NEW ORLEANS – While action at the AAU Junior National Championships is winding down in Orlando, just a little West of there, New Orleans will start to heat up with the opening of the USAV National Championships today.
A total of 19 teams from four different clubs will compete in the USAV’s national championships. Competition begins today with the 14s and each new day brings in another new age group with competition coming to a close on July 2.
Only three of the Nebraska teams are competing for a true national championship by playing in the highest level of competition. Those teams are Premier 13 Gold (13 Open), Premier 12 Gold and Nebraska ONE 12 Shockerz (12 National). There is no Open division in the 12s age group, so the National division is where the top teams compete.
The best shot at a true national championship comes in the 12s where both Nebraska ONE and Premier are legitimate title contenders. Nebraska ONE has been the most consistent and dominant team in the 12s division this year and has earned the #8 seed in the 48-team tournament. Premier has been close behind all year and also has been impressive throughout the season and has earned the #12 seed.
Christina Boesiger, the head coach for back-to-back Class B state champion Norris, guides Nebraska ONE’s team. The 12-year-olds do not begin competition until Saturday, but when Nebraska ONE starts, it will be the top seed in a six-team pool. The team will play five matches over two days and must place in the top 3 to stay in title contention. If that happens, on Monday the team will play in a three-team pool, in which it must finish in the top two in order to reach the championship bracket round of 16.
The same holds true for Premier, which will enter the competition on Saturday as the second seed in its pool. The team is coached by Bret Abels, and his 12s teams over the past handful of years have arguably had the most success of any, especially when it comes to major tournaments.
Premier 13 Gold has a little tougher row to hoe in its quest for a true national championship, but as the only Nebraska team competing in an Open division, the squad should already feel a sense of accomplishment.
The format awaiting Premier 13 Gold when it begins play on Friday is a nine-team pool in which it will play eight matches over three days. In order to have a shot at playing in the championship bracket after pool play, Premier would need to finish in the top three of the pool, and it will begin play as the bottom seed.
In the lower division but higher age groups, two more Premier teams will be serious contenders to win their divisions.
In 17 National, Premier 17 Gold is the #6 overall seed in the 48-team tournament is led by the likes of Millard South graduate Lauryn Hilger as well as Omaha Marian standout Andie Hanus and Omaha Skutt’s McKenna Kirkpatrick and Alyssa Woodman.
Meanwhile, in the 18 USA division, Premier 18 Gold is the #6 seed as well in the 24-team tournament. Players such as Papillion-LaVista Priscilla O’Dowd and Jessica Peters as well as Omaha Marian’s Kelsey O’Connell lead Premier.
Below is a list of all teams competing at the USAV National Championships along by age and division along with each team’s roster.
18 Open
No Nebraska Teams
18 National
Team: Nebraska Impact 181 Chaos
Seed: 35 out of 48
Roster: Alexandra Bray, Emma Coenen, Hannah Ehmke, Taliyah Flores, Taylor Homes, Alissa Milota, Marylyn Mozena, Shayla Scanlan, Katherine Wewel. Coach: Mary Mozena.
18 USA
Premier 18 Gold
Seed: 6 out of 24
Roster: Kierra Harder, Audrey Keim, Elizabeth Koukol, Elizabeth McDonnell, Elena Melendez, Kelsey O’Connell, Priscilla O’Dowd, Jessica Peters, Mackenzie Puckett, Isabella Siciunas. Coach: Nate Mongan.
18 American
Premier 18 Black
Seed: 33 out of 48
Roster: Leslie Booth, Madyson Bridwell, Katie Imig, Jacqueline Petersen, Ann Porter, Sarah Rahmanzai, Brooke Swain, Whitney Wiesler, Lauren Woodford. Coach: Heidi Oetken.
17 Open
No Nebraska Teams
17 National
Premier 17 Gold
Seed: 6 out of 48
Roster: Taylor Crandall, Andie Hanus, Lauryn Hilger, McKenna Kirkpatrick, Hannah Mueller, Nicole Skovsende, Sydney Stockfleth, Jayden Thies, Alyssa Woodman. Coach: Joe Wessel.
17 USA
No Nebraska Teams
17 American
Nebraska Impact 171 Bushido
Seed: 27 out of 48
Roster: Joscelyn Bakhit, Cassidy Bartenhagen, Alison Clark, Elizabeth Kelley, Michaela McClellen, Delaney Moore, Kelsey Reeves, Katelynn Richards, Sydney Sile, Grace Whitlaw, Abigail Williams. Coach: Jim Kelley.
17 Patriot
No Nebraska Teams
16 Open
No Nebraska Teams
16 National
Premier 16 Gold
Seed: 20 out of 48
Roster: Sydney Clarkson, Stephanie Gaston, Bridget Petersen, Dani Prusha, Abigail Schiemann, Ryley Sis, Haley Solberg, Emma Walker, Nicole White, Averey Yaksich. Coach: Rebecca Verespej.
