VCNebraska 17 Elite Rolls to Heartland Cup 18 Open Championship

<p>OMAHA – For the first half of the first set, the 18 Open championship match of the Heartland Cup Power League was evenly fought between VCNebraska 17 Elite and Nebraska Elite 17 TKO. After that, though, it was all VCN.</p> <p>VCNebraska 17 Elite against staked claim to being the best club team in the state regardless of age on Sunday with a 25-18, 25-13 victory over Nebraska Elite 17 TKO. To advance to the championship match, VCN defeated Nebraska Juniors 181 Black while Nebraska Elite 17 TKO downed Premier 18 Gold.</p> <p><strong>Madison Harms</strong> (Sergeant Bluff, IA) and <strong>Emmy Grant</strong> (Millard North) each got off to a hot start for Nebraska Elite in the first set, while VCNebraska’s <strong>Kelsie Cada</strong> (Bishop Neumann) and <strong>Kalynn Meyer</strong> (Superior) did the same.</p> <p>It was a kill be Nebraska Elite’s <strong>Makenzie Saitta</strong> (Elkhorn South) that put 17 TKO up 13-12 in the first set, but that would be the last time Elite would hold the lead in the match. A kill by Meyer tied it at 13-13 and started a 6-0 run for VCNebraska that put it up 18-13 on an ace serve from <strong>Alex Lemke</strong> (Lincoln East).</p> <p>A couple kills by Cada late helped VCNebraska maintain a comfortable lead and Lemke finished the first set with a kill for VCN.</p> <p>Lemke then took control for VCNebraska at the start of the second set, getting two early kills and then a pair of aces as VCN stormed out to a 8-1 lead. The VCNebraska eventually grew as large as 18-7. Nebraska Elite tried to make a run when a kill by <strong>Lily Heyne</strong> (Skutt Catholic) and blocks by Saitta and <strong>Michaela Bartles</strong> (Bennington) got Elite within 18-11. But consecutive blocks by Meyer ended the run as VCNebraska went on to take the final set 25-13.</p> <p>Cada, a Wayne State recruit, finished the match with eight kills and an ace while Lemke had five kills, six assists and three aces for VCNebraska. Meyer finished with three kills, two blocks and two aces and <strong>Alyssa Rezac</strong> had 11 assists.</p> <p>For Nebraska Elite, Saitta and Grant each finished with four kills and <strong>Emma Worthington</strong> (Omaha Duchesne) had 12 assists.</p>