Nebraska Elite Teams Barely Miss Moving Up in January Thaw 18 Open

<p><em><strong>Lauren Isenberg (Omaha Marian) of Nebraska Elite 181 MOAB goes up against the block of Northern Lights 181's Lauren Turner (9) &amp; McKenna Melville (6). NL won the match 2-0. (Photo by Berk Brown)</strong></em></p> <p>OMAHA – Playing against some of the best competition in the nation, Nebraska Elite’s 181 MOAB and 171 TKO teams came up just short of advancing to the final eight in the 18 Open division of the January Thaw USAV GJNC Qualifier at CenturyLink Center today.</p> <p>Both squads saw the opportunity to advance to the final eight in the division slip away in tight matches.</p> <p>For 181 MOAB, it was Iowa Power Plex 17U that was its nemesis on Friday. The team from Iowa knocked off 181 MOAB 25-22, 25-18 in the first match of the day for the two teams. Then 181 MOAB bounced back with a 20-25, 25-19, 15-5 win over Dynasty 18 Black to get itself back in position to advance.</p> <p>To clinch a spot into the final eight, 181 MOAB needed a win over Northern Lights 181 and started strong before fading at the end of the first set en route to a 25-21, 25-11 loss. The loss forced 181 MOAB into a playoff, where it was again Iowa Power Plex 17U that knocked off Elite – this time 25-22 in a one-set playoff.</p> <p>Nebraska Elite 171 TKO got tantalizingly close to advancing to the final eight. TKO knocked off Coast 181 – ranked #24 nationally – 26-24 in the first set of their match before Coast bounced back to win the second 25-18. In the third set, the score was tied at 12-12, but Coast was able to close it out with a 3-1 run.</p> <p>Elite 171 TKO finished pool play 1-2, defeating WVA 2-1 for its win.</p> <p>Both Elite teams will play in the same consolation pool on Saturday. The two championship pools break down as follows:</p> <p>Pool 1: KC Power 181, Minnesota Select 181, Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold, Iowa Power Plex 17U.</p> <p>Pool 2: Northern Lights 181, A4 Volley Purple, Coast 181, Club ONE AZ 18 Platinum.</p>