Perhaps Tuesday night's Northwest at Lincoln Pius X volleyball match should come with a disclaimer — victory does not guarantee future success.

It's a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, like last year, when two-time defending Class B state champion Pius X entered the late-season showdown on top and Northwest was No. 2. A fired-up Northwest team rode the emotion of an enthusiastic home crowd to a four-set victory.

Pius X turned that around with a 25-14, 25-20, 30-28 victory against the then-No. 1 Vikings in the state tournament finals.

"I know (Pius X coach) Jake (Moore) watched the tape of that match 100 times, found all of our weaknesses and exposed them the next time we played," said Northwest coach Diane Rouzee, whose team went 2-2 against the Thunderbolts last season. "I'm sure both of us will try to use tomorrow's match that same way if we play again at state.”

From all indications, this could be a preview of the state finals on Nov. 15. The Thunderbolts are 30-2, the only losses coming to Class A No. 1 Papillion-La Vista and Class A No. 5 Lincoln Southwest. Preseason No. 1 Northwest is 28-2, with one of those setbacks coming to Pius X, 25-21, 25-22, in the finals of the Beatrice Invitational on Sept. 6.

With Pius X having to replace its four main attackers surrounding Super-State setter Lauren Cook, the season's early win against the more experienced Northwest squad seemed like an upset. But with two victories against Class A No. 2 Omaha Marian and four tournament titles this fall (two Beatrice Invitational crowns, Pius X Invitational and Lincoln Northeast Invitational), the Thunderbolts have clearly established themselves as serious state championship contenders.

"I've been very pleased with the consistency of this team,” said Moore, whose Thunderbolts wiped out a 21-16 deficit in the second set of their win against Northwest last month. "I thought this could be a different year where we might take some losses because of the schedule we play. But Lauren (Cook) and Natalie (Braun) have done a great job of leading and making sure this isn't a down year."

With Cook, a UCLA recruit, running the offense, Braun and junior middle Allie Falter have posted huge numbers. Braun has 341 kills, with a .378 hitting efficiency, while Falter has hit .422,  with 244 kills and 47 ace blocks.

"Defensively, Pius doesn't let the ball hit the floor and they serve tough,” Rouzee said. "With Lauren Cook, if they're in system, their offense is very hard to stop."

Northwest has an 18-match winning streak since losing to Class C-1 No. 2 Grand Island Central Catholic in the finals of the GICC Invitational on Sept. 13. The Vikings have only dropped one set during that stretch, beating Class C-1 No. 1 Columbus Scotus in the finals of the Northwest Invitational.

Once again, Rouzee’s daughter,  senior setter/right side Jenna Rouzee, is the Vikings’ focal point. The Nebraska-Kearney recruit leads the team in kills (180, .447 hitting efficiency), assists (480), ace serves (63) and ace blocks (60).

She ignites a balanced and efficient attack that has five players with 100 or more kills. Senior middle blocker Shayna Schacher is hitting .477 with 173 kills. Senior outside hitter Katie Rauert has 130 kills, junior middle blocker Taylor Johnson has 122 and senior right side Melissa Costello has 107 kills to go with 140 assists.

"Northwest has options all over the place and all of their players are versatile, they can play multiple positions," Moore said. "You've got to be ready to adjust when they move people around.”

Offense has come easy for the Vikings. As a team, Northwest has a .348 hitting efficiency. Northwest had to replace some primary passers and defensive players from a year ago, a process that's been ongoing.

"I think we're playing at a higher level this year,” Coach Rouzee said. "We're running a quicker offense and we're more aggressive at the net. We've brought our defense up to where it was a year ago.”

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