Papillion-La Vista South is peaking at the right time, something Millard South found out the hard way Wednesday night.
The visiting Titans swept the Patriots 25-20, 25-21, 25-14 in the District A-6 final to snag a spot in next week’s state tournament. Millard South, meanwhile, must hope to earn the lone Class A wild card.
The Titans trailed in each of the first two sets before rallying. They rode that momentum into the third and never trailed to complete the sweep.
“We’ve grown accustomed to coming from behind in sets,” Papio South coach Katie Wright said. “We’ve gotten pretty good at it, though that makes it kind of hard on the coach.”
The Titans served notice at last week’s Metro Conference tournament that they’re playing their best volleyball down the stretch. They defeated top-ranked Papillion-La Vista in the quarterfinal, handing the Monarchs their first loss of the season.
“We played well in the Metro,” Wright said. “We knew that we were a good team, but I’m not sure our girls realized that we could be a great team.”
The Patriots trailed 8-2 in the first set but fought back to tie it 14-14 on a kill by Sophie Hendrix. Millard South reclaimed a 20-18 advantage only to see the Titans rattle off the next five points.
Papio South finished off the first set on a block by Emma O’Neill and a combination block by O’Neill and Hendrix.
The Patriots started strong in the second set, sprinting to a 12-4 lead. But the Titans battled back again by going on a 12-4 run and tied it 16-16.
A Hendrix kill gave Papio South the lead for good and another Hendrix kill gave the second set to the Titans.
“Coming back like that gave us so much confidence,” setter Ava LeGrand said. “Even when we were behind, we just went out and played.”
And the Titans poured it on in the third. They opened a 17-10 advantage and captured the set and the match on a Patriot net violation.
“They played fantastic,” Millard South coach Jaisa Poppleton said. “We’ve been a team of highs and lows all season, and it was baffling the way things went tonight.”
Hendrix led the Titans with 14 kills while Stella Adeyemi had nine and LeGrand seven. LeGrand also had 17 assists, four blocks and two ace serves.
Paige Fixemer paced the Patriots with 12 kills while Maddie MacTaggart and Maggie Madej each had seven.
“I think we showed last week that if we can beat Papio, we can do anything,” LeGrand said. “I’m so excited that we’re going to state.”
Papillion-La Vista South (20-17) ... 25 25 25
Millard South (24-12) ... 20 21 14
PLVS (kills-aces-blocks): Ashlyn Dierks 1-2-0, Delanie Vallinch 0-1-0, Breckyn Moore 3-0-0, Aliah Clarke 2-0-0, Harlei Cole 0-3-0, Stella Adeyemi 9-0-0, Andjelica Petrovic 0-1-0, Emma O'Neill 5-0-3, Ava LeGrand 7-2-4, Sophie Hendrix 14-0-2.
MS: Maddie MacTaggart 7-0-0, Samantha Steele 1-0-0, Paige Fixemer 12-0-5, Laci Abendroth 5-0-0, Audrey Behrens 0-1-0, Elyse Globe 3-0-0, Makayla Fleming 1-3-0, Maggie Madej 7-1-0.
Set assists: PLVS 35 (LeGrand 17, Dierks 15, Vallinch 2, Hendrix 1); MS 33 (Fleming 28, Steele 3, MacTaggart 1, Madej 1).
District finals
A-1, Papillion-La Vista def. Omaha Westside 25-12, 25-11, 25-13: The top-ranked Monarchs swept the unranked Warriors to earn their 34th trip to the state tournament.
A-2, Elkhorn South def. Kearney 25-20, 25-22, 25-17: The Storm, ranked second in Class A, earned their third straight trip to state and their first after moving to Class A this season.
A-3, Lincoln Pius X def. Lincoln Southeast 21-25, 25-12, 25-14, 25-21: The host Thunderbolts, who finished as Class A runners-up last season, have missed the state tournament once since 1995.
A-4, Gretna def. Elkhorn 25-16, 25-15, 23-25, 25-19: Gretna prevailed to earn its 10th trip to state in 11 years.
A-5, Millard West def. Bellevue West in four sets 21-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-22: It’s the Wildcats’ ninth straight trip to state.
