NLQ Round Up: Fitz and Austin’s Thoughts From the Weekend
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We are full force into the qualifier season. The qualifier season is feeling like a “normal” qualifier season with convention centers back to having courts from wall to wall, college coaches are on the sideline, and athletes are gearing up…
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Continue ReadingWe are full force into the qualifier season. The qualifier season is feeling like a “normal” qualifier season with convention centers back to having courts from wall to wall, college coaches are on the sideline, and athletes are gearing up to punch their ticket to nationals. This past weekend in Minneapolis at the Northern Lights Qualifier we focused in on the 15 Open and 16 Open. Teams from coast to coast as well as the top teams in the Midwest clashed, providing plenty of fireworks, new names to know, and top athletes staying on top of their game. Here are a few thoughts from the Northern Lights Qualifier in Minneapolis.
Let’s talk teams, specifically new teams. Who were some of the new teams you hadn’t seen play before that you found impressive?
Fitz: This was my first time really watching Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy play. So impressive. They have a core of athletes who are volleyball players instead of positions. Their IQ is extremely high and they have such a feel for the game, its like a well choreographed dance. Libero, Keri Leimbach is one of the best in the Class of 2025 and will have plenty of programs watching her progression. The balance of this team is what impresses me the most. Another athlete on this team who has a really high ceiling and was Natalie Wardlow out of the middle. The 6’4 middle moves extremely well and is dangerous. She has such a fast arm and can take some pretty gnarly angles to score points. This team out of the Lincoln area is going to be one to watch the rest of this qualifier season.
I have to agree with Austin on Pohaku 16-1. This team has a ton of firepower and they just flat out COMPETE! They were in gold contention on day three and if you’re that deep in the tournament for an open bid, it’s anyones game. They have established themselves as officially being on the radar!
Austin: Pohaku 16-1 certainly has to be in this discussion for me. This team really started to turn heads as the weekend progressed and earned a spot in Gold pools against some huge powerhouse clubs. I mentioned on Sunday that Pohaku has so much positive energy — both from the team and the fans — that seems to carry them through all the tense matches. The talent is also there, of course.
I also want to put a pair of 16 USA in here, because I tuned in to some awesome bracket matches in this division. TAV Houston 16 Adidas brings an incredible, high-flying lineup to the mix. This is a team that wants to feed the middle every chance they get, and it always works. Another similarly physical team in this division was Iowa Rockets 16R, and their balanced attack led to a bid last weekend.
Set victory for Pohaku 16-1 over TAV!
The energy from both the team and its fans has been phenomenal all weekend. #NLQ pic.twitter.com/Se8YlL3e0K
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
How about the new athletes? Who were some new athletes that are now on the radar?
Fitz: Kananihokuao Misipeka was so explosive for Pohaku. She is all of 5’7, but she is playing well above the net where she has a massive presence blocking some of the top outside hitters in the field. Her ability to impact the game was immeasurable with what she could do on the front row, keep the ball alive, and make something out of nothing on scramble plays. This is the vibe of Pohaku – play hard, be gritty, keep the ball alive to make good things happen.
Texas brought plenty of high level athletes as they always do. In the 16 Open Division, Lauryn Lambert is a six rotation outside hitter for Skyline who can really get up and go toe to toe with some of the top blockers in her division. She knows how to use the hands, but also isn’t afraid to take a big swing. Houston Skyline 15 Royal took home the title in 15 Open, they have a whole lineup of big time athletes, but two who really caught my attention were Taylor Porter and Bayleigh Minor. There was a play that may have resulted in an error, but it just shows how dynamic these two are. Minor was running a slide and Porter was playing out of right back. Porter approached to swing a backcourt attack, luckily avoiding a collision with Minor going for the slide. There is no ball that is out of system for Porter, she is able to make something happen out of nothing. As for Minor, athletes on the other side of the net have to know where she is. She’s long, athletic, moves extremely well laterally, and knows how to play way above the net.
Austin: It feels like everyone is still filling in their “big board” for the Class of 2025, so there were limitless opportunities to add names from this group to the radar at NLQ.
Carly Gilk immediately comes to mind. She’s an athletic, multi-talented lefty opposite from Synergy 151 who can absolutely take over a match. It’s also rare to have an opposite anchoring your backcourt defense in middle-back, but that’s exactly what Gilk did last weekend. What a talent.
2025 left sides also came up big. Amina N’diaye had a massive impact for OT 16 O Roberto while playing up as a 2025. Her length and stature allow her to fit in just fine with the 16s, and she showed so much attacking range throughout the weekend. And, if you want a similarly impactful 2025 left side from the same state as N’diaye, the safe bet is Kelly Kinney of BVA 15 Mizuno. Set her every time.
@HoustonSkyline 15 Royal is one set away from perfection in Gold pools — and perfection for the entire tournament up to this point! pic.twitter.com/LGxpEHZEvf
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
Best Moment of NLQ
Fitz: I wish I had video of this, but Northern Lights libero, Luca Bredenberg dove to save a ball to the chairs on the baseline where she was stuck between two spectators and chairs. It looked painful, but in true libero fashion she pops the ball up, Lights gets it back across and Mintonette hits it out of bounds to hit Bredenberg as she she got unstuck between the chairs entering the court to only have it hit her while out of bounds. A good laugh and applause my all. It’s plays like this that I want to continue to share with others because these athletes put it all on the line. What they sacrifice for one play is just a fragment of what they sacrifice for the game and their teammates in the big scheme of it all.
