Nebraska Storylines to Follow in April
We’ve reached April. It feels like just yesterday we were braving subzero temperatures in Omaha for the first Northern Lights Qualifier in January. Time flies, and we’ve reached a critical point of the 2022 club season. Storylines will undoubtedly be…
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Continue ReadingWe’ve reached April. It feels like just yesterday we were braving subzero temperatures in Omaha for the first Northern Lights Qualifier in January. Time flies, and we’ve reached a critical point of the 2022 club season.
Storylines will undoubtedly be plentiful, and we’ll be here to cover all the angles. Here in Nebraska, we’ve got teams in a variety of positions and circumstances heading into April. While paths will cross at some of the same events, team journeys will be vastly different. Meanwhile, some players will be wrapping up their prep careers in just a few weeks.
So, here are just a few Nebraska-centric things to follow as we turn the page on the calendar.
Who Shows Out at Show Me?
The Show Me National Qualifier in Kansas City is going to be crucial for so many Nebraska teams. It’s a weekend that should have a little bit of everything. While some teams will go into Show Me with the simple goal of improving for Nationals, others will be hard-pressed on swiping a late-season bid. I guess you could write a whole Nebraska storyline feature on just this event, and I think we might just do that!
For now, here are a few pointers on Show Me. One of the teams that could use the event as a pre-Nationals tune-up is Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, which locked up a bid at the aforementioned Omaha NLQ. It’s been a while since we’ve seen 17 Gold in live tournament action, so perhaps we’ll follow how this team reacclimates to that big event atmosphere.
A few other Nebraska’s other top performers will head to Show Me while fresh off a bid-winning triumph at the Minneapolis leg of NLQ. Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy, Premier Nebraska 16 Black, and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold will surely be ones to watch in their respective divisions after cementing postseason plans last month.
Another bid in the bank for @Premier_VB!@premier16black is going to the 16 USA finals! #NLQ pic.twitter.com/551ZkkmkPk
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) March 20, 2022
Of course, we’ll be keeping close tabs on those Nebraska teams that see Kansas City as their big shot to swipe a bid at the buzzer. Nebraska Elite brings some talented Open teams to the fold, including 16 Lokahi and 15 Matrix. Other squads, like Premier Nebraska 15 Gold, will hope to make the jump up to Open after finding success at the Great Plains Bid Tournament.
And, with so many teams in the Show Me field already claiming bids from previous qualifiers, keep an eye on trickle-downs, tiebreakers, if-necessary matches, and all the other head-spinning metagame you’ve come to expect from an important late-season qualifier. See you there!
Evolving Teams and Lineups
I want to see who will be this month’s breakout team.
If we’re retroactively awarding Nebraska’s breakout team for March, you have to go back to Premier Nebraska 16 Gold’s remarkable run to a bid at NLQ. We saw this squad get battered by injuries and lineup changes all year, only to show up against some of the nation’s top talent and earn a coveted Nationals bid in Minneapolis.
Club volleyball can just be unpredictable like that. In this vital April stretch, we could see a similar ascent from a team that seemingly comes out of nowhere to reach the top. Who’s it going to be?
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
A Chance to Repeat
For the 18s competitors, April marks the conclusion of some long, storied prep volleyball careers.
Phoenix is the venue for this year’s 18s GJNC, and you don’t have to go back far to find some vivid Nebraska memories from this event. Last year’s iteration of Premier Nebraska 18 Gold went into Nationals with a few injuries and opt-outs, a 15s player playing 18s, and an elite outside hitter playing libero. And it worked.
That wild run last year has a new 18 Gold group looking to keep the 18s crown with Premier. This year’s 18s team has overcome its own set of challenges, including a rollercoaster weekend at NLQ that ended with a well-earned Nationals bid.
So, the stage for a potential repeat is set. More importantly, though, we’ll have a chance to celebrate the wildly successful prep careers of so many athletes from Nebraska’s Class of 2022.
Ticket punched!
It was a long, wild weekend for @Premier_18Gold, but they’re heading to the 18 Open finals at NLQ! pic.twitter.com/LZIJUrP8hr
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) January 31, 2022