Class D-1 state volleyball: Southwest, BDS and EMF advance

Check out the results from the first round of the Class D-1 state volleyball tournament on Thursday in Lincoln.

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Southwest 3, Diller-Odell 0

After losing long matches at state each of the past two years, Southwest volleyball coach Kim Barnett got just what she wanted Thursday.

A three-set sweep to keep her Class D-1 Roughriders perfect this season.

Top-ranked Southwest moved to 34-0 with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-23 victory over ninth-ranked Diller-Odell at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Roughriders were sent home after the first round in 2022 and 2023, losing both in five sets.

After her team won the first two Thursday, Barnett had a message for her players who seemed to be losing their focus before the third set.

"I kind of got after the girls because I didn't want to go to five again," she said. "We were going through a little bit of a lull so we needed to refocus."

Southwest came ready to play as one of two unbeaten teams at state. Class D-2 Leyton kept its unbeaten record intact earlier in the day, and now it was the Roughriders' turn.

Barnett's team won the first set by 11 points, finishing with a kill from Anikka Nelms. Another Nelms kill ended the second set as Southwest won by four and took aim at that sweep.

The Roughriders opened an 18-14 lead in the third set but the Griffins fought back to make it 21-20. Southwest regrouped and finished off the victory, scoring the final two points on a kill by Nelms and one from her cousin Atleigh Nelms.

Barnett said she was aware that Leyton also brought an unbeaten mark into the tourney and knew the Warriors had rallied from an 0-2 deficit against Meridian on Thursday to remain perfect.

"We got here right at the end of their match," she said. "I think we did get a little inspiration from that, seeing the way they came back."

Anikka Nelms and her twin sister Nyra each had 12 kills for Southwest while Atleigh Nelms had nine. Setter Aspen Billeter finished with 29 assists.

Carley Meyerle had 12 kills to pace 19-12 Diller-Odell.

BDS 3, Howells-Dodge 0

Senior twins Campbell and Kinzley Bohling teamed for 23 kills as No. 3 Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (BDS) swept No. 5 Howells-Dodge 25-21, 25-20, 25-20 in Class D-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Campbaell had 12 and Kinzley 11.

The Eagles (29-4) improved their record to 6-2 in opening matches during their eight-year run of tournament appearances dating to 2017. One of the losses was to Howells-Dodge in 2021.

The Jaguars (18-14), who had been state champions in 2021 and 2002 before not qualifying last year, had Bella Koliha and Peyten Becker with seven kills apiece.

EMF 3, Cambridge 0

Exeter-Milligan/Friend (EMF) defeated Cambridge on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Class D-1 state volleyball tournament.

The Bobcats won the match 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 in a first-round match at Pinnacle Bank Arena. EMF moves on to play top-ranked Southwest on Friday at 9 a.m.

The Trojans finish 22-11.

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