West Point-Beemer 2-3 in last five matches

The West Point-Beemer Cadets are 2-3 over their last five matches, losing 2-0 to Battle Creek, beating Laurel-Concord-Coleridge 2-1, and falling 2-0 to Twin River at the Stanton Tournament on Saturday before beating Logan View 2-0 and losing 2-1 to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family at their home triangular on Tuesday.

The Bears grabbed set one from the Cadets 25-11 before West Point-Beemer won set two 25-17 and set three 25-15.

The Braves downed the Cadets 25-16 in the first set, and 25-18 in the second set.

The Titans defeated West Point-Beemer 25-14 in set one, and 28-26 in set two.

The Cadets beat the Bulldogs 26-24 in the first set before losing sets two and three 25-20 and 25-17, respectively.

West Point-Beemer knocked off the Raiders 25-10 in set one, and 25-17 in set two.

I think the Cadets are playing some respectable volleyball right now. Given all the talent West Point-Beemer lost last year and given the fact they have a new coach, I would say things are going well.

The Cadets (4-5) take on North Bend Central (11-1) at home Thursday night.

The Tigers swept Oakland-Craig 3-0 at home Tuesday night.

North Bend Central has been on a roll as they have only lost three sets this season, including just one among all their wins.

The Tigers are a tough team, and present a difficult challenge for the Cadets.

I look for West Point-Beemer to come out tough, aggressive, and fiery.

I think the Cadets will play inspired volleyball, and challenge North Bend Central in every set.

West Point-Beemer may not win the match, but if anything, I think the Cadets can gain confidence in knowing they can play with a top team in C-1 if things are close.

West Point-Beemer has to believe they can win though. The Cadets have to believe in their abilities and trust one another.

West Point-Beemer has to continue to grow and improve to become an elite team. I think the Cadets have taken many positive steps in the right direction, and are a good, solid team at the moment, I just think it's a case of West Point-Beemer is going to get better with time.

It has been a respectable season so far for the Cadets, and I look for these girls to work hard and give it their all Thursday night.

The Tigers might be too strong for West Point-Beemer in the end, but the Cadets still need to do everything in their power to give North Bend Central their best shot.

West Point-Beemer can't back down from the Tigers. The Cadets have to be strong at the net and in the back row to be successful.

West Point-Beemer has to match North Bend Central's intensity level, and do their best to outwork and outhustle the Tigers.

The Cadets have to get better in any ways possible, and be proud of their efforts, win or lose.

Catch the match on 107.9 the Bull. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m.

North Bend Central notches wins over Wisner-Pilger and Oakland-Craig

The North Bend Central Tigers cruised to easy wins over Wisner-Pilger and Oakland-Craig last Tuesday night and this past Tuesday night, respectively, beating both 3-0.

North Bend Central defeated the Gators 25-19 in the first set, 25-18 in the second set, and 25-17 in the third set.

The Tigers knocked off the Knights 25-14 in sets one and three, and 25-12 in set two.

North Bend Central continues to play very good volleyball. The Tigers have been real impressive and dominant so far this season.

North Bend Central (11-1) is at West Point-Beemer (4-5) Thursday night.

The Cadets beat Logan View 2-0, but lost 2-1 to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family at their home triangular on Tuesday.

I think West Point-Beemer is having a respectable season so far, and has done some nice things, but the Tigers are really good.

I feel the Cadets can challenge and push North Bend Central, but I think the Tigers will be too strong for West Point-Beemer in the end.

It honestly wouldn't surprise me if North Bend Central won in a sweep given the way they have played lately.

The Tigers have been very dominant and impressive this season.

As a matter of fact, North Bend Central has only lost one set among all their wins this season.

The Tigers' lone loss is to Columbus Scotus so North Bend Central has lost only three sets the entire season.

The Tigers need to be focused and ready for the Cadets though. You can bet West Point-Beemer will come out fired up, and play inspired volleyball.

I look for North Bend Central to get the Cadets' best shot.

The Tigers have to be ready to weather any storms West Point-Beemer might through their way and must overcome any runs the Cadets go on.

North Bend Central has to continue doing what they have been doing all season, and they will be just fine.

