AAU Nationals: Day One Standout 17s Squads

<p>Just like any normal year, Nebraska club teams are well represented in the Nationals field. And, yes, that applies to both AAUs and the USAV Nationals still to come later this month.</p> <p>15s and 17s have taken the court today in the opening wave of pool play. Already, we’ve had plenty of standout performances and impressive team efforts among the teams representing the Cornhusker State in Orlando.</p> <p>These athletes will give us plenty to talk about over the next few days, so let’s get the ball rolling!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Nebraska Elite 17 Alpha</strong></p> <p>It was Tuesday perfection for Nebraska Elite in 17 Open. This talented group did not drop a single set in matches against Vaqueras, Academy, and MOVA.</p> <p>There’s plenty of things to rave about with this team. First of all, Nebraska Elite is loaded in the backcourt. You’re always going to get big contributions from players like [player_tooltip player_id="88290" first="Elise" last="Estudillo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="58811" first="Katie" last="Galligan"]. [player_tooltip player_id="58786" first="Kylie" last="Weeks"] looked solid in the libero jersey, too.</p> <p>Then, combine this stellar ball control with the options they have in the front row. [player_tooltip player_id="59204" first="Amanda" last="Loschen"] is an ever-present scoring threat who continues to impress while playing up a year. [player_tooltip player_id="135106" first="Meg" last="Raabe"] brought some exciting plays from the right pin to complete Elite’s scoring threat.</p> <p>I have a feeling that I’ll be highlighting a lot more players on this team before the week is done.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>VCNebraska 17 Elite</strong></p> <p>It was a busy day for VCN’s 17 Elite. It was a successful one, too.</p> <p>VCN played two three-set matches Tuesday. After winning a nailbiter against Hive to open the day, VCN dropped a close match to a talented Legacy team. They also picked up a comfortable victory against Jammers Hawaii.</p> [caption id="attachment_108573" align="alignright" width="139"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-108573" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/09/IMG-5473-139x300.png" alt="" width="139" height="300" /> Scheierman[/caption] <p>This looks like a team with an extra bounce in its step as [player_tooltip player_id="37528" first="Bekka" last="Allick"] joins the fray in the middle. It’s a VCN squad that already had an impressive hitting lineup that includes [player_tooltip player_id="58791" first="Masa" last="Scheierman"], [player_tooltip player_id="59202" first="Karli" last="Heidemann"], [player_tooltip player_id="58771" first="Shayla" last="Meyer"], and a host of others. Look for more on this team in the days ahead.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Nebraska Elite 17 Crossfire</strong></p> <p>Nebraska Elite’s Tuesday success was not limited to the Open division.</p> <p>17 Crossfire began its run in 17 Club Tuesday evening with wins over Tsunami and CVH Select.</p> [caption id="attachment_101508" align="alignleft" width="200"]<img class=" wp-image-101508" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/07/Paisley-Gibson-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="267" /> Gibson[/caption] <p>This team has plenty of hitting talent that I’ve enjoyed watching over the past few years, like [player_tooltip player_id="105769" first="Paisley" last="Gibson"] and Hastings commit [player_tooltip player_id="109670" first="Kaitlin" last="Thiebauth"]. <strong>Genevieve Murray</strong> helps put the whole operation together with her clever distribution from the setter spot.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>River City Juniors 17 Navy</strong></p> <p>Of course, NE Elite was not the only club to post a big number in the win column on opening day.</p> <p>River City Juniors posted a 3-0 record with wins over 3:16 VBC, GP, and SERV. Two of those victories came down to the wire in three-set decisions.</p> <p><strong>Abby Jensen</strong> was a middle blocker who stood out for this team Tuesday. Her all-around game constantly provided a boost that helped River City to its strong placement in the initial wave of pool play. I'm excited to keep scouting out this group throughout the tournament.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We've got plenty more age groups and teams to cover at AAUs in Orlando. Stick around!</p>