Tekamah-Herman 3-4 to start year

The Tekamah-Herman Tigers are 3-4 to start the season having knocked off Allen and lost to Wisner-Pilger 2-0 last Thursday in the Northeast Nebraska Classic before losing 2-0 to Guardian Angels Central Catholic and Fremont Bergan, and beating Wakefield 2-0 at the Classic on Saturday.

Tekamah-Herman defeated Logan View 2-0 and lost 2-0 to Twin River at the Twin River Triangular on Tuesday.

The Tigers defeated the Eagles 25-18 in set one and 25-11 in set two.

The Gators downed Tekamah-Herman 25-10 in the first set and 25-17 in the second set.

The Bluejays won set one 25-14 and set two 25-23.

The Knights took set one 25-13 and set two 25-17.

The Tigers won set one over the Trojans 25-21, and took set two 25-14.

Tekamah-Herman defeated the Raiders 25-19 in set one, and 25-11 in set two.

The Titans downed the Tigers 25-18 in set one and 25-19 in set two.

I think Tekamah-Herman is playing respectable Volleyball so far. The Tigers have only lost to good teams, and have take care of business against the teams they're supposed to beat.

Tekamah-Herman (3-4) will take part in the Boone Central Invite on Saturday.

I'm not sure who the Tigers play, but one team in the tournament will be Boone Central/Newman Grove.

I look for Tekamah-Herman to have a good day of volleyball. I think the Tigers have a chance to pick up a win or two in this tournament, and continue to improve.

Tekamah-Herman has to serve, serve receive, block, and hit well.

It's going to take a solid effort in all facets of the game for the Tigers to have success on Saturday.

Tekamah-Herman has to take what they've learned from past wins and losses, and apply it to Saturday's matches.

The Tigers can't be scared of anyone they play, and must be ready to give teams all they can handle.

Tekamah-Herman has to be motivated and excited to play the game of volleyball.

The Tigers have to play their game, and not let the crowd or anyone else affect how they play.

Tekamah-Herman has to do a good job dealing with any adversity that hits them, and must continue to fight and battle no matter what.

The Tigers can't ever give up no matter what the scoreboard says.

Tekamah-Herman has to play smart and competitive volleyball, and just have fun.

Communication is important as well. The Tigers have to talk to each other in regards to who is going to receive a serve, and if the ball is going to be in or out.

Oakland-Craig 2-3 so far

The Oakland-Craig Knights are 2-3 so far this season as they lost 2-0 to Wayne and Fremont Bergan in the Northeast Nebraska Classic on opening night before falling 2-1 to Pender in the Classic on Saturday. Oakland-Craig defeated BRLD 2-1 and Allen 2-0, also in the Classic on Saturday.

Bergan defeated Oakland-Craig 25-12 in set one and 25-15 in set two.

The Blue Devils beat the Knights 25-10 in the first set, and 25-11 in the second set.

Oakland-Craig beat Pender 26-24 in set one before the Pendragons notched a 25-10 win in set two and a 25-13 win in set three.

The Wolverines won set one 25-10 over Oakland-Craig before the Knights took set two 28-26 and set three 25-13.

Oakland-Craig downed the Eagles 25-17 in set one and 25-18 in set two.

Head Coach Chelsey Quigley says her team started out slow, but got things going over the weekend. "Yeah I would say that we got off to a little bit slower start than we would have liked, but I feel like we made a lot of progress in those two days, and we kind of found a little bit of a groove. And some girls stepped up, which we needed, and so I'm hoping that that just keeps carrying on over and we just keep improving on the year with that."

The Knights (2-3) host Scribner-Snyder (0-2) Thursday night.

The Trojans lost 2-0 to Cedar Bluffs and Howells-Dodge at the Howells-Dodge Triangular on Tuesday.

Quigley says it would be a big deal for her team to even up their record at 3-3. "I think it would be a big confidence boost for us. And I think it's very important for the girls to at least keep improving. And that's the important thing. So wins and losses we would like to see more wins on that column so hopefully we can do that."

I think Oakland-Craig has a good chance to pick up a win over Scribner-Snyder.

The Trojans are the more experienced team, but the Knights have had a couple of girls step up so that should really help them Thursday night.

