Wisner-Pilger loses to Superior in first round of State

The Wisner-Pilger Volleyball Team lost 3-1 to Superior in the first round of the Class C2 State Tournament at Lincoln Southwest Thursday night in action aired on 107.9 the Bull.

The Gators lost set one 26-24 before winning set two 25-21 only to drop set three 25-18 and set four 25-17.

Lily Otten led Wisner-Pilger with 10 kills and two solo blocks, while Karrin Jindra and Rachel Otten each had nine kills. Aspin Waterman added seven. Rachel Otten added three solo blocks, Jindra had 14 digs and Emily Buhrman had 12 digs.

Aid Meyer recorded a double-double with 25 set assists and 12 digs.

Head Coach Jean Groth says her team stepped up to the challenge. "As you saw... the Meyer sisters brought a level of attack that was not matched by anyone on our schedule this year. I felt like the Gators did an excellent job of pressing the ball control of Superior. Knowing that any 'in-system" ball was coming back to us in full force. The team battled throughout the entire match and I was very proud of their performance."

Wisner-Pilger’s season ends at 22-12.

Groth says making state was an amazing feeling. "Representing their school at the State VB Tourney was a great accomplishment for this team. They were filled with pride, and deservingly so."

Rachel Otten led the team with 247 kills on the season while Jindra totaled 330 digs and Buhrman 309.

Meyer led the team in set assists with 463 for the year.

Groth says this year's senior class was special. "We have all heard many times, there is no "I" in TEAM. But there was an "I" in this team... and it was Individualism.  We had 6 seniors this season, and they each had an "individual talent" that made our team successful. They all offered that individual talent to the betterment of the team. Graduation will leave holes, and those holes will need to be filled.  There are Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman ready to grab that challenge."

Key returners include Meyer, Buhrman, Reagan Scholting, Tymarie Ott, and Lily Otten.

There's a lot of girls returning for the Gators next season, and Wisner-Pilger should have a chance to be good once again.

This year's senior class includes Rachel Otten, Ashley Brahmer, Aspin Waterman, Jindra, and Erin McGuire.

This year's senior class will really be remembered and sorely missed for sure.

It was a very special season for the Gators, and Wisner-Pilger should be very proud of themselves.

Groth looks for this State Tournament berth to carry over some momentum into next year. "Any time your team can experience success at the end of your season, I believe it leaves a fire smoldering for the beginning of the next year."

The Gators will be breaking in many new players and will have some new faces on the floor.

Wisner-Pilger will be young next year, but making state this year should help the Gators next season, especially early on.

This year's senior class has set the bar for future success.

The returning players and newcomers now know what it takes to be successful and get to state.

Wisner-Pilger has to take what they learned from this year and apply it to their offseason workouts and conditioning.

The Gators have to really get after it and take part in as many team and summer camps and summer leagues and open gyms as possible, and have a burning passion in doing so.

Wisner-Pilger knocks off Mead in Sub-State to advance to State

The Wisner-Pilger Volleyball team defeated Mead in four sets on Saturday in David City, winning the C2-6 District Championship and earning a trip to the state tournament in action heard on 107.9 The Bull.

Going into the match, Mead was 23-1 overall and Wisner-Pilger was 21-11.

The Gators won the opening set 25-20.

The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Raiders picking up a 26-24 victory.

Wisner-Pilger was hot in the third set, downing Mead 25-18.

Set four was also back-and-forth as Wisner-Pilger overcame an early deficit to defeat Mead 25-23, claiming the match 3-1 and winning the C2-6 District Title.

Rachel Otten had 16 kills while Aspin Waterman totaled 12 kills and 7 digs. Karrin Jindra added 10 kills and 18 digs while Adi Meyer had 8 digs and 27 set assists.

Head Coach Jean Groth says serving and serve receive played a huge factor in the match. "The team served very aggressive. Mead had difficulty passing and that prevented them from getting into their offense. Our receive was strong... we had concern about their jump servers, but our receive was strong and our hitters hit .350."

The Gators improve to 22-11 on the season. They will be the #7 seed in the Class C2 State Tournament this week in Lincoln. They will play #2 Superior in the first round Thursday evening at 5:30. The match will be broadcast on 107.9 The Bull.

