DENVER – Ultimately, something had to give when Premier 14 Black faced Piko Hooulu on Monday in the championship match of the 14 American Division at the Colorado Crossroads USAV National Qualifier.
Coming into the match, neither the Hawaii-based Piko Hooulu nor Premier 14 Black had lost a set all weekend to reach the championship. Unfortunately for the Omaha-based club, it was its winning streak that gave way in the final match as Piko Hooulu took a 25-21, 25-18 victory to earn the championship and receive the automatic bid to the USAV National Championships.
In the first two days of the tournament, Premier 14 Black breezed through pool play, going a perfect 6-0, giving up more than 16 points in a set just once. In a challenge match on Sunday evening, Premier 14 Black continued its winning ways with a 25-16, 25-15 win over San Francisco Tremors 142 to advance to the 16-team championship bracket.
In the first round of the championship bracket, Premier 14 Black defeated Heartland Juniors 141 of Kansas 25-17, 25-14 and then survived its toughest challenge in the quarterfinals by taking a 30-28, 25-21 win over Southwind Rising 141, also of Kansas.
In the semifinals, Premier 14 Black took a 25-16, 25-19 win over Arizona’s Livewire 14 Red to reach the championship.
Of the 16 teams from Nebraska that competed in the Colorado Crossroads, Premier 14 Black was the only one to reach a championship match. Below is the results of the all the teams that competed in order of age and difficulty of the division.
15 Open (32 teams)
Nebraska Elite 151 Revolution – tied for 5th
Premier 15 Gold – 18th
15 USA (68 teams)
Nebraska ONE 15 Krush – 3rd
Nebraska ONE 15 Dynamite – 30th
Premier 15 Black – tied for 39th
Club Legacy 15 Shattered – tied for 62nd
15 American (150 teams)
Premier 15 Red – tied for 9th
14 Open (30 teams)
Premier 14 Gold – 10th
14 USA (128 teams)
Premier 14 Black – 2nd
South Central Nebraska 14 Black – 33rd
13 Open (16 teams)
Premier 13 Gold – 5th
13 American (96 teams)
Premier 13 Black – tied for 9th
Club Legacy 13 ROX – tied for 9th
12 National (16 teams)
Premier 12 Gold – 3rd
12 American (30 teams)
Premier 11 Gold – 4th
