Wisner-Pilger 3-0 in last three matches

The Wisner-Pilger Gators defeated Logan View and Scribner-Snyder 2-0 last Thursday night at the Logan View Triangular before beating Oakland-Craig 3-0 on the road Tuesday night.

The Gators downed the Raiders 25-10 in set one and 25-11 in set two.

Jordan Wegner had 11 kills while Ashton Meyer and Jayda Oligmueller posted 8 digs apiece.

Wisner-Pilger beat the Trojans 25-9 in set one, and 25-7 in set two.

Oligmueller had 10 kills with Wegner recording 9. Ariel Meyer notched 11 digs while Allissa Meyer registered 7.

The Gators topped the Knights 25-20 in the first set, 25-12 in the second set, and 25-21 in the third set.

Oligmueller compiled 14 kills and 7 digs while Maci Batenhorst totaled 13 kills. Wegner contributed 11 kills and 8 digs. Ashton Meyer chipped in 15 digs while Allissa Meyer had 13. Lauren Jacobsen added 7 digs and 41 set assists.

Wisner-Pilger has played good volleyball lately and peaked at the right time. I think the Gators are a threat to do some good things in the postseason.

Wisner-Pilger (19-11) squares off with Battle Creek (16-13) in the bunny bracket of the C2-7 Sub-District at Norfolk Catholic on Monday.

The Braves lost 3-0 to Wayne at home in the Mid-State Conference Tournament on Thursday.

These two teams met on September 22nd at the Wisner-Pilger Triangular with the Gators winning 2-1.

I like Wisner-Pilger to beat Battle Creek again.

I feel the Gators are playing too well right now to not at least earn a shot to upset Howells-Dodge.

Oligmueller, Batenhorst, and Wegner all need to have good matches hitting the ball for Wisner-Pilger, and Ashton, Allissa, and Ariel Meyer need to have solid matches digging as well.

It's going to take all hands on deck and on board for the Gators to knock off the Braves and other teams after that if Wisner-Pilget gets that far.

Wisner-Pilger has to play together as one, and believe in their abilities as well as trust each other.

It's the postseason, and anything can happen so the Gators have to think they've got a chance to do some postseason damage.

The Jaguars are the No. 1 seed, but upsets happen all the time, and Wisner-Pilger has to think they have a shot to upset Howells-Dodge if the Gators can get by Battle Creek.

You never want to overlook an opponent, but I'm sure Wisner-Pilger would really like to get a shot to upset the Jaguars.

The Gators just have to play their game, and play smart, mistake and error free volleyball.

Wisner-Pilger has to serve, pass, hit, block, and serve receive well.

The Gators must make their postseason opponent (s) earn their points. Wisner-Pilger has to do all they can to outwork, outhustle, and outplay the competition.

The Gators are playing as well as anyone right now as Wisner-Pilger has won 7 out of their last 8 so we will see how much postseason damage the Gators can do.

First serve between the Braves and Gators is slated for 6:15 p.m.

Oakland-Craig downs Pender, loses to Wisner-Pilger

The Oakland-Craig Knights beat Pender 3-2 on the road last Tuesday night before falling 3-0 at home to Wisner-Pilger this past Tuesday night.

Oakland-Craig lost to the Gators in the first set 25-20, and dropped the second set 25-12 before losing the third set 25-21.

The Knights did a good job of beating the Pendragons and competing well in two sets against the Gators, in my opinion.

Oakland-Craig (8-23) takes on Fremont Bergan (16-14) in the first round of Sub Districts Monday night at Fremont Middle School.

Fremont Bergan beat Oakland-Craig 2-0 on October 11th at the Oakland-Craig Triangular.

Fremont Bergan has scuffled as of late though as they are just 3-9 in their last 12 matches.

I think Oakland-Craig has a legitimate shot to pull off the upset.

Oakland-Craig has played their best volleyball as of late as they won three out of their last four to end the regular season.

These girls need to dream and think big because anything is possible.

Oakland-Craig has to be confident in their abilities, and believe they can win.

It's the postseason, and I look for Oakland-Craig and Bergan to go wall to wall with one another.

I think Oakland-Craig will at least take one set for sure, if not a couple or win the match.

