2017 Asics President’s Day Classic – Recap of Day 1 in Open Divisions
OMAHA – The high level of play on Saturday during the first day of competition in the Open Divisions of the 2017 Asics President’s Day Classic certainly didn’t come as a surprise to anyone – but some of the results definitely did.
Here is a recap of Saturday’s action from each of the Open Divisions, including standings and Sunday’s top matches.
18 Open
Mizuno Northern Lights 182 sent some shockwaves through the division right away this morning with a stunning 10-25, 29-27, 15-12 upset of clubmates and top seed Northern Lights 181 in an 8 a.m. match. Meanwhile, one court away, fourth-seeded Kairos Elite 18 Adidas held on for a 25-20, 17-25, 17-15 win over second-seeded Premier 18 Gold.
With the top two seeds dropping their first matches of the tournament, the door was open for Nebraska Elite 18 Kpalie to jump to the top of the standings after the first day. Not only was Elite Kpalie the only team to go undefeated the first day, but it also didn’t drop a set along the way, sweeping IPVA 18 Black (25-22, 25-12), Kairos Elite 18 Adidas (25-15, 25-19) and Northern Lights 182 (25-23, 25-20).
Sunday will be an opportunity for Elite Kpalie to strengthen its grip on the top of the standings or for the rest of the teams to pull them back to the pack. Elite faces Premier 18 Gold, Northern Lights 181 and Topeka Impact 181 on Sunday.
After dropping a tough three-setter to start the day, Premier 18 Gold finished the day by winning a tough three-setter 25-19, 24-26, 15-6 over Nebraska Juniors 181 to keep its title hopes alive.
18 Open Standings at Conclusion of Day 1
1.) Nebraska Elite 18 Kpalie (3-0)
2.) Mizuno Northern Lights 181 (2-1)
3.) CIA 18 Black (2-1)
4.) Mizuno Northern Lights 182 (2-1)
5.) Topeka Impact 181 (1-1)
6.) Kairos 18 Addidas (1-2)
7.) Premier 18 Gold (1-2)
8.) IPVA 18 Black (0-2)
9.) Nebraska Juniors 181 (0-2)
Sunday’s Key Matches:
10 a.m. – Court 32 – Mizuno Northern Lights 182 vs. CIA 18 Black
11 a.m. – Court 31 – Mizuno Northern Lights 181 vs. Nebraska Elite 18 Kpalie
17 Open
Ozark Juniors 171 proved to be the day’s biggest surprise in 17 Open, knocking off fifth-seeded Kairos Elite 17 Adidas in the first match of the day and later coming out with a narrow 26-24, 23-25, 17-15 win over Nebraska Elite 17 Tough Enough en route to a 3-0 day in pool 5. In a match to determine the other team moving on to the championship round from the pool, Elite Tough Enough took a 25-23, 25-15 win over Kairos to move on.
Mizuno Northern Lights 171 had to fight off MAVA 17 Select of Kentucky 14-25, 25-12, 16-14 today as it went on to a 3-0 record in pool 4. Premier 17 Gold was very impressive in going 3-0 in pool 3. Premier Gold did not drop a set all day after it closed out Topeka Impact 26-24, 25-21 in its last match.
In pool 2, Nebraska ONE 17 Krush was able to get into Sunday’s championship pool play when it topped IPVA 17 Black 25-21, 25-19 in its final match. Meanwhile, in pool 1, VCNebraska 17 Elite went 2-1 but finished third behind Dynasty 17 Black and CIA Black in a tie-breaker, but the team was still able to grab a spot in Sunday’s championship pools.
17 Open Standings at Conclusion of Day 1
Pool 1
1.) Dynasty 17 Black (2-1)
2.) CIA 17 Black (2-1)
3.) VCNebraska 17 Elite (2-1)
4.) Nebraska Juniors 171 (0-3)
Pool 2
1.) AJV 17 Molten (2-1)
2.) Asics MAVS 171 (2-1)
3.) Nebraska ONE 17 Krush (1-2)
4.) IPVA 17 Black (1-2)
Pool 3
1.) Premier 17 Gold (3-0)
2.) Topeka Impact 171 (2-1)
3.) Six Pack VBC (1-2)
4.) OP2 171 (0-3)
Pool 4
1.) Mizuno Northern Lights 171 (3-0)
2.) MAVA 17-Select (2-1)
3.) Colorado Juniors 17 Aneli (1-2)
4.) MVP 17 Blue (0-3)
Pool 5
1.) Ozark Juniors 171 (3-0)
2.) Nebraska Elite 17 Tough Enough (2-1)
3.) Kairos Elite 17 Adidas (1-2)
4.) Front Range 17 Silver (0-3)
Sunday’s Championship Pools
*Top two teams in each pool advance to Monday’s six-team championship bracket
Pool 1
Dynasty 17 Black, Nebraska Elite 17 Tough Enough, MAVA 17-Select, Nebraska ONE 17 Krush
Pool 2
AJV 17 Molten, Ozark Juniors 171, Topeka Impact 171, VCNebraska 17 Elite
Pool 3
Premier 17 Gold, Mizuno Northern Lights 171, Asics MAVS 171, CIA 17 Black
16 Open
Everything pretty much went as planned in 16 Open on Saturday as the top three seeds in each pool all went 3-0. Nebraska Elite 16 Mazi and Premier 16 Gold were two of those teams to go undefeated, but each will face a much more difficult schedule on Sunday.
Nebraska ONE 16 Titanium was able to keep championship hopes alive on the first day when it closed out Saturday with a 25-19, 25-20 win over VCNebraska 16 Elite to finish 2-1 on the day. VCNebraska 16 Elite, Nebraska Juniors 161 and Nebraska Elite 16 Alpha each went 1-2 Saturday, putting each team in a position where it needs to win four in a row to have a shot to advance to Monday’s championship bracket.
