Once again, the ball went to Shayla Rautenberg. Once again, the Milford junior sent the ball to the floor at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Once again, the celebration was on.
Milford won its second consecutive Class C1 state title Nov. 7 with a 25-23, 28-26, 25-14 victory over Aurora. That followed a first-round 25-22, 25-12, 26-24 win over Kearney Catholic and a 25-23, 16-25, 25-19, 25-19 semifinal win over Omaha Concordia. MHS finished the season with a 32-3 record.
“The team had a great state tournament this year. The team came in confident in their own skills while trusting each other. They had a relentless mentality and were going to give their all for every single ball. The team collectively played with poise and I felt that each girl provided key plays throughout the tournament,” Coach Emily Restau said.
While Rautenberg finished with 93 total kills for the tournament (25 vs KC, 40 vs OC and 28 vs Aurora), libero Libbie Reil kept the ball alive in the back row with 44 digs (eight vs KC, 23 vs OC and 13 vs Aurora). Setter Braelynn Muller finished with 78 assists (25, 33 and 20) and fellow setter Adi Upton had 31 total assists.
Restau said this year was very different from last. In 2025, almost everyone was back from the previous season. In 2026, the Eagles had to replace some key positions.
“Through the process of figuring out a rotation, we had some girls playing different positions and ultimately found the rotation that highlighted individual strengths for the team’s success,” she said.
Three freshmen were among those stepping into big roles – Bryn Grossart, Adi Upton and Alexis Upton, with sophomore Brianna Meierdierks playing at right side. Grossart notched a season high nine kills in the win over Concordia.
“Every individual on our team had a role - some of these roles bring more light than others and some of these roles are doing things behind the scenes, but this goal that we achieved at the end of the season never happens if we don’t have each player providing those roles,” Restau said. “They all had great composure throughout their first state tournament appearance. Our returners continued to provide that steady piece to the team.”
Juniors Rautenberg, Muller and Adalyn Cisneros and seniors Kira Schweitzer, Ashlynn Miller and Reil brought their experience to the court.
Restau said each of the seniors provided something different to the Eagles, making the process successful.
“All three of these seniors have grown so much in all areas of their lives in the four years that they have been part of the volleyball program, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them,” Restau said. “I would like to thank all three of these girls for all of their time and dedication to the Eagle volleyball program.”