It has been a tough season for Oakland-Craig, but nothing would make their season more than to upset Bergan and send them home for the season.

Upsets happen all the time in the postseason, and I think this is one of those sub districts where the No. 4 seed can win it and advance to a district final.

Oakland-Craig has a lot of work to do if they want to make it that far, but Oakland-Craig really has nothing to lose in this match.

I suspect Oakland-Craig will play loose. If anything I expect Bergan to tighten up being they are the favorite.

All the pressure is really on Bergan. Not many expect Oakland-Craig to win.

All that really matters though is what the girls and coaches in the locker room believe and think.

Oakland-Craig has to have a good game plan to slow down Lexie Langley, Alexis Villwok, Alyssa Mendlik, and Haley Kempf.

Oakland-Craig has to be all in, and expect to win.

First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

BRLD beats Pender and Tekamah-Herman

The BRLD Wolverines topped Pender 3-1 at home last Tuesday night, and beat Tekamah-Herman 3-1 at home this past Tuesday night.

BRLD won set one over the Pendragons 25-20, and took set two 25-16 before losing set three 25-17. The Wolverines earned a 25-17 set four win.

The Tigers claimed the first set from BRLD 25-23, but the Wolverines bounced back to win sets two and three 25-19, and set four 25-15.

It appears BRLD continued the success they had in the East Husker Conference Tournament as the Wolverines have now won five out of their last six.

BRLD (18-14) battles Homer (14-13) in the opening round of Sub Districts on Monday at Wayne High.

The Wolverines topped the Knights 2-0 on September 8th at the Wakefield Tournament.

Homer went 1-1 at the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament, beating Wausa 2-0, but losing 3-2 to Winside.

This is an intriguing battle if you ask me.

The Knights have also won five out of their last six and appear to be on a roll as well.

That should make for a good quality match Monday night.

This sub district is clearly Ponca's to win, I don't think there's any mistaking that, but I think BRLD has a good chance to make the sub district final.

This team has had a respectable season after starting off sort of slow.

The Wolverines have played their best volleyball down the stretch and given themselves a chance to be competitive night in and night out.

I look for BRLD to find a way to win against Homer, and I think the match will go five sets.

The Wolverines are a tough team, and I think BRLD will be able to outlast the Knights.

I think beating Homer once already gives the Wolverines the confidence needed to do it again.

Vicki Gatzemeyer, Tess Nottleman, Lexie Bacon, and Kelly Wakeley need to be on top of their game for BRLD though.

These four definitely make the Wolverines go, and I look for all four to step up in a big way and perform well for BRLD Monday night.

The Wolverines have to play their game, and perform at the highest level possible against the Knights.

Winning in the postseason is never easy so BRLD has to stay the course and fight through any tough moments that come their way.

I look for Monday night's match to be a seesaw back and forth battle. I'm sure both teams will trade blows every set until a winner is decided.

First serve is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.

Clarkson/Leigh tops Mead and Pender

The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots downed Mead 3-0 at home last Thursday night, and Pender 3-0 on the road Monday night to end the regular season.

The Patriots beat the Raiders 25-16 in set one, 25-14 in set two, and 26-24 in set three.

Hannah Kasik had 12 kills while Beth Wiese notched 8. Shelby Paprocki totaled 7 kills and 16 digs while Halee Steffensmeier registered 24. Kaegan Held recorded 15 digs and 29 set assists with Sara McEvoy and Cully Cerv posting 9 and 8 digs, respectively.

The Patriots took set one over the Pendragons 25-11, set two 25-20, and set three 25-21.

Paprocki put down 17 kills and had 14 digs while Kasik registered 8 kills 8 digs. Steffensmeier and McEvoy compiled 12 and 11 digs, respectively, while Held had 7 digs and 30 set assists.

Head Coach Rebecca Schneider's girls only had four service errors.

"Yeah we definitely limited our errors so I mean when we limit our errors we play great volleyball, and we just go after it."

Clarkson/Leigh (16-14) battles the Pendragons (10-19) again Monday night in the first round of Sub Districts at Wisner-Pilger.

The Patriots also defeated Pender 2-1 at the Clarkson/Leigh Tournament on October 1st so it will be the third matchup of the season for Clarkson/Leigh and Pender.

