What happened: Bellevue West defeated Lincoln East at the NSAA State Volleyball quarter-final matchup at Pinnacle Bank Arena on November 1, making the state semifinals for the first time since 2006.
By the numbers: After losing the first set 25-16, Bellevue West won the second set in a close 25-21 victory. Lincoln East led the third set and won 25-14, only to have Bellevue West win the forth set 25-18, resulting in a fifth set. After a close game throughout the final set, Bellevue West won the match with a 20-18 win.
Did you see that? Bellevue West was down 10-6 at the start of the fifth set but came back to tie up the score at 14-14. From then on Bellevue West and Lincoln East traded points, keeping the score tied. Typically, a fifth set ends at 15 points but because of how close the teams played, the set ended at 20 points with Bellevue West scoring match point.
Next up: Bellevue West plays Lincoln Southwest in the semifinal match at Pinnacle Bank Arena starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at GoFan’s website.
A previous version of the captions identified Olivia Berger as a senior. She is a junior. It has been corrected, and The Thunderbeat regrets the error.
