Austin’s Favorite Nebraska Moments of 2022
2022 was quite a ride. Let’s take a moment to relive some of the magic. We’re going all the way back to the beginning for this year-in-review feature. I was fortunate enough to attend so many stacked club events, national…
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Continue Reading2022 was quite a ride. Let’s take a moment to relive some of the magic.
We’re going all the way back to the beginning for this year-in-review feature. I was fortunate enough to attend so many stacked club events, national qualifiers, showcases, high school tournaments, and so much more. It’s hard to pack all this excitement into one recap, but I’m going to do my best.
Of course, this one is all about my home base of Nebraska. These are just a few of my favorite Nebraska moments from the 2022 calendar year.
A Hot Start at NLQ
It was hard to envision a more intense start to the 2022 club season than what we saw at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha.
Premier Nebraska was a fascinating group to follow at this January tournament, particularly in 18 Open and 17 Open. I still think back to the nail-biting, passion-filled matches played by Premier 18 Gold en route to a Nationals bid. That team’s meetings with Northern Lights 18-1 were instant classics.
And Premier 17 Gold had its own series of memorable matches at NLQ. This group was fairly dominant, save for its meetings with the eventual national champion, 1st Alliance. 17 Gold’s big comeback against MN Select is an especially poignant highlight for me.
NLQ, Part 2
Wait, another NLQ entry? Yes.
After the 18s and 17s took centerstage at January’s Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha, the 16s and 15s were next in the spotlight for another NLQ event in Minneapolis. And it was another memorable outing for the Nebraska squads.
In 16 Open, this was the big breakthrough for Premier 16 Gold. It was a dramatic, shocking weekend after 16 Gold did not get the results it was looking for at Triple Crown NIT just a month prior. I’ll never forget the way the team came out and slayed some giants to lock up a Nationals bid in an improbable fashion.
And this incredible energy trickled down the age groups. I remember hustling down the convention center to see Premier 16 Black lock up a 16 USA bid in bracket play. The team went on to secure a tournament championship in what turned out to be a very special weekend.
15 Open was special for another group: Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy. The awe-inspiring ball control and, well–synergy–of this group were something to behold. My favorite moment from 15 Synergy was the way it bounced back against Northern Lights to secure a bid after a heartbreaking defeat to Drive Nation.
Showing Out at Show Me
The Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City was the next milestone event for Nebraska clubs.
Where do you start with this one? Of course, Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy will get another mention here. The team entered KC very shorthanded, forcing a couple of different players to take on unfamiliar roles. After taking a loss to start the event, things looked even bleaker.
But, Nebraska ONE did just enough to stay in title contention. That’s all 15 Synergy needed. Some indescribable bracket play magic put Nebraska ONE atop the Show Me field in 15 Open behind a makeshift lineup. What a weekend.
We all know that Nebraska ONE was not the only Great Plains crew with Show Me magic. Nebraska Elite 15 Matrix became the Cinderella story of this entire tournament to snag a 15 Open Nationals bid. Nothing stands out more than 15 Matrix’s winner-take-all triumph against cross-town competitor Premier Nebraska 15 Gold to reach the top bracket. Few moments in 2022 were as spectacular as that one.
The All-Region Crew
This year marked my first trip to a High Performance event, and it’s only fitting that the Great Plains Region deployed some all-region squads in this summer outing.
GPR had a clear goal when constructing their all-region rosters: get as much variety as possible. I was thrilled to see a medley of Omaha metro standouts and small-town gems converging on Tulsa for this season-ending event. Nebraska has laid a nice foundation for continued participation in this all-star tournament, and I hope to return to this venue in 2023.
Tournaments Around the Map
Once the high school season began, I made a concerted effort to visit tournaments where large groups of teams were converging. There were a lot of good ones this fall.
In the small-town realm, few tournaments could beat the one I saw in Gothenburg for the Harvest Festival Invite. A handful of teams from that event, including Minden, Kearney Catholic, and the hosting Swedes, would gather again for the state tournament in early November.
The LPS Classic was a success yet again. I always enjoy making the short hop back to my alma mater, and we saw more than just LPS teams thrive at this event. The classic Titan-Titan matchup between Norris and Papio South was another fun one.
Then, high school volleyball got its TV moment. The aforementioned Papillion-La Vista South hosted the GEICO Girls Volleyball Invite feature Idaho’s Skyview High, Florida’s Ponte Vedra, and arguably the best prep team in the country in California’s Cathedral Catholic. This tournament was a chance for me to catch up with many stars that I had watched in the club season, and it also brought all of these players in front of a national audience on the ESPN networks.
Finally, we wrapped things up with the Nebraska state tournament in Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Bob Devaney Sports Center. In the end, we saw the continuation of dynasties like Papio South, Skutt Catholic, and Grand Island Central Catholic. But the parity within the bracket was something that had us talking for a while.
Building the Showcases
I wrapped up my calendar year with a December visit to La Vista for the Nebraska Top 250 Expo. I’m still marveling at how much this event has grown.
Our expo featured athletes from every corner of the Cornhusker State. The level of play at this event took a huge step forward, and I’m grateful to everyone who participated and helped put it together.
It feels like a launching point to another great club season. See you in 2023.