North Bend Central sweeps Malcolm

The North Bend Central Volleyball Team swept Malcolm at home Thursday night, winning sets one and two 25-17, and set three 25-23.

Head Coach Amy Sterup says her team wasn't too psyched up, something she was concerned about coming in. "We were very excited for the chance to play a ranked and battle-tested opponent at home. I was worried about us being too excited and that maybe we would try too hard, taking us out of our game. But I thought the girls handled the opponent and the atmosphere about as well as they could have. They played very well and made very few mistakes, which is the key to beating very good teams like Malcolm."

North Bend Central (18-0) hosts Tekamah-Herman (14-7) Thursday night.

Tekamah-Herman is coming off a 3-0 home sweep of Pender Tuesday night.

Sterup says Tekamah-Herman presents a number of different challenges. "They have some size, certainly. They have beaten some good teams during the season, so we know that they are going to be a challenge. They have some good athletes all over the court, so we will have to be on our game once again."

Tekamah-Herman is led by Marin Jetensky, who had 17 kills in the win over the Pendragons.

Sterup says there's no special plan in place to try and slow her down. "We don’t usually try to do anything special for any one player. We know she is a good player, but we will likely rely on our size and quickness in the back as we always do. Luckily, having such size in the front makes it tough for anyone we play."

North Bend Central has earned the No. 1 seed in the East Husker Conference Tournament. Sterup says her team has a lot left to accomplish yet this season. "We have some very important games coming up. Obviously, you want to keep any momentum you have. We have not achieved the goals that we have set for ourselves yet, so even though we have done well, all of that doesn’t mean much if we don’t finish strong. We are focused on winning the next game, and if we do that, we will have a chance to do more good things."

I would say there's a good chance for North Bend Central to continue to play well and dominate as they've only lost three sets all year.

Sterup says talent and experience has led to her team's success this year. "Obviously, we have a lot of really good players that have a lot of playing experience. Both of those things are a recipe for success. I think we have been able to have steady performances all year. Not too many ups and downs, which is also a key to a good team and a sign of our experience and leadership. Consistency is key in such a long season."

North Bend Central's ability to stay focused night in and night out is a great testament to the players and coaches, in my opinion.

North Bend Central needs to continue to bring the same kind of effort, enthusiasm, and energy that they have all season for the rest of the season though.

As good as North Bend Central has been this year, there are still a lot of tough matches left.

Teams like Stanton, Howells-Dodge, Tekamah-Herman, Clarkson/Leigh, and others could all challenge North Bend Central before season's end.

And that's not even getting into the postseason, which could be a different challenge in itself for North Bend Central.

With that said, I feel North Bend Central is equipped to continue to dominate through the state tournament in Lincoln, should they get there.