Adams Central takes down Northwest in two tight sets to capture third place in Central Conference tournament

AURORA, Neb. - Anchored by excellent serving and a characteristically balanced offensive attack, tournament top seed Adams Central (21-8) took down second-seeded Grand Island Northwest (21-10) in two tight sets (25-22, 25-23) to win the third place match in the 2025 Central Conference Volleyball Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the Aurora Sports Complex.

Adams Central and Northwest both won their two matches in their respective pools back on Thursday to earn the top two seeds heading into Saturday's bracket play. That granted both sides byes and breaks from Saturday's morning session, but in their first matches of the day, both teams fell - Adams Central to Lakeview and Northwest to York - making Saturday's third place contest a matchup of the day's initial top two seeds. 

Northwest had to withstand a quick turnaround from its heartbreaking loss to York in the semifinals, a game in which the Vikings held five match points but failed to convert. 20 minutes later, the Vikings had to face the Patriots for the second time in less than a month.

At the end of September, Northwest outlasted Adams Central in a tense five-setter, but on this occasion, Adams Central ended up on top. The Patriots led for almost the entire match, keyed by strong serving across the board and the balanced offensive distribution that had guided them to a 20-plus win campaign so far. 

Both sets ended up very tight, but the Patriots played from in front for the majority of the match. After AC captured the first set 25-22 off a kill from star senior Isabel DeJonge, GINW responded with a 6-3 start in the second set, their largest lead at any point. The Patriots surged in front with seven straight points, forcing Northwest into a timeout. The Vikings responded and never let the Patriots assume full control, but the Vikings' largest lead for the rest of the frame was one point. Northwest saved one match point but couldn't keep the ball in bounds on the second, and Adams Central wrapped up the third place crown with a 25-23 win. 

Freshman Kinlee Hinton had a standout game on the outside for Adams Central, while DeJonge delivered her trademark mix of aces and kills. The Patriots' big 7-0 run in the second set was keyed by a pair of aces from Ava Katzberg. Northwest's offense was anchored, as usual, by big contributions from star outside Ava Janulewicz and freshman Elli Payne, who had a strong tournament, while freshman Anna Bauer turned in a breakout performance out of the middle. 

ADAMS CENTRAL (21-8) 2: 25 | 25

NORTHWEST (21-10)       0: 22 | 23