The bar was set on Day One.
 
“We set our expectations extremely high every year,” Nemaha Central volleyball coach Jessica Koch said. “The very first day of practice we mapped it out that we had 75 days until the state championship. We told the girls that we needed to take our mindset and make that our goal. It’s something that we say every day at practice and it’s something that we’re striving for.”
 
Nemaha Central hasn’t won a state title since its formation in 2014 when Nemaha Valley and Baileyville B&B consolidated. Prior to that, Nemaha Valley’s last title came in 1996, while Koch led Baileyville to state titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
 
In between, the Thunder have been a regular at the state tourney with last year’s trip the fifth in the past six seasons. Nemaha Central took fourth in 2017, but haven’t made it to the finals in decades let alone win a title.

But with an experienced squad coming back this season from last year’s 37-8 squad, Koch knew setting the bar as high as possible this season was the right thing to do. So far, Nemaha Central has responded well.
 
A sweep of Hiawatha and Riverside on Tuesday night gave Nemaha Central the Big Seven League title with the Thunder finishing 13-1 in league play. That loss – to Royal Valley in early September is Nemaha’s only blemish in a 39-1 regular season.
 
Nemaha Central will be the No. 1 seed at the Class 3A sub-state it will host on Saturday.
 
“Right now, we’ve backed off a bit and it’s about being sub-state champions,” Koch said. “And then hopefully state champions.
 
“They’re just a really special group of girls who have a really tight bond. I see it on the court and I see it off the court. And something that’s different I see a lot in practice when we’re doing a drill and I see them really pushing each other during those drills. That’s something that’s been pretty magical and when we have six-on-six in our own gym, it’s pretty fierce. And I think that’s part of the key. It’s not going through the motions, they’re battling for every point in practice.”
 
Nemaha Central opened the season with a title at the Marysville Invitational, beating Royal Valley 25-22, 21-25, 25-19 in the championship match. The Panthers turned the tables on the Thunder just more than a week later, taking a 13-25, 25-15, 25-23 victory.
 
Instead of being disappointed by the loss, Koch said she “couldn’t have been more appreciative of that loss.”
 
“We came back with a vengeance to practice and refocused,” Koch said. “Even when we dropped a set to Concordia on Saturday (at last week’s Sabetha Invitational), the girls did the same thing. I saw them come back with a new determination. Those things I appreciate because they have a very positive effect on us, not a negative one.”
 
Nemaha Central also won tourney titles at their home tournament, beating a solid NEK Nighthawks team in the finals, as well as the Wamego Invitational where the Thunder beat 4A power Circle. They capped their tourney title run at Sabetha last Saturday before finishing off the league title on Tuesday.
 
Balance has been a key for Nemaha Central all season. Five players have at least 135 kills led by senior Addy Holthaus’ 263. Fellow senior Ella Larkin isn’t far behind with 203 while sophomore Cali Honeyman has stepped into the middle hitter spot and delivered 179 kills, leading the team in recent weeks.
 
Lilly Schultejans and Elli Rusche split setting duties and have 449 and 388 assists, respectively. Sam Nordhus leads three players with at least 300 digs with 363.
 
“We knew we had the pieces this year,” Koch said. “It was just a matter of filling a couple holes and the girls have stepped in and done that well.”
 
Nemaha Central will have familiar hurdles to clear at sub-state to continue its trek toward a state title. Royal Valley (25-12) is the No. 3 seed in the sub-state while Hiawatha (26-8) is No. 2. Even though the Thunder have beaten Hiawatha three times this year, they only need to look to last year’s sub-state for a reminder of what can happen.
 
Last year, it was Hiawatha that was the Big Seven champion and top seed at the sub-state only to see Nemaha Central upset the Red Hawks in the championship match to earn the state berth.
 
But to this point, the Thunder have answered just about every challenge thrown their way.
 
“This has been everything I hoped they could do,” Koch said. “Talent is one thing, and we have that, but putting that talent together and having it work together is another. That’s what I’ve been most impressed with. These girls are not selfish players and they deflect the spotlight to everyone else. It’s all about what’s best for the team.
 
