MN Teams Find Success on Opening Day in Omaha

<p>A handful of Minnesota teams are competing at the U18 Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha, NE this weekend. Following Round 1 play on Friday two teams remain undefeated in the 18 Open division. In the 18 American division, three teams remain in the hunt for a GJNC bid, while the lone representative in 18 USA has advanced to consolation play.</p> <p><strong>18 Open</strong></p> <p>Both the <strong>Northern Lights 18-1</strong> and <strong>MN Select 18-1</strong> teams went 3-0 in Round 1 action to advance to Round 2 among teams still in contention for a GJNC bid. NL 18-1, the #2 seed overall, defeated Dynasty 18 Black, Iowa PowerPlex 17U TPP, and Nebraska Elite 18 MOAB all by 2-0 match scores. The closest set of the day was set one of match one in which Dynasty pushed them to a 27-25 extra point game. Round 2 matchups include COAST 18-1, Club One AZ 18Platinum, and A4 Volley 18-Purple. MN Select 18-1 also went 3-0 on the day. The event's #4 seed overall dropped only one set in a 2-1 win over WVA 18 Black. Their additional victories came against Nebraska Elite 17 TKO and COAST 18-1. Their Round 2 opponents are Iowa PowerPlex 17U TPP, Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold, and KC Power 18-1.</p> <p>Advancing to the consolation rounds are <strong>Northern Lights 17-1</strong> and <strong>Northern Lights 18-2</strong>. NL 17-1 finished Round 1 with a 1-2 record while the 18-2 team went 0-3. Teams compete today for seeding into Round 3 to determine the bid allocations as well as final placement.</p> <p><strong>18 American</strong></p> <p>Northern Lights found great success in the 18 American division as both the <strong>NL 18 Black</strong> and <strong>NL 18 Red</strong> teams went 3-0 in Round 1. The 18 Black squad, the event’s top seed, went untested on day one winning all matches 2-0 as only three total sets saw their opponent score above 15 points. No opponent reached the 20 point mark. They face off against Premier Nebraska 18 Black, Performance 18 Nike, and Team KC VBC 18-1 in Round 2. The 18-Red team, the #5 seed in the tournament, had a more challenging day in earning their 3-0 record. Following a tightly contested 2-0 win over Banzai VBC 181, their remaining two matches went the distance as they earned consecutive 15-13 third set wins over both Rocky Select 18 National and Southland Aces 18-1 Black. They take on Team Magic 181 and PVA 18 Elite in Round 2 action.</p> <p>Impact also had two teams competing in 18 American. The <strong>Impact 18 Pink</strong> team advanced to Round 2 action with a 1-1 record in pool play followed by a crossover match victory of which had an opportunity to remain in the hunt for a bid on the line. With only three teams in their opening pool, the second place finish forced them into a crossover match against Ohana 18U National in which they prevailed with a 2-0 win. The <strong>Impact 18 Black</strong> team finished day one with a 1-2 record and in third place in their respective pool. All teams are back in action early Saturday.</p> <p><strong>18 USA</strong></p> <p>One team from Minnesota is competing in 18 USA at the Northern Lights Qualifier. <strong>MN North 18-1</strong> finished Round 1 with a 1-2 record and in third place in Pool 3. Their lone victory was a 2-0 win over Rocky Select 18 Lauren. Both losses came as a result of identical third set 15-11 scores as they dropped two pool play matches to both Iowa Select VBC 18 Vital and ASICS MAVS 18-1. They advance to Round 2 on Saturday in consolation play against Momentum Volleyball 18 Patty/Steph, Club Legacy VBA 18 Rox, and IPVA 18 Black.</p> <p>Results and schedules can be found <a href="http://results.tm2sign.com/event/142/event_divisions">here</a>.</p>