On December 22, 2024 Penn State and Louisville faced off in Louisville, Kentucky. This was a big match up because not many people thought that Penn State was going to be in the National Championship. It was a long road to get to this point for both teams. A few days before, Louisville played the University of Pittsburgh and lost. This was a big upset because a lot of people thought they were going to win the whole thing. Penn State played Nebraska, and everyone knew it was going to be a good match but thought Nebraska was going to take it. In the end, Louisville and Penn State won.
This match was a lot bigger than just volleyball. For Penn State, every single player on that team was playing for their coach, Katie Schumacher, who has stage 2 of breast cancer. Throughout the whole season all of her players talked about how everything they do is for her.
Louisville has been underestimated all season and wanted to prove that they could show up and win. Along with the match taking place in Louisville they wanted this win more than anything. Louisville was also in the National Championship two years ago and lost to Texas, so they wanted to show up and play their best game.
When it came down to the actual match it was crazy. Penn State won in four sets. The second set was super close the entire time and this was the only set that Louisville won. Louisville put up a good fight, especially after losing their star player Anna Debeer due to an ankle injury the game before. In the end, both teams put up a great fight but Penn State did take the win.
Volleyball Day in Nebraska took place August 30, 2023. This was a historic day for Nebraska volleyball and female sports overall. Nebraska volleyball broke a world record this night. They broke the record of the most people to watch a female sport in person. There were a total of 92,003 people in the Memorial Stadium which is their football stadium.
The idea for this was created by the head coach of the Nebraska volleyball team John Cook. The goal was to beat the record Wisconsin had just created a few weeks before. The issue was there was no indoor stadium that could hold that many people, so they decided to do it outdoors in the Nebraska football stadium. The stadium can technically only hold 85,458 but has exceeded that number many times before. A lot of the administrators at University of Nebraska thought that this might not be successful but they were definitely proved wrong. The night tickets went on sale; they sold out in the first hour. Everyone was shocked by how fast they sold out.
The day of the game, the Nebraska volleyball team did a meet and greet with a ton of Husker fans. The goal of this meet and greet was to show the love the Nebraska volleyball team has for their community and the love the community has for them. The meet and greet was truly so special, so many young fans got to meet their idols in volleyball and it was amazing to see.
The game was against Omaha, and the University of Nebraska won in three sets. It was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky. Once the second set ended they found out the attendance number, and how they broke the record. All the players were trying to stay locked in for the game but could not contain their excitement. A lot of tears were shed by coaches, players, and fans. It was truly an amazing thing to hear and learn about as a younger volleyball player. Nebraska is the volleyball capital of the world and it truly is such an amazing atmosphere.
Nebraska had some of the best recruitments from the 2023 class. These players, who are now sophomores, changed Nebraska’s team as a whole. There were five players, with one who was a redshirt for the team. Four of their starting players in the 2023 season were freshmen. This is not commonly seen as most freshmen come into schools not planning on getting a lot of playing time.
Now, let’s talk about each of these players individually. First, there is Harper Murray who is an all around outside. She won Gatorade National Player of the year, and was top of her class for her position. Next is Bergen Reilly, she is the all-around setter for Nebraska. Some would say she is the best setter in the NCAA right now. She was top of her recruiting class for her position as well. The next player is Andi Jackson. Jackson is a middle blocker. She has the highest hitting percentage this season, and a lot of people say is on route to becoming an Olympian. The last player is Laney Choboy. Choboy is a DS which stands for defensive specialist.
All of these players played on the U19 national team, and won the Pan American Cup. Reilly won MVP and best setter. Murray won best attacker, and Choboy won best defensive player. These four players have changed Nebraska volleyball in so many ways. They each bring something different to the court and their team. Reilly has this calm sense on the court and that is what makes her so unpredictable to opponents and such a consistent setter. Murray is a really good all-around player, she has good coverage when she is in the back row. She averages 3.36 kills per set, which shows how consistent of a hitter she is. Jackson had the highest hitting percentage of .504 leading the nation, and she was also in the top 25 hitters as the only freshman. Choboy brings a level of competitiveness that nobody else can. She is also a very scrappy player. She will hustle for any ball and not let anything stop her.
This class is truly amazing and is the reason the Nebraska team went to the National Championship game and only lost two games last season. I can’t wait to see what Nebraska does this season.
Wednesday night’s Girls Varsity Volleyball game vs. the SPA Spartans was the last game of the season for this year’s Lady Scots. Going into the game, both teams were closely ranked so a suspenseful game was to be expected. Many of the games were close, however the SPA Spartans prevailed in the end, advancing in Sections.
