Ron Powell: Volleyball No. 1 in G.I.
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Grand Island is known as the “Third City” to the general public. In volleyball circles, it’s simply referred to as No. 1.
Championship Saturday last November in Lincoln turned into Grand Island Day at Pershing Center. Grand Island Central Catholic was dominant in winning the Class C-2 state title. Grand Island had match points in the fifth set against Papillion-La Vista before the Monarchs outlasted the Islanders 19-17 in the Class A championship match.
Northwest was 2-1 against Lincoln Pius X during the regular season, but the Thunderbolts proved why they were the best team in the state last year regardless of class in the Class B finals. They swept a younger Northwest team in three sets to win their second straight title.
Ratings
Class A (2007 record) Ret. starters
1. Papillion-La Vista (37-6) 5
2. Grand Island (29-6) 4
3. Lincoln Southwest (25-10) 5
4. Omaha Marian (35-6) 3
5. Lincoln East (30-6) 3
6. Bellevue East (25-11) 3
7. Millard North (33-3) 3
8. Elkhorn (21-15) 5
9. Lincoln Southeast (19-15) 6
10. Papillion-LV South (19-15) 4
Class B (2007) Ret. starters
1. Northwest (32-4) 5
2. Omaha Gross (24-13) 5
3. Lincoln Pius X (35-4) 3
4. Aurora (21-10) 5
5. Ogallala (23-11) 5
6. Omaha Skutt (30-6) 4
7. Omaha Mercy (21-9) 5
8. Nebraska City (21-10) 5
9. Gering (18-10) 4
10. Waverly (21-12) 5
Class C-1 (2007) Ret. starters
1. Grand Island CC (34-1) 5
2. Columbus Scotus (17-9) 6
3. St. Paul (22-7) 4
4. Syracuse (30-3) 5
5. Kearney Catholic (25-6) 4
6. Minden (29-7) 4
7. Centennial (27-6) 4
8. Ord (27-2) 4
9. Johnson County Central (24-5) 6
10. Norfolk Catholic (29-1) 3
Class C-2 (2007) Ret. starters
1. Ravenna (17-14) 5
2. Thayer Central (26-2) 4
3. Archbishop Bergan (27-6) 1
4. Cambridge (26-4) 3
5. Aquinas (17-14) 4
6. Superior (16-12) 5
7. North Platte SP (20-7) 4
8. Sutton (18-13) 4
9. Tri County (13-14) 6
10. Southwest (17-14) 3
Class D-1 (2007) Ret. starters
1. Elkhorn Valley (20-10) 4
2. Humphrey St. Francis (25-5) 3
3. Bancroft-Rosalie (30-2) 3
4. Humphrey (19-4) 4
5. Mead (18-9) 3
6. Freeman (25-7) 3
7. Eustis-Farnam (23-7) 3
8. Alma (22-5) 2
9. Giltner (20-6) 4
10. Pawnee City (17-13) 5
Class D-2 (2007) Ret. starters
1. Ewing (30-1) 4
2. Paxton (26-1) 4
3. Falls City SH (19-11) 4
4. Chambers (22-7) 5
5. Dodge (17-11) 5
6. Pleasanton (24-5) 5
7. Clay Center (24-4) 5
8. Hampton (30-3) 1
9. Mullen (20-6) 4
10. Lawrence-Nelson (21-8) 4
Comments
CLASS A
Contenders — Millard South, Millard West, Bellevue West, Omaha Bryan, Omaha Central, Omaha Westside, Omaha Burke.
Case for No. 1 — Having two first-team Super-Staters who are also Division I college recruits automatically makes defending state champion Papillion-La Vista the favorite. Nebraska outside hitter recruit Gina Mancuso gained valuable experience on the U.S. junior national team this summer. Wichita State recruit Chelsey Feekin is among the top setter prospects nationally. Look for the Monarchs to attack more from the middle with the development of sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Albers.
Elkhorn now in A — Traditional Class B power Elkhorn has been transitioning into a Class A schedule in recent years. With five returning starters and a standout outside hitter in McKenna Reagan, the Antlers should make the move smoothly.
Right off the bat — This weekend‘s Bellevue Invitational features seven ranked teams in Class A (Papillion-La Vista, Marian, Lincoln East, Bellevue East, Elkhorn, Lincoln Southeast and Papio South) and Class B No. 2 Omaha Gross. There are two big matches Tuesday — Grand Island at Southeast and Bellevue East at Millard North.
