Shelton reaches third-straight state tourney

Everyone wants to be one of the 48 schools playing at the state volleyball tournament.

That same goes for the Shelton volleyball team.

The Bulldogs had getting back to the state tournament for the third-straight season as one of their goals and they accomplished that after sweeping Hay Springs in the Class D-2, District 3 final on Saturday.

No. 3-seed and No. 2-rated Shelton (Omaha World-Herald) takes No. 6-seed and No. 3 Stuart at 11 a.m. Thursday on the south court at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

"That's been our goal and that's what the girls have been working towards all season long," Shelton coach Misti Potter said. "I'm glad to see the girls were able to get it done on Saturday and qualify for the state tournament."

The Bulldogs have relied on both Jalyn Branson and Erin Gegg all season long. Gegg leads Shelton with 351 kills, while Branson chipped in 234. Branson, who also has 142 digs, missed a few matches at the start of the year after hyperextending her knee during the Bulldogs' jamboree game against Grand Island Central Catholic. Potter said Branson is 100 percent and those two have carried most of the load for Shelton.

"Those two play opposite of each other and that gives us a little more balance to our offense," Potter said. "Jalyn can still swing from the back row but we're not relying solely on her. With Erin being in the front row, that helps us out. They seem to come up big for us when we need a big play."

Potter said other players have stepped up as of late, mainly Olivia Kennedy, Kaycee Tompkin and Susanna Cheney. She said that's been helpful and will continue to be at the state tournament.

"If we can get other people involved, that will be key for us, that way we aren't just relying on Jalyn and Erin," Potter said. "A lot of teams probably defensively cheat towards Erin and Jalyn because that's where we send the ball a lot for our offense but I think if we can get other players involved a little more, that might give us some 1-on-1 opportunities."

The Bulldogs run a 6-2 offense with Macy Willis and Parker Lowe being the setters. Willis has dished out 362 assists while Lowe has 347.

"They've done a good job of spreading out our offense," Potter said. "They do a good job of reading where the blockers are and set the ball in the opposite direction if they need to. It gives us some 1-on-1 opportunities."

Potter said she also credits Ellie Morgan, a Wood River transfer, as well as Gracie Willis, who lead the defense with 259 and 154 digs.

"We've really focused on having our three best passes with Jalyn in the back row, as much as possible," Potter said. "And they've done a good job getting out of system balls too so when our setters dig a ball, they are willing to step in and give a good ball to our outsides."

Getting to the semifinals for the second time in three years won't be easy for Shelton. Stuart, which is in their fourth-straight state tournament, is riding a 25-match winning streak.

Reagan Stracke and Addisyn Ketteler are the top two attackers with 442 and 324 kills. They are also the setters with Ketteler dishing out 415 assists and Stracke has 304 assists.

Potter said Minden, the top seed in the Class C-1, field runs that similar offense with their top two players being the main hitters and setters. She said keying on them will be key as will blocking as Stuart isn't as tall as Shelton. The Bulldogs have three players over 5-10, while the Broncos have two players at 5-8.

"(Stracke and Ketteler) are definitely go-to players and we'll need to know where they are at all times," Potter said. "But I feel like our blocking has gotten better in our last few games. I think that will be a huge game-changer for us and if we can run a quick offense, that might be to our advantage as they aren't as tall as we are."

As for the state tournament, Potter said she feels any of the eight teams can win the tournament. She said the state champion will have to do a few things to be successful this weekend.

"I feel all eight teams are deserving of being there," Potter said. "It will be interesting to see what happens throughout the tournament. Teams will have to play good balance defense because that helps you stay in the game offensively. And passing will be key too as you can't run your offense if you can't get a good pass up to your setter. Any team in this bracket has a chance to win the whole thing. Hopefully, it will be us."