Groth says her team is battle tested, and that has paid off for them as they are at state. "It’s rewarding. It’s a recognition of their full body of work this season. The Gators have forged through a very difficult schedule. 10 teams that are at state were on our schedule or at our tourneys this season. 7 out of the team’s 11 losses were to state tournament teams. The Gators are ready for the challenge the state tourney offers!"

The Wildcats have a 6'2 girl who has committed to Nebraska. Groth says her team just has to be themselves and play the game in order to win. "There are 2 Meyer sisters that are excellent attackers. We just have to play our game (aggressiveness and low error) and know they are going to get some amazing swings. We just need to focus on what we can control."

Superior has State experience, and the Gators not having any could be an issue for and hurt Wisner-Pilger.

I think Gators can compete and hang in there and pull the upset, but the Wildcats are a very good team.

Groth says everyone is thrilled to be at State. "The school, the parents and family, and the community have been very supportive of the team. Their excitement for their Gators is “through the roof.”

I think Wisner-Pilger is very happy to be at State, but the team can't get caught up in the awe of being there, they have to play to win.

The Gators beat a very good Mead team to qualify for State, and Wisner-Pilger has to do what they did on Saturday on Thursday as well.

The Gators have played very tough competition all year long, and are prepared for a team like Superior I feel.

Everyone at State and in the field is good though so Wisner-Pilger has to be on top of their game.

The winner gets either GICC or Summerland in the Semifinals on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Thursday night's match will be held at Lincoln Southwest High School.

I hope you can all tune in to the Bull to listen to Wisner-Pilger State Volleyball!!!

It's the Gators' first State Tournament appearance since 2010 and their 16th appearance overall.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder loses Sub-State match to St. Paul

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Volleyball Team was swept 3-0 by St. Paul in the C1-1 District Final at Columbus High on Saturday.

The Raiders lost set one 25-14 and sets two and three 25-15.

Emily Lewin had 11 kills while Elizabeth Hull and Dream Daugherty totaled 9 and 8 digs, respectively. Reagan Klein added 17 set assists.

The Wildcats simply overwhelmed LVSS it appears.

The Raiders end the year at 17-15.

It was a good season for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, in my opinion.

The Raiders finished with a winning record in quite some time, and that's a huge deal and accomplishment for this program.

LVSS got to a Sub-State Match, and that's a big deal.

Now the Raiders have to take steps forward in the future and build off this and do even better in the years to come.

Lewin led the team with 300 kills this season while Daugherty had 238.

Daugherty had 309 digs while Lewin had 293. Christianson totaled 240 while Hull registered 218.

Klein dished out 746 set assists.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder says goodbye to Lewin, Taylor Ruwe, Klein, Abbey Hill, Adrian Kroeker, Christianson, and Hull.

These girls meant a lot to the program and will be sorely missed without a doubt.

They accomplished a lot this year and leading up to this year.

The Raiders welcome back Daugherty, Stormy Poast, and Kristal Svehla.

Lots of talent lost to graduation, but some solid pieces to build around for next year.

This year's JV team will have to have players step up and fill voids on varsity next year left by this year's departing seniors.

A lot of new faces figure to see the floor or Logan View/Scribner-Snyder next year, and these players have to work and train hard so they are ready and prepared for next season.

The Raiders need to lift often in the offseason, in addition to taking part in Club Volleyball, open gyms, summer leagues and camps, and team camps.

The returning players and newcomers have a lot of room for growth and improvement this offseason, and need to get after it as often and quickly as possible.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to continue to improve and must take steps forward from this season and build on what they did this year.

Wisner-Pilger sweeps Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Triangular to end regular season; beats GACC, falls to Ponca in Sub-Districts

The Wisner-Pilger Volleyball Team swept Logan View/Scribner-Snyder and Fort Calhoun 2-0 at the Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Triangular last Thursday night to end the regular season before downing GACC 3-1 in the C2-4 Sub-District Semifinals aired on 107.9 the Bull Monday night, only to lose in five sets to Ponca in Tuesday night's Sub-District Final also aired on the Bull.

