Filling Out the Nebraska Bid Tracker after the GPR Bid Tournament
Time to go full circle on the Nebraska Bid Tracker. The Great Plains Bid Tournament always offers a late-season chance to get more Nebraska representation into the Nationals field. That inevitably leaves us with plenty of new teams to talk…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTime to go full circle on the Nebraska Bid Tracker.
The Great Plains Bid Tournament always offers a late-season chance to get more Nebraska representation into the Nationals field. That inevitably leaves us with plenty of new teams to talk about as we look ahead to the summer, and we’re ready to get the conversation started here.
So, here’s a wholesale summary of some of the final teams to punch their tickets to Chicago via the Great Plains Bid Tournament.
15s
Let’s start with the team with all the drama.
Nebraska ONE 15 Black showed an incredible amount of resiliency while putting together a perfect GPR Bid Tourney run for a 15 American bid. After battling past Banzai in the opening round, the tension started to ramp up when 15 Black faced off against Premier Nebraska 15 Red. Nebraska ONE dropped the opening set but rallied back to take the next two to start 2-0 and inch ever closer to securing a Chicago trip.
We saw a mirror image for this group in the next match. Nebraska ONE rebounded from another Set 1 loss to defeat VCNebraska 15 Black in an absolute thriller that went down to deuce points in the tiebreaker. Eventually, an 18-16 decision went in favor of Nebraska ONE to seal a 3-0 record.
Fittingly, two of Nebraska ONE ‘s prior opponents went on to secure their own bids. VCNebraska 15 Black forged ahead to a 2-0 record of its own with wins over Premier Nebraska 15 Silver and MVP United 15 Red. The matchup against 15 Silver was particularly tense, as both sets went to VCN by two-point margins. In spite of losses to Nebraska ONE and Premier Nebraska 15 Red, that hot start netted VCNebraska a well-earned bid in the 15 Freedom division.
Then, there’s Premier Nebraska 15 Red, which ended Sunday’s action with a spot in the 15 National division at this summer’s GJNC. And what a busy Sunday it was. After locking up a three-set win over Club Legacy to start the morning, 15 Red suffered that three-set heartbreaker against Nebraska ONE and was sent to the elimination bracket. But this team’s true “bouncebackability” was revealed in its climb to finish second in the 15s age group after a 1-1 start. 15 Red defeated their Premier counterparts from 15 Silver, won a rematch with Club Legacy, and took down VCNebraska with all three of those must-win matches ending in straight sets. That was enough to assure a 15 American bid. But, Nebraska ONE 15 Black opted to claim that 15 American bid, bringing 15 Red up to the 15 National slot in the final results.
16s
While I was perusing The Courts for 15s and 17s action, the 16s were down at the Kinetic Sports Complex to decide three bids of their own.
I circled Nebraska Pride Gold 16s as a favorite heading into the weekend, and the team promptly responded by looking nearly untouchable en route to a 16 National bid. This top-seeded bunch had the benefit of a first-round bye but probably didn’t need the reprieve given how well Nebraska Pride has been performing. Wins over Nebraska ONE 16 Lime, Banzai VBC 16 Select, and Premier Nebraska 16 Black propelled Nebraska Pride right to the top of the board and left no doubt about this team’s worthiness for Nationals.
The runner-up spot was held firmly by Premier Nebraska 16 Black, which ran parallel to Nebraska Pride with two consecutive wins in the upper bracket. A triumph over ENVY was followed by a hotly contested match with Nebraska ONE 16 Black that eventually went to Premier in three. Seeds held firm for Premier Nebraska 16 Black, giving the team a GJNC bid in 16 American.
One last bid was up for grabs, and it went to Banzai VBC 16 Select after a wild, up-and-down day. An emphatic opening victory over VCNebraska 16 Black put everyone on notice, but the work was only just beginning. Following a setback to that red-hot Nebraska Pride team, Banzai would have to stave off elimination in the lower bracket and make a last-chance push.
Well, mission accomplished. The first major obstacle for 16 Select was a matchup with Premier Nebraska 16 Red, but Banzai secured another convincing victory to move forward. Finally, a rematch with VCNebraska 16 Black awaited. The result was the same, and Banzai clinched a momentous bid in the 16 Freedom division to put a bow on a very impressive season. See you in Chicago.
17s
Another top seed soared to prominence on the 17s side. Premier Nebraska 17 Black rode its frontrunner status all the way to a 3-0 record and a spot in Chicago’s 17 National field.
A 26-24 win in Set 1 against VCNebraska 17 Black opened the day for Premier Nebraska 17 Black, but that’s about as much drama as we’d see from this group throughout the event. After pushing past VCN, Premier would compile two more straight-set wins over Nebraska Pride and Premier Nebraska 17 Red to clinch the title. Dominance.
But this was also a banner moment all around for Premier Nebraska. While 17 Black was steamrolling ahead to first place, Premier Nebraska 17 Red did its part by winning every match besides the one against its Premier counterpart. The journey didn’t come without tense moments, however, as 17 Red notched a narrow 15-13 win in the third over Club Legacy 17 Alpha to notch a 2-0 record. A final win over Nebraska Pride secured a Premier Nebraska top two and placed 17 Red in the 17 American pack for Nationals.
We’ve already mentioned the special weekend for Nebraska Pride on the 16s side, but what about the 17s? Nebraska Pride Gold 17s did not have the same luxury of a #1 seed as the 16s, but that didn’t stop the team from clutching up en route to a 17 Freedom bid.
Nebraska Pride started on the right track with a win over Nebraska ONE 17 Black, but a loss to the eventual champion relegated Gold 17s to the lower bracket. As the pressure mounted, Nebraska Pride seemed to find a new gear. It started with a two-set win over Premier Nebraska 17 Silver and carried into another sweep over Nebraska ONE in a Round 1 reprise. We’ll be seeing double in Chicago.
Not Done Yet?
The Great Plains Bid Tournament is seen as the final venue for Nationals bids, but our story on the Nebraska Bid Tracker may not end here.
Be on the lookout for wildcard bids. By the end of the year, a select few teams are usually in line for wildcard bids if a division does not fill its full allotment of bids through qualifiers. This is an especially pertinent discussion in the Open division, and the Great Plains Region could have a say in how those shake out. Stay tuned.
The Tracker
With the 18s season wrapped up, we’re including 15s-17s here. But don’t worry–we’ll have more on 18s GJNC in the coming days.
17 Open
Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NLQ)
17 National
Premier Nebraska 17 Black (GPR)
17 American
Premier Nebraska 17 Red (GPR)
17 Freedom
Nebraska Pride Gold 17s (GPR)
16 Open
Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy (NLQ)
Premier Nebraska 16 Gold (NLQ)
16 USA
MVP United 16 Red (Show Me)
16 National
Nebraska Pride Gold 16s (GPR)
16 American
Premier Nebraska 16 Black (GPR)
16 Freedom
Banzai VBC 16 Select (GPR)
15 Open
Premier Nebraska 15 Gold (Show Me)
15 USA
Premier Nebraska 15 Black (NLQ)
15 Liberty
South Central NE 15 Black (Show Me)
15 National
Premier Nebraska 15 Red (GPR)
15 American
Nebraska ONE 15 Black (GPR)
15 Freedom
VCNebraska 15 Black (GPR)