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No Pinnacle crumbles this year: Trojans in state title match!
LINCOLN, Neb. — Junior Erin Johnson jumped into Thursday morning with one message in mind to jolt Pinnacle Bank Arena....
“I felt excited. I felt real good. My thought was we are going to go win this one!” Johnson said about Cambridge’s Class D-2 state tourney opener against the Shelton Bulldogs.
Johnson sent more than 25 rockets killing past the Shelton defenders including one memorable shot that snapped an 18-18 tie in set four.
The No. 1-seeded Trojans had no desire to play a dramatic fifth set considering what happened during their last two state tourney trips.
Cambridge fell 3-2 to Cedar Catholic last year which ended a 29-3 season.
“It’s happened the last two years,” senior Brylyn Springer said recalling a 3-2 Fremont Bergan win over the Trojans in 2021. “We knew it was time to rewrite the story. We can’t keep letting this happen.”
Johnson’s echoing cross-court kill sent stated this loud and clear. The Trojans (28-4 record) rattled off six of those next seven points which indeed finished a 25-19 victory.
Cambridge also took set one, 25-18, and a 25-15 set three sandwiched around Shelton’s lone win of 25-21.
They advanced into the D-2 state semifinals this morning with this just in:
Cambridge beat the Wynot Blue Devils, 3-1, and will play for a D-2 STATE TITLE on Saturday at 9 a.m. in Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Overton Eagles (30-3) or Meridian (26-5) will be Cambridge’s state finals opponent.
That also means more true quality sister time!
“I really think it (volleyball) has brought us closer,” sophomore setter Mallory Springer said about playing this one sister with big sister Brylyn.
“Early on, we didn’t get along, but now we do really connect well together,” Brylyn confirmed. “We’re not near as snippetty. I’m really said we are only playing this one year together.”
Bryln’s booming kill finished the Trojan semifinal win over Wynot Friday morning. She’s been a force throughout the Trojans’ 29 wins this season including a fight-off of Shelton’s young feisty team Thursday at PBA.
“Everyone here is a good team,” Mallory and Brylyn agreed. “We’re all at a high level. We have something to prove here though.”
Official Trojan leaders were not available from the state victory, but most all agreed who was the first-round Trojan MVP.
She wears the same No. 12 as infamous NFL G.O.A.T. Tom Brady.
“I was really proud of Erin, she stepped up to the plate when we needed it done,” coach Lauren Carpenter observed. “She was a game changer.”
A back-row seet also never looked better to team leader Kent.
“Amazing! When I’m in the back row, she (Johnson) just dominates,” Jalen proclaimed. “She just kills the ball and gives us so much momentum.”
Carpenter gave more credit to the Trojans’ “lights out” passing which ignited Cambridge in Thursday’s first set.
“They were confident, relaxed and they were digging also,” the coach said.
Shelton (23-10 final record) still recovered to take the second set as sophomore Jalyn Branson unleashed her own 26-kill performance.
Unofficial stats showed Branson just one off Johnson’s match-high 27.
Yet the Trojans recovered for a 10-point win in set three.
Shelton took an early fourth-set advantage and seemed ready to push this match into five-set thriller status.
“That’s where I thought (libero) Bailee Ahlmeyer made a great dig that led to a key point,” Carpenter revealed. “She really plays with a lot of intensity all the time.”
Freshman sisters Brooklyn and Joslyn Holste also contributed to Cambridge winning their first state tournament match at Pinnacle.
“No, we didn’t (get nervous,” Kent concluded about the 18-18 deadlock during that fourth set or Shelton’s earlier leads. “We kept pushing and playing together. That’s what we have to do: keep pushing.”
Cambridge pushed past the Wynot Blue Devils 25-17, 25-20, 15-25, 25-21 Friday morning for a D-2 state finals spot on Saturday.
If Overton wins the second semifinal, Cambridge could avenge a 3-1 loss to those Eagles on Sept. 7 where Kent clobbered 15 kills.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Senior Jalen Kent drilled more than 20 kills and the No. 1-seed Cambridge Trojans defeated Wynot's Blue Devils in four sets during Class D-2 state semifinal play at Lincoln's Pinnacle Bank this morning.
More details will appear soon.
The Trojans (29-4 record) will play a Saturday 9 a.m. state final against Overton (30-4) or Meridian (26-5), who were set for that second D-2 semifinal today.