CLASS B
Contenders — Beatrice, Scottsbluff, Plattsmouth, Alliance, Norris, Crete, Columbus.
Case for No. 1 — State runner-up Northwest beat two-time champion Lincoln Pius X twice last season, something Class A champion Papillion-La Vista couldn‘t do. And almost all of the key parts are back for the Vikings, including all-state setter/right side Jenna Rouzee and all-state outside hitter Shayna Schacher.
Right off the bat — In past years, the Beatrice Invitational Friday and Saturday has been a preview of the Class B state tournament. This season will probably be no exception with five top 10 teams in the field — Northwest, Pius X, Aurora, Omaha Skutt and Waverly. Aurora and Skutt face off in pool play Friday.
Gross’ tough schedule — The Cougars, who will have five sophomore starters, are in three top Class A tournaments (Bellevue, LPS and Westside) and will go to Chicago for the Nike Challenge in early October. Gross also has dual matches against A ranked Bellevue East and Elkhorn.
Morrell improved — Ogallala all-state candidate Kate Morrell played last season with a kidney condition that caused swelling throughout her body and increased her weight by 30 pounds. Ogallala coach Steve Morgan said the senior is still on medications, but “she’s doing much better. I’d say she’s at 90 percent right now.â€
CLASS C-1
Contenders — Wood River, Bennington, West Point-Beemer, Bishop Neumann, Chase County, Battle Creek, Hastings SC, Wisner-Pilger.
Case for No. 1 — GICC graduated two all-staters from its C-2 state title team — outside hitter Tali Fredrickson and setter Carrie Galloway. But the Crusaders had six freshmen on varsity last season, including all-state outside Jessica Wojcik and standout middle Stephanie Brand. In club, they finished second in the 15s national division of the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic nationals.
Scotus rebound — For the first time in 18 seasons, Columbus Scotus missed the state tournament last year. But the Shamrocks, 10-time state champions since 1995, should return to prominence behind senior middle blocker Katie Beiermann, senior setter Sam Spenner and an athletic group around them.
Right off the bat — St. Paul plays host to defending state champion Ord tonight, a rematch of last year’s state tournament match in which Ord battled back from down two sets to win in five. The Minden Invitational Saturday has three ranked teams — GICC, Centennial and Minden. Johnson County Central hosts a triangular Tuesday that includes Syracuse, while Minden is at a triangular at Kearney Catholic the same night.
CLASS C-2
Contenders — Perkins County, Lutheran NE, Dundy County-Stratton, West Point CC, Wakefield, Sutherland, Louisville.
Case for No. 1 — In a wide-open class, Ravenna has the edge at least on paper. Six-foot second-team Super-Stater and Wayne State recruit Madison Pernicek is a four-year starter, as is 6-1 Mallory Irvine. If Ravenna has consistent passing and setting, the Bluejays’ offense will be tough to stop. Playing in the difficult Lou-Platte Conference will benefit Ravenna in the post-season.
Bergan transfers — Archbishop Bergan lost six starters from its D-1 state semifinal team, but a pair of highly-regarded transfers from Fremont will help the Knights reload. Both Courtney Cook, a 6-1 junior, and 6-1 sophomore Jessy Schroedter have trained in USA Volleyball’s high performance program. Cook was a Class A honorable mention all-stater last season.
Right off the bat — Tri County is at Thayer Central in a key Southern Nebraska Conference match tonight. Aquinas is in the Columbus Scotus Invitational Saturday, which also has C-1 No. 10 Norfolk Catholic involved. Ravenna hosts a triangular including C-1 No. 3 St. Paul on Tuesday.
CLASS D-1
Contenders — Ansley, Leyton, Lyons-Decatur NE, Meridian, West Boyd.
Case for No. 1 — The Falcons return their top three hitters from last year’s Class C-2 state tournament team — Katie Rich, Kathy Fox and Brea Dahl. Behind 6-foot senior Susan Rollman, St. Francis should be poised to make another run. The Flyers were state champs in 2004 and ’05 and runners-up in ’06 and last season.
Down the road — The D1-7 subdistrict in November has No. 1 Elkhorn Valley, No. 2 St. Francis and No. 4 Humphrey in it. The wild-card could definitely be in play there.
