CLASS D-2: Defending Champion Wynot, Top-Seed St. Mary’s Have Title Hopes
State-tournament mainstays St. Mary’s and Wynot will be joined by a heavy Western Nebraska flavor in the Class D-2 bracket. Three teams in this year’s field are from the Mountain Time Zone.
Defending state champion Wynot is making the program’s 14th trip to state, including its fourth straight appearance. The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (21-10), who open against Crawford/Sioux County (24-8) possess one of the most dominant players in the field in Calley Stewart (373 kills and 103 blocks).
Last season, the Blue Devils won their first state title in a five-set match over Cambridge and have turned the tide after starting the season 6-6. Since then, they have lost three matches to Class C-1 and C-2 teams and a fourth match in the Lewis and Clark final to Class D-1 qualifier Bloomfield (29-0).
After missing the tournament in 2024 and 2025, St. Mary’s (29-4) is back as the top seed and will take on Sandhills/Thedford (22-9) in the first round. The Cardinals — riding a 16-game winning streak — are seeking the school’s first state title since capturing back-to-back crowns in 2013 and 2014, while the Knights went on the road to Elba to earn their first trip to Lincoln since 2015.
On the other side of the bracket, Mullen (30-2) is the No. 2 seed and will meet Wilcox-Hildreth (21-11). The Broncos, which lost to Cambridge in the opening round last year, is the only team other than Wynot that returns to the D-2 field this year. Third-seeded Hay Springs (23-7), featuring the heavy hitting Devyn Young with 409 kills, faces off with Bancroft-Rosalie (20-12) in the other match.
Crawford/Sioux County is in the field for the first time as a co-op. Crawford last qualified in 2014, while Sioux County has never made it to Lincoln. Wilcox-Hildreth is also in for the first time as a consolidation. Hildreth last qualified in 2000 and Wilcox in 1996.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Callie Kai (Bancroft-Rosalie), 679 assists, 68 ace serves, 279 digs; Peyton Osmotherly (Crawford/Sioux County) 280 kills, 70 ace serves, 265 digs; Devyn Young (Hay Springs), 409 kills, 57 ace serves, 62 total blocks, 243 digs; Jenna Donohoe (Mullen), 321 kills, 69 total blocks, 233 digs; Pyper Ickes (St. Mary’s), 331 kills, 443 digs; Grace Johnston (Sandhills/Thedford), 668 assists, 54 ace serves; Camryn Bunger (Wilcox-Hildreth), 276 kills, 35 total blocks, 343 digs; Calley Stewart (Wynot), 373 kills, 54 ace serves, 103 total blocks, 313 digs..
FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS (THURSDAY). At Pinnacle Bank Arena (North Court) | St. Mary’s (29-4) vs. Sandhills/Thedford (22-9), 9 a.m.; Wynot (21-10) vs. Crawford/Sioux County (24-8), 11 a.m. At Pinnacle Bank Arena (South Court) | Mullen (30-2) vs. Wilcox-Hildreth (21-11), 9 a.m.; Hay Springs (23-7) vs. Bancroft-Rosalie (20-12), 11 a.m.
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