Class D-2 state volleyball: Defending champ Overton, Leyton, Stuart and Central Valley advance
Check out the results from the first round of the Class D-2 state volleyball tournament on Thursday in Lincoln.
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Overton 3, Wynot 0
With 22 kills from junior Daisy Ryan, defending champion Overton swept Wynot 25-17, 28-26, 25-21 in Class D-2 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Overton's closest call was in the second set, when it turned back set point at 26-25.
In the third set No. 7 Wynot (21-10) fought off two match points, coming back to 24-21, but Braelyn Florell's kill gave the No. 1 Eagles (28-5) their fourth consecutive win at state.
"There were a couple runs we had to stop," Overton coach Hayley Ryan said.
With older daughter JoLee Ryan graduating after last season, the coach's younger daughter has taken on a larger role for the Eagles.
"She even said before the game, 'You know, last year, I didn't have to get nervous because I knew everybody would cover me. There was no pressure," coach Ryan said. "If it wasn't her, and they were sort of blocking her and Braelyn (Florell), several other girls took their turns, hitting some side outs when we needed them."
Leyton 3, Meridian 2
LINCOLN — Still perfect.
Leyton, one of two undefeated teams at the state volleyball tournament, rallied for a five-set win over Meridian on Thursday in a first-round match at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Warriors moved to 34-0 with a 23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-4 victory and will advance to a 9 a.m. semifinal Friday.
Coach Natasha Haupt said her team was able to turn things around because "something silly happened."
"One of our back-row players went to pass it and she passed it off her shoulder," the coach said. "Everybody kind of loosened up after that and we won the point."
Trailing 2-0 in the match, Leyton began its comeback in the third set with a 25-20 win. Macey Roelle put down the final kill but the Warriors still had more work to do.
Leyton trailed 18-12 in the third set but turned it around with a 7-0 run. The Warriors took the lead for good at 23-22 and won the set on a kill by Sydney Fortune.
Riding that momentum, Leyton rolled to an 11-point win in the final set to capture the match.
Haupt said a perfect record wasn't necessarily the goal this season.
"We competitively respect every opponent and we don't overlook anybody," she said. "In volleyball, anything can happen."
Shawnee Gamble led the Warriors with 22 kills. Roelle finished with 15, Ella Haley 14 and Fortune 12.
Setter Zaili Benish tied a Class D-2 record, dishing out 61 assists.
McKenzie Hofstetter had 16 kills to lead Meridian, which finishes 20-11.
Shelton 3, Stuart 0
No. 2 Shelton swept No. 4 Stuart 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 in the Class D-2 first round at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Bulldogs (30-3), at state for the third consecutive year, are in the semifinals for the first time since 2022. They will meet defending champion Overton, which they beat in two sets in the regular season, at 11 a.m. Friday.
Central Valley 3, Amherst 0
Central Valley defeated Amherst in three sets Thursday in a first-round Class D-2 match of the state volleyball tournament.
The 28-6 Cougars posted the sweep with a 25-19, 25-14, 25-20 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Central Valley — a co-op of Greeley-Wolbach and North Loup-Scotia — advances to a 9 a.m. semifinal Friday against undefeated Leyton.
The Broncos finish 23-10.