CLASS D-2
Contenders — Pope John, Coleridge, Wallace, Loup County, McPherson County, Stapleton.
Case for No. 1 — The 1-2 punch in the middle with Division I recruit Hayley Thramer and Abbey Schueth gives Ewing an advantage over the rest of the field. Paxton builds its title defense around all-staters Barbie DeCent and Erica Rhodes.
Top players
CLASS A
Returning all-staters
*OH Gina Mancuso, Papillion-La Vista 6-0 Sr.
*S Chelsey Feekin, Papillion-La Vista 6-1 Sr.
Others to watch
OH Sarah Kemp, Bellevue East 6-0 Jr.
OH McKenna Reagan, Elkhorn 5-9 Jr.
OH Ariel Krolikowski, Grand Island 5-9 Sr.
MB Alex Armes, Grand Island 5-9 Sr.
OH Natalie Ebke, Lincoln East 5-10 Sr.
MB Haley Lake, Lincoln Southeast 5-11 Jr.
MB Stacie Hansen, Lincoln Southwest 6-1 Sr.
MB Kaitlin Klingemann, Millard North 6-3 Sr.
S/RS Michelle Sicner, Millard North 6-2 So.
MB Tenisha Matlock, North Platte 6-2 Jr.
OH Lisa Greisch, Omaha Marian 5-11 Sr.
L Julianne Mandolfo, Omaha Marian 5-6 Jr.
MB Chelsea Albers, Papillion-La Vista 6-0 So.
CLASS B
Returning all-staters
*S Lauren Cook, Lincoln Pius X 5-8 Sr.
OH Allie Camenzind, Omaha Skutt 5-8 Sr.
S Jenna Rouzee, Northwest 6-1 Sr.
OH Shayna Schacher, Northwest 5-9 Sr.
S/MB Jessica Fey, Crete 6-0 Sr.
Others to watch
MB Jordan Hooper, Alliance 6-3 Jr.
OH Shelby Gowen, Aurora 5-7 Sr.
OH Natalie Braun, Lincoln Pius X 5-8 Sr.
OH Justine DeBuhr, Nebraska City 5-5 Sr.
MB Erin Dougherty, Omaha Mercy 6-1 Sr.
MB Kate Morrell, Ogallala 5-11 Sr.
OH Kendall Kritenbrink, Omaha Gross 5-11 So.
OH Emily Wilson, Omaha Gross 6-1 So.
MB Tristen Sharp, South Sioux City 6-2 So.
MB Anne Martin, Waverly 5-10 Sr.
CLASS C-1
Returning all-staters
OH Jordan Lechner, Syracuse 5-9 Jr.
MB Jamie Straube, Johnson County Central 6-2 Sr.
OH MacKenzie Sullivan, Centennial 5-8 Sr.
OH Jessica Wojcik, Grand Island CC (C-2) 5-9 So.
S Lindsey Sitorius, Minden 5-5 Sr.
MB Katie Sokolowski, Kearney Catholic 6-2 Jr.
S Desiree Erikson, Ord 5-7 Sr.
Others to watch
MB Kelsey Hansen, Bennington 6-2 Sr.
MB Katie Beiermann, Columbus Scotus 5-10 Sr.
MB Hannah Behrends, David City 6-2 Sr.
MB Steph Brand, Grand Island CC 5-11 So.
OH Jessica Zaruba, Norfolk Catholic 5-6 Sr.
MB Melanie Placke, St. Paul 5-11 Sr.
S Megan Farley, Syracuse 5-5 So.
CLASS C-2
Returning all-staters
#OH Madison Pernicek, Ravenna 6-0 Sr.
MB Traci Keyser, Cambridge 5-10 Sr.
OH Kalli Brannigan, Shelton (D-1) 5-5 Jr.
Others to watch
S Taylor Pelan Aquinas 5-5 Sr.
OH Amy Kreikemeier, Aquinas 5-7 Jr.
OH Courtney Cook, Archbishop Bergan 6-1 Jr.
S Frankie Petersen, Cambridge 5-9 Jr.
MB Paige Schmid, Humboldt-TR-S 5-7 Sr.
MB Mallory Irvine, Ravenna 6-1 Sr.
OH Brittanie Simonsen, Superior 5-8 Sr.
MB Sheila Heitmann, Thayer Central 5-8 Jr.