A-7, Millard North def. Lincoln Southwest 21-25, 25-12, 25-14, 25-21: The Mustangs, the defending Class A champs, earned their fifth straight trip to state.
Photos: Nebraska high school state volleyball champions since 2004
Millard North celebrates winning the 2018 state title against Lincoln Pius X at the Devaney Center.
Class A: Millard North (38-2) def. Lincoln Pius X (36-3) 25-21, 25-18, 25-20
Class B: Omaha Skutt (27-5) def. Elkhorn South (31-9) 25-17, 25-21, 25-14
Class C-1: Wahoo (35-2) def. Lincoln Lutheran (34-3) 18-25, 25-20, 25-14, 21-25, 15-10
Class C-2: Blue Hill (32-2) def. Hartington Cedar Catholic (30-5) 25-16, 25-21, 14-25, 26-24
Class D-1: Fremont Bergan (33-4) def. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (29-5) 25-15, 25-18, 25-14
Class D-2: Bruning-Davenport-Shickley (30-4) def. Ewing (31-3) 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 18-25, 18-16
Omaha Marian defeated Millard North in four sets to win the 2017 crown at the Devaney Center.
Class A: Omaha Marian (38-2) def. Millard North (27-13) 24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18
Class B: Omaha Skutt (35-8) def. Omaha Duchesne (31-6) 25-22, 25-15, 20-25, 25-19
Class C-1: Wahoo (34-2) def. Grand Island Central Catholic (33-3) 28-26, 25-23, 25-15
Class C-2: Superior (28-4) def. Hartington Cedar Catholic (35-1) 16-25, 25-21, 12-25, 25-14, 15-10
Class D-1: Johnson-Brock (34-1) def. Meridian (31-3) 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23
Class D-2: Exeter-Milligan (27-6) def. Ewing (29-3) 25-19, 25-20, 28-26
The Millard North volleyball team celebrates a five-set win over Papillion-La Vista South for the 2016 championship at the Devaney Center.
Class A: Millard North (27-11) def. Papillion-La Vista South (30-11) 15-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 20-18
Class B: Omaha Skutt (44-0) def. Grand Island Northwest (38-3) 25-14, 25-19, 25-13
Class C-1: Omaha Concordia (27-5) def. Malcolm (34-1) 25-22, 27-25, 37-35
Class C-2: Stanton (31-6) def. Diller-Odell (33-4) 25-22, 25-23, 25-20
Class D-1: Johnson-Brock (31-4) def. Meridian (26-7) 18-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-21
Class D-2: Hampton (35-0) def. Wynot (27-5) 25-14, 25-17, 25-16
Omaha Marian swept North Platte to win the 2015 state championship at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Class A: Omaha Marian (41-3) def. North Platte (37-4) 26-24, 25-16, 25-20
Class B: Omaha Skutt (40-2) def. Gretna (35-3) 25-23, 29-27, 25-18
Class C-1: Kearney Catholic (34-2) def. Ord (31-4) 25-20, 30-28, 21-25, 23-25, 15-12
Class C-2: Hastings St. Cecilia (25-11) def. Stanton (33-4) 25-13, 25-21, 25-13
Class D-1: Johnson-Brock (25-9) def. Diller-Odell (31-5) 26-24, 25-11, 27-25
Class D-2: Exeter-Milligan (27-4) def. St. Mary’s (31-3) 17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9
Omaha Marian gave Papillion-La Vista its first loss of the season in the 2014 state championship.
Class A: Omaha Marian (37-7) def. Papillion-La Vista (42-1) 25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 25-15
Class B: Norris (31-5) def. Omaha Skutt (36-6) 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22
Class C-1: Kearney Catholic (33-1) def. Omaha Concordia (34-2) 25-22, 25-17, 26-24
Class C-2: Freeman (33-0) def. Crofton (29-1) 25-23, 22-25, 34-32, 27-25
Class D-1: St. Mary’s (34-0) def. Ansley-Litchfield (33-2) 25-16, 25-15, 25-15
Class D-2: Giltner (27-4) def. Stuart (29-6) 25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 15-10
Omaha Marian rallied for a five-set victory over Millard West in 2013 at Grand Island's Heartland Events Center.
