January Thaw Club Division Recap, Stock-Raising Performances

<p>OMAHA – It’s hard to imagine the club divisions at the January Thaw tournament over the weekend could have turned out much better for teams from Nebraska.</p> <p>In the six different divisions (17/18, 16, 15, 14, 13 and 12), teams from Nebraska took home the title in four of them – highlighted by an all-Nebraska final in the 17/18 division.</p> <p>We’ll start with a look back at the 17/18 Club division followed by the rest of the club divisions in descending age order and a list of stock-raising performances by players from Nebraska that competed in those divisions.</p> <p>Nebraska ONE planted its flag in the 17/18 Club division by having two teams from its club competing for the title as Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium knocked off Nebraska ONE 18 Makai 25-17, 25-19 in the championship. The win capped an impressive run through the division for Titanium as the squad did not drop a set in eight matches. In fact, Titanium only gave up more than 20 points in a set twice on the weekend.</p> <p>In another intra-club battle, Nebraska Elite 172 Razee held off Nebraska Elite 161 Vici 25-16, 17-25, 15-13 to take fifth place in the division.</p> <p>On the weekend, it would have been hard to find teams that drew more college coaches to their courts than Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium and Nebraska Elite 161 Vici as both are loaded with players expected to be able to play at college programs of various levels.</p> <p>Club Legacy 16 ROX went 3-5 in the tournament and finished 11^th while Omaha Volleyball Club 17s went 5-3 and finished 15^th. Performance 17 NIKE went 3-5 and finished 17^th while Nebraska ONE 17 Chaos went 1-6 and finished 20^th.</p> <p>In the 16 Club division, Northern Lights 151 edged Nebraska Elite 151 Revolution 18-25, 25-18, 15-11. It was the only loss on the weekend for Elite Revolution. Nebraska Elite 16 Apollo finished fourth while Club Legacy 15 ROX was 11^th, Nebraska ONE 16 Alloy was 16^th and Performance 16 NIKE was 19^th.</p> <p>In the 15 Club division, Nebraska Elite 14 Havoc brought home the title with a 25-20, 25-21 win over CIS 14M in the championship match. Nebraska ONE 15 Thunder finished 13^th, Performance 15 NIKE was 14^th, Nebraska Elite 15 Chaos was 15^th and Nebraska Elite 15 Dauntless was 18^th.</p> <p>It was the Lexington 14 SWAT team that took home the championship in the 14 Club division with a 25-19, 23-25, 15-12 win over CIA 14 Black. Nebraska Elite 14 Oorah finished third while Nebraska Elite 14 Pallavolo was ninth, Nebraska Elite 14 Sigma was 13^th, Nebraska Elite 14 Meraki was 16^th, Nebraska Elite 14 Heat was 17^th and Performance 14 Pride was 20^th.</p> <p>In the 13 Club division, Nebraska Elite 13 Thunder went undefeated in the tournament to win the title. Nebraska Elite 13 Invasion was fifth and Nebraska Elite 13 Fusion was eighth.</p> <p>In the 12 Club division, Nebraska Elite 12 Synergy was second, Nebraska elite 12 Ascend was third and VCNebraska 12 Elite was fourth.</p> <p><strong><u>Stock-risers:</u></strong></p> <p><strong>Erin Williams (Lincoln Lutheran), 5’4, Libero, Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium – Class of 2019 #26</strong></p> <p>Williams was straight balling all weekend and set the table for Titanium on its path to the 17/18 Club title. Currently the #3 libero in the class of 2019, Williams is going to find herself right on the tail of Wayne State recruit Jessie Brandl (#2) and Iowa State recruit Jaiden Centeno (#1) in the next updated rankings. Williams has shown she’s a Division I caliber libero.</p> <p><strong>Lauren Taubenheim (Lincoln Pius X), 6’0, OH/RS, Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium – Class of 2020 #13</strong></p> <p>Taubenheim has such a huge ceiling as a pin hitter and she fits perfectly onto the Titanium team has a big-blocking RS that can also drop the hammer. She has a slight frame but great athleticism. She’s only going to get stronger over the next couple years, and her name should really explode on the recruiting scene this club season.</p> <p><strong>Kelsey Olson (Millard South), 6’0, MH/RS, Nebraska Elite 172 Razee – Class of 2019 #131</strong></p> <p>Olson is a three-year letterwinner for Millard South who has shown flashes of being a force at the net over the years but has struggled with consistency. In helping Razee to a fifth-place finish, Olson looked the best she ever has and is playing much stronger and more physical with a more aggressive swing. If she keeps progressing as she has the past couple months, she will give Millard South the physical presence it needs at RS to be a legitimate threat in Class A.</p> <p><strong>Mayah Delgado (Omaha Duchesne), 5’11, OH/RS, Nebraska Elite 161 Vici – Class of 2020 #8</strong></p> <p>Delgado is so strong and powerful at the net that she can take over matches, especially with her blocking. There’s still something a little funky about her approach and swing, but she hits the ball so hard she doesn’t necessarily need all that high of a contact point. She had the best block of anyone I saw in the 17/18 Club division and continues to show she is a Division I talent at the net.</p>