Sertoma Volleyball Classic features area standouts

Twenty-four of Southwest Nebraska's best senior players will hit the hardwood Saturday night at the 15th annual Sertoma All-Star Volleyball Classic.

The match starts at 7 p.m. and will be played at the McCook High School gymnasium.

The West leads the series 8-6 and has won four of the last five matches.

The East Team will be coached by Eustis-Farnam's Anita Huefte and Gothenburg's Michelle Stienike.

The East squad will feature Abbey Breinig, 5-foot-11 middle hitter, Arapahoe; Cristin Bruckman, 5-8 right-side hitter/setter, Cambridge; Lisa Fagot, 5-6 setter, Eustis-Farnam; Chelsea Wolf, 5-9 middle hitter/outside hitter, Eustis-Farnam; Allison Smith, 6-foot middle hitter, McCook; Alyssa Cook, 5-1 libero, McCook; Jennifer Chmiel, 5-7 outside hitter, McCook; Randi O'Connor, 5-6 setter, North Platte-St. Patrick's; Cayla Skaritka, 5-9 right-side hitter, Southwest; Janae Perkins, 5-10 middle hitter, Southern Valley; and Megan Becker, 6-1 middle hitter, Southern Valley.

The West team coaches are Amy Beyer of Hershey and Julie Smith of Sutherland.

The West squad will feature Sarah Miller, 5-8 setter, Chase County; Jaclyn Liewer, 5-9 outside/middle hitter, Chase County; Vanessa Shill, 5-5 setter, Dundy County; Abby McCloskey, 5-8 middle hitter, Perkins County; Hayley Schaffer, 5-11 middle hitter, Hershey; Melissa Miller, 5-9 outside hitter, North Platte; Tina Fox, 6-2 middle hitter, North Platte; Andrea Frary, 6-0 middle hitter, Sutherland; Chelsea Brown, 5-9 outside hitter, Sutherland; Stephanie Padilla, 5-6 setter, Wauneta-Palisade; Kiane Alberts, 6-1 middle hitter, Wauneta-Palisade; and Katie Friesen, 5-10 outside hitter, Wallace.

East players competing in volleyball at the two-year and four-year level are Bruckman, Dana College; Smith, Central Community College-Columbus; and Perkins, Dordt College, Sioux City, Iowa.

Playing basketball are Schlake, Hastings College; and Becker, University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Three West team members will play volleyball at North Platte Community College -- Miller, Padilla and Alberts. Friesen will attend NPCC.

Schaffer is going to Snyder, Texas on a rodeo scholarship. Fox will play basketball at Northern Colorado. Frary will compete in track at the University of Wyoming.

Many of the other athletes have made their college choices and will be students only. A few are still undecided on their career plans.

The major focus of the 15th annual Sertoma Classic will be to fund a grant to provide a playground at McCook Elementary School with a goal to mainstream area mentally and physically challenged youth with the general student body.

Past Most Valuable Players include Cambridge's Christina Houghtelling, now an All-American at the University of Nebraska, and Dundy County's Alison Glidden, now playing at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.