Class A: Omaha Marian (33-11) def. Millard West (36-3) 22-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13
Class B: Norris (30-8) def. Elkhorn South (22-14) 25-19, 25-22, 25-22
Class C-1: Kearney Catholic (27-8) def. Minden (27-5) 21-25, 25-18, 25-13, 16-25, 15-3
Class C-2: Hastings St. Cecilia (28-8) def. Freeman (27-6) 25-27, 25-14, 25-14, 28-26
Class D-1: St. Mary’s (33-1) def. BDS (30-4) 25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19
Class D-2: Giltner (31-2) def. Stuart (26-7) 25-17, 25-14, 25-18
Papillion-La Vista South players, from left: Raegan Legrand, Adyson Goodnight, Kadie Rolfzen and Kelly Hunter celebrate after defeating Omaha Marian in the 2012 championship match at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Class A: Papillion-La Vista South (41-1) def. Omaha Marian (38-5) 25-14, 25-16, 25-15
Class B: Grand Island Northwest (35-2) def. Gretna (26-9) 25-22, 29-31, 25-20, 11-25, 16-14
Class C-1: Kearney Catholic (36-0) def. Columbus Scotus (25-4) 25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 25-17, 15-9
Class C-2: Hartington Cedar Catholic (31-5) def. Norfolk Lutheran (30-6) 25-15, 14-25, 25-14, 25-22
Class D-1: Exeter-Milligan (30-4) def. West Point GACC (30-5) 25-20, 15-25, 25-13, 25-20
Class D-2: Humphrey (33-2) def. Cedar Valley (26-7) 25-19, 25-23, 25-19
Papillion-La Vista South players celebrate match point as they defeat Omaha Burke in the 2011 championship at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Class A: Papillion-La Vista South (37-0) def. Omaha Burke (32-7) 25-15, 25-11, 25-17
Class B: Lincoln Pius X (38-3) def. Grand Island Northwest (34-5) 25-18, 25-14, 25-17
Class C-1: Columbus Scotus (29-0) def. Kearney Catholic (30-3) 25-13, 26-24, 23-25, 14-25, 15-12
Class C-2: Norfolk Lutheran (34-1) def. Ord (27-7) 23-25, 25-10, 25-15, 25-22
Class D-1: Humphrey (33-2) def. Exeter-Milligan (32-2) 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20
Class D-2: Howells (29-4) def. Bertrand (30-3) 25-18, 25-22, 25-20
Papillion-La Vista South players kiss their trophy after capping an undefeated season with a win over Omaha Marian in the 2010 championship at The Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Class A: Papillion-La Vista South (41-0) def. Omaha Marian (36-7) 32-30, 25-20, 25-14
Class B: Omaha Gross (30-8) def. Grand Island Northwest (34-4) 25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 25-18
Class C-1: Grand Island Central Catholic (35-0) def. Kearney Catholic (28-4) 25-9, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18
Class C-2: Norfolk Lutheran (36-2) def. Hartington Cedar Catholic (26-6) 26-24, 25-10, 25-22
Class D-1: Exeter-Milligan (33-1) def. Howells (28-6) 25-18, 25-18, 25-19
Class D-2: Lawrence-Nelson (25-5) def. Sterling (32-3) 18-25, 23-25, 28-26, 25-23, 15-13
Omaha Marian celebrates winning the 2009 state title against Papillion-La Vista South.
Class A: Omaha Marian (42-1) def. Papillion-La Vista South (36-5) 15-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23
Class B: Omaha Gross (31-8) def. Grand Island Northwest (33-6) 19-25, 25-7, 25-15, 21-25, 15-13
Class C-1: Columbus Scotus (24-5) def. Grand Island Central Catholic (35-1) 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 15-25, 15-12
Class C-2: David City Aquinas (27-8) def. Sandy Creek (25-7) 25-17, 25-17, 25-16
Class D-1: Exeter-Milligan (27-5) def. Howells (27-7) 25-14, 25-22, 25-20
Class D-2: Greeley-Wolbach (33-1) def. Clay Center (31-3) 25-19, 18-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-7
Papillion-La Vista's Emilee Romero, from left, Chelsey Feekin, Joslyn Bunger and Emilee Soucie react after defeating Papillion-La Vista South in the 2008 state title at the Nebraska Coliseum.
