Eagles Stun Knights at State Volleyball Tournament to Advance
LINCOLN, NE - Johnson-Brock pulled off a comeback win in the opening round of the Class C2 State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday in Lincoln, stunning 2-seed Oakland-Craig; 25-19, 16-25, 14-25, 25-23, 15-11. The seventh-seeded Eagles had just lost to that same Knights squad in the Sub-district Finals in straight sets (18, 13, 15) just ten days prior on October 29. The loss marked the first this season for Oakland-Craig against a fellow team in Class C2.
Johnson-Brock used a three-prong attack led by the 17 kills of Taryn Ottemann, who also led the squad with five total blocks. Daley Pelican doled out 13 kills, and Charlotte Metschke racked up a dozen. Pelican was also key on "D", finishing with 26 digs. Chloe Vice's 34 digs led the squad, and Brooklyn Buchmeier racked up another 24 digs. Buchmeier dished out 45 set assists to boot.
Two players reached double-digit terminations for Oakland-Craig - Brandi Helzer (25) & Briar Ray (23). Ray piled up 24 digs & Helzer added 14. Adilen Rennerfeldt led the team with 28 digs to go with 53 set assists, and Hilary Ray finished with another 22 digs.
The Knights' season closes with a mark of 30-6, while the Eagles are now 28-6 as the move into the semifinals on Friday afternoon. Johnson-Brock will clash with 3-seed Thayer Central after the Titans defeated 6-seed Freeman in four sets. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on B103!
*Thank you to Sarah Groth & Carrie Buchmeier for their photos!