“I always feel like there’s a target on us because we’re Nemaha Central. People love to beat us. … I don’t feel any more pressure than any other time we play. We’re going to take it one point at a time, win each match and hopefully move forward to the state tournament.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
OTHER VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
 

• Little River won its second straight regular-season Wheat State League title and third in the past four years, going undefeated in league play with a 9-0 mark. The Redskins then added the league tourney title last weekend, winning all five matches in straight sets including a 25-13, 25-18 win over Herington in the championship match after losing to the Railers in last year’s title contest.

“This is the most balanced team I’ve coached,” Little River coach Kim Rolfs said. “I feel very confident in all six of my hitters and both of my setters are getting better every day along with our defensive specialists. I don’t think our ceiling has been met quite yet, which makes me very anxious for the next couple of weeks. If we reach our potential we will be very hard to beat.”
Little River is the No. 1 seed at the Class 1A Division I sub-state at Goessel with a 32-4 overall record.
 

• Jefferson County North claimed its third straight Northeast Kansas League title, completing a 15-1 league season with a sweep of Atchison County and McLouth on Tuesday. The title was the fourth in the last five years for the Chargers, whose only league loss came to Jackson Heights in mid-September. North is 27-8 overall and seeded second behind Jackson Heights (30-8) at the Class 2A sub-state the Chargers will host.

 

• Lebo continued its reign in the Lyon County League, sweeping the regular-season and league tournament titles with a 25-23, 25-18 win over Southern Coffey County in the tournament championship match. The Wolves have shared or won the league title outright every year since 2016 and the tourney title was the second straight. Lebo is 36-1 overall and the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A Division II sub-state at St. Paul.

 

• Rossville won the Mid-East League title for the first time since 2005, completing a 10-0 run in league play with a thrilling sweep of Silver Lake on Tuesday. The Bulldawgs won the first match 26-28, 25-19, 25-14 and then took the second 25-18, 25-20 to improve to 32-5 on the season. Rossville will be the No. 1 seed in a loaded Class 3A sub-state at Silver Lake that also features West Franklin (31-5), two-time defending state champion Olathe Heritage Christian (28-7) and Silver Lake (24-11).

 

• After seeing its North Central Activities Association winning streak snapped earlier this season by Southeast of Saline, Beloit responded by winning out in league play to capture the NCAA title for the seventh straight year. At 31-5, Beloit is the No. 1 seed at the Class 3A Minneapolis sub-state.

 

• Two-time defending Class 1A Division II state champion Hanover swept the Twin Valley League titles for the second straight year, going 12-0 in regular-season play and winning the league tournament last weekend. Hanover rallied to beat Centralia 16-25, 25-20, 25-15 in the semifinals before topping Doniphan West 25-18, 25-20 in the championship match. The Wildcats are 30-5 and the top seed at the Class 1A Division II sub-state they will host.

 
Doniphan West was runner-up in the TVL in both the regular season and tourney and is 31-5 and the No. 1 seed at the Class 1A Division I sub-state at Centralia.
 

• After tying for the Flint Hills League title a year ago, West Franklin claimed the crown outright this season, going 14-0 in league play. The Falcons then took their sixth straight league tourney title, winning all five matches in straight sets. West Franklin is 31-5 and the No. 2 seed at the loaded Class 3A sub-state at Silver Lake. Four of the Falcons’ five losses are to Class 4A teams.

 

• Clay Center won its third consecutive North Central Kansas League title and in the process saw coach Robert Moran win his 500^th career match and Mackenzie Weller record her 1,000^th career assist. The Tigers are 25-10 and the No. 3 seed in the 4A west bracket and will host a sub-state.

 

• Santa Fe Trail went undefeated in Pioneer League play to capture the league title. The Chargers are 22-11 and the No. 5 seed at the Class 3A Silver Lake sub-state.

 

• Olathe Heritage Christian won the Kaw Valley Conference league title, going undefeated. The two-time defending state champion Chargers are 28-7 and the No. 3 seed at the loaded Class 3A sub-state at Silver Lake with all seven losses coming to schools 5A or larger or out-of-state.

 

• Seaman (United Kansas Conference) and Washburn Rural (Centennial League) previously had secured their respective league titles and will be hosts of their respective 5A and 6A sub-states on Saturday. At the Emporia Tournament last weekend, Rural topped Seaman for the title and at the tournament, Junior Blues standout Brooklyn DeLeye went over the 2,000-kill mark for her career – a feat only a handful of players in state history have ever achieved.

 

• Goessel senior libero Ashley Rosfeld surpassed 1,000 digs at the Wheat State League Tournament last Saturday.