Vital 16-1 Gold is Golden in 16 Club at JVA MKE Jamboree

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It was a perfect weekend for Vital 16-1 Gold as they went 7-0 in matches without dropping a single set. According to head coach Ryan Stuntz it was a complete team effort. “The girls were lights out all weekend. I don’t think there was really one person who was a MVP. This was truly an all around great team effort. Everyone contributed and did what they were supposed to do both on and off the court”, he shared in a follow-up to the weekend’s success.

Vital opened up Round 1 pool play against Air Assault 16 Navy, Adrenaline 16 Rox, and Fierce Elite 16. At the conclusion of pool play, top teams then advanced to challenge round matches with the winner advancing to the Gold bracket playoffs. Vital matched up against Next Level VBC G16G, winning 25-12, 25-19. In quarterfinal action they faced Chicago Elite 16 Elite, advancing following a 25-14, 25-17 win to face the top seed in the Gold bracket in Unified 16-2. Vital dismantled their semifinal opponent 25-21, 25-10. The championship match was their golden moment with a straight set win over Illini Elite 16 Black by scores of 25-13, 25-23.

According to coach Stuntz a handful of performances stood out for him but he was quick to indicate once again the total team effort, “There were a few standout players who performed at a high level all weekend, but again, these players don’t get to have the success without the contributions from rest of the team.” Some of the stats among the winning team include:

Claudia Stahlke (6’1.5 | MB/Opp | Mayer Lutheran HS) – lead the team in hitting percentage at .660% and with a 70% kill percentage; added 16 blocks and 10 aces

Kate Hamburg (5’11.5 | Opp | Chanhassen HS) – hit .451% with a 58% kill percentage and 7 blocks

Emma O’Connell (5’10 | OH | Eden Prairie HS) – steady on the pin seeing the most hitting attempts with a .219% hitting percentage and a 37% kill percentage; added 5 aces

Claire Segner (5’7.5 | Lib | Waconia HS) – lead the team in serve receive passing a 1.93, along with 10 aces and 61 digs for a 4.36 digs per set average

Additional team members for Vital 16-1 Gold include:

Final standings for all NCR Minnesota teams competing in 16 Club are as follows:

1st – Vital 16-1 Gold
5th (tie) – MN Select 15-2
9th – MN Select 16-3

16 Open Division

MN Select 16-1 was the only NCR Minnesota team that competed in the 16 Open division. As the event’s top seed overall they advanced through pool play unscathed with a 3-0 record and no sets lost. This advanced them to the Gold bracket playoff as the top seed. They defeated WVA 16 Black in straights sets, 25-13, 25-16 to advance to the semifinals. A three-set loss to a tough Illini Elite 16-1 Cardinal squad would conclude their weekend.