I'm also not sure how familiar Scribner-Snyder is with Oakland-Craig, but I think the Knights are pretty familiar with the Trojans so it will be interesting to see what sort of impact that has on the match.

This match is a chance for the Knights to gain a little consistency, and continue to roll.

Oakland-Craig has a big triangular at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family on Tuesday so the Knights definitely want to win Thursday night's match to gain momentum for that triangular.

We'll see how Oakland-Craig fares Thursday night. I look for the match to go four or five sets. I would be surprised if it was a sweep one way or the other.

First serve between the Knights and Trojans is set for 7:00 p.m. in Oakland. The match can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Scribner-Snyder 0-2 to begin season

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans are 0-2 so far this season having fallen 2-0 to Cedar Bluffs and Howells-Dodge at the Howells-Dodge Triangular on Tuesday.

The Wildcats downed the Trojans 25-19 in set one and 25-10 in set two.

The Jaguars beat Scribner-Snyder 25-17 in the first set and 25-15 in the second set.

Kaylee Boyle had 8 digs while Savanah Miller totaled 7. Nicole Boyle added 8 set assists.

Head Coach Shelly Schulenberg says there were positives and negatives to take away from the losses. "Well I learned a little bit of the good and a little bit of the bad. The bad news is we didn't pass the ball very well and so therefore we can't run our offense very well. But when we did pass the ball I saw a lot of positive results with some good swings."

Scribner-Snyder (0-2) faces Oakland-Craig (2-3) on the road Thursday night.

The Knights lost 2-0 to Wayne and Fremont Bergan in the Northeast Nebraska Classic on opening night before falling 2-1 to Pender in the Classic on Saturday. Oakland-Craig defeated BRLD 2-1 and Allen 2-0, also in the Classic on Saturday.

Schulenberg says her team has hit well to come out on top. "If we just play smart ball, and I just told the girls that it's not all about power when you're hitting the ball, it's about placement. And they just need to really be smart when they're hitting the ball so that they don't make the easy mistakes and give away the easy point."

I think the Trojans can definitely be competitive and win this match if they hit well.

Mackenzy Schreck has been a bright spot for Scribner-Snyder, and I look for her to continue to play well.

I felt Scribner-Snyder was more competitive and consistent against the Jaguars, and I think there are things from that match the Trojans can take and apply to this match.

I think Scribner-Snyder has a chance to compete with Oakland-Craig, and win a set or two, if not the match itself.

The Knights started playing better on the final day of the Northeast Nebraska Classic though so we will see what happens.

It should be a good, close, competitive match with both teams playing at a high level.

First serve between the Knights and Trojans is set for 7:00 p.m. in Oakland. The match can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Guardian Angels Central Catholic begins season 4-2

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays are 4-2 so far this season, losing 2-0 to Lutheran High Northeast on Thursday in the Northeast Nebraska Classic, beating Pender 2-0 in the Classic on Friday, knocking off Tekamah-Herman  and Wakefield 2-0, but losing 2-1 to Fremont Bergan in the Classic on Saturday before winning 3-2 over Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family at home on Tuesday.

The Eagles downed the Bluejays 25-17 in set one and 25-18 in set two.

Maddie Knobbe had 7 kills while Ally Plagge totaled 9 digs. Kali Stratman added 14 set assists.

GACC beat the Pendragons 25-23 in set one, and 25-17 in set two.

Plagge totaled 7 digs while Stratman dished out 12 set assists.

The Bluejays downed the Tigers 25-14 in the first set, and 25-23 in the second set.

Stratman had a team-high 7 set assists.

GACC downed the Trojans 25-20 in the opening set, and 25-14 in the second set.

Knobbe registered 12 kills and 7 digs while Stratman recorded 7.5 set assists.

The Bluejays defeated the Knights 25-19 in set one, dropped set two 25-23, but took set three 25-15.

Knobbe finished with 12 kills while Brooklyn Bailey had 9 digs. Stratman added 20 set assists.

The Bulldogs took set one from GACC, 25-18, before the Bluejays responded by winning set two 25-22. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family won set three 25-18 before GACC won sets four and five 25-13 and 15-7.

