Nebraska Teams Starting Triple Crown NIT in Power Pools
Triple Crown NIT is coming. We all know how big this is. This Kansas City event is widely considered the most high-profile club volleyball venue of the season outside of Nationals, and the competition will undoubtedly be fierce. Teams from…
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Continue ReadingTriple Crown NIT is coming. We all know how big this is.
This Kansas City event is widely considered the most high-profile club volleyball venue of the season outside of Nationals, and the competition will undoubtedly be fierce. Teams from across the country will converge on America’s heartland next weekend in front of hundreds of college coaches. Few environments will match this one.
Here in Nebraska, a few of the state’s best teams have been rewarded with a power pool selection for Triple Crown. These groups give teams the special advantage of being able to make the coveted Elite bracket even after taking some losses in opening pools. This is where you want to start your NIT journey.
While we aren’t privy to exact pool pairings yet, we just found out the teams that will be in these exclusive power pools. Here’s the Nebraska breakdown.
Premier Bookends
Premier Nebraska will showcase talent of the present and future at Triple Crown NIT.
18 Gold’s inclusion in the 18U power pool is about as obvious of a choice as you could possibly make. This team already has an Open bid for Nationals, an Open championship at NLQ, and was in the final 17 Open GJNC bracket a year ago. A litany of coaches from top-tier programs will likely spectate 18 Gold to check in on their respective commits. This is a surefire championship contender.
And, while we don’t normally delve deep into groups younger than the 15s, it’s worth giving a shoutout to Premier Nebraska’s entry in the 14U power pool. While 18 Gold’s time on the club stage will be over in a matter of months, 14 Gold represents the next wave of athletes that we’ll be covering for years to come. I’m already excited.
The 17s Duo
Here we go. Two Nebraska teams in one age group’s power pool.
Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and VCNebraska 17 Elite make a repeat appearance in power pools after both squads made the 16U group a year ago. It’s fitting, too, because these two teams made fairly parallel journeys at last year’s TC NIT. Both had a rocky start through power pools, won a three-set battle in the challenge round, and ultimately fell in the Round of 32. You know the expectations will be brought up a notch this time.
Despite 2022’s up-and-down Triple Crown outing, it’s been nothing but upward momentum for 17 Gold and 17 Elite. 17 Gold made a remarkable top-three run at last year’s GJNC and already has its ticket to this year’s Nationals after finishing third at NLQ. VCNebraska, meanwhile, came painfully close to making NLQ’s Gold pools and looks poised for a breakout 17s campaign.
Standard Triple Crown pooling protocols suggest that these two will probably not meet unless it’s in bracket play. So, put on your track shoes to follow both–or I can certainly help in this regard, too.
Got You This Time!
We’ve talked a lot about teams that have already known the privilege of starting Triple Crown NIT in a power pool. Let’s change that.
In retrospect, it seems baffling that Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy did not get tabbed for a power pool. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, and I think 15 Synergy would have been in a power pool in a universe where Triple Crown came after March’s NLQ or April’s Show Me.
But despite last year’s power pool snub, 2022’s Triple Crown is not a story of what could have been for Nebraska ONE. 15 Synergy did enough in its opening pool to move on to the challenge round and scored a huge upset over GP 15 Rox to reach the Elite bracket. This non-power pool team then scored one more win for good measure and reached the Round of 16. Nebraska ONE was not an unknown anymore.
And that leads us to now. I alluded to the fact that 15 Synergy’s top-three finish at NLQ and championship at Show Me both came after being left out of Triple Crown’s power pools. The team’s track record of success left little doubt that a power pool selection was coming in 2023, and that was indeed the case. Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy now enters Kansas City from a position of strength, but that likely won’t change the team’s tireless approach to competitions like these. Win at all costs.