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Southwest seniors had a ball en route to 34-2, state top four
INCOLN, Neb. — Southwest’s early-morning dance to “We Will Rock You” was no waste of energy on Thursday before the Class D-1 state volleyball tourney.
The Roughriders went out and rocked Diller-Odell in three sets while achieving one big goal: a win at Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena without going five.
“No, we talked about definitely not wanting to go five,” coach Kim Barnett confirmed.
“We wanted to save coach some gray hairs,” Roughrider seniors Payton Truksa, Allison VanPelt and Anastasia Gallegos agreed.
Southwest’s previous two state tourneys had resulted in a super intense but eventual five-set defeats.
Yet these Roughriders had not experienced defeat during their amazing 33-0 run into state once again.
They’d smashed their previous Southwest school record of 29 wins just one win earlier while repeating as RPAC, subdistrict and of course district champs.
It’s been a remarkable run for seniors like Truksa who’ve known her veteran teammates “all our lives.”
Plus she saw family like big sister Bailey Truksa in the Pinnacle Bank stands Thursday morning.
Bailey and current McCook Community College top hitter Caylin Barnett were part of the first Southwest state tourney volleyball team in 2022.
“She (Bailey) keeps it real and has let me know what she thinks, how I can get better,” Payton explained. “I know she’s proud of us all here today.”
Truksa’s powered Southwest into state along with top hitters Kyra Nelms, Annikka Nelms and Atleigh Nelms.
Gallegos can also drilled those points past any opponents, though her cool ace serving helped freeze any Diller-Odell upset plans on Thursday.
Meanwhile, VanPelt’s that all-out never-stop hustling libero who has saved points from hitting the floor more times than any Roughrider could possibly count.
“She’s a very bubbly person, always full of energy and making us laugh,” Truksa said. “That’s all part of it why this has been so much fun.”