Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite wins top prize
National Champion looks good on Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite! The lone champion to come from the state took care of business in the national division to claim the top prize. We checked with them after day two and they stood…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNational Champion looks good on Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite! The lone champion to come from the state took care of business in the national division to claim the top prize. We checked with them after day two and they stood 4-1 after opening pool play. We didn’t know at the time that their one loss on day one match two would be their only one over four days!
Day three started with the pools being reshuffled and those still in contention now ending up in three pools. 15 Elite shot out the gate, taking down San Antonio Juniors 15 Adidas in dominating form; -12, -15. Getting the opening win under their belts was huge for this team and doing it convincingly gave them an extra boost of confidence.
Match two of the day would clinch the pool with a win and the first two sets had matching -21 scores, one each for both Rockwood and Elevation 15 Crofton. Big plays by Reagan Nelson Reagan Nelson 6'0" | OH Pattonville | 2025 State #107 Nation MO when it mattered helped propel Thunder to a 15-10 third match win to win their pool and put them in a good position for the all-important crossover match.
The three-set win over Elevation sent the champs on a beat-down tour, taking down Club One Az Platinum -16, -13. This advanced them to the gold bracket where they dismantled Colorado Juniors 15 Shannon -18, -13 and Aspire 15 Premier -16, -11. Three big wins over three more opponents who played a heavy open schedule this spring.
This would set up the final match versus FC Elite 15 Navy. The first adversary Rockwood saw since pool play was a dominant effort by FC, winning the first set going away -17. They regrouped to win a back and forth second set -21 behind some great play from Nelson and MB Jenna Cubbage Jenna Cubbage 5'11" | MB Eureka | 2025 State MO . The momentum change was what the doctor ordered as Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite took complete control of the championship set, winning it going away 15-8 to secure the national title.
The before mentioned pin Reagan Nelson Reagan Nelson 6'0" | OH Pattonville | 2025 State #107 Nation MO was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Joining her on the All-Tournament team were Cubbage and setter Brytn Lyon Brytn Lyon 6'1" | S St. Dominic | 2025 State MO .
Members of the National Champion team:
Maddy Bach Maddy Bach 5'9" | S Parkway West | 2025 State MO , Abby Chall Abby Chall 6'0" | MB Timberland | 2025 State MO , Kira Dufner Kira Dufner 6'0" | RS Lafayette | 2025 State MO , Avery Helms Avery Helms 5'8" | DS/L Francis Howell | 2025 State MO , Megan Lawson Megan Lawson 5'6" | DS/L St. Dominic | 2025 State MO , Danielle Moore Danielle Moore 6'2" | RS Francis Howell | 2025 State MO , Audrey Mueller, and Ellie Witthaus Ellie Witthaus 5'10" | OH Incarnate Word | 2025 State MO .
The team is coached by Christopher Reid and assisted by Megan Baska and James Zacharewicz.