Nebraska’s Big Winners from the ASICS Presidents’ Day Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We did this for <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/02/nebraskas-big-winners-from-triple-crown-nit/">Triple Crown NIT</a>. Time to shift our focus to Omaha.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ASICS Presidents' Day Classic was yet another major tournament happening last weekend. This Omaha event naturally has some widespread representation among Nebraska squads, and we have plenty of results to comb through from a busy slate of matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, here's a look at the teams, athletes, trends, and storylines that can be tabbed as big winners from the ASICS Presidents' Day Classic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Playing Up and Showing Out</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a shoutout to some Nebraska Elite squads who found success while also climbing up the age ladder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the forefront of this discussion is <strong>Nebraska Elite 17 Top Gun</strong>, which finished 8-0 last weekend en route to an 18 Open championship. This is an encouraging start for a team that likely has aspirations toward snagging an Open bid in future national qualifiers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a season of variable lineups and multi-talented athletes for Top Gun early this season. Star setter Molly Romano leads an offense that can shift so many different players in different places from match to match. We've seen [player_tooltip player_id='104975' first='Nora' last='Wurtz'] play a unique role as a six-rotation left-side hitter, and Alizabeth Jacobsen has also shown a penchant for switching between the pins and the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='187679' first='Sarah' last='Galligan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='104976' first='Anna' last='Borner'] anchor the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just down the line, <strong>Nebraska Elite 16 Maverick</strong> put together four victories last weekend while hopping an age group in 17 Open. Once again, we have an experienced lineup for 16 Maverick that knows the grind of Open-level competition on the season's biggest stages. [player_tooltip player_id='189370' first='Julia' last='Ringenberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155049' first='Peyton' last='Meyer'] provide an excellent two-headed monster at setter that opens up several options for the team's offense. [player_tooltip player_id='155047' first='Ashlyn' last='Paymal'] is still a trendsetter who can lead the team on either pin, and players like [player_tooltip player_id='173523' first='Elizabeth' last='Layson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='173518' first='Rilyn' last='Gish'] can take on even bigger roles this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then we head over to 16 Open to find <strong>Nebraska Elite 15 Phoenix</strong>, a team that also notched four wins while playing up. [player_tooltip player_id='276195' first='Makenzie' last='Wingett'] brought a tremendous physical presence to the right side that is akin to Paymal on 16 Maverick. [player_tooltip player_id='275897' first='Taya' last='Thaden'] and Balir Boehlke were also effective in the middle. But perhaps the core strength of this squad lies in the ball control phase, where McKinzie Brandt and [player_tooltip player_id='276191' first='Elena' last='Estudillo'] regularly make standout defensive plays to keep 15 Phoenix in system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Juniors Joins the Fray</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":328557,"width":545,"height":363,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/IMG_6461.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-328557" width="545" height="363" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">VCNebraska 17 Black competes at the 2023 Northern Lights Qualifier in Minneapolis.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a statement weekend for Nebraska Juniors 17 Black.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team has several uncommitted standouts that we'll be following this year, and they elevated their stock even further with a 7-1 effort at the Presidents' Day Classic. Despite coming up short in the final round against Mizuno Northern Lights, 17 Black compiled the most set victories of any 17 Open team with 15.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>State champion setter [player_tooltip player_id='104674' first='Carolyn' last='Maser'] is back to lead an offense that has its share of versatile weapons. [player_tooltip player_id='104993' first='Sarah' last='Spahr'] had a breakout weekend from the middle blocker spot, and [player_tooltip player_id='189711' first='Rylie' last='Slaymaker'] was a multi-faceted outside hitter who was incredibly reliable in backcourt defense. And, speaking of that backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='124779' first='Tatum' last='Backemeyer'] remains a natural fit for the libero jersey and brings a wealth of high-level experience to the fold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm anxious to get an in-person scouting look at this 17 Black squad in the very near future. Last weekend was a head-turner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Depth, Depth, Depth</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the quick hitters on some other teams that captured our attention in the event's many competitive divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>What a stack of teams atop the 17 Club division. <strong>Nebraska ONE 17 Black</strong> only suffered one set loss all weekend before the title bout with MAVS 17-2, while <strong>VCN 17 Black</strong> and <strong>Club Legacy 17 Alpha</strong> both held 7-1 in this group. Expect deeper looks at all of these lineups in the coming weeks.<!-- wp:list --> <ul></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Nebraska Elite 16 Vision had a solid weekend in 16 Club and posted a 6-1 record overall. This was another competitive division full of one-loss teams, allowing Nebraska Elite to flex its depth at the 16s level.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Finally, we have the big Nebraska deadlock in 15 Club. Premier Nebraska 15 Red and Nebraska ONE 15 Black both posted 8-0 marks before 15 Red eventually edged ahead in a three-set battle to take the division championship. Margins were razor-thin here--as they should be!</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->