(upbeat music) - From high school gyms to college arenas, we're into the thick of volleyball season in the state of Nebraska.

At the collegiate level, conference play is well underway, and at the high school level, the state tournament is right around the corner.

We take you right into the state volleyball next.

(upbeat music) Good evening, and welcome back to the state volleyball here at Nebraska Public Media.

I'm your host, Ana Bellinghausen.

Coming up in the show, we'll visit with Nebraska-Kearney head coach Rick Squires and former Nebraska volleyball player Kathi Wieskamp.

We also have a feature on two sport athlete Trinity Shadd-Ceres.

(silent) Some updates for you for Nebraska and Creighton volleyball, starting with the Huskers.

Number one in the country remain unbeaten after two massive sweeps against number 15 Indiana on the road and number seven Wisconsin at home.

Harper Murray earned Big Ten player of the week and delivered a season high 20 kills on 471, hitting against the Badgers.

Heading into the week, Andi Jackson's 487 hitting percentage ranked third in the country as she continues her dominant season.

Of note since last show, Dani Busboom Kelly became the fourth fastest coach in volleyball history to hit 250 career wins.

Big ten play continues to ramp up for the Huskers as we head into the final months of the season.

Now on to Creighton volleyball.

The Jays are 10-8 and have won five of their last six matches after dropping five straight.

The Jays are in a three way tie for first place in the Big East.

Aidan Ames was a highlight for CU last week after moving from middle to outside hitter.

In September, she went off for a career high 18 kills against Xavier en route to a four set win this past Sunday.

Abbey Hayes has also been a bright spot with ten plus kills in the last four matches.

Creighton does have a road trip out east to face Villanova and Georgetown this weekend, as the Jays try to maintain their top spot at the conference.

Another team riding a hot streak is Nebraska-Kearney volleyball.

Let's welcome in longtime head coach Rick Squires.

(upbeat music) -[Rick] Hi, how are you?

- I'm doing great, coach.

How are we doing today?

(silent) - Having a good day so far.

-[Ana] All right.

Well, I would imagine so because your team is 20-1 you've won 20 straight games just the first loss.

And then afterwards your team has been on a roll.

What would you attribute most to that success coach?

(silent) - You know I think we've got a group of upperclassmen who is kind of a core group.

That was part of our success last year.

We do have some new people playing, but, uh, they've just decided they want to carry the torch.

And, uh, you know, we got off to a slow start and got swept in our first match.

And then, you know, kind of had a choice to make.

And, uh, we got things rolling, uh, you know, the very next day and got some confidence.

And, you know, we've been able to kind of ride that wave for a while, but, uh, you know, it's been a good year, but still a lot of tough ones ahead.

-[Ana] Yeah.

The Lopers are ranked fifth in the country.

Do you have those discussions with your players just about handling that pressure?

(upbeat music) -[Rick] You know, I think we try to keep our focus small on, you know, the little things that we can control in the areas we're trying to improve.

So we do very little talking about, uh, you know, whatever our record or ranking or position is in the league, we just, there's always something ahead.

And you know, right now that's the University of Central Missouri on Friday.

So we spend our time talking about how we can play well against them and the challenges that they pose.

And, you know, we we follow our team and our own development.

And, uh, there's just that's the wonderful thing about the game is there's always something to work on.

And we've made a lot of strides, but we've still got a lot of growth ahead of us, I think.

-[Ana] One constant in the state of Nebraska is the support for volleyball.

How have you seen that grow for you and your team?

And just watching that growth across the state as well from every level?

(upbeat music) -[Rick] Well, obviously, Nebraska's been ahead of the curve for decades.

And, you know, I think we're a little bit of a you know, we've got our own following out here in Kearney and it's always been fantastic.

We're usually the nation's leader in fan attendance.

And this year has been really good.

I mean we've got kind of a weird conference schedule, um, different.

And we have a, a big drought with without any home matches, uh, in league play for like four weekends.

But in the early going, we had great turnouts.

Uh, students have been here.

It's been a tough environment and we're going to need them again down the stretch because we have a couple of huge conference matches here two weeks from now that are going to determine a lot of the seeding in the conference tournament and things like that.

But UNK, the Health and Sports Center, is one of the best places to play college volleyball in the whole country, regardless of division.

So it's been fantastic.

- Coach, taking a look at your roster.

Carly Purdy has been a leader all year.

What can you say about the senior and what she's accomplished and brought to this team?

(silent) - I mean, Carly has gotten to the point now where her experience has kind of leveled off with her talent.

I mean, she came in here as a D1 talent.