Knobbe had a team-high 18 kills, 8 blocks, and 7 digs while Tessa Simonsen chipped in 13 kills. Plagge totaled 23 digs while Stratman posted 11. Lisa Gatzmeyer notched 8 digs and 32 set assists.

The Bluejays may not be as dominant as they have been in the past, at least based on how they're doing in the early season, but this is still a really good team. GACC lost to a couple of quality opponents in Lutheran High Northeast and Bergan.

The Bluejays (4-2) are at Boone Central/Newman Grove (1-0) Thursday night.

The Cardinals won 3-1 at O'Neill on opening night.

GACC is coming off a match that went the distance and could easily have them a little worn out heading into Thursday's match.

The Cardinals could definitely be the fresher team, but I think it's better to have played more matches in the Bluejays' case than to have had time off in the Cardinals' case.

I think GACC will be the more game ready team come Thursday night.

The match being on the Cardinals' home floor could definitely give Boone Central/Newman Grove the advantage, but the Bluejays are no stranger to the place I'm sure, and have won tough road matches in the past.

This is a big match for GACC in terms of power points. The Cardinals are a C-1 team so the Bluejays could earn extra power points by knocking off Boone Central/Newman Grove.

This is GACC's final match of the week so the Bluejays have to play well prior to Tuesday's match at Wayne.

GACC can rest after Thursday's match, but right now the Bluejays have to be focused and ready to take care of business Thursday night.

GACC has to play with intensity, pride, passion, toughness, tenacity, fire, and grit.

The Bluejays have to give the Cardinals everything they have, and do everything in their power to pick up a win.

I look for GACC to move to 5-2 with a win on Thursday. I think the match could go four or five sets, but I look for the Bluejays to prevail.

Emerson-Hubbard 0-4 to start year

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates are 0-4 to start the season as they lost 2-0 to Ponca and Homer at their own triangular on Thursday before falling 2-0 to North Bend Central and Pender at the North Bend Central Triangular on Tuesday.

The Pirates fell 25-20 in set one to the Knights, and dropped set two 25-18.

The Indians beat Emerson-Hubbard 25-20 in set one and 25-10 in set two.

The Tigers downed the Pirates 25-10 in the first set and 25-9 in the second and decisive set.

The Pendragons beat Emerson-Hubbard 25-21 in set one and 25-15 in set two.

As you can see, the Pirates have been competitive in at least one set in three out of their four matches so far. Emerson-Hubbard just hasn't been able to sustain the same level of play throughout an entire match is what it looks like to me though.

The Pirates (0-4) take on Randolph (1-4) and Osmond (1-2) in the Osmond Triangular on Thursday.

The Cardinals lost 3-0 at home to Ponca on Tuesday while the Tigers won 3-0 at Bloomfield on Tuesday.

I view both teams as being beatable.

I don't think there's any doubt Emerson-Hubbard can knock off both teams, or at the very least, force a third set in each match.

I look for every set of both matches to be close and competitive.

Three of the Pirates' four opponents so far are C-2 or C-1 teams so it will be interesting to see how Emerson-Hubbard fairs against a pair of one win teams in their own class.

I think the Pirates have a chance to take both matches, and that would be absolutely huge for this team and program.

Just winning a set would be good progress for this team.

Emerson-Hubbard has to take things one set and one match at a time, and focus in and play hard on every serve and every point.

The Pirates can't get down on themselves when they make a mistake, and let it lead to more mistakes.

Emerson-Hubbard has to remain positive at all times and do their best to play at a high level.

The Pirates have to give it their all the entire time and do what they can to make life difficult on their opponents.

Emerson-Hubbard has to continue to fight, scrap, and play hard, and become more consistent.

If the Pirates can do these things, turning their season around is a very real possibility.

Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur begins year 2-4

The Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Wolverines are off to a 2-4 start, going 2-3 at the Northeast Nebraska Classic last week before losing 3-2 at home to Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

BRLD lost 2-0 to North Bend Central and 2-1 to Wakefield on Thursday before losing 2-1 to Oakland-Craig, beating Pender 2-1, and downing Allen 2-0 on Saturday.

