Premier 17 Gold Achieves Perfection at Show Me Qualifier
It’s time for another showcase of one of Nebraska’s top performers from the Show Me Qualifier. Of course, we had to shine the spotlight on the 17 Open champions. So, after we covered the bid-winning journey for Nebraska Elite 15…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIt’s time for another showcase of one of Nebraska’s top performers from the Show Me Qualifier. Of course, we had to shine the spotlight on the 17 Open champions.
So, after we covered the bid-winning journey for Nebraska Elite 15 Matrix yesterday, it’s time to check out the run of incredible dominance from Premier Nebraska 17 Gold. The Cornhusker State is clearly giving us plenty to talk about, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Perfection
Before Show Me, I had been able to witness two instances this year of teams churning through the Open division at a national qualifier without a single set loss. 1st Alliance 17 Gold did it at NLQ in January, and Houston Skyline 15 Royal did the same at NLQ 15s/16s leg in Minneapolis last month. Now, you can add another one to the list: Premier Nebraska 17 Gold at Show Me.
Of course, it’s hard to say that anyone was blindsided by how good 17 Gold is. This team has been nationally qualified since the aforementioned NLQ weekend that gave us the rise of 1st Alliance.
But, to dominate at this level against this kind of competition is extraordinary. Premier’s Show Me schedule feature a nice medley of familiar opponents and new teams to scout. The result was always the same.
Premier’s opening pool slate resulted in wins over IPVA, Texas Image, and NKYVC. 17 Gold was so dialed in on opening day that the team didn’t allow more than 17 single-set points in any of these three matches. I think that championship-winning form was taking shape right at first serve on Saturday.
Sunday’s re-pool put Premier in a fascinating group with a lot of Midwestern flair. A trio of sweeps over MAVS KC, Nebraska Elite, and Illini Elite built 17 Gold’s case as being the top competitor in 17 Open. The triumph over MAVS KC was particularly impressive, as both Premier and MAVS had already earned bids at the same NLQ event in Omaha early this season.
Love to see these two NLQ bid holders going head-to-head once again at Show Me.@premier17gold and MAVS KC 17-1 putting on a clinic! pic.twitter.com/DoiVgIraxN
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) April 10, 2022
Championship Monday awaited, and Premier was one of those Gold pool teams that really had nothing to lose heading into the event’s final day. All eyes were fixed on getting the title, and it showed in the way 17 Gold played. Three more sweeps over NKYVC, Rockwood Thunder, and Iowa Rockets put this high-flying Nebraska squad into the championship match.
From there, the team’s focus only grew. The team joining 17 Gold in the title bout was MN Select 17-1, another team that Premier had already seen in Gold pools at NLQ. Fittingly, the championship featured 17 Gold’s closest call in a set up to that point, but a 27-25 win in the second set proved to be the clincher. Ten matches, ten sweeps, one championship.
Standouts
I had mentioned before that the backcourt specialists for this team were taking on more and more responsibilities as the year progressed. That trend seemed to take another step in the right direction at Show Me. Olivia Mauch Olivia Mauch 5'7" | DS/L Bennington | 2024 State #49 Nation NE and Makenzie Dyrstad Makenzie Dyrstad 5'7" | DS/L Papillion LaVista South | 2023 State NE were fantastic in serve receive once again and are components in helping 17 Gold’s firepower flourish.
Let’s talk about that firepower. There is perhaps no club team in the country that better utilizes the 2 ball with its left sides. Destiny Ndam-Simpson Destiny Ndam-Simpson 6'1" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #37 Nation NE and Stella Adeyemi Stella Adeyemi 5'9" | OH Papillion-LaVista South | 2023 State #95 Nation NE just thrive on those combination plays. See the attached example.
Destiny Ndam-Simpson Destiny Ndam-Simpson 6'1" | OH Omaha Westside | 2023 State #37 Nation NE on the 2 ball.
Sheeeesh. 😬 @premier17gold pic.twitter.com/HWihUKpPPe
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) April 9, 2022
The team’s high-flying style is obviously shared by everyone on the court for 17 Gold. Middle blockers Brooklyn Fuchs Brooklyn Fuchs 6'2" | MB Lincoln East | 2023 State NE and Kailey Hrbek Kailey Hrbek 6'2" | MB Elkhorn North | 2023 State NE have been playing with a little extra swagger lately, with Hrbek recently committing to play at the next level with Embry-Riddle. Ivy Leuck Ivy Leuck 5'8" | S Skutt Catholic | 2023 State NE also deserves a lot of credit for the way she’s able to dish the ball with consistency and, most of all, great tempo. This team wants to go fast, and 17 Gold’s ascent up the national leaderboards has been equally quick.
Another dominant day on the other side of 17 Open!
Despite already having a bid, @premier17gold brings its best to Kansas City and advances to the 17 Open championship! pic.twitter.com/GsA1KVjsly
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) April 11, 2022