You know, she's a ten-two toucher, um, very explosive big arm and just didn't have a lot of college experience and even a lot of high level club experience based on her location.

So she has that experience now.

And so it's fun to watch those things come together.

Uh, she's part of everybody's game plan who plays against us and she's embraced that, she's become a better all around player, good blocker.

Uh, you know, we're able to leave her in the backcourt a little bit.

And so Carly is a huge part of what we're trying to do this year, no question.

-[Ana] Yeah.

And after the departure of your setter, Peyton Neff, what's it been like running a six-two with Callie Squires and Ellie Eckman?

(silent) - Yeah, I mean, the first time we've really ever by choice run a six-two.

But it does seem to be the way the game is trending, at least in Division two.

Trying to play a little bit more physical.

And, you know, even last year, as good as we had it with Peyton Neff, we struggled sometimes in our two hitter rotations.

You don't see as much potency out of the back row.

Maybe at our level as you do at the high levels of D1.

So, uh, kind of planned on running the six-two.

And I think both Callie and Ellie have been fantastic for us.

Callie has a couple of years of experience coming off of her time at Iowa Western, and she was here in the spring.

And so that gave her a little bit of a head start.

But Ellie's probably been surprisingly ready for this role.

I mean, she stepped in and hasn't missed a beat.

Uh, makes great decisions.

Ball jumps out of her hand.

Very good server.

And so it's allowed us to play a little bit more physical.

And I think that's made us kind of a different team this year.

And so, uh, you know, that's always, you know, when you've got to go through a setting transition, that's one of the things that'll keep coaches up at night and they've handled that really well.

-[Ana] Yeah.

What is it like getting to coach Callie and have her come over to the Lopers?

(silent) - Well, I mean, she's our youngest.

And, you know, I've been fortunate enough to have a few other ones in the program.

And I will say this, she was the hardest one to recruit and, uh, gave us all kinds of one to take visits all over the place and wanted me to help her.

And, you know, so I'm trying to help her and recruit her at the same time.

And eventually she came to her senses and, uh, she's a hard worker and, uh, I think really competitive.

And so, you know, there's a little transition period.

Uh, but I think the fact that she was here in the spring was helpful.

And she's playing with some people that she played with during the club season her junior and senior year.

So she was familiar.

But, uh, you know, we finally, finally got her to the finish line on the decision and it's worked out so far.

-[Ana] Yeah.

Another transfer.

Grace Schmedding.

How fun has that been getting her over from Fort Hays State?

Because I know she did want to go to UNK right out of high school too.

(silent) - Yeah, I mean, we didn't recruit her like we probably should have and had to play against her a few times when she was at Fort Hays State.

And I can remember thinking, uh, wow, that girl is competitive and she hates to lose a point, let alone a match.

And so, uh, with their coaching change and seeing her in the portal, uh, you know, we graduated Emilee Lane, who was kind of a one part of our one-two punch last year.

And so Grace has stepped right in, giving us a six rotation outside hitter, which allows you to run the six-two.

And not only has she been really good for us, I think she's appreciated the opportunity to play in a program now that is competing, you know, hopefully for a conference championship and has a chance to aspire to be in the postseason and things like that.

So it's been really nice to have somebody on the roster who maybe didn't feel like that in the past, and now she does.

And so you get to see somebody, uh, like we got a win over Washburn and you know, she was beside herself, you know, because she had lost to them, you know, half a dozen times.

So to kind of watch somebody go through some of those things for the first time and really appreciate it has been amazing.

And Grace has been a huge addition for us.

- How special has it been to see Brynn Stowell a legacy of this program have so much success with the Lopers?

(silent) Yeah, Brynn's having a big year.

We need her to have a big year.

She's, you know, with her size, uh, 6'4", 6'5", right side, big attack.

Uh, she's somebody that, uh, we rely upon to go get us 12, 15 a night, and she's more than happy to do that.

She wants the ball.

Uh, she's very fiery and competitive.

And, you know, we know that's part of the family lineage.

Uh, you know, they're a volleyball family, and Brynn's been just, uh, continuing to get better for us.

And so she's somebody that I think attracts a lot of attention.

And even when you don't set her, then it allows your middles to score a little bit more efficiently and your other pins.

But, uh, for us to go where we want to go, Brynn Stowell has to be, uh, you know, All-American caliber.

-[Ana] Coach you've been at Kearney for nearly 30 years.

You've seen so many teams go through this program.

What makes this one special?

(silent) - You know, it starts with the great support that we have here in the community.

It's a volleyball town, and we sell that in the recruiting process.

We have, you know, a great mid-size university.

