that we were able to complete our season the way we did! We were all in a very unique situation, and we were constantly reminding the girls to do their part, social distance, mask up, be mindful of where you go, who you hang out with, etc., because we knew we had a good thing going and we didn't want to jeopardize any part of it! We are blessed with such great players who are selfless because every single one of them did their part not only for themselves but for their teammates!!"

Here's to hoping things are back to normal by the start of next season and the Patriots get a good chunk of their offseason Coronavirus free.   

Howells-Dodge loses to Clarkson/Leigh in 1st round of State

 

The Howells-Dodge Volleyball Team fell 3-0 to Clarkson/Leigh last Thursday night in the 1st round of the State Tournament from Pinnacle Bank Arena in action aired on 107.9 the Bull.

The Patriots defeated the Jaguars 25-17, 30-28, 25-17.

Grace Baumert led Howells-Dodge with a double-double, recording 14 kills and 12 digs. Ellie Baumert had 19 set assists and 8 digs, and Jayda Bazata had 11 digs. Riley Pokorny added 8.

The year came to a close at 25-5 for the Jaguars.

Great season for Howells-Dodge. Anytime you make State it is a special year.

The Jaguars picked up big wins over Hartington-Newscastle, Pender three times, Elgin Public/Pope John, BRLD, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Wisner-Pilger, North Bend Central, West Point-Beemer, GACC, and South Loup.

Notable team accomplishments this year include winning the East Husker Conference Tournament, Sub-Districts, and a District Final.

A great season with so much potential for even more growth in the future for this team, in my opinion.

Grace Baumert had a team leading 432 kills and 57 Ace Serves on the season.  Ellie Baumert led the way with 695 assists.

Both these girls are over 6 foot and figure to be a major force for the Jaguars again next year.

Howells-Dodge loses Cassie Pieper, Logan Fiala, Pokorny, Bazata, Janessa Schmidt, Audrey Coufal, and Lexie Brester to graduation.

Key returners include Grace and Ellie Baumert, Blair Fiala, Brooklyn Macholan, Carly Bayer, and Natalie Pieper.

So a lot of talent lost to graduation, but a lot of talent back for the Jaguars as well.

I simply expect Howells-Dodge to reload next year.

Hopefully the pandemic is over by the start of next year and things are back to normal.

And hopefully the Jaguars can get a good chunk of their offseason in pandemic free.  

GACC falls to Overton in 1st round of State

 

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Volleyball Team lost 3-0 to Overton in the 1st round of the State Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena last Thursday night in action aired on 107.9 the Bull.

The Eagles won the sets 25-18, 25-19, 25-19.

Sophia Hass had 9 kills for GACC, with Megan Plagge handing out 20 set assists. Isabel Hass and Erica Engelmeyer each record double digit digs, with 16 and 11, respectively.

Good job by the Bluejays making State.

GACC ends their year at 16-11 overall.

Sophia Hass led the way with 343 kills on the season while Taylor Timmerman had a team-high 63 blocks. Isabel Hass had a team-high 458 digs while Sophia Hass totaled 439. Plagge dished out 702 assists on the season.

The Bluejays picked up big wins over Fremont Bergan, BRLD, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, O'Neill, Bishop Neumann, Hartington Cedar Catholic, Battle Creek, and Wisner-Pilger twice.

I feel like GACC definitely took some more steps and made some more big strides towards becoming a power once again.

The Bluejays lose just one Senior in Evelyn Wooldrik.

With everyone else back next year I look for GACC to be a major force.

I think the Bluejays will be a huge force to be reckoned with next season.

GACC should and figures to have a really good year next year, or at least you would think so.

Hopefully this pandemic is cleared up by the time next season rolls around, and hopefully the Bluejays can get back to normalcy.

Hopefully the pandemic ends in time for GACC to have some really good offseason work.

The sooner it ends, the better. 