Class A: Papillion-La Vista (41-1) def. Papillion-La Vista South (25-13) 25-22, 25-21, 25-23
Class B: Lincoln Pius X (38-2) def. Grand Island Northwest (32-4) 25-17, 25-21, 25-20
Class C-1: Columbus Scotus (27-2) def. Grand Island Central Catholic (32-4) 25-23, 25-21, 25-21
Class C-2: Ravenna (28-7) def. Cambridge (20-12) 25-21, 25-11, 19-25, 25-13
Class D-1: Giltner (31-2) def. Bertrand (24-8) 25-19, 25-16, 25-17
Class D-2: Ewing (36-0) def. Chambers (29-5) 25-18, 25-18, 25-12
From left, Papillion-La Vista's Gina Mancuso, Lauren Willett, Emilee Soucie, Joslyn Bunger, Chelsey Freekin and Jennifer Hutt celebrate their 2007 victory over Grand Island at Lincoln's Pershing Center.
Class A: Papillion-La Vista (37-6) def. Grand Island (29-6) 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 19-17
Class B: Lincoln Pius X (35-4) def. Grand Island Northwest (32-4) 25-14, 25-20, 30-28
Class C-1: Ord (27-2) def. Minden (29-7) 26-24, 25-16, 25-17
Class C-2: Grand Island Central Catholic (34-1) def. Cambridge (26-4) 25-10, 25-6, 25-19
Class D-1: Bancroft-Rosalie (30-2) def. Humphrey St. Francis (25-5) 25-21, 25-21, 28-26
Class D-2: Paxton (26-1) def. Ewing (30-1) 25-21, 25-20, 15-25, 21-25, 17-15
Bellevue West's Ashley Petak, front, and Brooke Delano celebrate after beating Grand Island in the 2006 state championship.
Class A: Bellevue West (43-1) def. Grand Island (31-3) 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20
Class B: Lincoln Pius X (34-4) def. Omaha Gross (29-10) 25-14, 26-24, 23-25, 25-16
Class C-1: Columbus Scotus (26-3) def. Grand Island Central Catholic (30-3) 25-16, 25-22, 25-19
Class C-2: Heartland (27-1) def. West Point GACC (24-5) 25-20, 11-25, 25-14, 25-20
Class D-1: Freeman (31-2) def. Humphrey St. Francis (22-3) 14-25, 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11
Class D-2: Falls City Sacred Heart (20-11) def. Ewing (25-3) 33-31, 25-21, 14-25, 25-18
Ashley Petak, center, and the Thunderbirds celebrate after winning the 2005 state title over Omaha Marian.
Class A: Bellevue West (39-3) def. Omaha Marian (31-11) 18-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15
Class B: Omaha Gross (35-3) def. Elkhorn (28-4) 25-18, 25-19, 26-24
Class C-1: Columbus Scotus (26-3) def. Lincoln Lutheran (28-5) 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19
Class C-2: Grand Island Central Catholic (28-5) def. Ravenna (24-4) 25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-10
Class D-1: Humphrey St. Francis (25-2) def. Freeman (30-4) 22-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-17
Class D-2: Shickley (28-2) def. Paxton (23-2) 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 12-25, 15-10
Laura Brazeal, second from left, hugs Chelsea Grajcyzk as Bellevue West celebrates its win against Columbus in the 2004 championship game.
Class A: Bellevue West (42-4) def. Columbus (38-3) 25-17, 25-21, 28-26
Class B: Elkhorn (29-3) def. Lincoln Pius X (34-7) 25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 18-16
Class C-1: Lincoln Lutheran (31-2) def. Columbus Scotus (28-1) 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9
Class C-2: West Point GACC (30-0) def. Blue Hill (24-6) 25-16, 25-14, 25-19
Class D-1: Humphrey St. Francis (21-3) def. Fremont Bergan (24-10) 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18
Class D-2: Paxton (25-0) def. Elba (31-5) 25-16, 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-8
mike.patterson@owh.com, 402-444-1350,
Mike Patterson
Mike covers high school sports, primarily volleyball in the fall, girls basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer. He also reports on horse racing for The World-Herald. Follow him on Twitter @MPattersonOWH. Phone: 402-444-1350.
