EMF sweeps Cambridge in D1 quarterfinals
LINCOLN – The 2024 volleyball season has been one of many firsts for Exeter-Milligan/Friend. In just their second year of the all-sports co-op between the two schools, the Bobcats punched their first ticket to state with a four-set win over Tri County on Saturday in Friend.
That victory gave EMF the No. 5 seed in the D1 bracket, and in their first match at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Bobcats swept their way into the state semifinals as they broke out the brooms in a 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 win over fourth-seeded Cambridge on Thursday afternoon.
"I thought we started strong and we finished strong. We did a good job of staying mentally ready, calm and scrappy, and I thought they did a nice job of being in control of that," head coach Madalynn Fousek said. "I thought our middles did a good job today of blocking well – we didn't get them involved as much as I wanted to offensively, but I thought Taylin (Schluter) and Miley (Ricenbaw) did a great job defensively, too."
The state atmosphere is a unique one in the realm of high school volleyball, and with their entire roster making their debut in Lincoln conventional wisdom suggested the Bobcats would be wise to get off to a quick start.
Fortunately, EMF did exactly that Thursday afternoon. The Bobcats surged to a five-point cushion out of the gate by winning six of the match's first seven rallies, putting Cambridge behind the eight-ball early.
"It was huge. The first set of state volleyball is always going to be nerve-wracking, so I just told them 'the first five, let's just get through those first five and then go from there,' and they did exactly that," Fousek said. "I thought they did a great job. Those lights are hot underneath the court, so they did a really nice job of staying aggressive and staying true to themselves."
EMF's quick opening surge propelled the No. 5 seed the rest of the way, as the Bobcats never trailed in the opening set. In fact, they didn't even call a timeout, riding the early wave to a 20-16 win before ultimately putting the first set away 25-20 on a Schluter ace.
"We came out strong with a lot of confidence and energy. We had a couple nerves, but once we got those first five points I think we felt the excitement to overcome it, and we handled it really well," junior Kaydence Haase said after the match. "Practicing this week helped a lot, and it was a big win last Saturday to help us find confidence. Watching film on (Cambridge) throughout the week also gave us some confidence, and we played really well."
EMF continued their momentum in the early stages of the second set, pulling ahead 8-3 to prompt a Trojans timeout. Just as they did in the opening set, however, Cambridge hung around, eventually pulling to within 18-14 as Fousek burned her first timeout of the match.
However, the Bobcats were able to hold serve coming out of the break, pulling ahead 22-18 to force the second Cambridge timeout. EMF was able to close it out from there, winning the second set by an identical 25-20 margin to seize control of the match.
The two sides traded blows for much of the third set, but the Bobcats eventually pulled ahead 14-10 to force a Cambridge timeout. However, the Trojans one again found a way to hang around, rattling off a 4-0 run to even the score at 16.
EMF had a counterpunch up its sleeve as it rattled off three consecutive points before Cambridge took a pair to trim the deficit to one at 19-18.
That's when the Bobcats found another gear, landing the finishing blow in the form of an extended 6-1 run to close out the match and advance to Friday's semifinals with a sweep.
"We used the environment well, honestly. Our parents and the student section gave us a lot of help, and I don't think we paid much attention to the other game. We just focused on us and on our game, and the atmosphere helped us and our energy," Haase said. "We've got a good mentality where we're all very positive. Some of us get down sometimes, but we pick each other up quickly and easily."
The Bobcats put on an offensive clinic, racking up 43 kills to more than double Cambridge's total.
"Lily (Jeffries) does a really nice job of switching up her sets, making sure she's putting her hitters in good positions," Fousek said. "From there, it's just staying aggressive, making sure we're making the right reads and understanding our roles. They do a really good job of that."
Jeffries, a senior, was the main offensive distributor with 35 of the Bobcats' 39 assists; Schluter finished with two and Haase and Sophie Weber both had one.
Haase, meanwhile, was a one-woman wrecking crew Thursday as the junior hammered a match-high 25 kills to single-handedly finish with more winners than Cambridge.
While EMF might not have needed a ton of offensive support behind Haase, the Bobcats provided it in spades anyway. Senior Ella Archer finished with six kills and freshman Miley Ricenbaw netted four, while senior Keila Ricenbaw and junior Kiley Oldehoeft added three apiece.
"I think it's awesome. It's a really good opportunity for not just myself but everyone on the team, and with everyone there it helps us all do a lot better," Haase said. "We all put up great performances today."
Behind them, Jeffries rounded out the EMF attack with a pair of winners. Cambridge was led offensively by Erin Johnson as the senior had six of the Trojans' 18 kills.
Haase crushed half of the Bobcats' four aces at the service line while Schluter and Jeffries had one each; for the match, EMF held a 4-1 advantage in aces.
The Bobcats also notched a 6-2 edge at the net; the senior duo of Archer and Keila Ricenbaw paced the effort with three and two blocks, respectively. Miley Ricenbaw also had one in the victory.
Defensively, Haase racked up a match-high 17 digs to record a 25-17 double-double, while Schluter was right behind her with 16, Miley Ricenbaw joined them in double figures with 12 and Jeffries was one shy with nine.
As a team, EMF out-dug Cambridge 59-49; the Trojans were led by Brooklyn Holtze with 11 digs, while Mallory Springer netted 16 assists.
The victory was the Bobcats' first state win as a program, but beyond that it provides a big boost to both schools. Exeter-Milligan had a championship pedigree but had not won a match at state since 2017, while Friend's last win was four years earlier in 2013.
"It's really awesome, and I'm so excited for them. It's the second year as a co-op and they're rocking it," Fousek said. "You don't get here without a great group of girls, and they're all fantastic. It's a team effort, and I'm really excited."
It's been a breakthrough season on all fronts for EMF – after bowing out during subdistrict action last fall during the first year of the co-op, the Bobcats are through to the state semifinals.
"It feels great for us, and it means so much," Haase said. "For the Friend girls coming in from not the best seasons they've had – and combining that with us losing in the district finals our freshmen year, this is really good for all of us. It meant a lot."
A stiff challenge will await EMF (21-10) on Friday, however, as top-seeded Southwest began its state run with a sweep of Diller-Odell in the match preceding the Bobcats' on the north court at PBA. The Roughriders have yet to falter this season, carrying a 34-0 record into the semis.
First serve will be at 9 a.m. on the Pinnacle Bank Arena south court.
"We've just got to stay true to ourselves, remain calm and just be us," Fousek said. "We have to be up to block it and we've got to be fast on our side because Southwest is number one for a reason. As long as we can keep the pace up, I think we'll be able to hang in there. We're going to need everyone like we did today."
