The Nemaha Central Middle School seventh grade volleyball girls finished first place in the Big 7 League tournament at Hiawatha. The tournament was held on Saturday, October 5.
The Lady Thunder came into the tournament seeded first as they had an undefeated season so far. In the first match, NC played against Riverside. NC dominated Riverside in two sets, the scores were 25-13 and 25-8. The second match of pool play was against Jeff West. NC took the win in this match with scores of 25-16 for both sets. In the last match of pool play, NC battled Hiawatha. In this nail biting match, NC came away with the victory with scores of 25-21 and 31-29.
Addison Frye said, "The matches in pool play went well and we were very excited about being able to play in the semi-finals."
After beating Hiawatha, NC was in the semi-finals. They put up a great fight against Sabetha, winning the match with set scores of 25-13 and 25-16.
In the championship match of the tournament, NC was paired against Holton and they kept their spirits up, determined to win. NC had good passes, sets, and great hits to get the offense going. They also had amazing teammates, always pulling each other up. Holton was ready for NC and made them fight for the win. The Wildcats returned hits, free balls, and tips. In the end, however, NC pulled ahead winning the first set 25-21. In the second set, the Thunder was determined to go undefeated. They started out the set gaining the lead early and never looked back. The Thunder team won the set 25-14. The NC Thunder seventh grade pulled off an undefeated season winning the Big 7 League tournament.
After winning the tournament, NC gathered together and congratulated each other on their phenomenal season. The NC girls took pictures with their team, coaches, and parents to celebrate the championship. It was surely a day to remember.
"The Big 7 Tournament went great and the other teams definitely brought their game, but we overcame and beat them. I hope we do the same thing next year," said Emmery Schmelzle.
Click on the link below to see pictures from the seventh grade Big 7 League Tournament!