Champions and Bids at Northern Lights Qualifier
Big winners abound in Minneapolis! What a weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier. Any time there’s a trip to Nationals on the line, you can probably expect some high-quality volleyball and intense moments. This past weekend was a perfect sequel…
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Continue ReadingBig winners abound in Minneapolis!
What a weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier. Any time there’s a trip to Nationals on the line, you can probably expect some high-quality volleyball and intense moments. This past weekend was a perfect sequel to the first iteration of NLQ that I covered in Omaha in January, and now we have more bid holders and champions to discuss.
15s and 16s were in the spotlight for this Minneapolis portion of the event. If you’re not excited for the future of prep volleyball after this event, I don’t know what else you need.
Time to break down the big winners. Champions and bids are on the docket today.
15 Open
The 15 Open division picked back up on Sunday morning after a wild conclusion to Saturday’s action.
One of those wild Saturday moments was mentioned in that night’s recap. Drive Nation 15 Red prevailed in an intense, emotional match with Northern Lights 15-1 at the buzzer to reach the Gold pools on Sunday.
That result turned out to be massive as Drive Nation scored a win in the Sunday opener against Mintonette and set up a bid-deciding matchup with Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy. In yet another extraordinary, heart-stopping match, 15 Red snagged a win in extra points in the third against a previously unbeaten Nebraska ONE team to qualify for Nationals. Few matches in the gym produced more energy.
Wow. What a battle.@DriveNation_Dfw 15 Red comes out on top to clinch a 15 Open bid in one of the wildest matches of the weekend. 17-15 in the third, and unreal intensity on both sides! #NLQ pic.twitter.com/nU8UMWkvWT
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
The other side of the 15 Open belonged to Houston Skyline 15 Royal, and their Gold pool success was a continuation of weekend-long dominance. In fact, this physically imposing Texas team raced to the 15 Open championship match without dropping a set. In the title matchup with Lone Star neighbor Drive Nation, that Skyline streak persisted. An awesome weekend culminated in a bid and championship for 15 Royal.
Just another incredible performance for @HoustonSkyline 15 Royal.
Bound for the #NLQ 15 Open championship…and Nationals! pic.twitter.com/t1FtMwTcAD
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
Three bids were at stake here, so attention then turned to the third-place match between Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy and Northern Lights 15-1. In the end, Synergy managed to regroup from the emotional loss to Drive Nation and used a second-set comeback to swipe the final bid. Nebraska ONE delivered on the hype.
Sweet victory for @We_are_NEONE 15 Synergy!
The tough loss in pool play is quickly remedied by a third-place match victory and a Nationals bid!
Nebraska all over NLQ this weekend! pic.twitter.com/nWv3YbP6nU
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
16 Open
I’ll link Saturday’s recap again here, because each team crammed in one Gold match on Saturday evening before resuming the pool chase Sunday morning.
The final day of 16 Open action started with two consecutive matchups between teams that won those Saturday evening openers. These matches would obviously be crucial.
To start things off, Dynasty 16 Black looked to defend its flawless overall tournament record against an incredibly athletic OT 16 O Roberto team. After some nice back-and-forth action, the unbeaten Kansas City team seized control and pushed its Gold record to 2-0.
Following this contest was a 1-0 meeting between A5 16-Gabe and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold. A5 went into Sunday with a hot streak of its own, but this run also included no set losses throughout the entire tournament. That feat continued with a victory over Premier, and the pre-event 16s favorites began to find some separation.
A Dynasty-A5 title matchup felt like destiny, and that’s what we got at the end of the day. Finding themselves in another championship environment after a Triple Crown NIT title last month, Dynasty 16 Black’s exceptional athletes found another gear against A5. The Kansas City crew put another feather in the cap in Minneapolis.
Add another one to the résumé!@dynastyvbc 16 Black is your #NLQ 16 Open champion! pic.twitter.com/Fc5YmQkPuU
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
In the all-important third-place contest to hand out the last bid, the aforementioned OT and Premier Nebraska teams battled for all the glory. It turned out to be a match befitting of the wild journey that both of these teams endured throughout the weekend, as it went all the way to the end in the third set. Once again, under immense pressure, Premier Nebraska clutched up to take it. A wild, improbable journey led to a moment of euphoria for 16 Gold.
What an unbelievable weekend for @Premier16_G!
After all the drama, a bid has been secured! #NLQ pic.twitter.com/8eKFbDeNrX
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
Around the Horn
We poured in a lot of coverage on 15 Open and 16 Open throughout the event, but we also need to take a look at the entire scope of the tournament. There’s some extra incentive for me in this regard; my home base of Nebraska was making waves across so many divisions. You know I’ll talk about that, too.
Let’s kick it off with 16 USA. Yes, Nebraska wins the race in this one. Premier Nebraska 16 Black soared through pool play and looked to be poised for a bid once the Gold bracket was laid out. The road to the top wouldn’t be easy, though, as Premier faced an incredible challenge from a high-flying, hard-hitting TAV Houston 16 Adidas. These two teams produced one of the most exciting matches of the tournament and went all the way to extra points in the third. Finally, an ace sealed it for Premier.
The late-match insanity is just running with @Premier_VB!
Premier Nebraska 16 Black wins a wild three-set match against TAV Houston. Such a raucous court out here! #NLQ pic.twitter.com/Z8oL0EnAYU
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
Semifinal matches in the 16 USA Gold bracket would hand out bids to the winners. In the top quadrant, A5 16-Steve protected its undefeated record and swept past OT to claim a bid. Then, after the emotional match with TAV Houston, Premier Nebraska won another gritty three-set match against Iowa Rockets to punch a Nationals ticket.
Fittingly, two undefeated squads faced off for the 16 USA title. Despite the grind of bracket play up to that point, Premier Nebraska 16 Black had enough spirit left to down A5 and secure first place. For third place, Iowa Rockets 16R quickly rebounded from the semifinal loss to their western neighbors and earned the final bid in the division.
Now, let’s put together a few quick hitters on some other divisional action that caught my eye in Minneapolis.
- It was a nearly perfect weekend that lifted 305 VBC 16-1 to a title in the one-bid 16 American division. The strength and depth of Florida teams will be quite a storyline coming out of this event.
- Speaking of Florida, Jacksonville Skyline 15 Royal emerged victorious in 15 USA. Two big midwestern names in MKE Sting 15 Black and PVA 15 Elite covered the other two bids.
- A5 got yet another bid out of the 16 Liberty field with A5 16-Stephen claiming the championship. Third-place Impact 161 will take the other bid here with Mizuno Northern Lights 16-B declining in Liberty.