Cook, Mancuso lead '08 volleyball Super-State team
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Pius X’s Lauren Cook and Papillion-La Vista’s Gina Mancuso physically led on the volleyball court the way you’d expect from three-time, first-team Super-Staters.
Whether it was the 6-foot Mancuso blasting kills from her outside hitter spot or the 5-8 Cook running the offense with her high-level setting, their performances were major factors in both teams successfully defending their state titles this fall. It’s also why they’ve attracted national attention in being named high school All-Americans and invited to play in the Under Armour All-American High School Volleyball Match on Dec. 21 at the Omaha Qwest Center.
Cook and Mancuso, the honorary co-captains of the 2008 Super-State team, could not depend solely on their talent to fulfill their leadership roles. In the past, when their teammates were older than they were, they could let their production on the court speak for itself, leaving the verbal management of the squad to the seniors.
First team
Gina Mancuso, Papillion-La Vista
Height: 6-0 Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
College choice: Nebraska.
Facts and figures: One of the most dynamic outside hitters nationally in the class of 2009 has turned into an all-around threat. Mancuso had a state-high 721 kills, with a .452 hitting efficiency, terminating from both the front and back row. She also served 39 aces, registered 53 ace blocks and had a team-high 373 digs.
Lauren Cook, Lincoln Pius X
Height: 5-8 Year: Senior
Position: Setter College choice: UCLA
Facts and figures: Cook, the daughter of Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook, is a finalist for national senior setter of the year after leading the Thunderbolts to their third straight Class B state championship. She put up 1,139 assists, but was also a threat offensively, with 151 dump kills and a .447 hitting efficiency. Her float jump serve produced a team-high 92 aces. She also contributed 35 blocks and 277 digs.
Hayley Thramer, Ewing
Height: 6-2 Year: Senior
Position: Middle blocker College choice: Nebraska
Facts and figures: After helping Ewing to state runner-up finishes in 2006 and ’07, Thramer’s dominating net play was a major factor in the Tigers winning the Class D-2 title this season. The three-time all-stater had an astonishing .515 hitting efficiency, with 477 kills and 110 ace blocks. Thramer was also solid in the back row as a primary passer, a defender (138 digs) and server (98 aces).
Jamie Straube, Johnson County Central
Height: 6-2 Year: Senior
Position: Middle blocker College choice: Iowa State
Facts and figures: Straube excelled this season, despite playing most of it with a stress reaction in her lower leg that restricted her practice time. She led the Thunderbirds to a Class C-1 state tournament appearance and 28-3 record by slamming 308 kills, with a .468 hitting efficiency. Straube, a three-time all-stater, also registered 70 ace blocks, 48 ace serves and 150 digs.
Madison Pernicek, Ravenna
Height: 6-0 Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter College choice: Wayne State
Facts and figures: Pernicek’s hard work in the weight room and conditioning turned the three-time all-stater into a physically more dominating player this season for the Class C-2 state champion Bluejays. She put down 380 kills (1,240 for her career), with a .407 hitting efficiency and added 31 ace blocks from her left-side position. In the back row, Pernicek was Ravenna’s first option in serve-receive with a 93 percent passing percentage. She also led the team with 6.6 digs per set.
Natalie Braun, Lincoln Pius X
Height: 5-8 Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter/libero College choice: Furman
Facts and figures: A shoulder injury forced Braun to be primarily a libero last year as a junior. She turned into one of the most devastating attackers in the state this season, as her attacks caused some bloody noses in practice and once left an opposing defender with a concussion. Braun crushed a school-record 457 kills for the three-time Class B state champion Thunderbolts, with a .367 hitting efficiency. She still had a major role in the back row with 334 digs and 56 ace serves.
Chelsey Feekin, Papillion-La Vista
Height: 6-1 Year: Senior
Position: Setter College choice: Wichita State
Facts and figures: Feekin’s foot speed and setting touch caught up with her height this season, as the two-time, first-team Super-Stater blossomed into one of the top setters nationally. While many of her 1,019 assists went to Gina Mancuso on the outside, Feekin was just as comfortable setting the quick offense to the middles and slide plays to the right. Her height and left-handed arm swing also made her an offense threat, as she tipped and ripped for 202 kills and a .573 hitting efficiency for the two-time Class A state champion Monarchs.