16 Open Standings at Conclusion of Day 1
Pool 1
1.) Dynasty 16 Black (3-0)
2.) Premier 16 Gold (3-0)
3.) Minnesota Select 161 (3-0)
4.) Nebraska Elite 16 Alpha (1-2)
5.) Colorado Juniors 16 Malia (1-2)
6.) Nebraska Juniors 161 (1-2)
7.) Front Range 16 Blue (0-3)
8.) CIA 16 Black (0-3)
Pool 2
1.) Nebraska Elite 16 Mazi (3-0)
2.) Mizuno Northern Lights 161 (3-0)
3.) Six Pack VBC 16U (3-0)
4.) Nebraska ONE 16 Titanium (2-1)
5.) VCNebraska 16 Elite (1-2)
6.) The Edge VBC 16 Red (0-3)
7.) Rocky Select 16 Black (0-3)
8.) Nebraska Juniors 162 (0-3)
Sunday’s Key Matches:
9 a.m. – Court 34 – Premier 16 Gold vs. Minnesota Select 161
9 a.m. – Court 36 – Nebraska Elite 16 Mazi vs. Six Pack VBC 16U
10 a.m. – Court 33 – Dynasty 16 Black vs. Nebraska Elite 16 Alpha
10 a.m. – Court 35 – Nebraska ONE 16 Titanium vs. Mizuno Northern Lights 161
Noon – Court 33 – Dynasty 16 Black vs. Premier 16 Gold
Noon – Court 35 – Mizuno Northern Lights 161 vs. Nebraska Elite 16 Mazi
15 Open
Much like the 16 Open division, the 15 Open division went pretty much as seeded on Saturday with the top six seeds all going undefeated. Premier 15 Gold and Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution were the two Nebraska teams to go undefeated and each will look to solidify their chances at reaching Monday’s championship bracket with some key matches tomorrow.
Ozark Juniors 151 was a slight surprise going 2-1 as the fifth seed in pool 2 after earning a tough 25-14, 15-25, 16-14 win over Premier 15 Black in the final match of the day for both teams.
VCNebraska 15 Elite finished its day with a 27-25, 25-23 win over Club ONE 15 Black to go 2-1 on Saturday and keep its championship hopes alive.
15 Open Standings at Conclusion of Day 1
Pool 1
1.) Asics MAVS 151 (3-0)
2.) Premier 15 Gold (3-0)
3.) Minnesota Select 151 (3-0)
4.) VCNebraska 15 Elite (2-1)
5.) Club ONE 15 Black (1-2)
6.) Nebraska Juniors 151 (0-3)
7.) Momentum Volleyball 15 Elsa (0-3)
8.) CIS 15M (0-3)
Pool 2
1.) Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution (3-0)
2.) Mizuno Northern Lights 151 (3-0)
3.) Dynasty 15 Black (3-0)
4.) Ozark Juniors 151 (2-1)
5.) Premier 15 Black (1-2)
6.) Six Pack VBC 15U (0-3)
7.) CIA 15 Black (0-3)
8.) Front Range VBC 15 White (0-3)
Sunday’s Key Matches:
9 a.m. – Court 38 – Asics MAVS 151 vs. Minnesota Select 151
9 a.m. – Court 40 – Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution vs. Mizuno Northern Lights 151
10 a.m. – Court 37 – Premier 15 Gold vs. VCNebraska 15 Elite
10 a.m. – Court 40 – Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution vs. Ozark Juniors 151
Noon – Court 37 – Premier 16 Gold vs. Asics MAVS 151
Noon – Court 39 – Dynasty 15 Black vs. Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution
Noon – Court 40 – Mizuno Northern Lights 151 vs. Ozark Juniors 151
14 Open
Dynasty 13 Black might be the youngest team in the division, but it showed on Saturday it’s one of the most talented by going 3-0. In the opposite pool, Premier 14 Gold was dominant in going 3-0, not giving up more than 18 points to an opponent in any set. Momentum Volleyball 14 Deb also went 3-0 without dropping a set and will take on Premier Gold Sunday morning for a match which very well could determine the pool 2 winner.
Both Nebraska Elite 14 Havoc and Nebraska ONE 14 Shockerz went 1-2 on Saturday, putting each team in a position where it must go undefeated on Sunday to have a slight chance at making Monday’s championship bracket.
14 Open Standings at Conclusion of Day 1
Pool 1
1.) Dynasty 13 Black (3-0)
2.) Mizuno Northern Lights 141 (2-1)
3.) OP2 141 (2-1)
4.) Nebraska ONE 14 Shockerz (1-2)
5.) Nebraska Elite 14 Havoc (1-2)
6.) NORCO 14 Black (0-3)
Pool 2
1.) Premier 14 Gold (3-0)
2.) Momentum Volleyball 14 Dev (3-0)
3.) Minnesoa Select 141 (2-1)
4.) Iowa Heart 14 Black (1-2)
5.) Ozark Juniors 141 (0-3)
6.) Nebraska Juniors 141 (0-3)
Sunday’s Key Matches:
8 a.m. – Court 7 – Mizuno Northern Lights 141 vs. Nebraska ONE 14 Shockerz
8 a.m. – Court 8 – Dynasty 13 Black vs. Nebraska Elite 14 Havoc
9 a.m. – Court 7 – Premier 14 Gold vs. Momentum Volleyball 14 Deb
9 a.m. – Court 8 – Minnesota Select 141 vs. Iowa Heart 14 Black
10 a.m. – Court 7 – Mizuno Northern Lights 141 vs. Dynasty 13 Black
11 a.m. – Court 7 – Premier 14 Gold vs. Minnesota Select 141