OH Lauren Cammack, Tri County 5-9 Jr.
CLASS D-1
Returning all-staters
OH Kelsey Schuster, Freeman 5-8 Sr.
MB Paige Frauendorfer, Humphrey 6-0 Sr.
MB Paige Goeken, Bancroft-Rosalie 6-0 Sr.
MB Heather Thorson, Mead 6-3 Sr.
OH Jacey Schultheiss, Eustis-Farnam 5-10 Sr.
MB Stasia Ott, Giltner (D-2) 5-10 Sr.
Others to watch
MB Katie Rich, Elkhorn Valley 5-10 Sr.
CLASS D-2
Returning all-staters
#MB Hayley Thramer, Ewing 6-2 Sr.
OH Barbie DeCent, Paxton 5-6 Sr.
MB Abbey Schueth, Ewing 5-11 Sr.
OH Brittnie Kreikemeier, Dodge 5-8 Sr.
OH/S Macie Kuker, Falls City SH 5-9 Sr.
OH/S Ashley Axmann, Pleasanton 5-9 Jr.
OH/S Erica Rhodes, Paxton 5-6 Sr.
S Randi Miller, Chambers 5-3 Sr.
* — first-team Super-State; # — second-team Super-State; — third-team Super-State.
Three teams in the state finals ranks as a high-water mark for Grand Island volleyball. While there are no guarantees, a repeat performance certainly seems possible in 2008, looking at the teams on paper.
All three were young a year ago, which is why Grand Island is the preseason No. 2 pick in Class A and Northwest and GICC are No. 1 in Class B and C-1, respectively.
“Northwest and (Grand Island) Central Catholic are really loaded,’’ said Grand Island coach Bill Root, whose team has been in the state finals the past two seasons. “They’ll hold up their end of the deal. I think they both have great shots to win state. We’ll have our work cut out for us in Class A. Hopefully we’ll come around by the end of the season.’’
One thing all three programs share is high-quality coaching. All three — Root at Grand Island, Diane Rouzee at Northwest and Sharon Zavala at GICC — are Nebraska High School Hall of Fame-caliber coaches. Each of them combines a tireless commitment to kids, a competitive spirit to win and a thorough knowledge of the game.
Zavala has led the Crusaders to eight state championships and 719 victories during her 32 seasons at GICC. Northwest has won two state titles under Rouzee, who has a 435-119 record in 21 years as head coach. Root guided Giltner to four state championships in 1980s and ’90s before coming to Grand Island and gradually transforming the Islanders into a Class A power.
Combine that coaching expertise with talented girls who are willing to work and sacrifice, and results like we saw last year follow.
“We laugh about how long the three of us have been coaching,’’ Rouzee said. “You have to start wondering, ‘When are we too old for this?’’’
In recent years, volleyball-only facilities have popped up in several places around Omaha and Lincoln. That means more practice time and more opportunities to compete for the volleyball athletes around here during the offseason.
They’re still doing it the old-fashioned way in Grand Island, and it works. Most of the high school volleyball players are also multi-sport athletes, and they fit in club ball on Sundays around their winter and spring high school sports. Mid-week practices like they do in Lincoln and Omaha are rare.
Grand Island Senior High’s Ariel Krolikowski and Alex Armes played club ball with the Nebraska Volleyball Academy in Lincoln, but the rest of the returning players at GI, Central Catholic and Northwest were on local teams. All three high school coaches direct club programs.
“We tried having one elite club a few years ago, but it didn’t work,” Zavala said. “All three of us having separate club programs gives kids more opportunities to play.”
Some have suggested the three schools should play a regular-season triangular. It would attract a huge crowd and create great competition, but the coaches aren’t sure they want to head down that road.
They play each other in the Islander summer league, which also draws some of the top schools from the area, such as St. Paul, Aurora, Wood River and Hastings St. Cecilia. The intensity level and fan furor just from that is enough.
“That (a triangular) would build it up more than it should be,’’ Rouzee said. “There’s enough underlying tension when we play each other in the summer. We want to keep that under control.’’
Northwest could play GICC in the Crusaders’ tournament Sept. 13, the first matchup between the schools during high school season in several years. Since the first regular-season ratings won’t run until Sept. 16, it’s guaranteed to be a showdown of No. 1 teams.
Just what you’d expect in Grand Island.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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