Harvest Sports / Tony Chapman

When Overton hosted their early season tournament this year, Eagle coach Hayley Ryan had a hunch that it might look familiar come November. 

She was proven right. 

In that tournament, her defending champion Eagles took the tournament title over Central Valley after the Cougars had defeated Shelton in the semifinals. A few weeks later, Shelton upended Overton in a triangular. 

“We thought that in our tournament those two teams would both be really good this year,” Ryan said. 

With five brand new starters — junior daughter Daisy is the only returner who saw significant time — coach Ryan has been pleased with her team’s 27-5 season that earned them the second-seed in the D-2 tournament. Daisy has 403 kills to go with 47 ace serves heading into the state tournament. Overton will face Wynot (21-9) in a matchup of the two teams in the Class D-2 state basketball final last March.

“We have five new starters, but they all have kind of waited their turn to play for us,” coach Ryan said. “They have worked so hard and we are very fundamentally sound. These kids have been pushing our other players for most of the last three years by making us better in practice.”

Shelton (29-3) grabbed the third seed and Central Valley (27-6) the fourth seed in the D-2 field. Top-seed Leyton is 33-0 and lost just six sets all season. Ryan feels like any of the eight teams who advanced to Lincoln may have a shot to win the title.

“I think when you look at all of the matchups that every team has a shot to win,” she said. “And then from there it’s one game at a time. I think one thing we talk about is playing grounded and comfortable. The teams that can control what they are doing will have a successful weekend.”

Shelton’s first round match up with Stuart – also 29-3 – features two of the top attackers in the class. Reagan Stracke for Stuart has 442 kills, while the Bulldogs Erin Gegg has 351.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Shawnee Gamble (Leyton), 270 kills, 62 ace serves. Jaylee Sobotka (Meridian), 230 kills, 55 ace serves. Bentleigh Dugan (Central Valley), 277 kills, 55 ace serves. Kenna Hagen (Amherst), 506 set assists, 48 ace serves. Kyla Elfgren (Overton), 738 set assists, 34 ace serves. Kenna Oligmueller (Wynot), 333 kills, 40 ace serves. Ellie Morgan (Shelton), 259 digs, 459 serve receptions, 48 ace serves. Addisyn Ketteler (Stuart), 415 set assists, 324 kills, 80 ace serves. 

FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (THURSDAY). NORTH COURT | Leyton (33-0) vs. Meridian (20-10), 9:00 AM; Central Valley (27-6) vs. Amherst (23-9), 11:00 AM. SOUTH COURT | Overton (27-5) vs. Wynot (21-9), 9:00 AM; Shelton (29-3) vs. Stuart (29-3), 11:00 AM.