Looking into the 2018 season, here are some of the volleyball players around Nebraska likely to have an impact for their teams.
Dani Carlson, St. Mary, S/OH, Jr.
Carlson provides offense for her team in many ways. With the rare combination of setter and outside hitter, she led her team in ’17 with 3.46 kills per set and was second on the team with 365 assists. Carlson can provide solid defense, as well.
Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska, OH, Sr.
How do you repeat as national champions? It helps to return one of the co-Most Outstanding Players from last year’s championship. Foecke recorded 3.53 kills per set in 2017 with a .290 hitting percentage along with a team-leading 39 aces.
Megan Gebhardt, Wayne State, S, Sr.
Gebhardt was on the team in 2015 when the Wildcats made it to the D-II national semifinals. She has played in every set since then and helped her team to return trips to the playoffs, racking up more than 1,100 assists in each of the past two seasons.
Nadja Janjevic, Peru State, MB, Sr.
Three times, Janjevic has been named Best Blocker in Montenegro before her time at Peru State. She recorded 102 blocks last season, and was efficient on offense too, with her 215 kills coming at a .334 hitting percentage.
Casey Krolikowsky, Hastings, OH, Sr.
It will be tough to follow a season that had just three losses. Krolikowsky is a leading returner for Hastings, who garnered an All-American Honorable Mention nod with 2.6 kills per set and was second on the team with 279 digs.
Allison Kuhnle, Doane, OH, Jr.
Honorable Mention All-American in 2017, Kuhnle was third in the GPAC at 3.8 kills per set. She also recorded 3.3 digs per set and 73 blocks in her sophomore campaign for the Tigers.
Emmie Noyd, Concordia, MB, Jr.
A player on the rise, Noyd had 2.23 kills per set in 2017 with a .302 hitting percentage and posted 72 blocks.
Priscilla O’Dowd, Midland, MB, Sr.
The senior was fourth in the GPAC in kills per set at 3.6, but more impressively did it leading the way in the league with a .391 hitting percentage. The First Team All-American helped to lead her team out of pool play in the NAIA Tournament and into the Round of 16, and alongside Jessica Peters (Second Team All-American) one more year, the Warriors could make it back and beyond.
Meagan Roth, Omaha, RS, Sr.
Solid on the right, provides offense and quality defense for the Mavericks.
Lizzie Saale, Nebraska Wesleyan
If NWU is on the court, Saale is on the court. She has played in every match over the past three years and in 304 of 308 sets. Saale’s role has increased and she pulled up 4.15 digs per set last season.
Nebraksa-Kearney’s Kendall Schroer, photo courtesy UNK Sports Info.
Shayla Scanlan, Bellevue, MB, Sr.
It will be a different look this season for the Bruins with roster changes and fresh faces. Scanlan provides stability and can attack, last year at a pace of 3.12 kills per set for a team that notched 30 wins, and is coming off a season in which she was a Third Team All-American.
Kendall Schroer, Nebraska-Kearney, OH, Sr.
One of four seniors (along with Ellie McDonnell, Lindsey Smith and Morgan Stute) to have not lost at home in her time at UNK – part of a 55-home match winning streak. Schroer led the team with 3.22 kills per set and finished strong, recording double-digit kill totals in 11 of the final 12 matches.
Madison Webb, Chadron State, S, Sr.
Led her team in assists in each of her previous three years and was second on her team last year in digs. The Eagles would like to see her top the 1,000-assist mark this season (988 in 2016), which would be her first time at CSC and would mean more kills for the offense.
Cassidy Wilson, York, MH, Sr.
Turnover through graduation, recruiting and a new coach will give opportunities for many Panthers to step up. Wilson comes off a good junior year, on the court throughout the season and second on the team in kills per set, first in points.
Jaali Winters, Creighton, OH, Sr.
Winters heads into 2018 fourth on the all-time kills list for the Bluejays (1,392) with a solid group of seniors trying to take the next step in the NCAA Tournament. She was an Honorable Mention with 3.4 kills per set and 332 digs in 2017.