Recap of State Volleyball 2015 - Part Two (Finals)

Eyes on the prize! Here are some of my favorite images from the final day of the 2015 Nebraska State Volleyball Championships. It was another full day of six games (from Class D2 clear to Class A) at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. If you haven't been to the BDSC since the renovations to make it a volleyball-centric venue, you should definitely get there soon!

Congratulations to all of the 2015 State Champions and the runner-ups. Shooting the championship days, I typically rotate from either shooting the presentations on the court (with the medals & trophy presentation) or shooting the post-game team portraits. And unless you've been a player or coach in that runner-up role, it's hard to explain the rollercoaster of emotions.

Photographing the trophy hand-off is an exhilarating time. But shooting that runner-up team portrait can be a rough gig. For some players & coaches, this moment is one that is tough to handle. So many weeks, months and years of preparation to just come up one game or even one play short of the ultimate prize. But you should hear some of the words of encouragement from some of the coaches. Heck I'd even call them speeches. 

But being in that room with those teams really can put things in perspective. A lot of those schools & communities should be very proud of the way these young people represent their part of the state. And countless of players will go on to do a lot greater things in life than winning or losing a high school sports game. So if you've ever been in that runner-up chair, be proud. You have already accomplished a ton making it to the state tournament/playoffs or even the final championship game. I'm not saying don't be still hungry for more. But don't let this one moment take over your lives. 

High school sports are amazing for many reasons, but one of those is the amount of emotion that is poured into just a game. And so I am forever grateful to share that moment when you receive your championship medal and host that state champion trophy.

Games covered: 

Class D2: Exeter-Milligan vs St. Mary's
Class D1: Johnson-Brock vs Diller-Odell
Class C2: Hastings SC vs Stanton
Class C1: Kearney Catholic vs Ord
Class B: Omaha Skutt vs Gretna
Class A: Omaha Marian vs North Platte

So here's to the end of the fall sports winter season. Now on to basketball - which is still fantastic. Will just miss the sunlight/outdoors of football. See you around the court!