Clarkson/Leigh knocks off BRLD in C2-4 Sub-State Final

 

In action aired on 107.9 The Bull, Clarkson/Leigh defeated BRLD in four sets for the C2-4 title in Clarkson on Saturday. 

Scores of the match favored the Patriots 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, and 25-18.

Kayden Schumacher had 13 kills and 27 digs while Chloe Hanel totaled 12 kills and 11 digs. Cassidy Hoffman totaled 12 kills while Kennedy Settje recorded 8 kills and 28 digs. Alissa Kasik added 15 digs while Makenna Held notched 13 digs and 41 assists. Bailey Lemburg posted 12 digs while Korbee Went chipped in 9.

Head Coach Becky Schneider says the Wolverines made her team earn it. "We came into there knowing we had already beat BRLD twice. And so they always say it's hard to beat a team three times. And BRLD definitely gave us a run for their money. They really stepped it up, and I mean we could of had it, we could of swept em. But they didn't give up that 3rd set, and pulled that set out. And then they did end up leading most of the 4th set too so they definitely took it to us, but we were able to overcome and our girls really wanted it."

The Patriots (21-7) take on Howells-Dodge (25-4) at the State Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena Thursday night in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Jaguars won 3-0 over South Loup at Central Valley High School in Greeley in the C2-6 Sub-State Final on Saturday.

Clarkson/Leigh beat Howells-Dodge 3-1 at home in their season opener on September 1st.

Coach Schneider on the rematch. "I thought they did well, but Howells-Dodge has definitely improved throughout the season, but so have we. I feel like we have continued to grow, and it's definitely going to be a battle of Highway 91 that first game out. And I don't think anybody's going to go down lightly. It will be a tough one. But if our girls continue to play the way they have and just play with each other and for each other I think we should be okay."

I tend to agree with Coach Schneider on that one.

I think as long as the Patriots stick together and stay unified they will be okay.

Howells-Dodge boasts Grace and Ellie Baumert, but it will be interesting to see which team plays together the most.

The Jaguars have made a lot of nice improvements since the beginning of the season, but I feel like Clarkson/Leigh is confident coming into this one.

The Patriots already beat Howells-Dodge once this year so Clarkson/Leigh knows it can be done.

One thing I will say though is I feel like the Patriots were more prepared for the Jaguars in the opener than Howells-Dodge was for them then, but feel like it's even now.

May the best team win is all I have to say.

Clarkson/Leigh is making their first state appearance since 2017.

First serve is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on the Bull.

Howells-Dodge sweeps South Loup in C2-6 Sub-State Final

 

Howells-Dodge swept South Loup 3-0 in the C2-6 Sub-State final from Central Valley High School in Greeley on Saturday, winning 25-14, 25-19, and 25-20.

Head Coach Taryn Janke on the win. "Well we went in and we were very focused when we came. We had great practice all week, we knew what we wanted to accomplish, and we pretty much got the job done."

The victory earned the Jaguars (25-4) a spot in this week's State Tournament, which has them squaring off against Highway 91 rival Clarkson/Leigh (21-7) in the 4 and 5 seed game at Pinnacle Bank Arena Thursday night in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Patriots defeated BRLD 3-1 at home in the C2-4 Sub-State Final on Saturday in action that was also aired on the Bull.

Clarkson/Leigh also beat Howells-Dodge 3-1 at home early in the season on September 1st.

Coach Janke says her squad is a much different team now than they were then. "We're pretty excited about this matchup. The first time we played them we weren't on our game. We made a lot of errors. It just wasn't our best game. And we've improved a lot from the beginning of the season so we're ready to go and show what we can do."

I would agree with Coach Janke on that one.

Both teams have made a lot of strides as the year has gone on so it should be a great match.

I feel it could definitely go five sets.

Coach Janke says her team is on a roll right now. "We're playing at a top level right now. We didn't start off that way and we were kind of rocky at first, but now we've got a groove going and we hope to keep it going."

