On Saturday, September 14, the Nemaha Central Middle School volleyball team headed to Axtell to play in a volleyball tournament. The girls were super pumped and ready to win. The NC volleyball tournament team consisted of all the eighth graders and a few seventh graders.
The first match in pool play was against Valley Heights. Valley Heights was great competition for the Thunder team to start off with. The first set was close, but the Thunder girls ended up winning with a score of 25-20. The second set against Valley Heights was not the best level of play for the Thunder girls. Valley Heights claimed an early lead and NC had to come from behind to get the win. The set ended with Anna Hermesch tipping the ball in front of the ten foot attack line for the kill. The Thunder team picked up their first win in pool play with the final score of 25-19.
The second match NC played was against Axtell. The Thunder girls took the lead early and went on to defeat the Eagles 25-7. In the second set against Axtell, Maggie Koch served the first 10 points to start the Thunder off. Several girls played during this match and the Thunder team finished it with a victory 25-7.
Wetmore was the next opponent for the NC team who was 2-0 so far. The Thunder team had another great match as they took the first set with a 25-9 win. The second set was another confidence booster for the Thunder team as they defeated the Cardinals 25-3 to win the match.
“We played amazing and we had a lot of fun!” said Maggie Koch.
In the semi-finals match, NC was paired against their in-town opponents, the SPPS Trojans. The first set was a pretty close one it was back and forth between who was leading the match. Towards the end, NC finally pulled ahead and won with a score of 25-20. In the second set against SPPS, their middle hitter kept hitting it and NC would get a touch on the ball, but it would land for a kill. The Thunder girls didn’t play their best and lost the second set 25-12. Since both teams had won one set, the match had to go into a third set to decide a winner. NC and SPPS battled in the third set as both teams were fighting for the win. Kylee Sperfslage ended the set with a kill to give NC the win with a score of 15-12.
NC played Doniphan West for the championship match. The start of the first set was a bit rocky with NC allowing five straight points by the Mustangs. Then head coach Nikki Honeyman called a timeout. NC eventually took the lead back, but they had to go to extra points for the win. The 26-24 win in the first set came on an ace serve by Koch. The second set was close as the lead switched many times throughout the set. The Thunder team was playing their best, barely letting any balls hit the ground. They had several great pass, set, and hit plays. The match came down to the end and NC managed to win, 25-22. The match ended and the Thunder team claimed first place at the tournament.
“The volleyball team was very energetic and we were having a good time on and off the court,” said Hallie Holthaus.
In conclusion, the NC volleyball team had a pretty great weekend. They went undefeated during the tournament and they also played some good volleyball while taking first at the tournament.
Click the link below for more pictures from the Axtell Tournament.