Volleyball-Lourdes, Nebraska City, and Falls City Staying Competitive In September

Lourdes Central Catholic - The Knights earned a trip to the District Finals last season with a 23-11 record. Ainsley Esser broke the school record with 86 ace serves in a season, while Ivye Meyer set the record for career assists with 667. Aspen Meyer, Gracie Ragland, Emma Heng, and Gina McGowen all return after lettering a year ago.
Head Coach Kylie Hein is excited about her team this year, expecting growth as the season progresses. “While this group may not have the same amount of varsity experience our team had last year, they are definitely open to facing challenges and are growing in volleyball mindset and skills every single day. We might not win every game early on, but I am confident that by the end of this season, this group is going to be tough to beat.”
Nebraska City - 2019 was a rollercoaster of a season for the Pioneers as they learned Adam Kuntz’ new system, and understanding the aggression needed to get better. As the season went on, Nebraska City showed progress as they beat multiple teams that beat them earlier in the season, and won their first postseason win in years.
Alexis Hoover, Rachel Russell, Madi Mitchell, Katie Schreiter and Halle Thompson are all returning contributors from last season.
The Pioneers are 3-3 to start the season, but Coach Kuntz has an optimistic outlook for the rest of his team’s season. “We are leaving our expectations to showing improvement each game through September and during October playing our best matches of the season leading into the postseason. Our body language, knowledge of the game and willingness to chase down balls are some of the most improved changes people can expect to see this fall.”
Falls City - Allison Haines introduced a new system to the 2019 Tigers in her first year as head coach. Her side finished 9-21 but progressed as the season went on. They only lost one game at home all season and finished 3rd in their home tournament. The 3rd-place finish was the first trophy the senior class earned during their time at Falls City.
Chase Nolte, Lindsey McNeely, Josie Riggs, Reece McNeely, and RaeAnn Thompson are all returning letter winners from 2019.
The Tigers will feature a young squad this season, with five of the seven starters being underclassmen. Coach Haines looks to her seniors to guide the underclassmen, and expects a competitive season with growth along the way. “Our focus is to be scrappy and serve other teams off the court. We believe if we can cause chaos from the service line, we can run our offense efficiently. Our goal is to be as competitive as we can every night. It will be a learning curve for our team, and also for me as a second year head coach.”