Um, you know, it's true that tradition never graduates.

I mean, the expectations just get passed down from one group to the next.

And I think we just have a great fan base.

They appreciate good volleyball when we host a tournament or something.

Uh, not only do they come and watch the Lopers play, but they'll be here for the other matches.

They just want to see great volleyball.

So, uh, it's an easy sell in that regard.

And, uh, we're also maybe just far enough away from Lincoln that, you know, this is the place for a lot of the people in this region to come and support college volleyball.

And we want to put a great product on the floor for them.

And it's just been a great, uh, combination of everything so far.

So it's been a fun place to coach and, uh, you know, just a great fit for myself and our family and, uh, couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

- Coach We know as we get closer to November and December.

Every match counts at this point.

What stands out to you about your remaining schedule and what your challenge to your team is?

(silent) - Yeah, what stands out is everybody's good.

First of all, I mean, the MIAA top to bottom is probably the deepest league in the country.

So, you know, we're coming off a weekend that we thought was going to be grueling.

And it was.

I mean, we're on the road at Northwest Missouri State who played really well against us and then had to go play at Missouri Western, who's had an amazing season.

And so you get to enjoy that for about five seconds.

And then you turn around and, you know, now you got central Missouri and Emporia State, who are, you know, top 25 caliber programs.

Then we go on the road again and a couple of tough environments, including central Oklahoma.

And so they just keep rolling up on the schedule and in our region.

Uh, you got to win as many of those matches as you can.

You got to put yourself in a place where you have a chance to get some quality wins.

So you get lots of opportunities to do that.

But they're all grinders, and we'll fully expect that everything we have remaining will be similar.

And then you go to the conference tournament and you get to lace them up tight and go do it all again.

And hopefully, uh, when that's all said and done, uh, you're one of the top eight teams in the region.

And, uh, you know, then you're really playing for something.

-[Ana] All right, coach, well, thank you so much for your time, and best of luck to you and the lopers down the stretch.

(silent) - Appreciate you having me And for everything that you guys do.

(silent) - Always incredible to see that talent at the D2 level.

Back up to D1.

Creighton volleyball player and long jumper Trinity Shadd-Ceres is pursuing excellence in two division one sports, two sports that demand very different skills, mindsets and approaches.

(upbeat music) -[Narrator] For most college athletes, competing in one sport is demanding enough.

But Creighton's Trinity Shadd-Ceres is doing something much different, balancing volleyball with long jump.

- I think because they're so different, they work so well to like compensate one another.

Track is very independent and individual, but just the team atmosphere and playing for something bigger than yourself in volleyball, like I love that and that's why I play volleyball.

-[Narrator] Trinity transferred to Creighton after spending two years playing volleyball at Wisconsin and hadn't done long jumps since high school.

-[Trinity] Creighton just stood out instantly compared to a lot of other schools.

And on top of that, coach Brian, he's the one that actually asked me if I wanted to do track again.

I didn't ever think it would be an option or an opportunity for me anywhere in the U.S., but he was the one really pushing that for me to get back into track.

(upbeat music) Transferring, it just opened my eyes to like, maybe I could go back to like, who I truly am as an athlete and not just a volleyball player.

- When she committed to Creighton, there was no talk of track at all.

I showed Coach Gannon like, hey, we're talking to this, uh, this athlete that's done track before.

Here are her times here, her distances, you know, how good are these?

And he was like, oh my God, these are like world class numbers.

Like these are she'd win the Big East.

She could compete nationally.

-[Chris] I think it speaks more to not just Brian, but Creighton as a whole.

I think it speaks to the culture here.

Um, that it's not about one program or another program.

It's about the person and what's best for Trinity and what her dreams and goals are and helping her achieve those things without us putting limits on them.

And that's pretty special.

I think that's a very Creighton thing.

- To play two division one caliber sports at the same time is really hard and to compete at the level that she is.

So to still be able to go out and perform at the level she does is really incredible.

- It's a matter of good communication working with Brian, as well as Angie and then Brad Schmidt, and understanding what they're doing at volleyball and communicating back and forth, as well as communicating with Trinity.

-[Narrator] And now the goals are getting even bigger.

-[Trinity] My main goal is to go pro in volleyball.

Like hopefully after I achieve that, maybe going to the Olympics in track.

I mean, I fell short in 2024, but I know I can compete at that level.

So 2028, hopefully.

- She walked off the track at Hayward Field and she walked up to me and she goes, next year I want to win this thing.

That's a big goal.

At the end of the day, when you see that smile as they walk off the track.

It's pretty special, you know?

