On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the Millard West volleyball team hosted the number-one ranked Papillion-La Vista South Titans in a top 10 matchup.
Sitting at 6-5 on the season, the Wildcats recently had moved back into the Top 5 of the NebPreps coaches poll at the four spot. The Wildcat’s previous game against the Benson Bunnies proved to be no threat as they took them down in three sets while also never allowing more than 10 points against in a set. On the other hand, the Titans boasted a strong 7-1 record and were coming fresh off a 3-0 sweep of their rival, the Papillion-La Vista Monarchs.
In the early stages of the first set, the Titans would slowly gain an advantage points-wise but were always held within reach of the Wildcats. After a Wildcat timeout while trailing 12-9, a new sense of attacking play allowed the Wildcats to battle back and take the lead near the 20th-point mark. Great defense from both sides took the first set down to the final point where the Wildcats would cap it off as senior Sierra Pokharel was able to sky the ball over the net into the rafters that would land mere inches between the Titans and the net.
“After the early timeout against Papio South, coach Joe just told us to keep it simple and do the little things right,” Pokharel said. “As a team our big goal for this game was to never give up and always know no matter the score or situation that we can come back and win. We were super proud that we could do that in this game and this accomplishment will definitely be something we build on.”
Coming into the second set, both sides’ attacking play steadily became cleaner. Due to fewer errors, the Titans were able to jump out to an early 8-3 advantage. After a Wildcat timeout, both sides continued to exchange blows along with solid defense. The Titans would also take a timeout minutes later as the Wildcats clawed the deficit back down to three at 11-9. Millard West would continue to stick right with the Titans due to great defense and awareness until they reached the upper teens in points, where the Wildcats would take the lead 18-17 and force another Titans timeout. The Wildcat’s defense only got better as the set reached its conclusion while the Titans had several errors to plague them. Millard West would cap off set number two with an ace from sophomore Stella Neal and win set number two 25-22.
“I was thinking, we have to lean on each other and not let up on our game because that was slowly helping us inch back,” Neal said. “The defense was picking up balls left and right and I think it was tiring Papio South since they couldn’t put a ball down. We really grew close as a back row that night and we were working as a whole to cover the court.”
Early in set three, the Wildcats were on a mission and jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The Wildcats continued to roll following a Papio South timeout while the Titan attacking play wasn’t able to quite find their mark. At one point, the Wildcats would lead by nine points but the Titan’s attacking play quickly improved and forced a Wildcat timeout while Millard West was still leading 19-14. As the final moments played out in the set, the Titans’ dying efforts just weren’t enough in the end due to the incredible Wildcat defense. Millard West would win set three 25-18 resulting in a sweep of the top-ranked team in the state.
“The win over Papio South demonstrates our ability to compete at the highest level and rise to the challenge,” senior Hayden Hart said. “It not only reflects our skill and strategy but also our team’s resilience and determination that will be a huge factor throughout the rest of the season.”
With this impressive win, Millard West solidified itself a position as a top contender in Class A volleyball, showing they can compete with the best. The Wildcats will look to carry this momentum into their next few matches where they’ll face off against the Norfolk Panthers back at home on Sept. 20. You can watch all the home action on the Wildcat Sports Network.