The Gators defeated the Raiders 25-23 in set one and 25-17 in set two.

Rachel Otten had 9 kills while Karrin Jindra recorded 11 digs. Emily Buhrman added 10 digs while Aspin Waterman totaled 9. Erin McGuire dished out 7 set assists.

Wisner-Pilger won set one over the Pioneeers 25-16, and took set two 25-17.

Jindra posted 7 kills while Buhrman added 12 digs. Waterman added 10 digs while Adi Meyer and McGuire registered 10 and 7 set assists, respectively.

The Gators won set one over the Bluejays 25-23 and took set two 25-18 before losing set three 25-15 and winning set four 25-19.

Otten had 16 kills while Jindra recorded 9 kills and 24 digs. Buhrman added 14 digs while Meyer totaled 7 digs and 21 set assists. McGuire notched 7 digs.

Wisner-Pilger won set one over the Indians 25-15 before losing sets two and three 25-21, and then taking set four 25-20 before losing set five 15-4.

Otten had 13 kills and 10 blocks while Jindra tallied 7 kills and 21 digs. Adi Meyer registered 9 ace serves, 8 digs, and 19 set assists while Waterman and Buhrman had 17 and 14 digs, respectively. McGuire compiled 8 digs and 8 set assists.

Great play from the Gators last Thursday and in Sub-Districts.

Head Coach Jean Groth breaks down her team's as well as their opponents' play in Sub-Districts. "Against GACC, the Gators won the “serve and receive battle”. The majority of time, the Blue Jays were unable to set their ‘number one’ option within their offense in their efforts to side us out. That made it much easier on our defense. Tied to that was the efficiency of the Gator attackers. GACC made more attack errors that we did, and that was difficult for them to overcome. Against PONCA, our serve also bothered their offense. But the Ponca servers took our offense out of system more times than we had hoped for, creating more errors that aided in the Ponca win."

Wisner-Pilger (21-11) snagged the last Wildcard into Sub-State and will face Mead (23-1) at David City on Saturday in action that will be aired on 107.9 the Bull.

The Raiders swept Oakland-Craig 3-0 in the C2-2 Sub-District Final from West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

Groth says serving could very well decide this one. "Mead is a very aggressive serving team. Those aggressive servers gave Mead the edge over OC’s ball control.  That is the same advantage we had over OC when we played them. So it may become a battle of which team can earn more points with their serve… or maybe just force the other team more times out of system."

I would add that hitting errors and hitting efficiency could greatly affect the outcome of this match as well.

Groth discusses the keys to a Gator win. "Our goal is three-fold.  #1 Earn 17 points per set. (Kills, Ace Serves, and Stuff Blocks totaled)  #2 Make fewer than 8 errors per set. (Attack Errors, Service Errors, Blocking Errors) #3 Win the “Serve/Receive” Battle."

It seems pretty clear what Wisner-Pilger needs to do to win and advance to State so the Gators have to go out there and make it happen.

I feel Wisner-Pilger's tough match against Ponca and the tough schedule they play has prepared them for this moment.

I also think being at Sub-State last year and experiencing that for the first time allows these girls to know what to expect this time around.

I look for the Gators to go out there and play well and lay it all out on the line.

I feel Wisner-Pilger can definitely win this match and has what it takes to win.

Groth says making state would be a huge deal. "Any time a team can represent their school and their community in Lincoln at the state tourney… it is a very rewarding experience. The team is looking forward to the challenge."

The girls have to dream big and visualize what it would be like to get down to Lincoln and play at Lincoln Southwest, Pinnacle Bank Arena, and the Devaney Center.

Getting to State would be really big for this program, and I hope the Gators can go out there and get the job done.

First serve from David City is set for 3:00 p.m. on the Bull.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder splits Home Triangular; wins C1-3 Sub-District

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Volleyball Team won 2-0 over Fort Calhoun, but lost 2-0 to Wisner-Pilger at their home Triangular last Thursday night to end the regular season before winning 3-2 over West Point-Beemer in the C1-3 Sub-District Semifinals at Wisner-Pilger Monday night, and downing Wakefield-Allen 3-1 in Tuesday night's Sub-District Final.