And for her to see that same smile on the volleyball court when she gets a kill or an ace.

It's pretty cool as well too.

(upbeat music) That's really what life's about.

I feel like is, is finding joy in our journey.

If we can't do that, then it's going to be a rough road ahead.

(upbeat music) - Two sports, two paths and for Trinity, no shortage of goals or reasons to keep jumping and swinging for more.

We'll turn our attention now to some high school volleyball and Nebraska volleyball as we welcome in Kathi Wieskamp, a former Nebraska Husker.

Kathi, how are we doing today?

- Doing great.

Excited to talk about volleyball.

-[Ana] Absolutely.

Always a great time to talk some volleyball.

We'll start with Nebraska.

Your impressions of this team so far.

Unbeaten number one on the season.

- I think this team is phenomenal.

They again we've got veterans.

But these veterans are actually playing at the next level.

But the other thing I think about this team is they are so deep.

The players that have had the opportunity to come in have been ready.

And there's no hesitation by DBK to say, come on in and see if you can make a difference.

And they have.

And I think that's really impressive.

I do feel that they've really pushed their level of play in the service area.

I think that is the biggest thing that stands out to me this year, that they're really playing and putting the pressure on their opponents.

-[Ana] When you look at the upcoming schedule to what becomes most important for the Huskers as they finish out Big Ten play.

And then you also have that Big Ten tournament.

-[Kathi] Well, I think they need to win out.

You know go through the regular season.

They need to continue to push to get better.

Um I think they'll be able to try different things to say in situations.

Maybe we want to make some adjustments or whatever.

Or if we're in a match and we have frustrations, these are opportunities for them to learn to do that, to make that a comfortable thing for all players.

And so I think that's something that they'll be pushing to do as they get into the tournament.

I'm excited about the tournament.

I think it's prepping them.

It's like a mini pre postseason tournament, um, our national tournament.

And so I think for them it's going to be good.

It'd be great competition.

It gets you going.

And in the flow of that high level of play.

-[Ana] Speaking of high level play Andi Jackson she recently was back to back Big Ten player of the week.

Harper Murray wins it this week.

Well let's talk Jackson.

What's made her so effective this year?

- She is so athletic and she's so much fun to watch.

And I think she just has pushed it another level.

She is a player who came in with a lot of opportunity to grow, and she has flourished in this environment and she's open.

I mean, she doesn't take anything for granted.

She is a great team player, but she wants to continue to do well.

She is so quick, so fast with that arm.

Opponents really struggle.

They don't have an answer for her and she's just out there having a great time and doing what she does so well.

-[Ana] All right, well, let's move on to some high school volleyball and a name that Husker fans certainly will be paying attention to.

Shayla Rautenberg out of Milford, NC1.

What stands out about Shayla's game and what makes her such a powerful player?

-Shayla, obviously her mom is Lisa Reitsma, so her mom has that Nebraska and Nebraska Hall of Fame inductee.

Not only great volleyball player, but inducted into the Hall of Fame.

And she.

So she's had a great role model for her whole life.

She is athletic naturally, but come in.

But she's also very competitive and has really pushed her level of game to the, um, you know, continue to do that.

She's a great hitter and blocker, but that's not enough.

She's pushing to be better at serving and in the passing game, but also a leader and be a more verbal out on the court, not just physically the leader, but verbally on the court.

Help the teammates around her become better.

I think those are the things that we're seeing from her.

And still, I think she's a phenomenal.

But she has even an opportunity to continue to even be better because of some of those skills.

She's learning and pushing herself to become better at.

-[Ana] Yeah.

And that's pretty scary because she's already a great player.

- That's exactly, right.

- On to class B, Gretna four division one commits on that team.

What does that just say about the level of talent in volleyball this season?

- I just think the level of our Nebraska athletes, it just continues to rise.

And one team to have four division one players and they're all at different positions.

And so when you've got that combination of that many great players and all doing different skill sets that feed into the other, the level of play really elevates.

They are a gritty team.

They're a fun team to watch.

Um, they again, they work well together and again with some very high level players.

And they're not the only team with four division one commits.

Norris out of class B also has that.

How incredible is that to see for that team.

Also speaking of Malorie Boesiger, their setter, a Nebraska commit.

Alli Bornschlegl too, that team is loaded.

-[Kathi] That team is definitely loaded and they've been strong for several years.

They have nine seniors on that team, and they've been playing together since they were little elementary kids.

And so as they're together, they've had, they love each other.

They've played hard together.

Malorie Boesiger having to sit out that one year, to be honest, was very hard, but I think has made her a better player.

