SEM begins play at the NSAA Class D1 state volleyball championships today. The Lady Mustangs will be making their first appearance at the state tournament since 2006. SEM is 25-7 on the season and is on an eight match winning streak entering the tournament. SEM qualified for the state tournament with a straight set win over Elgin Public Pope John (25-21, 25-13, 25-20) to claim the D1-6 district championship. Junior Mikah O’Neill and freshman Taryn Arbuthnot have led the SEM offensive attack this season. O’Neill leads the team in kills with 349 and Arbuthnot has 252 kills on the season. Defensively, Arbuthnot leads the team in blocks with 152 and O’Neill has 141. Sophomore Allie Rohde leads the team in digs with 342. SEM is the #5 seed in the D1 tournament and will face #4 seed BDS (Bruning Davenport Shickley) in the state quarterfinals today. The match will be played at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln at 3 p.m. today. The winner will advance out to the state semifinals and play the winner of Norfolk Catholic vs Nebraska Christian. The other D1 matchups today include #2 Cambridge vs Cedar Catholic and #3 Maywood Hayes Center vs Meridian.
The D2 and C2 state tournaments begin today as well. In Class D2, top seed Howells Dodge will face Stuart and #2 Overton will face St. Mary’s at 9 a.m. followed by Shelton vs Diller Odell and Humphrey St. Francis vs Falls City Sacred Heart at 11 a.m. In Class C2, top seed Lincoln Lutheran will play Bayard and #2 Archbishop Bergan will face Clarkson/Leigh at 5 p.m. followed by Oakland Craig vs Southwest and Cross County vs Amherst at 7 p.m.
Results from Wednesday
Class B
Elkhorn North def. Northwest 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-17)
Bennington def. Seward 3-1 (25-21, 28-26, 25-22, 25-20)
Omaha Skutt def. Waverly 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25-11, 25-11)
Norris def. Sidney 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19)
Class C1
North Bend Central def. Adams Central 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-20)
Gothenburg def. Malcolm 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20)
Minden def. DC West 3-0 (25-19, 25-8, 25-18)
Grand Island Central Catholic def. Kearney Catholic 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16)
Class A
Papillion LaVista South def. Marian 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 27-25)
Papillion LaVista def. Lincoln East 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22)
Lincoln Southwest def. Millard West 3-2 (25-15, 25-23, 16-25, 14-25, 15-7)
Omaha Westside def. Gretna 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22)