Second team
Hitter: Stacie Hansen, Lincoln Southwest ... 6-1 ... Sr.
Hitter: Lisa Greisch, Omaha Marian ... 6-0 ... Sr.
Hitter: Ariel Krolikowski, Grand Island ... 5-9 ... Sr.
Hitter: Kaitlin Klingemann, Millard North ... 6-3 ... Sr.
Hit/Setter: Jessica Fey, Crete ... 6-0 ... Sr.
Hit/Setter: Jenna Rouzee, Northwest ... 6-1 ... Sr.
Libero: Paige Hubl, Lincoln Southeast ... 5-7 ... Sr.
Third team
Hitter: Cori Hobbs, Battle Creek ... 6-0 ... Jr.
Hitter: Jordan Hooper, Alliance ... 6-3 ... Jr.
Hitter: Natalie Ebke, Lincoln East ... 5-10 ... Sr.
Hit/Set: Breanna Brandt, Papillion-LV So. ... 5-11 ... Sr.
Hit/Set: Lauren Sieckmann, Omaha Marian ... 5-9 ... Fr.
Setter: Michelle Sicner, Millard North ... 6-2 ... So.
Libero: Julianne Mandolfo, Omaha Marian ... 5-6 ... Jr.
This season as seniors, however, Mancuso and Cook could no longer pass on that task to others. They not only had to walk the walk, they had to talk the talk as well.
For Mancuso, she shared that duty with fellow Super-State setter Chelsey Feekin, who tended to be more fiery in dealing with her teammates. But while Mancuso was more reserved in her approach, she was not afraid to speak up this season if she felt it was necessary.
“When I was younger, I kept my mouth shut and led through example,” said Mancuso, a Nebraska recruit. “Now that I’m older, I try to make sure I say something after every play, either congratulating someone for a good play or encouraging someone if they need it. I’m not scared to tell people what to do if they’re doing something wrong.”
Papillion-La Vista coach JJ Toczek says Mancuso’s experiences as a multisport athlete gives her a keen sense into what kind of leadership is needed in certain situations. Mancuso is also a four-year starter in basketball and a qualifier for the state meet in track.
“Gina knows how to play the role that’s most needed by the particular team she’s on,” said Toczek, whose Monarchs won their second straight Class A title with a 41-1 record and a No. 6 national ranking by PrepVolleyball.com.
“She’s not a bark-in-your-face kind of leader, but she’s learned to speak up if something needs to be said,” Toczek added. “Gina totally leads by example, that’s the way she’s always been. She’s very focused and very driven, and that rubs off on the other kids.”
In her first three years as a Thunderbolt, Cook had to delicately balance her responsibilities to direct the team as a setter but still allow the older players to exert leadership as they saw fit. This was first time in her career, either in high school or club, where Cook’s teammates were either the same age or younger than she was.
“This year, I was in control, I could say what I wanted,” Cook said.
But with that power came responsibility. The UCLA recruit had to accept being held to a higher standard in practice by coach Jake Moore, which meant sometimes being made an example in front of the rest of the team. In the end, however, that increased her stature among the younger players.
“It’s a really special feeling that freshmen and sophomore girls look up to you, and you always have to make sure you’re saying the right things and setting a good example for them,” Cook said.
While Cook’s setting helped a new group of attackers settle in on the court this season, Moore said her personality helped provide the chemistry necessary to go 38-2 this season.
“Lauren engages you,” Moore said. “If you’re talking to her, she’s paying total attention to what you’re saying. She makes everyone on the team feel important, and that’s how she got people to play for her.”
Like Mancuso, Cook had to share her leadership role with another senior Super-Stater, Natalie Braun. Moore said there were occasions during a water break in practice when Cook and Braun would ask for an extra few minutes to talk to the team without the coaches present.
“Those two were so positive in the way they led,” Moore said. “It wasn’t, ‘We’re doing this wrong and that wrong,’ it was more, ‘We have to do this better.’”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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