She saw the game from a different perspective.

She has taken what she's learned from sitting on that sideline and incorporated that into her game.

She's very skilled, but she's also become a better leader.

I think she sees things differently.

She also, you think of her as a great setter running this offense, but she is a great defensive player.

She also leads this team in service aces, so she's attacking you from the service line.

She plays a huge role.

Then when you've got Alli Bornschlegl to feed up and tee up in the offense.

I think Alli is a joy to watch.

She's smooth.

She really does a lot of things great.

She's a very complete six rotation player.

She finds a way to get kills, but she's also doing great stuff on the defensive side of the game.

And again does that all with a lot of joy on the court.

And it really shows.

-[Ana] Yeah.

And coach Christina Boesiger said that Alli might be one of the best players to ever come through that program.

That's saying a lot for Norris and their continued success they've had year after year.

-[Kathi] Absolutely.

And again, because she's so complete and plays and does each of those skills at such a high level.

But it's again, it's smooth, it's seamless.

And she's such a team player.

I think those are the things that really make her stand out.

Like I said, she hit that thousand kill mark this season.

That's quite an accomplishment.

- All right.

Moving on to class A, the newbies to the class.

That's Elkhorn North.

What stood out about Elkhorn North so far?

And we'll touch on Papio South in that match in just a moment.

-[Kathi] I think Elkhorn North has prepared themselves to be in class A. They are high level-playing team.

They really compete well.

I think they have confidence in themselves.

And again, they're very skilled.

They're specific in their training or whatever.

They played a tough schedule last year to kind of prep them to move up to this class A, but they have been doing a phenomenal job as they've stepped into class A, and again, I think it's because their diversity on the court, they have strong players.

Um, we talked, we can talk about again, Reagan Wallraff.

Um, she's a player who can find a kill.

If you need a kill, she's going to be able to get that for you out there on the court.

She's had over 2100 kills this season.

Her efficiency is very high.

Her sister Reese feeds her up from the libero position.

And then Olivia Mauch's sister, Millie is playing for Elkhorn North.

And she is their setter.

She's been the defensive specialist the last two years.

She and but moved into that setting position this year.

She's she's very familiar with that.

She's done that most of her life.

But she stepped in.

But she really drives this offense.

She really is a smart player.

She's very insightful to her team.

What her situations and what how can she help them be successful in those situations.

She's a quiet, strong leader.

She you can tell she's a thinker.

She's a very again, knowledgeable.

And again, she's really running this office in a pretty high pace right now.

-[Ana] They also say she has the best serve on the team.

So she's learned that from Olivia, I think - Yeah, I think she gives credit to Olivia for that help and to what a great mentor too.

And again, a great supporter of Millie as well.

-[Ana] You can't talk about class without mentioning Papillion-LaVista South.

What Katie Tarman's done for the last five class A titles have gone their way.

What stands out about their ability to be in that conversation year after year?

- I think, um, Katie does a great job of keeping them mentally prepared and focused on what they're doing.

I mean, she has great athletes and she's a great trainer and the players love playing for her.

I believe she I would call her a coach's player, but she again, she trains the whole person.

And I think that makes this team very successful out on the court.

You've talked about some of the Finley Moone.

She is a dual sport athlete, also.

She's a jumper.

She jumps out of the gym.

She makes great shots.

She has a great toolbox of different shots and again, is able to find ways to make kills and play great defense and do really the whole package of the game.

And then you also have Lyric Judson.

She's a middle who moves smooth across the net.

She's really good.

She's up there.

Works hard in transition, gets to the ball, makes herself eligible, and then she does a great job.

I think of hitting around block, or she sees really well up there with her vision and is able to get that.

Both of these two players are also very fun to watch.

They're high energy.

There's a lot of positive energy from them out on the court.

And so again, that feeds your team and again elevates everybody's play.

-[Ana] All right Kathi, November is just around the corner.

I'm so excited for the state volleyball tournament and those championships on Nebraska Public Media.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

- Thank you.

I had a great time.

And again, make sure you tune in for that state championship.

There's going to be some great teams.

- It's going to be awesome and that will do it.

For this episode of State Volleyball.

Join us for the NSAA softball Finals on Monday.

Class C gets the action started at noon, followed by class B at 3:30, class A at 7:00 all central times.

And our next state volleyball episode will air November 19th at 9:00 PM central, both on Nebraska Public Media.

A special thank you to Rick Squires, Kathi Wieskamp for joining us.

I'm Ana Bellinghausen and we will see you back here soon on your home for volleyball Nebraska Public Media.

(upbeat music)