16 USA
No Nebraska Teams
16 American
Club Legacy 16 ROX
Seed: 42 out of 48
Roster: Sydney Arkfeld, Elise Baumann, Heather Bills, Bailey Collins, Madison Evans, Madison Johnson, Kaci Kirchhoefer, Claire Mountjoy, Joslyn Mountjoy. Coach: Joao Paulo Da Silva.
16 Patriot
No Nebraska Teams
15 Open
No Nebraska Teams
15 National
Premier 15 Gold
Seed: 24 of 48
Roster: Ashtynne Alberts, Sydney Fitzgibbons, Clara Lamb, McKenzie Michalek, Payton Moore, Taylor O’Malley, Hailey Petersen, Delaney Saucier, Megan Sutera. Head coach: Shannon Smolinski.
15 USA
No Nebraska Teams
15 American
No Nebraska Teams
15 Patriot
No Nebraska Teams
14 Open
No Nebraska Teams
14 National
Premier 14 Gold
Seed: 3 out of 48
Roster: Jaiden Centeno, Breanna Green, Bailey Hanus, Jessica Hendrix, Lauren Maciejewski, Carly Renken, Megan Skovsende, Ashley Straub, Bailey Wilson, Hailey Zuroske. Coach: Ashley Martin.
14 USA
No Nebraska Teams
14 American
Premier 14 Black
Seed: 20 out of 48
Roster: Gabrielle Armour, Samantha Clarkson, Tatum Kuti, Camryn McClintock, Alyssa Meisenbach, Abigail Meyer, Marissa Morris, Josephine Reed, Clara Roth, Olivia Wendell. Coach: John Sutera.
14 Patriot
No Nebraska Teams
13 Open
Premier 13 Gold
Seed: 36 out of 36
Roster: Hannah Domandle, Erica Fenn, Sophie Hendrix, Gabrielle Nordaker, Chloe Paschal, McKenna Ruch, Brooklyn Schram, Cassidy Wolf, Lydia Yost, Cameron Young. Coach: Andrea Eller.
13 National
Club Legacy 13 ROX
Seed: 17 out of 48
Roster: Kelli Branigan, Ellen Burling, Lauren Diederich, Brianna Ellderts, Eliza Kawa, Payton Kirchhoefer, Julia Miller, Mischa Mountjoy, Mary Taylor, Madeline Thompson. Coach: Dan Martin.
Premier 13 Black
Seed: 14 out of 48
Roster: Lexiss Booth, Emma Crouch, London Emmons, Sydney Frerichs, Kayla Hansen, Claire Larson, Isabel Lukens, Cora McCoid, Sarah Montague, Meredith Mueller. Coach: Krysta Peers.
13 American
Nebraska Impact 131 Lanakila
Seed: 22 out of 48
Roster: Leah Bevington, Rhegan Coughlin, Chloe Foral, Kaia Hada, Emma Heglin, Mazzy Johnson, Rachel MacDonald, Graci Rittenhouse, Gabrielle Walton. Coach: Bob Wald.
12 National
Nebraska ONE 12 Shockerz
Seed: 8 out of 48
Roster: Maisie Boesiger, Holly Ochsner, Brooke Peltz, Molly Ramsey, Kylen Sealock, Kaysia Woods, Tyrah Woods, Brittany Wulf, Tiffany Wulf. Coach: Christina Boesiger.
Premier 12 Gold
Seed: 12 out of 48
Roster: Devyn Carmichael, Cameron Cartwright, Morgan Hickey, Lindsay Krause, Kenley Montagne, Breckyn Moore, Olivia Rouw, Kynley Sis, Norah Sis, Brilee Wieseler. Coach: Bret Abels.
12 American
Premier 12 Black
Seed: 6 out of 48
Roster: Jayden Kistaitis, Maggie Massey, Emma Prentice, Brenna Skala, Bridget Smith, Paige Stobbe, Cendie Vacanti, Grace Werner, Abigail Wolfe, Samantha Ziebarth. Coach: Nicole Gregory.
Premier 11 Gold
Seed: 20 out of 48
Roster: Hannah Beran, Ella Hazen, Jayna Hope, Kealy Kiviniemi, Presley Liberty, Skylar McCune, Emma O’Neill, Sidney Sledge, Madison Woodin, Lily Ziebarth. Coach: Bart Nighswonger.
Nebraska Impact 121 Explosion
Seed: 37 out of 48
Roster: Megan Carter, Hannah Frost, Brynn Glock, Mayson Gordon, Ella Koenigsfeld, Reese Madden, Shayla McCormick, Alayna Myrtue, Rachel Poppert, Kaylee Sparks, Delanie Vallinch. Coach: Michelle Flores.
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