Following a disappointing 16-25, 25-20, 23-25, 20-25 loss to eventual Class C1 state volleyball champion Grand Island Central Catholic in last fall's semifinals, Minden went on to sweep North Bend 25-22, 25-19, 25-23 in the Class C1 consolation championship.
Then, Whippet head coach Julie Ratka had to say goodbye to five seniors that logged an awful lot of playing time a year ago.
The good news in Minden is Ratka welcomes back plenty of young talent, including 5-foot-9 junior Mattie Kamery, who led Minden in kills (429) and ace serves (74) and was second on the team in set assists (363) and digs (313) a year ago. For her efforts, Kamery's stat line is regarded as the top returning stat line in the Cornhusker State this fall.
With two seasons under her belt, Kamery has produced 778 kills, 739 set assists, 110 ace serves, 49 total blocks and has dug up 604 enemy balls.
As a junior, Amherst's Hannah Herrick buried 435 kills, stuffed 86 enemy attacks and dug up 352 balls to take over the No. 2 spot while Jaelynne Clarke of Alliance sits third after frustrating Bulldog foes with 311 killls, 108 total blocks and 388 digs.
Ella Foote of Scottsbluff and Papillion-LaVista South's Lauren Medeck round out the Top 5 in the 4-5 spots respectively. Foote was consistent with 256 kills, 236 set assists and 250 digs while Medeck went big with 461 kills and 482 digs.
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller was the only school to place more than one athlete in the Top 10. Taryn Arbuthnot and Mikah O'Neill sit on the No. 8 and No. 10 rungs after combining for 641 kills a year ago.
Classes A, B, C1, C2 and D1 are all represented this week. But that doesn't mean returning athletes from the Cornhusker State's smallest classification isn't returning outstanding stat lines. Natalie Pieper of Howells-Dodge is back after putting up 250 kills, 34 set assists, 61 aces, 21 blocks and 295 digs for the Class D2 power.
After producing big numbers in at least one of the five statistical categories, 189 athletes qualified for this week's Top 10. A formula was then used to determine the order of this week's Top 10.
Lauren Medeck, Papillion-LaVista South (Photo: Nathanial George)
1.
Mattie Kamery,
Minden.296 hitting percentage | 429 kills | 363 assists | 74 aces | 22 blocks | 313 digs
2.
Hannah Herrick,
Amherst.328 hitting percentage | 435 kills | 19 assists | 51 aces | 86 blocks | 352 digs
3.
Jaelynne Clarke,
Alliance.272 hitting percentage | 311 kills | 32 assists | 34 aces | 108 blocks | 388 digs
4.
Ella Foote,
Scottsbluff .207 hitting percentage | 256 kills | 236 assists | 53 aces | 65 blocks | 250 digs
5.
Lauren Medeck,
Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion).284 hitting percentage | 461 kills | 4 assists | 45 aces | 58 blocks | 482 digs
6.
Brandi Helzer,
Oakland-Craig (Oakland).201 hitting percentage | 410 kills | 24 assists | 46 aces | 32 blocks | 313 digs
7.
Chloe Hanel,
Clarkson/Leigh (Clarkson).389 hitting percentage | 550 kills | 18 assists | 29 aces | 87 blocks | 332 digs
8.
Taryn Arbuthnot,
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (Sumner).226 hitting percentage | 271 kills | 19 assists | 39 aces | 154 blocks | 326 digs
9.
Halle Dolliver,
Malcolm.270 hitting percentage | 558 kills | 25 assists | 45 aces | 26 blocks | 304 digs
10.
Mikah O'Neill, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller
.358 hitting percentage | 370 kills | 28 assists | 32 aces | 144 blocks | 274 digs
