LINCOLN, Neb. (April 29, 2026) —The 2026 Nebraska Showdown, co-hosted by the Nebraska Sports Council, Volleyball Club Nebraska (VCN) and Nebraska Juniors Volleyball, concluded Sunday with nine teams claiming champion titles. The tournament included 135 teams representing five different states.
River City Juniors, based in La Vista, brought home a total of four champion titles. Nebraska ONE Volleyball followed behind with two champion titles. Sanford Sports Academy, Nebraska Juniors, and South Central Nebraska Volleyball each claimed one title.
River City Juniors captured its first championship of the day in the 15 Club division, as River City Juniors 15 Red capped off their undefeated weekend with a sweep against VCNebraska 14 Blue, 25-14, 25-18.
The La Vista club added titles in the 16 Club, 17/18 Open, and 17/18 Club divisions with all three teams going undefeated. River City Juniors 16 Red secured another sweep in the 16 Club division, by defeating VCNebraska 16 Blue, 25-23, 25-19. In the 17/18 Open division, River City Juniors 18 Navy finished 3-0 against three other teams, earning the top finish based on overall record and standings. In the 17/18 Club division, River City Juniors 16 Navy claimed the championship after rallying past their own clubmates, River City Juniors 15 Navy, 19-25, 25-20, 17-15.
Nebraska ONE Volleyball also put together a strong weekend, with both its championship matches going into three sets. Nebraska ONE 11 Chaos captured the 11 Club title with 25-19, 18-25, 16-14 win over Nebraska Juniors 11 Black. In the 14 Club division, Nebraska ONE 13 Thunder rallied past AVC 14 White to secure the championship, 25-18, 17-25, 15-13.
Sanford Sports 12 Red swept Nebraska Juniors 12 Black for the 12 Club title and finished the weekend with a perfect 5-0 record.
After coming up just short in recent championship appearances, Nebraska Juniors broke through to claim the 13 Club title. Nebraska Juniors Black secured the championship with a 25-16, 25-15 sweep of AVC 13 Blue.
South Central Nebraska 14 Black delivered a true showdown, battling River City Juniors 14 Navy in a tightly contested match. They claimed the 14 Open title with 25-21, 25-20 victory.
The Nebraska Showdown is set to return for the 2027 season, with dates to be announced.
Next up for the Nebraska Sports Council is Nebraska Diamondfest. The two-day junior softball tournament will take place May 9-10 in Kearney, Neb. The last day to register for the event is Wednesday, April 29, at 11:59 p.m.
The 2026 Nebraska Showdown is hosted by Nebraska Juniors Volleyball, VCNebraska and the Nebraska Sports Council, with generous support from Bison, Inc., COX, Visit Lincoln, Goodcents, Yankee Hill Brick, Pepsi-Cola of Lincoln, B&R Stores, Inc. and Digital Sky. Information on host organizations can be found at VCNebraska.com, NebraskaJuniors.org and NebraskaSportsCouncil.com.