The Tigers have to keep their foot on the accelerator throughout the entire match, and keep going strong until the match is won or lost.

North Bend Central has the David City Invite on Saturday so the Tigers need to play well and stay fresh Thursday night in order to gear up for the weekend.

Thursday night's match will be carried on 107.9 the Bull. First serve is scheduled for 7:30.

Guardian Angels Central Catholic 2-1 in last three matches

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays are 2-1 in their last three matches, falling 3-1 at Wayne last Tuesday night before knocking off O'Neill and Homer 3-0 at home on Thursday and this past Tuesday, respectively.

The Blue Devils took set one 25-23 before the Bluejays won set two 25-17. Wayne took set three 25-21 and set four 25-15.

Maddie Knobbe finished with 21 kills and 10 digs while Ally Plagge had 18 digs. Kali Stratman notched 16 digs and 28 set assists. Allie Knobbe posted 7 digs.

Head Coach Kate Hagemann says her girls lack experience. "Inconsistent probably. Every set we lost we dug ourselves a big hole. The first and third set we battled back and were able to make a set of it, but it's hard in the game of volleyball to get down down 6 points, 8 points, and expect to battle back."

Hagemann says inexperience is hurting her team. "We're young. We're really inconsistent. We make a ton of mental errors right now. And so that's what we talked about after the game. I think physically we have the skills to be a very good team, and we've talked about that. We just have to improve mentally when it comes to communication, when it comes to translating what we're doing in practice, and what we've talked about in a timeout out onto the court, and a lot of that's just youth. We're throwing out there 6, 7 kids who have never played varsity before."

GACC defeated O'Neill 25-13 in set one, 25-15 n set two, and 25-19 in set three.

Maddie Knobbe registered 14 kills while Tessa Simonsen had 7. Plagge added 16 digs while Stratman recorded 8 digs and 28 set assists.

The Bluejays topped the Knights 25-19 in the first set, 25-20 in the second set, and 25-16 in the third set.

Maddie Knobbe put down 12 kills while Plagge and Stratman totaled 11 digs and 25 set assists, respectively.

I think GACC played real well against O'Neill and Homer. Wayne is a good team that has played a tough schedule, and winning at their place is never easy.

The Bluejays (7-3) battle Arlington (7-3) and Oakland-Craig (2-7) Thursday night at the Arlington Triangular.

The Eagles lost 3-0 at Omaha Duschesne Academy on Tuesday while the Knights lost 3-0 at North Bend Central on Tuesday.

I think Arlington is going to be a very difficult opponent for GACC.

The Eagles have beat 3 Class B Schools and five of their seven wins are over teams with winning records.

I'm not saying the Bluejays can't beat Arlington, it's just going to be very difficult, in my opinion.

The Knights have really struggled lately, and I don't see GACC having much trouble with them.

These are the Bluejays' only two other matches of the week so GACC needs to have a good showing.

The Bluejays have to build on the success they had against Homer and O'Neill, and do everything in their power to come up with a triangular sweep on Thursday.

It's going to be awfully difficult for GACC to win in Arlington's house against the Eagles I'm afraid, but if there's any team that can win a big match in a tough road environment, it's the Bluejays.

GACC just has to play smart, error free volleyball, and make the Eagles earn their points.

The Bluejays have to force Arlington into mistakes, and capitalize on them.

GACC has to do the little things well, and cannot beat themselves.

The Bluejays have to come out inspired and play great volleyball. GACC can't come out sluggish and uninspired.

The Bluejays have to play championship volleyball and be at their best in order to have a chance to knock off the Eagles.

I know GACC is young, but they can't get rattled. The Bluejays have to play their game, and respond well to any adversity that comes their way.

GACC has to give it their best shot in both matches, and do everything in their power to come away with two wins.

Emerson-Hubbard remains winless

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates are 0-3 in their last three matches, having lost 3-0 at home to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge last Tuesday night, 3-2 at home to Allen Thursday night, and 3-0 at Ponca Tuesday night.

The Bears beat the Pirates 25-22 in set one, 25-16 in set two, and 25-20 in set three.

