New Faces, New Places at Midwest Power League #1
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We always have a few changes to cover when a new club season dawns. This year is no different. At last weekend’s opening Midwest Power League, we got to see a considerable number of players compete with new teams. Some…
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Continue ReadingWe always have a few changes to cover when a new club season dawns. This year is no different.
At last weekend’s opening Midwest Power League, we got to see a considerable number of players compete with new teams. Some players simply shuffled around the age group ladder in their respective clubs, while others suited up for entirely different clubs than we saw last year. Whatever the case, this feature is here to cover those new looks.
Here’s a quick look at Nebraska’s ever-changing club landscape.
Nebraska Elite’s talented 18s squad has a new go-to attacker. It was hard not to notice Heidemann’s emergence in the 18 VC Elite lineup, as she was a scoring threat in all six rotations at the Power League. If there were any questions that the Montana State was back to her dominant form, those questions will soon cease.
Like Heidemann, Dalton is taking her pin prowess to a new club in 2023. The Fremont star is making the hop from Nebraska Elite to Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy, and we can already see that this new pairing fits well. Dalton hits with incredible pace and is so quick off the floor, allowing her to thrive in 16 Synergy’s fast-paced offense. Another Open bid may be in the cards for Dalton and her team.
We have a lot of intra-club shifts to talk about here, and Eggiman is one example of this. After competing with last year’s successful Premier Nebraska 16 Silver team, Eggiman will be surrounded by plenty of new faces when she moves to 17 Red this season. This new influx of firepower worked out well at this weekend’s Power League, and Eggiman will play a vital role in the team’s pursuit of a Nationals bid.
Let’s keep the Premier train rolling. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Pokharel play a year up on the club side, but that’s changing this year. This talented 2025 libero suited up for Premier 16 Gold in 2022, and she will do the same in 2023. That yields a whole new environment in which Pokharel will likely seize control of the backcourt in the libero jersey.
Here’s a completely new addition to the Premier Nebraska fray. Nelsen was a big contributor in the Nebraska Juniors gym for several years, but she is joining the aforementioned 17 Red squad alongside Eggiman. Also note that this 2025 athlete is playing up, as she did with Nebraska Juniors. 17 Red is ready to make some big strides.
With all these additions to the new 17 Red lineup, we had to have some departures somewhere. Kucks, another 2025 prospect who regularly plays up, competed with 16 Red last year but is climbing the ladder to 17 Black in 2023. This fascinating addition is sure to bolster 17 Black’s ball control, and Kucks has no problem playing in the frontcourt, either.
Bring on VCNebraska. Link has a golden opportunity to stand out with VCN 16 Elite after competing with Nebraska Elite a year ago. We’re going to learn a lot about the strength of VCN in early-season qualifiers, and adding players like Link bodes well for this club’s future success.
In the realm of “new places,” nothing on this feature gets as extreme as this. If the Jurevicius name already sounds familiar, Ava’s older sister is enrolling at the University of Nebraska this spring to begin her collegiate volleyball career. This 2025 athlete is also making the move to Lincoln and VCN after competing with AVC in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s a dramatic transition, but Jurevicius has the talent to make an instant splash with VCN 16 Elite.