Kearney Catholic v. Syracuse // Austin Jacobsen
LINCOLN – The Class C1 top seeded Kearney Catholic handled a tough Syracuse squad, battling in sets one and three to sweep the #8 Rockets 25-23, 25-15, and 26-24.
Kearney Catholic entered as the #1 overall seed in the Class C1 State Championships, having ended the season as C1-10 Sub-District champions with an upset victory over then top-seeded Minden in five sets. The Stars were 30-2 entering the match.
While Syracuse had claimed the C1-8 District Final, taking down Douglas County West 3-1 with a regular season record of 27-7.
SET 1: Both teams battled back-and-forth throughout Set One, as the Stars faced only one point deficits while taking the same score advantages. Kearney Catholic forced a Syracuse timeout, as the Stars went on a 5-1 tied at ten. The Stars’ rally held their lead, going up 18-14 late into Set One.
The Stars were the first to twenty, scoring off a service error by the Rockets as Keareny Catholic took at 20-16 lead. Back-to-back miscues by the Stars led to their first timeout from head coach Kris Conner. Coming out of the timeout, Syracuse stormed back to tie the contest at 21 all.
Tying the contest again at 22, Syracuse took the 23-22 lead forcing the second Kearney Catholic timeout. A service error tied the set at 23, while the Stars’ Margaret Haarberg took Set One with an ace to close out the 25-23 win.
SET 2: The aces continued into the second set, as Kearney Catholic’s Haarberg gave the early lead and started a short run, as the Stars went on a 4-1 run to open. Airey Mandernach’s kill down the right side gave Kearney Catholic a 7-4 lead. Haarberg was a dominant force in the early stretch of the set, having multiple kills and a solo block to give the Stars a 11-6 lead.
Out of a Syracuse timeout, Kearney Catholic continued to roll with energy. Payton Dzingle earned a kill, going up 12-7 in the second set. The fourth service ace for the Stars’ – and the third for Haarberg – put Kearney Catholic to a 15-10 lead. A short run by Syracuse was stuffed by a double-block by the Stars, keeping Kearney Catholic up 16-12.
Another Syracuse timeout could not save the Rockets, as Kearney Catholic continued to push their lead up to 20-13. The Stars’ run continued, going on a 6-1 run. Kearney Catholic ended the second set, winning 25-15.
SET 3: Syracuse got off a hot start to keep their season alive, fighting down from a two set deficit. The Rockets went on a 7-0 run in the beginning stretch of the set, leading 12-6.
After a timeout, the Stars began a short rally to cut the lead for the Rockets. Syracuse kept their lead at 14-11 after the Kearney Catholic 5-0 run. The Rockets began to recover, but the Stars’ blocks continued to rally them in the third. The offense for the Green-and-Gold began to chip away, bringing the contest to a 17-16 deficit for Kearney Catholic.
The Stars and Rockets held longer rallies late in the set, as a timeout from Kearney Catholic paused the action with Syracuse up 22-20. Out of the break, Kearney Catholic thundered a kill to cut the deficit to one. After scoring three in a row, the Stars forced the final timeout by Syracuse taking their first lead of the third set 23-22.
A service error by Syracuse had the match point set, with Kearney Catholic hitting long to go to extra points. Another lengthy rally went the Stars’ way, leading 25-24. Kearney Catholic ended on a kill from the outside to win 26-24.
The Stars enter the semifinals for the first time since 2021, where the Stars were runner-up.
Kearney Catholic’s Londyn Carnes led the way for the Stars, ending with eleven kills and two digs. Margaret Haarberg had nine kills, with Aibrey Mandernach having eight with seven kills. Hazel Haarberg would end with five kills, and Payton Dzingle would finish with seven kills and two solo blocks.
Kearney Catholic (31-2) faces #5 Pierce (31-3) on Friday at 1 PM at the Pinnacle Bank Arena North Court. Pierce took down #4 Malcolm in five sets in the late afternoon match, winning 25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, and 16-14.
