High School Tourney Time Part 2
The state volleyball tourney gets underway this Friday all across the capitol city. Volleyball is huge in Nebraska and the talent from class to class is very comparable. The success that the Huskers have gained over the last 20 years has trickled down into the high school ranks and Nebraska is the hotbed ofD1 volleyball talent. In fact, there is more D1 talent in Nebraska than there is D1 football talent. Let’s break down each class:
Class A:
#2 Bellevue East vs. #7 Papillion LaVista
Bellevue has been a big hotbed of talent over the years and this year is no exception. East has usually played second fiddle to their bigger sister West but this year it looks like East has the players to move on to the second round very easily.Papillion LaVista has been a big time power in the early part of the decade winning it 3 straight in ‘00, ‘01, ‘02. But again, like I said in the state softball review, the split of Papillion LaVista and Papillion LaVista South has cause the talent level to be spread out and as a result the talent isn’t as great for the Monarchs.
#3 Omaha Marian vs. #6 Grand Island
GI, the only school west of the Lincoln Airport to qualify for the A tourney, is a underdog to a powerful Marian team that is enjoying recentsuccess in girls volleyball. Heck, even though GI is a class A school, they aren’t even the best team in their city. More on that when we get to the smaller schools. I see Marian getting this win very easily.
#1 Bellevue West vs. #8 Lincoln East
This is where it’s at for high school volleyball in the state of Nebraska. There is no better team in the state thanBellevue West. The two time defending champion and 10 time overall champion will look to break the tie with Columbus Scotus for most state tourney titles all time with their 11th. The home cro
wd won’t mean much for Lincoln East as Bellevue West will easily take this match.
#4 Millard North vs. #5 Lincoln North Star
Very even matchup. Millard North took the only matchup between these two school, and it was late in the regular season so I suspect Millard North will take this matchup again. North Star is in only their second state volleyball tourney.
When it’s all over Bellevue West will defeat their rival school and take out Bellevue East in the title game.
Class B:
#3 Lincoln Pius X vs. #6 Norris
Pius was a power in class B in the late 90’s but was on a bit of a dry spell the first three years of the new decade, until last year when they broke through again with a runner up finish. The team is probably one of the top 5 teams in the state regardless of class. The head coach of the NebraskaCornhuskers (John Cook) daughter is a freshman on the team and is a rising star in the program. Look out for her in state tourney’s to come. Norris is outmatched. Look for the Thunderbolts to move on.
#2 Elkhorn vs. #7 Scottsbluff
Elkhorn always seemed to be one step away from a great team for all of the 90’s but they finally broke through with a championship in ‘02 and ‘04. Elkhorn will be looking to defend their title this year. The lynch pin to Elkhorn’s team is senior Jamie Baumert. Baumert has been hobbled by a bad back all year and her health in the state tourney will be the single key on the drive for the Antlers3rd title in the last 4 years. No chance for Scottsbluff here. Look for an outstanding semifinal matchup between Pius and Elkhorn, two bitter Class B rivals.
#1 Omaha Gross vs. #8 Aurora
Despite being in class B many consider Gross to be the most talented team in the state. With 3 6’0"+ players with over 200 kills apiece it is easy to see why. No doubt that Gross will have an easy time with Aurora.
#4 Grand Island Northwest vs. #5 Fairbury
It’s been over 25 years since Fairbury last played in the state tourney but they have just the girl this year to compete with the top schools. 5’9” Brittny Barber has over 330 kills on the year and is obviously the focus of the offense. If the ‘03 champs of Grand Island NW can shut her down, they will make it an short stay at the state tourney for the Fairbury Jeffs. I’m calling for the upset her and give the nod to Fairbury.
Class B up and down has the most talent in the state. #1-#4 are easily in the top 10 teams in the state. Look for the final to be between Omaha Gross and Elkhorn with Gross taking it all. I know I know, I’m picking against my alma mater. The numbers don’t lie.
Class C-1
Columbus Scotus looks again to be the top dog in Class C-1. Winning 8 of the last 10 state tourneys in C-1 will give you that label. Lincoln Lutheran, however, stoleScotus’ mojo last year winning an epic 5 set match. Look for Lutheran to keep their mojo going and making it two in a row in C-1.
Class C-2
The 4 time defending champ West Point Central Catholic is a bit down this year falling to the #3 seed but don’t tell that to the rest of Class C-2, they know how dangerous they are. The #1 seed is Grand Island Central Catholic was a powerhouse in the mid90’s but has fallen on hard times and only qualified twice in the last 5 years. It looks like they have figured it out again and will make it to the finals. Unfortunately I like the 4 time defending champs which has the senior leadership to take them to the 5-peat.
Class D-1
Humphrey St. Francis is the defending champ and #1 seed. Look for them to re
peat this year taking on the winner of the Freeman-Leigh game. I think Freeman looks like the better team and will give Humphrey St. Francis a run for their money.
Class D-2
This will be one of the most competitive classes out of all of them. The difference between #1 through #3 is very small. Paxton is the #1 seed and the 3 time defending class D-2 champs. The #2 seed is Schickley. They were a powerhouse back in the late 80’s and early 90’s and are just now starting to get back on the state tourney scene. The #3 seed is Chambers and they are the only undefeated team in any class at this point winning all 25 of their matches. Look for Chambers and Paxton in the finals withChambers’ dream season coming to an end and Paxton winning it’s 4th in a row.
There you have it, my picks are Bellevue West, Omaha Gross, Lincoln Lutheran, West Point Central Catholic, Humphrey St. Francis, and Paxton.
Look for my state football picks in the next two days because the semis kickoff Saturday.
The Comments
Mr. Wilson November 10, 2005 at 10:09am
Awesome summary, D.M.B.! Will you be attending many of the games, or will your job get in the way?
D.M.B. November 10, 2005 at 3:10pm
Job will get in the way and I don’t attend many HS events anymore. Even if it is my alma mater. I don’t have a vested interest anymore. Hell, I have trouble justifying going to college events.
D.M.B. November 13, 2005 at 4:13am
Well the tourney is over. Let’s see how I did:
Class A - My pick: Bellevue West over Bellevue East. Actual: Bellevue West over Omaha Marian. In the Marian-East semifinal, Bellevue East’s best player went down with a turned ankle and many people viewed that as the turning point.
Class B - My pick: Omaha Gross over Elkhorn. Actual: Omaha Gross over Elkhorn. Even though it pained me to pick against my alma mater, Gross is just too good.
Class C-1 - My pick: Lincoln Lutheran over Columbus Scotus. Actual: Columbus Scotus over Lincoln Lutheran.
Class C-2 - My pick: West Point Central Catholic over Grand Island Central Catholic. Actual: Grand Island Central Catholic over Ravena.
Class D-1 - My pick: Humphrey St. Francis over Freeman. Actual - Humphrey St. Francis over Freeman.
Class D-2 - My pick: Paxton over Chambers. Actual: Shickley over Paxton.
So overall I got 3 of 6 state champs right. And correctly predicted 9 of the 12 state finals participants.
Mr. Wilson November 13, 2005 at 12:00pm
Not bad, D.M.B. Not bad at all.