The Wolverines dropped set one 25-16 and set two 25-17 to the Tigers.

BRLD took set one from the Trojans, 25-22, before dropping set two 25-17 and set three 26-24.

The Wolverines won set one against the Knights, 25-10, before losing set two 28-26, and set three 25-13.

The Pendragons beat BRLD 27-25 in set one, but the Wolverines nabbed sets two and three 25-15.

BRLD knocked off the Eagles 25-18 in set one, and 25-8 in set two.

The Patriots won set one over the Wolverines 25-23, and took set two 25-14. BRLD won set three 25-18 and set four 25-21 before Clarkson/Leigh won the fifth set 15-11.

I wouldn't say the Wolverines have played bad so far this season, they've just lost a couple of matches they probably shouldn't of.

BRLD (2-4) takes part in the Wakefield Tournament Thursday-Saturday.

The Wolverines will play Hartington Cedar Catholic (2-4) in their first match.

The Trojans lost 3-2 at home to Crofton on Tuesday.

Hartington Cedar Catholic has lost to some good teams so BRLD has to be ready to play at a high level.

The Wolverines are very capable of beating the Trojans, they just have to put their minds to it.

I know BRLD had a tough five set loss at home to Clarkson/Leigh on Tuesday, but the Wolverines have to put that match behind them and move on.

All BRLD can do now is focus on the future, and the Hartington Cedar Catholic match is in their future.

The Wolverines have to be tough minded, and must be ready to go toe to toe with the Trojans.

BRLD has to execute in all facets of the game, and try and make Hartington Cedar Catholic earn their points. The Wolverines also have to find ways to manufacture easy points.

BRLD has played okay up to this point, they just need to find their groove and rhythm. And once that happens I look for this team to take off.

It hasn't been the easiest start to the season for the Wolverines, but now is not the time to panic as there is plenty of season left.

BRLD has to right the ship and figure out what they've been doing wrong.

The Wolverines have been hit with some tough times and adversity so it will be interesting to see how BRLD handles it.

The Wolverines dealt with adversity well Tuesday night I thought, at least based on the way they came back and forced a fifth set after going down 2-0.

West Point-Beemer drops opener to Wisner-Pilger

The West Point-Beemer Cadets lost 3-0 at home to Wisner-Pilger Tuesday night.

The Cadets fell to the Gators 25-19, 25-21, and 25-20 in a game heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Head Coach Monica Wiehn. "We knew that it was going to be tough, and strong hitters and great at the net, and so we kind of lacklustered at that. We're better than what we showed. We hustled. We just played tentative once they got a few blocks on us, and we had hitting errors, and we just played tentative, so that's something we're going to focus on, and come out on Thursday. We're not scared."

West Point-Beemer (0-1) battles Twin River (5-1) and Schuyler (1-0) at the Twin River Triangular on Thursday.

The Titans downed Logan View and Tekamah-Herman 2-0 at their home triangular on Tuesday. The Warriors swept Cornerstone Christian 3-0 at home on Thursday.

Both teams are certainly going to provide stingy challenges for the Cadets.

West Point-Beemer is going to need to play well against both to beat both.

I thought the Cadets did some good things against a solid Wisner-Pilger club on Tuesday. The Gators just ultimately proved to be the stronger team.

I think West Point-Beemer can at least get a split out of Thursday's triangular. Winning both would be nice, and the Cadets certainly have the potential to beat both teams, but if West Point-Beemer at least wins one of the matches that should serve as a momentum booster for matches down the line.

These are the only two matches left for the Cadets this week so West Point-Beemer needs to make the most of them heading into Tuesday's match at Tekamah-Herman.

I look for the Cadets to have a strong showing on Thursday. I think you will see West Point-Beemer come out and play hard, and give the Titans and Warriors all they can handle.

The Cadets just have to work on closing out matches. West Point-Beemer was right there in each set against Wisner-Pilger, the Gators just got the best of the Cadets at the end of every set.

There's no doubt West Point-Beemer is capable of getting that script flipped on Thursday. I believe the Cadets have what it takes to beat Schuyler, and at the very least, push Twin River.

A win or two would be good for West Point-Beemer. I'm sure the Cadets would like to taste victory Thursday night.