It's never easy to beat a team three times in a season, but given the way the Pendragons have performed lately, a third win over Pender is a very real possibility.

The Pendragons have lost 9 out of their last 10, but this is still a veteran team, and I expect Pender to play well on Monday.

I think the Patriots are going to have their hands full on Monday. This is a veteran and talented Pender team, and I fully expect the Pendragons to play much better Monday than they have here at the end of the regular season.

The road to Lincoln appears to run through GACC, and beating the Bluejays in the sub district final will be no easy task for whoever plays them, but I feel Clarkson/Leigh has the best chance of all the teams in the sub district to give GACC a match.

I feel the Patriots have quite a bit of talent, perhaps even more talent than Pender.

The difference between Clarkson/Leigh and Pender though is the Patriots have a bunch of talented sophomores, and the Pendragons have talented seniors.

Experience normally beats youth, but that hasn't been the case this year when these two teams have met.

We will find out if Clarkson/Leigh can get the job done for a third time, or if the third time is the charm for Pender.

I could see the Patriots sweeping the Pendragons or the match going five sets. It really all depends on which Pender team shows up, in my opinion.

Clarkson/Leigh has been consistent so you know what to expect from them, but it's hard telling how the Pendragons will come out and play.

The winner of Monday's match gets either GACC, Walthill, or Emerson-Hubbard in the sub district final on Tuesday.

First serve between the two teams is set for 6:30 p.m.

Pender 0-4 in last four matches

The Pender Pendragons are still struggling as they lost 3-2 at home Oakland-Craig last Thursday night, 3-0 at home to Clarkson/Leigh Monday night, and 2-0 to Howells-Dodge and 2-1 to West Point-Beemer at the West Point-Beemer Triangular Tuesday night.

The Patriots took set one from the Pendragons 25-11, and set two 25-20, and set three 25-21.

Hallie Ballinger paced the Pendragons with 7 kills.

Head Coach Melissa Hansen says it was the last home match for her seniors.

"I think that our girl's emotions were running high with the 6 seniors getting to play on this court one last time. I think that there was a lot of emotions. I know in the locker room we had tears. They were really upset that this was going to be the last night, and I really thought we would come out and play harder than we did, but I think the emotions got a little to the best of us."

The Jaguars won the first set 25-18, and took set two 25-10.

The Pendragons topped the Cadets 26-24 in set one before losing set two 25-22, and set three 25-16.

Hansen says they'll see Clarkson Leigh again in sub districts.

"I think we've played them twice now, lost both times. We played them in the Clarkson/Leigh Tournament. We lost to them there in 3 sets. So we've lost to them twice already this season. And yeah I'm guessing we're pry playing first round in Wisner on Monday."

Pender (10-19) will face the Patriots (16-14) in the D1-4 Sub District at 6:30 p.m.

The Pendragons have sort of fallen off the charts you could say, but I think Pender is capable of playing a good match on Monday.

This team is too experienced and talented to go out without a fight.

I look for Pender to play well on Monday, and make some noise in the match against the Patriots.

Pender has to find an answer for Shelby Paprocki though as she had 17 kills in Monday night's match.

Ballinger, Cecliee Jacobsen, and Kamryn Anderson, among others, need to step up and have good matches for the Pendragons.

Pender can't let emotions get the best of them this time, and quite honestly should come out fired up and inspired given their recent play.

I'm sure the Pendragons want to do something about the way they have played lately, and I think Pender is capable of playing well on Monday.

I don't know if anyone in this sub district can beat GACC, but I think the Pendragons are at least capable of making the sub district final.

Clarkson/Leigh is still a pretty young team, and sometimes experience beats youth in the postseason.

Pender certainly hopes that is the case Monday night. The Pendragons could really use a win to extend their season.

We're to that time of year where emotions run high and there are tense and nervous moments.

Pender has to do their best to stay calm, cool, collected, and relaxed in all situations. The Pendragons can't panic if they get down. Pender must continue to fight and battle the way they are capable of regardless of how things are going.

Emerson-Hubbard goes 1-1 at Lewis and Clark Tournament

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates beat Allen 2-0, but lost 2-0 to Ponca in the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament at Ponca on Saturday.

The Pirates downed the Eagles 25-21 in set one, and 26-24 in set two.

