Ron Powell: Class of 2009 full of top-level girls

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It will be nine months before the seniors in the class of 2009 graduate. You don’t have to wait that long, however, to figure out the legacy and impact some of the girls’ athletes in this class have already left on volleyball and basketball in Nebraska.

In the 20 years I’ve covered these two high school sports, no class has distinguished itself like this one. Usually a class tilts strongly one way or another in terms of quality athletes. Not this season. They’re off the charts in both volleyball and basketball and have national-type credentials to prove it.

Volleyball is the premier girls’  sport in this state, and the incoming seniors solidify that evaluation. Last fall, Lincoln Pius X setter Lauren Cook was named national player of the year by PrepVolleyball.com for the class of 2009. Earlier this summer, she earned All-America club honors for the second straight year .

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In late July, Papillion-La Vista outside hitter Gina Mancuso played a major role in the United States’ Women’s Junior National team winning the NORECA Continental Championships in Saltillo, Mexico. She had a team-high nine kills and 13 points (kills, ace blocks and ace serves combined) in the team’s three-set sweep of the Dominican Republic in the championship match.

Mancuso is headed to Nebraska and Cook has committed to UCLA, two national championship-caliber programs. In women’s basketball terms, that’s like going to Tennessee and Connecticut.

They’re two of seven known NCAA Division I volleyball recruits in Nebraska from the senior class so far, a number that could get into the teens by the end of the club season next spring.

And it’s an impressive list of programs beyond Nebraska and UCLA. Ewing middle blocker Hayley Thramer is headed to Wisconsin, traditionally a top-10 team. East Central Nebraska Conference rival middle blockers Jamie Straube of Johnson County Central and Heather Thorson of Mead are going to Iowa State and Creighton, respectively. Both colleges are up-and-comers with native Nebraskans as head coaches.

Wichita State, the destination of Papillion-La Vista setter Chelsey Feekin, was 27-6 last season, losing to Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers were ranked No. 22 nationally at the end of the regular season.

As good as they are in volleyball, members of this senior class also further prove that girls basketball is definitely on the rise in the state. It’s not often that three Nebraska high school players — guards Marissa Kastanek and KK Houser of Lincoln Southeast and 6-foot-7 Melissa MacFarlane of Millard North — get recruited by BCS conference schools with solid programs. Kastanek committed to North Carolina State almost a year ago, Houser selected Purdue earlier this month and MacFarlane decided on Colorado in June.

So far, four basketball players have publicly declared to Division I programs. That figure will undoubtedly grow as commitments come from South Sioux City’s McKayla Knudson, Bellevue East’s Mercedees Morgan, Millard West’s Jasmin Corbin, Millard North’s Kiley Herold and Chadron’s 6-4 Kelsie Lliteras, whose summer with the Bison/Judds Cornhusker Shooting Stars has put her on the Division I radar screen.

The final ratings in a seven-state region put three Nebraska basketball club teams in the top nine — Bison/Judds CSS at No. 4, Nebraska Twisterz (led by standout juniors Kate Edwards of Crete and Stacia Robertson of Grand Island) at No. 8 and Pinnacle Bank Nebraska All-Stars at No. 9. All three teams won big-city tournaments this summer, as Bison/Judds was victorious in Houston, the Twisterz took a title in Kansas City and Pinnacle Bank came out on top in Las Vegas.

Remember, all these volleyball and girls basketball Division I recruits are coming from a relatively small population base of 1.6 million people. And what’s even more striking is that these standout athletes come from schools of all sizes from all parts of the state. All six classes are represented among the 11 seniors who are already Division I volleyball and basketball recruits.

Another glaring characteristic is that a number of these 11 are top multi-sport performers. They’re further proof that developing as an overall athlete is more important at this stage than specializing in just one sport.

There are a lot of good things going on in volleyball and girls basketball right now in Nebraska. Athletes are matching their talent with strong work ethic and commitment. While high school and club coaches are sometimes at odds and there’s competition between clubs to lure the top players, together they’re providing the training and direction for athletes to maximize their ability and realize their dreams of reaching the Division I level.

Locally, facilities such as the Nebraska Volleyball Center at the Abbott Sports Complex and the Bison Youth Sports Complex (the Shooting Stars’ home) are giving girls an opportunity to hone their volleyball and basketball skills year-round, something that didn’t exist a few years ago.

It’s been quite a summer for the class of 2009. The school year should be even more special.

Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.