JVA MKE 17/18 Club Championship Goes to MN Select 16-2

Playing among teams one and two year’s older, MN Select 16-2 used their own experience and maturity to finish the 2018 17/18 Club division at the JVA MKE Jamboree undefeated with a 7-0 record. Seven North Country Region Minnesota teams competed in Milwaukee with four teams finishing among the top five in the final standings.

MN Select 16-2 opened Round 1 play against fellow NCR member Vital 17-1. Select controlled the match winning 2-0 with set scores of 25-14, 25-18. They followed with consecutive 2-0 wins over WI Performance 18UA and WVA Lake Effect 18-Yellow. Two more 2-0 wins in Round 2 Pool A advanced them to the semifinals of the Gold bracket. Another Vital squad lined up across the net, this time Vital 18-1 Gold. Select would prevail with a straight set 25-21, 25-16 victory.

The third NCR Minnesota team competing in the Gold bracket was Club 43 U181 Nat. An extra set victory over Adrenaline 17 Black in the other semifinal set up an all-NCR championship match. Select would take set one with a 25-17 win only to see Club 43 bounce back with a 25-20 set two win of their own. In the final frame, Select would prevail 15-10 to capture the title.

Final standings among NCR teams competing in the 17/18 Club division include:

1st – MN Select 16-2
2nd – Club 43 U181 Nat
3rd (tie) – Vital 18-1 Gold
5th (tie) – Vital 17-1 Gold
15th (tie) – MN Select 17-2
15th (tie) – MVA 17 Select
19th (tie) – MN Select 18-3

Members of the MN Select 16-2 team include:

Elise Brooks | 5’5 DS | Mounds View HS
Lily Emlong | 6’1 MB/RS | Wayzata HS
Kamryn Fjellanger | 5’9 OH | Rogers HS
Lizzie Holscher | 5’6 DS | Totino Grace HS
Olivia Johnson | 5’9 S | Wayzata HS
Lauren Klaith | 5’10 OH/MB | Rockford HS
Kate Long | 5’10 OH/RS | Wayzata HS
Kate Neill | 6’2 MB | Providence Academy
Izzy Thorne | 5’9 OH/DS | Eden Prairie HS
Rachael Ukestad | 5’8 OH/RS | Robbinsdale Armstrong HS

17/18 Open Division

Three NCR Minnesota teams competed in the 17/18 Open division at the JVA MKE Jamboree. MVA 17 Elite, the only NCR team to advance to the Gold bracket playoffs, finished the highest in the final standings in 5th place with a  3-3 overall record. Their tournament concluded with a 0-2 quarterfinal loss. 

MN Select had two teams competing in this division in their 18-2 and 17-1 teams. Following pool play both teams would advance to the Silver bracket playoffs. With each team winning their semifinal match with a 2-0 result, they then would face one another for the Silver bracket championship. They would battle to a third set in which MN Select 18-2 would claim the win with a 15-11 result. MN Select 18-2 finished the event in ninth position with a 3-2 record, while MN Select 17-1 finished 10th with a 2-3 overall record.