Five Thoughts From The Badger Region Qualifier

There was a different energy at the [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] Center on Sunday with every match having significant meaning with teams competing for a bid to USAV Nationals. Badger Region Qualifier had all of the dramatics, with multiple three set matches, sets going into extra points, and teams punching their ticket to Chicago. I took a stealth approach to the event where I watched from the upper mezzanine/balcony where I could see the 16s-18s quadrants of courts. Here are my thoughts and takeaways from the event.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BadgerRegionVB/status/1629533737992978432?s=20 </div></figure>   The Growth of The Badger Region Qualifier   The evolution of this event has been exciting. When I first covered this event, this was mostly for 18s and the other divisions had less than ten teams for the most part. I honestly don't even remember much of the divisions besides the 18s. Now we have play-in games, pools to get into the playoff pools, and a battle to get into the elite eight. This is exciting for the Badger Region where the top teams in Wisconsin are truly representing the state when it comes to the national scene. In 2022, there were multiple teams who won division titles at USAV at Indianapolis and based on what I saw this past weekend, there are plenty who will compete at a high level and have a natty on their mind.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/WisconsinIce/status/1630026797885665280?s=20 </div></figure>   The Rise of New Clubs   Five years ago, [program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] and I AM VBC weren't in the picture as far as teams competing for a bid within the Badger Region. [program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] out of the Wausau area and I AM VBC out of the Grafton area have been climbing up the ladder where they have put themselves in contention to get bids from the region. [program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] 18 Prep with seven players came home with an 18 Freedom bid, Ice 16 National finished sixth and with the trickle down process will most likely get a bid as well. I AM VBC had teams finish in the top eight and took more steps as a program to that top tier. Another club that wasn't even around five years ago is [program_tooltip program_id='432005' first='Madtown' last='Juniors'] out of Madison. Their 17s earned a bid and other teams most likely will earn a big through trickle down.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/prepdigrachel/status/1630300530877636609?s=20 </div></figure>   [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] vs. MKE Sting   This came at no surprise that these two clubs met multiple times throughout the tournament enroute to some epic finals to claim qualifier titles. I was courtside for the MKE Sting 17 Black vs. [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 Navy semifinal match where it was point for point between the two. [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 Navy would win 15-12 in set three. This was practically the same script as the 18s semifinal between [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 18 Elite and MKE Sting 18 Black where 18 Black come out on fire, taking set one and narrowly losing set two before FC took over set three to set up quite the championship match which was a story in itself. [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 18 Elite would take the match by the narrowest of margins by the scores of 23-25, 33-31, and 15-13. I mean 33-31 is a little excessive ;) I'm sure parents would agree (I'm saying this with a smile). This speaks to the level of talent coming out of the state where there are double digit division one recruits on the court. These two teams will head out to Boston for NEQ where they are still looking for an open bid, the highest level of divisions for USAV Championships. Another match that might have people turning heads is MKE Sting 15 Black winning the title over MKE Sting 15 Gold. A surprise? Maybe. When a 2s team gets a chance to beat the 1s team, it's quite a matchup. Those players are typically rooting for each other, they play each other in practice, and it can be kind of an awkward matchup. I can't help but note this was quite the event for the Bruns family where JC Bruns is the head coach of Sting 15 Black with his twins daughters being on each team. [player_tooltip player_id='249624' first='Addison' last='Bruns'] is the libero for Sting 15 Black and [player_tooltip player_id='249647' first='Cassidy' last='Bruns'] being the libero for Sting 15 Gold. Meanwhile their older sister, [player_tooltip player_id='178270' first='Ellie' last='Bruns'] earned a bid for Sting 16 White.     How Does This Affect All Clubs Competing for a Bid to Nationals?   This took me an extremely long time to learn and I'm still learning how bids work and who gets what.  This past weekend at the Badger Region Qualifier, the Badger Region awarded the following bids, 1 National Division, 2 American Divisions, and 2 Freedom Divisions.  The top five teams were awarded some type of bid.  Most of these teams will start going to National Qualifiers where they can upgrade their bid which their bid would go back to the region (I'm still not an expert at this, but I'm trying).     Let's look deeper at the 17s Division:    1 - MKE Sting 17 Gold - National Bid   2 - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 Navy - American Bid   3 - MKE Sting 17 Black - American Bid   4 - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 White - They previously earned an American Bid at the Northern Lights Qualifier so therefore they will not get a bid from a region.    5 - Madtown 171 National - Freedom Bid   6 - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 Blue - Freedom Bid (the bid trickled down to 6th place since [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 17 White already had an American bid)     Badger Region Clubs Need To Root For Each Other   There will always be rival clubs.  However when it comes to a national qualifier, Badger Region teams would have it in their best interest to root for each other.  If a team were to earn an Open bid at a national qualifier, then their region bid would trickle down to another team.  The more success teams have a national qualifier, the more it benefits the entire region.  This only applies to teams who play for USAV Nationals (explaining the difference between USAV Nationals and AAU/JVA is an entirely different article).  With Badger Region teams have plenty of common opponents who do well against teams outside of the region, this will improve their overall AES rankings as well.

There was a different energy at the Milwaukee Sting Center on Sunday with every match having significant meaning with teams competing for a bid to USAV Nationals. Badger Region Qualifier had all of the dramatics, with multiple three set matches, sets going into extra points, and teams punching their ticket to Chicago. I took a stealth approach to the event where I watched from the upper mezzanine/balcony where I could see the 16s-18s quadrants of courts. Here are my thoughts and takeaways from the event.