North Platte picked up its first district win since 2015 with a sweep against Union Star on Monday, Oct. 22 in the Class 1 District 15 tournament in Weston.
The Panthers won 25-12 and 25-10 against the Trojans, who finished the year 1-16.
North Platte (14-13) got nine kills from McKenzie Brockhoff and Maddy Cheadle with 11 assists. Kelsey Reynolds had three digs and Brianna Bridger had three blocks.
North Platte had lost its last three district games dating back to 2015.
Next up is a showdown with St. Joseph Christian, which beat Orrick in another first-round matchup, at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Christian beat North Platte, 2-0, on Sept. 6.
In the other semifinal game, at 5 p.m., West Platte, the No. 1 seed, will play Wellington-Napoleon (13-17-2), which defeated Northland Christian — winners of the last three district titles.
The championship game is set for 8 p.m. that night.
West Platte’s Daire Stelljes, right, spikes the ball, while North Platte’s Kelsey Reynolds goes up for the block during a KCI Conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 16 in Dearborn, Mo. West Platte won 2-0 and claimed the league title.
Other games
West Platte 2, North Platte 0
The Bluejays wrapped up an outright KCI Conference championship behind a 25-18 and 25-20 victory against the Panthers on Tuesday, Oct. 16 in Dearborn, Mo.
West Platte shared the KCI title last year with Mid-Buchanan and Lawson last year, but went undefeated this time around. It is the first outright title since 2012.
Faith Stevens had 12 assists and two aces, while Grace Stevens had three digs for West Platte. Lara Lieske led the Bluejays with five kills — shared with Daire Stelljes —and two blocks.
Brianna Bridger had nine digs and two blocks for North Platte. Maddy Cheadle had five assists and McKenzie Brockhoff had eight kills.