Northeast Nebraska Sports

LAUREL — With the fall sports seasons winding down, it is no surprise that the LCC Volleyball team was at the end of its regular season last Tuesday.
The Lady Bears hosted Ponca in their last match of the season. The evening also featured Parents’ Night for both the volleyball and the cross country teams.

After the Parents’ Night announcements, the Laurel-Concord/Coleridge Booster Club had a special presentation for Sammie Camenzind and Sadie Petersen. The two cross country girls were given special recognition for qualifying for the State Cross Country Meet in Kearney, Friday Oct. 21.
The presentations were not over though. The Laurel-Concord/Coleridge Volleyball Team had a special gift for Band Director Patti Beyeler and the ‘Dollars for Dallas’ fundraiser. As a token of their appreciation for the support of Beyeler and the band during volleyball games, the local team gathered their “pocket change” and raised over $132. They then donated all of the money to the band, as they are trying to raise $40,000 to travel to Dallas, Texas, to march at the TicketCity Bowl this winter.
After all of the hugs and presentations, the varsity game was able to get underway. Amy Pritchard asserted herself with a 15-kill match. Jade Cunningham and Mandy Nelson each put up strong offensive numbers with 11 and 10 kills each. Cunningham and Nelson set up the offense through the night with 22 and 14 set assists, respectively.
Without the defense though, the team would only be half as successful. Cunningham took the lead at the net with three solo blocks. Eight Lady Bears received action in the back row. Yet, Audrey Kastrup led the team in digs with 10, while Nelson (6) and Kiley Thompson (4) helped out as well.
Behind the line, LCC was on-serve and recorded seven ace serves as a team. Cunningham punched up four, while Pritchard and Nelson added two and one, respectively, for the Lady Bears.
LCC came away with a fairly easy win in three straight sets: 25-20; 25-16; 25-12.
The LCC Volleyball Team opened up conference play on Monday, Oct. 24 with a match against the Plainview Lady Pirates.

LCC vs. Ponca: 25-20; 25-16; 25-12
KILLS – Amy Pritchard, 15; Jade Cunningham, 11; Mandy Nelson, 10; Taylor Linn, 2; Dani Huss, 1; Kiley Thompson, 1.
SET ASSISTS – Jade Cunningham, 22; Mandy Nelson, 14; Kelsey Dietrich, 1; Taylor Linn, 1.
SOLO BLOCKS – Jade Cunningham, 3; Dani Huss, 1; Amy Pritchard, 1.
ACE SERVES – Jade Cunningham, 4; Amy Pritchard, 2; Mandy Nelson, 1.
DIGS – Audrey Kastrup, 10; Mandy Nelson, 6; Kiley Thompson, 4; Jade Cunningham, 3; Amy Pritchard, 3; Cameron Eddie, 2; Kelsey Dietrich, 1; Nicole Nitz, 1.

LAUREL — With the regular season complete, the Laurel- Concord/ Coleridge Volleyball Team opened the NENAC Tournament at home with a match against the Plainview Lady Pirates. As the top ranked team in the conference, the Lady Bears had little trouble with their sea-faring foes as they won in straight sets, 25-11; 25-15, 25-9.
Jade Cunningham and Mandy Nelson dominated the offensive effort for LCC. Cunningham had 11 kills,12 set assists, and two ace serves. Nelson had six kills, 14 set assists and five aces to stay on pace with Cunningham. Amy Pritchard added seven kills to the effort as well.
Defensively, the duo was in the net and frustrated the Lady Pirates’ offensive attack. Cunningham and Nelson each recorded a solo block and their presence kept the Plainview hitters off balance. Audrey Kastrup kept the back row in check with 10 digs.
“We kept the opponent on edge throughout the match with aggressive serving, several blocks, and we made several digs allowing us to run a counter-attack,” said Head Coach Patti Cunningham.
Round two of the NENAC Tournament was Tuesday evening at Laurel-Concord High School. The Lady Bears played the late game so stats and final scores were not available at press time. The NENAC Tournament final and consolation game will be in Tilden on Friday. Regardless of Tuesday’s result, the Lady Bears are guaranteed to play Friday.

LCC vs. Plainview: 25-11; 25-15; 25-9
KILLS – Jade Cunningham, 11; Amy Pritchard, 7; Mandy Nelson, 6; Kiley Thompson, 3; Taylor Linn, 2; Dani Huss, 1.
SET ASSISTS – Mandy Nelson, 14; Jade Cunningham, 12; Dani Huss, 1; Taylor Linn, 1.
SOLO BLOCKS – Jade Cunningham, 1; Mandy Nelson, 1.
ACE SERVES –Mandy Nelson, 5; Jade Cunningham, 2; Cameron Eddie, 2; Kiley Thompson, 1.
DIGS –Audrey Kastrup, 10; Jade Cunningham, 5; Amy Pritchard, 5; Kiley Thompson, 4; Nicole Nitz, 3; Cameron Eddie, 2; Mandy Nelson, 2; Dani Huss, 1; Taylor Linn, 1.

Popularity: 18% [?]