The Jaguars are 17-1 in their last 18 matches so this is definitely true.

Howells-Dodge is making their first appearance at State since 2015.

It should be a great match no doubt about that.

Grace and Ellie Baumert have to step up and perform for the Jaguars. Those two are the X-Factors in my mind. It is their stage to shine, in my opinion.

Opening serve is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on the Bull. 

GACC sweeps Fullerton in C2-8 Sub-State Final

 

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Volleyball Team punched their ticket to Lincoln by defeating Fullerton 3-0 at home in the C2-8 Sub-State Final on Saturday.

The Bluejays won set one 25-16, set two 25-17, and set three 25-19.

Sophia Hass had 11 kills and 19 digs while Isabel Hass notched 22 digs. Megan Plagge added 11 digs and 26 assists while Erica Engelmeyer and Kelsy Steffen each had 8 digs.

Head Coach Kate Hagemann says her team was ready. "Our girls came out with great energy and excitement for the day. And we knew in Fullerton's scouting report that they had three big hitters. And we don't always matchup great to big, aggressive hitters, but we had a great scouting report on them, we did a great job funneling their balls to some our best diggers, and because of that we were able to be successful."

Hagemann says the team did a great job of just playing in the moment, not getting too high or too low. 

GACC (16-10) battles Overton (26-2) in the first round of the Class C-2 State Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena Thursday night in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Eagles swept Gordon-Rushville 3-0 in the C2-3 Sub-State Final from Ogallala on Saturday.

Coach Hagemann says Overton is the real deal. "It will be a tough matchup for us. They're a really high quality team. That shows just in their record and some of the teams that they've beat throughout the year. They have some aggressive hitters, some really good middle hitters that we're going to have to matchup with and try to contain a little bit. I think just overall from top to bottom they're just a really solid team. You really can't identify too many weaknesses in them. So we're just going to try be the aggressor and be on the attack and try to keep them out of system as much as possible." 

Overton won 3-1 over Kearney Catholic, a C-1 school who is 30-5, so you know the Eagles are for real.

With that said, GACC is a traditional power so it will be interesting to see what happens Thursday night.

The Bluejays are making their first trip to the State Tournament since 2016.

It will be very interesting to see what happens.

I think GACC and Norfolk Catholic could very well meet up in the Semifinals with the Knights perhaps winning that one.

The Bluejays could reach the State Championship Match, but so could Overton.

Lutheran High Northeast is probably the clear cut favorite to win it all, but anything can happen at the State Tournament.

First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. on the Bull. 

BRLD falls to Clarkson/Leigh in C2-4 Sub-State Final

 

Clarkson/Leigh defeated BRLD in four sets for the C2-4 title from Clarkson in action aired on 107.9 The Bull on Saturday. 

Scores of the match favored the Patriots 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18.

Good season for the Wolverines.

BRLD ends the season at 20-13.

BRLD picked up big wins over Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Wisner-Pilger, Wayne, Ponca, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, Omaha Roncalli, North Bend Central, and Pender twice.

The Wolverines definitely took more steps in the right direction this season.

BRLD says goodbye to Aubrey Berg, Brooklyn Nolting, Audra Nolting, Caragan Tietz, Kinlee Bacon, and Alexzi Nottleman.

Some very talented Seniors lost for sure.

Key returners include Megan Beutler, McKenzie Murphey, Bella Bonneau, and Alyssa Buccholz.

Some really good players and talent to work around next year.

I think how good the Wolverines are next year and the type of season they have largely depends on the growth and development of the younger and incoming players.

I look for BRLD to reload and be solid once again next year.

The Wolverines had a Senior Class this year that accomplished a lot and revamped and took this program to new heights.

I really feel like these Seniors elevated the program, and brought it a step further.

Now it's the job of future teams to get over the hump and get past Sub-State and make State.

That can definitely happen too as long as BRLD continues to progress and improve in the coming years, which they should.