The Indians beat Emerson-Hubbard 26-14 in the first set, and 25-16 in the second set.

I thought the Pirates did a good job beating Allen. I think Emerson-Hubbard has definitely made progress as the season has progressed.

The Pirates (4-22) take on Walthill (9-11) in the bunny bracket game of the D1-4 Sub District Tournament at Wisner-Pilger on Monday.

The Blujays beat Emerson-Hubbard 2-0 at their home triangular on October 4th, but went 0-2 at the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament on Saturday.

I think the Pirates have a shot to win this time around.

The bad news is the winner gets Guardian Angels Central Catholic, and the way the Bluejays are playing right now, upsetting them is going to be very difficult.

It's the postseason though, and anything can happen, so Emerson-Hubbard has to play optimistic and opportunistic volleyball.

I think it would be a big deal for the Pirates to beat Walthill and take on GACC.

Emerson-Hubbard would at least see what it takes to be successful by playing the Bluejays, although a lot these girls probably experienced success in some fashion last year when the Pirates made their big state run.

The season is on the line for Emerson-Hubbard, and I expect the Pirates to play and fight their best Monday evening.

A win over the Blujays would be big for momentum heading into the GACC match and next season, in my opinion.

At the very least, If Emerson-Hubbard can at least compete against Walthill, and take a set or two, I think the Pirates can feel encouraged heading into the offseason.

These girls have to play for each other and have a team first attitude if they want to find success on Monday.

I'm sure emotions will be running high, especially for the seniors, but Emerson-Hubbard has to do their best to remain poised and composed, and not let their emotions get the best of them.

First serve between the Pirates and Blujays is set for 5:00 p.m.

Scribner-Snyder splits Logan View Triangular, sweeps Weeping Water Triangular

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans are 3-1 in their last four matches, losing 2-0 to Wisner-Pilger, but beating Logan View 2-0 at the Logan View Triangular last Thursday. The Trojans defeated Omaha Christian Academy 2-1 and Weeping Water 2-0 at the Weeping Water Triangular on Tuesday.

The Gators took set one from Scribner-Snyder 25-9, and won set two 25-7.

The Trojans beat the Raiders 25-21 in the first set, and 25-23 in the second set.

Mackenzy Schreck put down 8 kills and 7 digs for Scribner-Snyder.

The Eagles won the first set over the Trojans 25-20 before Scribner-Snyder took sets two and three 25-11 and 25-16.

Savanah Miller registered 14 kills while Kaylee Boyle notched 7 kills and 10 digs. Nicole Boyle recorded 21 set assists.

The Trojans earned a 25-23 win in set one over the Indians, and nabbed set two 25-19.

I think Scribner-Snyder is playing good volleyball at the right time. The Trojans appear to be ready for the postseason.

Scribner-Snyder (12-17) takes on Mead (10-16) in the first round of sub districts at David City Aquinas on Monday.

Mead beat Scribner-Snyder 3-1 in the regular season.

The Raiders lost 3-0 at Malcolm to end the regular season on Tuesday.

Mead has lost six matches in a row.

The Raiders' top hitters are June Johnson (167 kills), Jayden Haag (139 kills), and Breanna Wirth (116 kills).

Those three are definitely the three the Trojans have to focus on.

I think Scribner-Snyder has a good chance to make a postseason run.

Humphrey St. Francis is the top seed in this D2-2 Sub District, yet they are only 15-11.

The Trojans appear to be at full strength now, and this is a veteran team that has played a tough schedule.

I don't know if Scribner-Snyder can make state with defending D-2 state champion Exeter-Milligan on the other side of the bracket, but anything is certainly possible.

This is Scribner-Snyder's chance to make a run. This is the moment these seniors have been waiting for all season long, and perhaps their entire lives.

This is it for the Trojans. One final chance to go out there and make things happen.

Scribner-Snyder has to be tough and resilient throughout the postseason. It's a do or die situation for all involved for the most part so the Trojans have to play their game, and understand that their opponent is playing for their season too.

I think the key to success for Scribner-Snyder is limiting hitting and service errors. The Trojans can't afford to beat themselves, and must make teams earn their points.

First serve between Scribner-Snyder and Mead is set for 6:30 p.m.