The Gators downed the Raiders 25-23 in set one and 25-17 in set two.

Emily Lewin had 10 digs while Tyler Christianson totaled 7. Reagan Klein added 20 set assists.

LVSS beat the Pioneers 25-15 in set one and 25-22 in set two.

Lewin had 7 kills and 8 digs while Klein registered 12 digs and 18 set assists. Christianson added 9 digs.

The Raiders took set one from the Cadets 25-18 and won set two 25-15. West Point-Beemer won sets three and four 25-20 and 25-18 before Logan View/Scribner-Snyder prevailed 16-14 in set five.

Lewin had 23 kills and 16 digs while Dream Daugherty notched 14 kills and 34 digs. Christianson added 8 kills and 13 digs while Elizabeth Hull registered 13 digs. Klein chipped in 12 digs and 41 set assists.

The Trojans claimed set one 25-17 before the Raiders won set two 25-21, set three 25-14, and set four 25-22.

Lewin had 23 kills and 12 digs while Daugherty posted 11 kills and 13 digs. Christianson tallied 15 digs while Hull compiled 13. Klein contributed 13 digs and 41 set assists.

Great job by LVSS winning the Sub-District and making Sub-State!

Head Coach Brad Schlegel says his team being veteran laden helped them prevail both nights. "Just like most of the season, our experience helped us in both Sub-District matches. WP-B & W-A both had a lot of young, hungry players on the floor. We were able to take their best shots and keep our cool. Our team has played a lot of volleyball the past 3 years and they have been in all times of situations. Having that experience made a huge difference. The individuals on the court also had a 'refuse to lose' attitude. I could see it on their faces and in their body language. Our serving really put us in position to succeed with a 95% serve rate on both nights. That was probably our highest 2 game stretch of the season. Against W-A we were also able to limit our hitting errors. They were incredibly scrappy and forced us to attack 3-6 times every point to get kills. We also held up pretty well in serve receive which allowed us to run the offense to be successful."

The Raiders (17-14) face St. Paul (32-0) at Sub-State at Columbus High on Saturday.

The Wildcats downed Columbus Lakeview 3-0 in the C1-8 Sub-District at Columbus High Tuesday night.

Schlegel on the matchup. "St. Paul is a complete team with very few weaknesses. They are big, skilled, aggressive, and explosive. They have great experience and excellent coaching. In practice this week, we are focusing on the mental aspect of facing an unbeaten team. We need to be bold and confident in our approach to this match. We have nothing to lose and are going to embrace the underdog role. We can't be afraid or intimidated. With that said, it is very hard to prepare our girls for the speed of the game that we are going to face on Saturday."

Upsets happen all the time, and Logan View/Scribner-Snyder certainly has to be optimistic about their chances on Saturday, and have a refuse to lose attitude once again.

Schlegel says it's a big deal that his team has made it this far. "The seniors are loving the ride. This is the first District final for our school in 15 years, so it is pretty special for them to be a part of it. We were a little disappointed with our showing at conference, so to qualify for this game is big for these young women. It is almost more impactful for our program. Having younger girls understand what it means to realize your potential through hard work and teamwork is immeasurable. Seeing that we can compete with most schools in C1 and that district success in the future should not be a surprise. However, we also want to keep in perspective that this isn't the pinnacle. We want to shoot higher than just MAKING it to a District Final."

This is certainly a huge deal for the Raiders just to be to this point, but Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to go out there and play and expect to win.

The Raiders can't play not to lose or hoping to win.

Schlegel says winning on Saturday and making state would be an incredible feat for his team. "Making it to State would be a dream come true for many of these girls who have been watching it for many years from afar. Words really can't describe the level of excitement that would bring to our program and community after such a dry spell. In order to pull the upset on Saturday, we will have to have the best from all our individuals working as a team. We must stay aggressive from the serve line and on the attack. We will have to force St. Paul into situations where they aren't comfortable. I know it's cliche, but we have to walk into that gym on Saturday believing that we can do it."

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder certainly has their work cut out for them as St. Paul is a great team.

With that said, it's one match and one win to qualify for State at this point.

Anything can happen, and the Raiders have to go out there and make it happen.

First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. at Columbus High.