Emerson-Hubbard knocked off the Eagles 27-25 in the first set before Allen won the second and third sets 25-21. The Pirates won the fourth set 25-21 before the Eagles took the fifth and decisive set 15-11.

The Indians defeated Emerson-Hubbard 25-11 in set one, 25-13 in set two, and 25-5 in set three.

The Pirates came close to beating Allen, but just couldn't get the job done.

Emerson-Hubbard (0-9) faces Winnebago (3-8) and BRLD (8-9) at the BRLD Triangular on Thursday.

The Indians lost 3-1 at Omaha Nation on Tuesday while the Wolverines won 3-1 at Scribner-Snyder, also on Tuesday.

I think the Pirates have a good shot at picking up their first win of the season on Thursday.

I don't know if Emerson-Hubbard will beat BRLD, but I could see the Pirates beating Winnebago.

It would mean so much for this team to pick up their first win of the season.

Obviously, Emerson-Hubbard would like a sweep, but I would say a split is more likely.

Both the Wolverines and Indians have come on strong lately though.

Both are playing very respectable volleyball while the Pirates' struggles continue.

I think Emerson-Hubbard has what it takes to knock off Winnebago though, I really do.

The Pirates just have to trust themselves and their teammates, and believe in each other.

Emerson-Hubbard has to find some confidence in their play and learn how to win.

The Pirates haven't shown the ability to close out matches so far this season, but that can all change on Thursday.

Emerson-Hubbard has to focus in on what they are doing and play two good, clean matches.

The Pirates must give it their all in both matches, and do everything in their power to beat both Winnebago and BRLD.

Emerson-Hubbard has to forget about the Ponca match on Tuesday, and refocus their efforts on the Indians and Wolverines.

If the Pirates can pick up at least one win on Thursday it could give Emerson-Hubbard the confidence and drive they need to win more matches this season, in my opinion.

Scribner-Snyder falls to Clarkson/Leigh

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans lost 3-1 at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

The Patriots downed the Trojans 25-13 in set one. Scribner-Snyder took set two 25-23 before Clarkson/Leigh won sets three and four 25-16.

MacKenzy Schreck finished with 12 kills, 10 blocks, and 8 digs while Nicole Boyle had 18 digs and 20 set assists. Savanah Miller added 14 digs while Kaylee Boyle notched 8.

Head Coach Shelly Schulenberg says her team didn't play as well as they would of hoped.

"We did not have our best match against Clarkson/Leigh. We had 61 team errors, and like I had mentioned in one of my other interviews, you're just not going to beat anybody if you have that many errors, no matter what team you're playing."

Scribner-Snyder hosts BRLD Tuesday night on 107.9 the Bull. Schulenberg says there's a lot of excitement and anticipation around this match with it being the Trojans' first one at home. "They're all excited to finally be at home. We've heard lots of good comments from the community too that they're ready to come watch us play. So we are definitely ready to start off at home, and then all week we're at home, so that'll be nice."

Scribner-Snyder comes in with a 4-3 record while the Wolverines are 7-9 on the season. 

BRLD went 1-2 at the Tekamah-Herman Invite on Saturday, downing Omaha Roncalli 2-0, but losing 2-1 to Tekamah-Herman and 2-0 to Fort Calhoun.

This is an intriguing matchup if you ask me.

I feel both teams have played good volleyball lately, and are getting ready to hit their stride.

I still think both teams are a bit inconsistent, but I think there's a lot of potential in both.

For the Trojans, it's all about eliminating errors.

Scribner-Snyder has to hit well and make good, crisp, smart passes.

The Trojans have to be on target and on top of their game to come away with a win Tuesday night.

There figures to be a pretty decent crowd from Scribner-Snyder at the match from the sounds of it so the Trojans no doubt want to have a good match for their home crowd.

Scribner-Snyder has to be excited about the opportunity in front of them. The Trojans have to be excited to play another C-2 team with the chance to knock them off and earn extra power points.

Scribner-Snyder has to be ready to defend their home court. The Wolverines will no doubt come in fired up so the Trojans need to match BRLD's intensity.

