LINCOLN - On a day when her teammates struggled to find a rhythm, Cambridge junior Brooklyn Holtze came up huge for the Trojans during a first-round victory over sixth-seeded Mullen at the Class D2 State Volleyball Tournament.

As the Cambridge and Southwest volleyball teams take the court Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena, their opponents might think they’re seeing double. Both the Roughriders and Trojans lean heavily on twin sisters for a great deal of their success this season.

LITCHFIELD - The Maywood- Hayes Center volleyball team saw its season come to a close Saturday with a straightsets defeat at Ansley-Litchfield in the district finals. The Wolves battled back from an early deficit to lead briefly in the opener, but things took a turn for the worse from there.

CAMBRIDGE - With nearly all of their goals and their season on the line Saturday, the Cambridge volleyball team put its best foot forward. The Trojans claimed a fifth-straight district championship - and State Tournament berth - with a 25-13, 25-16, 25-8 sweep of Falls City Sacred Heart Saturday.

BARTLEY - On Halloween night, the Southwest football team had no tricks for visiting Lewiston in the first round of the Class D2 playoffs. There certainly weren’t any treats, but the Roughriders sure looked scary.

BARTLEY - In practice, Southwest Coach Kim Barnett said the Roughriders play a lot of mini-games to 5 points. Saturday’s district final with Elgin/Pope John largely boiled down to more of those, all won by the Roughriders.

For the Carpenter household, State Tournament week is a special time, especially since Lauren, the Cambridge volleyball coach since 2020, has guided the Trojans to five-consecutive State Tournaments. This week, though, there’s been extra excitement - and maybe some extra tension.

PAXTON - In a final tuneup before the Class D6 playoffs begin this week, the Southwest football team capped an 8-0 regular season with a 55-13 victory at Paxton Thursday night. With the regular season complete, Southwest claimed the third seed in the 16-team playoffs, which begin Friday.

KEARNEY - Eleven local runners took part in Friday’s Class D State Cross Country Meet in Kearney. In the girls’ race, Cambridge’s Lydia McGowen led area runners with a 25th place finish, leading the Trojans to a 17th place finish as a team.

BARTLEY - For the second time in eight days, the Southwest volleyball team claimed a straight-sets victory over Maywood-Hayes Center Tuesday night, claiming the Subdistrict D1-11 championship and a berth to Saturday’s district finals, likely a home game against Elgin Public/ Pope John.