Head Coach of the Varsity Volleyball Team, Coach Kramer, shared her thoughts with us regarding the game and the season as a whole: “We played well as a team last night and stayed positive and continued to work hard point for point. We walked away with heads held high knowing we had a great season with a record of 17-8.”
As always, the Highland school spirit was incredibly apparent in the stands. Members of the C-Squad and JV Volleyball teams were there to support the players as well as other HPSH students, staff, parents, and community members. Once again, Ethan Aune (10) lead the HPSH Student section in various cheers, keeping the Highland spirit alive and well.
Even though Highland didn’t win, everyone couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of the Highland Girls Varsity Volleyball team. Their dedication and genuine love of the sport was always apparent from a spectators point of view. Congratulations to the Lady Scots Varsity Volleyball team for a fantastic season:
(# – Name, Position, Grade)
3 – Chelsi Her, DS, 12 (Graduating Senior)
6 – Emilia Czapiewska, OH, 10
7 – Allison Kurtz, S, 11
8 – Molly McMahon, OH, 11
9 – Emma Muter, RH, 12 (Graduating Senior)
10 – Edith Kamau, MH, 12 (Graduating Senior)
11 – Lydia Thompson, MH, 12 (Graduating Senior)
12 – Meagan Blair, OH, 10
14 – Annie Conzet, S, 11
19 – Alex Linssen, DS, 10
21 – Maria Nelson, OH, 9
23 – Adriana Cardenas, MH, 11
25 – Justice Voss, MH, 10
26 – Nina Bielinski, DS, 11
51 – Leah Hunt, DS, 11
As always, here’s a few pictures from the game. #ScotsNation always and forever:
Tuesday night’s volleyball game in the Highland gym was an event full of team spirit and fan pride. The Lady Scots Varsity team were up against the Como Cougars for a final game that determined conference position. Lots of fans were in attendance as well as parents, community members, other HPSH staff members, and the HPSH band. There was quite the crowd.
Highland Student Section
Friends gathered before the game – Julia Munoz (11), Erin Gallagher (11), Izzy Rojas (10), and Emma Dombrow (10)
Around 6:55, Coach Kramer and the rest of the team gathered on the gym floor to honor seniors Emma Muter, Lydia Thompson, Edith Kamau, and Chelsi Her by presenting them with handmade blankets made by the rest of the team, as well as sharing kind words about each departing senior. It was a great way to send them off and to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments as members of the team.
After the honoring of the seniors, the long awaited event happened: the throwing of the candy. As each player was introduced, they would throw candy into the stands. It was much enjoyed by all, except if you were hit by an unexpected flying morsel, in which case… well, it could have be worse.
After all the introduction procedure, it was time for the game to start. The Lady Scots got off to a great start, but it was clear from the beginning that Como was going to put up a fight. The first game was close, however Highland pulled it off, scoring 25-23 to win the first game.
Moving into the second game, the team seemed energized, fired up, and ready to go. After Como made it clear that they weren’t going down without a fight, the Lady Scots knew they had to step up their game. After lots of intense back and forth, Como ended up winning the second game 25-22.
At this point, the crowd knew that since a team has to win three games, we would be there for at least another two games. Sophomore Ethan Aune took it upon himself to be the “cheer master” for the Highland student section. He did a phenomenal job. Highland student fans were in some serious need of some cheer organization so it was so awesome when Ethan stood up and took charge. Very well done.
Highland Athletic Director Ms. Galligan and Ethan Aune (10)
Following the second game, the Lady Scots fought for revenge and succeeded by winning the third game with a score of 26-24. This win seemed to give Como the energy to ramp up their strength and to do everything they could to try to pull of a win. One notable part of the game was Sinead O’Duffy of Como’s extremely unique serve that had previously never been seen by many. It sure was interesting to observe. Como’s increased strength, along with the introduction of a seemingly power serve, lead Como to victory with a 25-13 win.
Annie Conzet (11, #14) setting up a spike
The fifth and final game fast approached. This was the deciding game to see which team would win the series of games that evening. On the fifth and final game, a team is only required to reach a 15 point threshold before being officially declared the winner. The Lady Scots put up an excellent effort but in the end, Como prevailed 15-7.
Despite the loss, everyone agreed that it was a great evening. The fabulous team oriented dynamic always displayed by the players and parents is truly amazing, even after a heartbreaking loss. As always, the Highland fans remained positive and continued to show their endless pride and passion for fellow scots. After every high stakes sports game, there’s always many tweets that describe an appreciation for the family like dynamic among the student body at Highland. That couldn’t of been more apparent last night. #ScotsNation always and forever.
Below are a few more shots from last night’s game:
The Official Online Newspaper, Literary Magazine, and Video News of the Highland Park Scots
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