Houston Area Teams Finish Well at Northern Lights Qualifier
Over the weekend, the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams from all over the country traveled to try and secure a bid. This weekend proved to be a challenging yet rewarding tournament for Houston area teams.…
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Continue ReadingOver the weekend, the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams from all over the country traveled to try and secure a bid. This weekend proved to be a challenging yet rewarding tournament for Houston area teams. Competing in Minnesota can be tricky when facing big-name northern clubs such as Nebraska Premier, but these three Houston Area teams showed grit for top 5 finishes in their respective divisions. Below we will go over each teams’ recipe for success, and what they have coming up next.
Houston Skyline 15 Royal– 16 Open- 1st Place
It’s no secret that Houston Skyline 15 Royal has been dominating all season. Their lowest finish so far comes from the Triple Crown NIT tournament where they finished 5th. Their tough pre-season schedule has set them up for success in 15 open, not dropping a set over 3 days, and earning a bid. With their star-studded 2025 roster, these freshmen play with great team chemistry. Some big players for Houston Skyline 15 Royal include players like Taylor Porter Taylor Porter 5'11" | OH Cypress Ranch | 2025 State #85 Nation TX who is dominant on the outside and Morgan Madison who is sound on the back row. Kassidy O’Brien and Kenedy Massie run the offense of this group of power hitters and continuously dish out great setting options. Houston Skyline 15 Royal’s next qualifier is set for Orlando, FL at the Sunshine Classic in April.
TAV Houston 16 Adidas– 16 USA- 5th Place
TAV Houston 16 Adidas had a strong gold bracket finish at the Northern Lights Qualifier. After losing two defensive specialists to injury earlier in the season, this team has bounced back in March, finishing 1st at the Tour of Texas Finals. In their first bid tournament, they faced challenges like Iowa Rockets 16 Royal. They picked up big wins against Triangle 16 Blue and DNVB 16 Black. Part of this team’s success as of late is its pin hitters picking up a lot of responsibility on the back row. Samara Coleman Samara Coleman 6'0" | OH Grand Oaks | 2025 State #74 Nation TX and Skylar Skrabanek are playing 6 rotations for TAV Houston 16 Adidas. Audrey Terry was dishing dimes all tournament to Jaela August at middle blocker and right sides Caelyn Emmerling and Amelia Creacy. This team eventually lost to tournament champs Premier Nebraska 16 Black. Be on the lookout for this team to make some waves at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier next weekend.
Friendswood Challenge 16 Royal– 16 Liberty- 5th Place
Friendswood Challenge had a great showing in Minneapolis. This was the team’s first test at a bid, and they finished 5th place in a packed 16 Liberty Division with over 40 teams. Surrounded by other Texas teams in the top 10, Friendswood Challenge picked up key wins early on in the tournament over KC power 161 and New Wave 16 Tsunami. Key players that are helping Friendswood Challenge be successful are Nadia Dunn at middle blocker and Mia Ramirez at defensive specialist/outside hitter. One of their 3 losses on the weekend came from Mizuno Northern Lights 16-B, who finished 2nd place overall in 16 American. Their next qualifier will be at Lone Star Classic in Dallas, Texas in April.