As Schulenberg said, Scribner-Snyder is at home all week so this is a big week for the Trojans. Scribner-Snyder wants to be impressive at home and give the communities of Scribner and Snyder something to be proud of.

First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the Bull.

Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur goes 1-2 at Tekamah-Herman Invite

The Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Wolverines went 1-2 at the Tekamah-Herman Invite on Saturday, beating Omaha Roncalli 2-0 before losing 2-1 to the host Tigers and 2-0 to Fort Calhoun.

Tekamah-Herman won set one over the Wolverines 25-15. BRLD took set two 25-23 before the Tigers claimed set three 25-21.

The Pioneers claimed set one against the Wolverines, 25-21.  Fort Calhoun won set two 25-19.

BRLD downed the Crimson Pride 25-18 in the first set, and 25-21 in the second set.

I thought the Wolverines might win this tournament, but it just wasn't meant to be. BRLD did a great job not giving up and continuing to fight and salvage a win though.

The Wolverines (7-9) are at Scribner-Snyder (4-3) Tuesday night.

The Trojans lost 3-1 at Clarkson/Leigh last time out, but had won four matches in a row prior to that.

Scribner-Snyder is good, but if BRLD is on top of their game, I think they can beat the Trojans.

It all depends on which Wolverines' team shows up though.

BRLD has been great at times this year, but at other times I feel they've been inconsistent.

That's something that can be fixed and straightened out though.

There's no doubt the Wolverines can beat Scribner-Snyder, and get on a roll.

I really thought BRLD was going to win the Tekamah-Herman Invite on Saturday, but perhaps the Wolverines will peak at a later time instead.

This match is important for both teams. I'm not sure who needs the win more.

It's a matchup of two teams who have caught fire in recent matches, and would really like to win.

It's never easy to win on the road, especially against a good team like the Trojans, but the Wolverines have a lot of talent, and can get the job done without a doubt.

It will be interesting to see if BRLD can pick up the win. It's definitely possible, but Scribner-Snyder is experienced, and will be fired up to take on the Wolverines at home for sure.

This is the Trojans' first home match of the season so you can bet there will be some extra motivation on their side.

I feel this match could go either way, it just depends on who plays well and who doesn't.

First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull.

Tekamah-Herman goes 1-2 at own tournament

The Tekamah-Herman Tigers went 1-2 at their own tournament on Saturday, downing BRLD 2-1 before losing 2-1 to Fort Calhoun and 2-0 to Omaha Roncalli.

Tekamah-Herman won set one over the Wolverines 25-15. BRLD took set two 25-23 before the Tigers claimed set three 25-21.

The Crimson Pride downed the Tigers 25-10 in the first set, and 25-17 in the second set.

The Pioneers won set one 25-14. Tekamah-Herman earned a 25-17 set two win before Fort Calhoun claimed set three 25-20.

The Tigers didn't play too bad on Saturday, in my opinion. Tekamah-Herman took care of the Wolverines, and gave Fort Calhoun all they could handle.

The Tigers (5-9) are at Madison (0-5) Tuesday night.

The Dragons lost 3-0 at home to David City last time out, and have really struggled this year.

Madison has only won one set all year so this is a match Tekamah-Herman should be able to win in three or four sets.

The Tigers can't overlook or underestimate the Dragons though.

Any team can be beaten on any given day so Tekamah-Herman has to be ready from the get go against Madison.

The Tigers must bring their "A" game, and be ready to take it to the Dragons.

Tekamah-Herman has to play well in all facets of the game...serving, passing, hitting, serve receiving, and attacking well.

The Tigers have to do the little things well and find ways to manufacture easy points.

At the same time, Tekamah-Herman has to make life difficult on Madison, and make the Dragons earn their points.

The Tigers have to do their best to get the ball to their best hitters.

Tekamah-Herman has to outhustle and outwork Madison as well.

The last thing the Tigers can afford to do is let the Dragons hang around. Tekamah-Herman can't give Madison and hope or life...the Tigers have to take that away early.

The Tigers have to enjoy themselves and have fun, but at the same time be serious and have a business like attitude.

Tekamah-Herman has to simply take care of business.