This @Premier_VB 15 Gold team is so fun to watch. Never say die and just COMPETE! Love it! #nlq pic.twitter.com/8r6GErnD7i
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) March 19, 2022
Another moment was the fight and competitive grit of Nebraska Premier 15 Gold. Of the eight matches they played, six of them went to three sets and I was able to witness their key win over Drive Nation 15 Red on day two. Down big in set two, they caught fire, they never laid down, they fought. With each point they gained momentum, forcing timeouts, and continued to battle. They fought back to win set two 30-28 and would go on to win set three 15-13. This team went from going 1-2 on day one, advancing on a tie breaker to finishing 7th overall.
Austin: The conclusion of the 15 Open bid race was a moment that tested everyone’s endurance — not just for those sweating it out on the court.
Things started to get intense as Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy and Drive Nation 15 Red faced off for a winner-take-all match in Gold Pool 2 of the division. Drive Nation had already had a wild journey to get in this position, and now they had a chance to secure a Nationals bid with one more victory against an undefeated Nebraska ONE team. In one of the most intense matches of the weekend, the Texas team prevailed.
Nebraska ONE, clearly reeling after the emotional loss, had to regroup for the third-place match for another shot at the last bid. I was amazed to see how well 15 Synergy refocused and rebounded as they took the win to lock up the bid. This tight-knit group has the kind of resiliency that really sticks with me.
Set victory for Pohaku 16-1 over TAV!
The energy from both the team and its fans has been phenomenal all weekend. #NLQ pic.twitter.com/Se8YlL3e0K
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
The Best of the Best, the top teams and athletes:
Fitz: I’m going to focus on setters. There were so many great setters in the field this weekend. Janelle Green continues to be such a strong leader for her KC Power squad who continues to find ways to win. Her consistent energy and fire is contagious. Staying in Kansas City, we have to talk about Reese Messer. I’m not sure if she knows how good she is being a 2025 playing up on the top 16s team in the country. Her ability to jump set on the run and put it right on the money when the ball is off the net is remarkable. She’s making plays that high level college setters train hours to do and she’s already getting it done at 15 years old. Molly Romano of Nebraska Elite just lights up the court. She has all the intangibles where she connects so well with her teammates and is so scrappy. She is extremely well trained where her feet are always square, she releases high, and doesn’t give anything away to where she is setting. There is an x-factor about her that you cannot measure (and I mean that in the best way possible). Allie Shondell makes something really hard look effortless. The Boiiler Juniors 16 Gold team is gritty, they play with no fear, and are definitely in the hunt for an open bid. Shondell has such a smooth release where she is neutral going to every spot on the net with every tempo. She is cool, calm, and collected which keeps the court under control in even the most stressful situations.
Money 💰- @allieshondell6 to #8 I think Sienna Foster to 🔨 down the line for @BoilerJuniorsVB – they take set one over Skyline. These teams are trying to find a way to be top two in their pool pic.twitter.com/ojGs6ifiTo
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) March 19, 2022
Austin: By the end of the tournament, we got that one championship matchup in 16 Open that we were all waiting for: Dynasty 16 Black and A5 16-Gabe. If we’re talking about the best of the best, we start with these two teams. They’re just so stacked at every position. Skyler Pierce and Carlie Cisneros are still an unstoppable left-side tandem for Dynasty, and Abigail Mullen is beginning to show some unmatched lethality in her backcourt attacks. A5’s enviable length and size also showed up in Minneapolis, and Mia Hood is becoming a big-time leader in the middle.
And, of course, this topic is not complete without mention of Houston Skyline 15 Royal. Untouchable. Taylor Porter had an unreal weekend at the opposite position, while Ella Lewis brought some great six-rotation skills on the left. Bayleigh Minor is quickly emerging as a top-tier middle blocker.
We’ve got another talented 15s battle on Court 20 between Kairos and Houston Skyline.
Middle blocker Bayleigh Minor has been so impressive for Skyline. @PrepDigTX pic.twitter.com/zVuDzjtH8E
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 19, 2022
Based on what you saw at NLQ, what are some things to watch the rest of the qualifier season?
Fitz: The margin between the teams who are qualifying Open, to falling just short is extremely small. TAV 16 Black was in contention in day three gold pools and this was without one of their top middles in Ayden Ames in action. Boiler Juniors is also looking to get back to 100% health and other teams across the country are looking to get healthy where their whole team can be in action. Some of these bids will come down to what qualifiers and quality wins teams are able to pick up along the way.
Looking into the next month based upon what I saw this past weekend TAV, Drive Nation, Boiler Juniors, OTVA, KC Power, and even a team like Nebraska Elite who was not favored at all this weekend will be in the hunt for Open bids. A lot of these teams will be in action at MEQ and Show Me, but who can consistently improve over the next month (and stay healthy). For a team like Nebraska Premier 16 Gold, they were not looking like a favorite for an open bid when they were at Triple Crown. Now? Their ticket is punched.
For the 15s, Houston Skyline is looking like a real tough team to beat. Their athleticism is going to be tough to match, but I would definitely keep an eye on Nebraska Premier 15 Gold to snag an open bid with how they compete and will out grit their opponents.
Austin: The first thing I would watch for is the sort of “regionalization” that we started to see at NLQ. In other words, which cities, states, and regions are starting to step up in the battle for bids? At NLQ, we saw the unbelievable depth of the Kansas City metro. Texas, Nebraska, and Florida emerged as standout states. There’s usually a lot of pride on the line regarding which part of the country can produce the best results, and I’ll be interested to see how the hierarchy keeps evolving.
Lastly, look for teams making big leaps. There is no NLQ team that embodies this more than Premier Nebraska 16 Gold. This group has battled injuries and setbacks from the first few points of the 2022 season, and some tournaments didn’t go according to plan. They threw all that out in Minneapolis, had a clear game plan, and played inspired volleyball all the way to a Nationals bid. It was a stunning run that could be replicated by some other team in the near future.
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