Blue all-stars shine in NCA volleyball match

LINCOLN - There may be a stop along the way, but if Tuesday was any indication, Jodeen Rademacher will one day be joining up with some of her Blue all-star teammates in the Division I volleyball ranks.

The Freeman graduate bound for Iowa Western Community College put up numbers that were the envy of all those playing in the annual Nebraska Coaches Association event, including Nebraska recruit Brooke Delano.

Together in the front row for long stretches of game three, Rademacher produced eight kills and a block from the outside, and Delano had seven kills and a block from her spot in the middle. Included was an athletic mid-air adjustment on a kill that gave her team a 25-19 lead.

In game five, it was future Nebraska-Kearney teammates Cola Svec (Elkhorn) and Jeri Walkowiak (Grand Island) who teamed up for key back-to-back kills as the Blue claimed its 17-30, 30-23, 30-21, 23-30, 15-8 win at North Star High School.

Erin Dostal of Howells was the only local player to leave with the victory as she recorded a kill, two blocks and 14 set assists.

For the Red team, Liz Hadland, a Scotus Central Catholic graduate, recorded a team-high 17 set assists and .5 a block. Kendra Bender of Humphrey St. Francis finished with one kill. Also, Columbus High's Betsy Rall served as an assistant coach for the Red team.

Rademacher and Delano each added two more kills in game five and Norris' Michelle Burow, a Northern Iowa recruit, added one of the night's most impressive digs.

“That's the great thing about this match, players from all different levels come together and you saw some great volleyball out there,” said Delano, a graduate of Class A powerhouse Bellevue West.

Delano finished with a match-high 11 kills, while Rademacher added 10, a confidence boost for the multisport star from the Class D-1 ranks.

“A match like this shows how many great girls are out there in this state,” said Rademacher, who battled injuries at different times in her career but said she might be in the best shape she's been in as she heads to college.

“I hope to go Division I,” Rademacher said. “I want to pursue my lifelong dream.”

The Red team featured two Division I recruits - Kentucky's Ann Armes (Grand Island) and Missouri's Catie Wilson, the former Omaha Gross star who had a productive night with nine kills, six blocks and three aces.

Officials had to waive all-star match rules to allow Wilson to play in all the games because of the loss of Red teammate Gabi Ailes.

Ailes did not play in Tuesday's match, electing to protect a hamstring injury that she suffered earlier this summer playing in nationals. Ailes, Delano's former Bellevue West teammate, said she played some during a training trip to Europe last month but chose to concentrate on being ready for the start of fall drills at Stanford in a few weeks.

“It was hard not being able to play against her,” Delano said, adding “I'm going to miss her a lot.” The two were assigned to opposing all-star teams, as were Grand Island's Armes and Walkowiak.

Without Ailes, an accomplished hitter and passer and a stalwart on defense, the Red fought valiantly to extend the match. Wilson, helped along by former Gross teammate Sara Falcone, was dominant in game one while Lincoln Southeast's Megan Statton chipped in with five points on two early kills, a block and two aces.

Central City's Jennifer Hefner had six of her nine kills in the Red's game-four victory. Armes also finished with nine kills for the Red.

For the Blue, Omaha Skutt's Ashley Kathol finished with eight kills and Walkowiak added seven.

Blues 17 30 30 23 15

Reds 30 23 21 30 8

n Blues (kills-aces-blocks): Michelle Burow (Norris) 2-0-1, Cola Svec (Elkhorn) 2-1-0, Chelsie Carson (Elkhorn) 3-0-.5, Emily Crowley (Om. Marian) 3-0-.5, Brooke Delano (Bellevue West) 10-0-.5, Erin Dostal (Howells) 1-2-0, Alexis Edwards (Lincoln Pius X) 0-0-0, Ashley Kathol (Om. Skutt) 7-1-.5, Kelley Lehmer (Aurora) 3-0-0, Dani Neville (Grand Island NW) 2-0-0, Jodeen Rademacher (Freeman) 10-1-1, Jeri Walkowiak (Grand Island) 7-0-0, Kelsey Wells (Axtell) 4-1-0.

n Reds: Ann Armes (Grand Island) 7-1-1.5, Kendra Bender (Humphrey SF) 1-0-0, Laura Brammeier (Lincoln SW) 2-0-1, Heather Davison (Lincoln North Star) 3-0-.5, Sara Falcone (Om. Gross) 7-0-0, Catie Wilson (Om. Gross) 7-3-3.5, Liz Hadland (Columbus Scotus) 0-0-.5, Jennifer Hefner (Central City) 9-0-2, Jordan Squiers (Kearney Catholic) 0-1-0, Megan Statton (Lincoln SE) 6-2-1.5, Jenny Stec (Grand Island CC) 6-0-0, Kayla Uhing (Norfolk Catholic) 6-2-1.5.

n Set assists: Blue-Svec 28, Dostal 14. Red-Davison 16, Hadland 17, Squiers 9, Uhing 1, Armes 1, Statton 2.