Nebraska’s Big Winners from Triple Crown NIT

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We knew Triple Crown NIT would test the mettle of some of Nebraska's best teams. Time to see who fared the best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of different things are in play for this feature--players, teams, trends, and more. So, let's circle the wagons and give you some of my big winners among Nebraska's NIT participants.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The 17s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one goes out to Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and VCNebraska 17 Elite for putting together admirable performances at one of the nation's toughest events.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It would have been enough to say that Premier and VCN represented Nebraska well by just being selected for power pools. But the development of these two squads has been fascinating to watch, and both took another step forward in Kansas City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premier Nebraska 17 Gold was the subject of one of my single-match features in bracket play, during which the team picked up a huge <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/02/premier-17-gold-wins-nit-round-of-16-thriller-over-1st-alliance/">Round of 16 win</a> over 1st Alliance 17 Gold. That entire match embodied what has made this Premier group so special, particularly from the middle of last season onward. The team perhaps has a new edge this year with UNI-bound setter [player_tooltip player_id='109593' first='Reese' last='Booth'] joining the fray, allowing 17 Gold to unleash a two-setter offense. Not only is Booth thriving alongside fellow 2024 standout setter [player_tooltip player_id='109586' first='Reagan' last='Hickey'], but [player_tooltip player_id='105002' first='Josie' last='Cleveringa'] and Tanith Roush have emerged as major contributors in their dual roles at opposite. This quartet has to be considered one of our big winners from the weekend, and 17 Gold made a Round of 8 appearance as a result.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then there's VCNebraska 17 Elite, a team that also has some big-time uncommitted contributors on its roster. As predicted, we got to see [player_tooltip player_id='187798' first='Caylee' last='Rowley'] get some reps in a two-setter lineup as 17 Elite used the power pool privilege to do some experimentation. It worked well, too. Furthermore, [player_tooltip player_id='187807' first='Julia' last='Trost'] and [player_tooltip player_id='187800' first='Brynne' last='Topolski'] were standouts on the pins while [player_tooltip player_id='152856' first='Abbie' last='Appleget'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152857' first='Emerson' last='Lionberger'] shined on the pins. I was lucky enough to watch VCN battle past EXCEL in the challenge round and returned to see another bracket victory against Boiler Juniors. This group is finding a groove.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Highest Finisher</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy found another level this year after breaking through at NIT in 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16 Synergy landed as the highest-placing Nebraska team in Kansas City with a fifth-place finish. After appearing in Monday's Round of 8 and falling to eventual champion Surfside, the team bounced back to swipe a three-set win over 1st Alliance 16 Gold to cap the weekend. And what run it was.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps it's even more impressive to consider that the Surfside loss was the only blemish on Nebraska ONE's overall record. After getting through some early jitters against Skyline 16 Royal, 16 Synergy blitzed to three consecutive sweeps, a thrilling three-set win over MKE Sting in the Round of 32, and a two-set triumph over a hard-charging OT 16 T JP.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And the ever-evolving Nebraska ONE lineup makes this such a fun team to follow, and we'll have our eyes on many of these 2025s as the recruiting period nears. [player_tooltip player_id='155029' first='Keri' last='Leimbach'] landed on my 16U all-tournament team as a lockdown libero, and middle blockers [player_tooltip player_id='189320' first='Natalie' last='Wardlow'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189321' first='Lexi' last='Hasselbalch'] made plenty of noise at NIT. Likewise, we'll have to keep tabs on new additions [player_tooltip player_id='155050' first='Mattie' last='Dalton'] and Sierra Crist, both of whom made highlight plays in this high-pressure environment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The "Outsiders"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":327492,"width":503,"height":335,"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_6717-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-327492" width="503" height="335" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Venable attacks for 16 Elite.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, a word on those who battled from outside of power pools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A shoutout is warranted for Premier Nebraska 16 Gold, which finished 6-3 overall with a pair of three-match winning streaks in pools and bracket play. The team didn't drop a single set on opening day and accomplished that feat with an ever-changing lineup last weekend. [player_tooltip player_id='173527' first='Abbie' last='Hagedorn'] showed plenty of new wrinkles as a six-rotation pin hitter, and [player_tooltip player_id='155044' first='Elle' last='Heckenlively'] showed the same prowess on the outside that we saw at Gretna last fall. And, in the realm of new additions, [player_tooltip player_id='288607' first='Halle' last='Kerkman'] was also stout in the frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCNebraska 16 Elite also deserves credit for how it came out with some of its own new lineup pieces. [player_tooltip player_id='173517' first='Meghan' last='Anderson'] distributed the ball well and wasn't afraid to take some risks in pursuit of a big play. That allowed attackers like [player_tooltip player_id='269932' first='Gretchen' last='Seagren'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155052' first='Kiera' last='Link'] to thrive. [player_tooltip player_id='189362' first='Faith' last='Venable'] was terminating with authority, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, we'll give the nod to the 15s, which again come from Premier Nebraska and VCNebraska. Both teams notched winning records in Kansas City, and Premier did not drop a set after opening day. Fittingly, 15 Gold and 15 Elite met in the Club bracket as the competition approached its conclusion on Monday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->