Previewing 2023’s First Midwest Power League
The Midwest Power League is back and bigger than ever. Let the games begin. Nebraska Elite is hosting the year’s first Power League action, and we have a wide array of teams coming to this one. As always, we’ll see…
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Continue ReadingThe Midwest Power League is back and bigger than ever. Let the games begin.
Nebraska Elite is hosting the year’s first Power League action, and we have a wide array of teams coming to this one. As always, we’ll see Nebraska’s top talent at this weekend’s outing. But just as impressive is the list of outside visitors making the trek to participate.
We’re breaking it all down here as we look forward to the first weekend of the annual Midwest Power League.
Nebraska’s Top Competitors
Most of the top teams from the Great Plains Region that you can think of will be here.
Banzai, Club Legacy, MVP United , Nebraska Elite, Nebraska ONE , Premier Nebraska, River City Jrs , and VCNebraska are all bringing a full docket of teams to the first Power League. There’s plenty of room for all these squads, too, as six different divisions occupy the 15-18 age groups. So, when we do our big wrap-up of this event, we’ll have a lot of winners to talk about.
The depth of Nebraska’s talent will be on full display here. Premier Nebraska alone will bring three 16s teams and three 17s teams to Sunday’s action. Nebraska Elite will also deploy multiple entries, giving us a great scouting opportunity for some of the younger teams.
And, as a testament to the quality of these teams, we’ll see a lot of squads that made noise at the national level in 2022. Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy and Nebraska Elite 16 Maverick will be in this Power League after both made the big show in 15 Open last season. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold already has its GJNC bid this year, and 17 Gold is looking to follow up on a magical top-three finish in 16 Open.
The journey starts here.
The Outsiders
It isn’t all about Nebraska.
Iowa’s Club Ignit Select , a past participant at many Power League meetings, will return with two of its squads for this weekend’s opener. 18 Blue will face a bevy of Great Plains teams in the 17/18 Club division, while 17 Blue will compete in 17/18 Open. This event remains a great early barometer for CIS, and I look forward to getting my first look at some Iowa talent this year.
Then, there’s the really big outlier. The Sports Performance name is widely recognized across the club volleyball landscape, and the Illinois club will bring two 18s teams all the way to Omaha for the Midwest Power League. 18 Elite and 18 Kahl make up half of the prestigious “power pool” that also features Premier Nebraska 18 Gold and Nebraska Elite 18 VC Elite. If hard-hitting volleyball is your thing, we wouldn’t blame you for camping out on Court 1 of the UBT Sports Complex on Sunday.
Age Group Crossovers
The Midwest Power League has always presented opportunities for younger teams to challenge themselves against older players. That’s the case yet again with this weekend’s pools.
Keep an eye on the 16s teams in the 17/18 Open division. The aforementioned Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy and Nebraska Elite 16 Maverick will be challenging themselves in this stacked group. Premier 16 Gold is playing above their age group, too. We’ve seen some breakthroughs from 16s teams despite facing so many experienced teams, so don’t count any of these squads out.