Eyes on GJNC: Key Round 1 Matchups for Nebraska’s 15s Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Time for the grand finale. USAV Nationals is here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll be in Chicago for the final two days of the season on July 5 and 6 as 16s and 17s champions are crowned. Of course, we have the 15s on deck now, and several of my Prep Dig colleagues are ready to crush some coverage of that group. I'll be sharing some of that coverage as this wave moves forward!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get you primed with some pivotal matchups that I'll be watching in opening pools of 15s play. These contests will help set the tone as we find out whether a Nebraska squad can hoist the Gold this year. I'm ready for all the drama.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Premier Nebraska 15 Gold</strong> vs. <strong>NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premier 15 Gold's presence in Pool 6 of 15 Open creates so many intriguing matchups in the opening round. Teams are so evenly matched in this group, and there's a wide range of plausible results.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll be keying in on 15 Gold's Day 1 contest with NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami. This figures to be a matchup in which both teams claim ball control as their biggest strength. 15 Gold will have [player_tooltip player_id='275896' first='Kami' last='Dyrstad'] locking down the end line and the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='275901' first='Hayden' last='Booth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458134' first='Millie' last='Mauch'] leading the way at setter. After getting a brief glimpse at NKYVC at this year's Windy City Qualifier, it's more of what you'd expect from this club: gritty floor defense and fundamentally sound volleyball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expect a high-level showdown here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1642519612414734338?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1642519612414734338?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Premier Nebraska 15 Black vs. Skyline 15 Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rematch?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to believe it worked out like this, but Premier 15 Black finds itself in the same 15 USA pool as Skyline 15 Black. These two squads met in the championship match at March's Northern Lights Qualifier, where Skyline edged past Premier in two sets. Time to run it back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye on how Premier establishes an early pace with its own pair of talented setters. [player_tooltip player_id='349407' first='Sarah' last='Faust'] and [player_tooltip player_id='222618' first='Kate' last='Sebree'] can dish it. On the opposite side of the rotation, [player_tooltip player_id='184283' first='Alicia' last='Johansen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='226172' first='Sydney' last='Rogokos'] have emerged as vital scorers who will likely lead the way again in Chicago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640062235446853632?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640062235446853632?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Central NE 15 Black</strong> vs. <strong>Lava West 15 Molten</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bring on the Show Me champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Central NE 15 Black took Kansas City by storm by winning the 15 Liberty championship at the Show Me Qualifier. That triumph was validation for the team's stacked roster of small-town stars like [player_tooltip player_id='253923' first='Jalyn' last='Branson'], [player_tooltip player_id='396732' first='Payton' last='Sullivan'], [player_tooltip player_id='275965' first='Taytum' last='Perdew'], and so many more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What better way to make a statement than by scrapping with the second-overall seed in the division? Lava West from Southern California will offer quite a challenge, but we'll repeat a familiar mantra here: 15s are unpredictable!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Premier Nebraska 15 Red</strong> vs. <strong>Jupiter Elite 15E</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GJNC's National divisions offer some of the most fascinating mixtures of teams we'll see in Chicago. These groups will feature teams that were literally a match or two away from qualifying in Open. That's the case for one of Premier 15 Red's first opponents of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Florida's Jupiter Elite 15E was one victory from an Open bid at this April's Windy City Qualifier after a wild trickle-down scenario focused our attention toward the Silver bracket. Now, Jupiter enters Chicago as 15 National's #1 seed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premier 15 Red will look to challenge 15E with a vast array of multi-talented contributors. [player_tooltip player_id='253919' first='Hayden' last='Liebsack'] and [player_tooltip player_id='253925' first='Kayelyn' last='Liebentritt'] have been so steady for this team. [player_tooltip player_id='349411' first='Kailynn' last='Melendez'] is having a breakout year in the libero jersey, and [player_tooltip player_id='349410' first='Mia' last='Stevens'] brings big-play potential at setter. We'll see if it all comes together on one of the biggest stages of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652675430426505216?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652675430426505216?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska ONE 15 Black</strong> vs. <strong>Invasion 15-Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a neighborly matchup for you. It's Great Plains versus Heart of America.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're in the 15 American division now, where Nebraska ONE 15 Black is the second-highest seed in Pool 2. Sitting atop that group is Invasion 15-Black, a Kansas City-area club that has earned the second-overall seed in 15 American. Here's where you'll be tested.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nebraska ONE will be ready. We've lauded their unique system throughout the year, with [player_tooltip player_id='349457' first='Bella' last='Sjuts'] and [player_tooltip player_id='219728' first='Sydney' last='Hengelfelt'] carrying both setting and attacking roles for 15 Black. [player_tooltip player_id='275943' first='Lily' last='Wohlgemuth'] will be another important contributor on the left pin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652742639526068227?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652742639526068227?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>VCNebraska 15 Black</strong> vs. <strong>CMVBC 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're wrapping up with the highest-ranked Great Plains team in its respective division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCNebraska 15 Black has earned the top seed in 15 Freedom's Pool 5, or the fifth-overall seed in the division. After some strong qualifier performances for this group at the USA level, it's no surprise to see VCNebraska get rewarded for its efforts after securing a GPR bid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Star setter [player_tooltip player_id='253926' first='Lauren' last='Pearson'] will still be a major catalyst to 15 Black's success. She'll also have a wealth of talented options to feed throughout the tournament, including [player_tooltip player_id='349486' first='Lauren' last='Kuhlmann'] and [player_tooltip player_id='396756' first='Raleigh' last='Bowen']. This trio will loom large as VCNebraska takes on CMVBC, another challenger from the Heart of America Region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652686027599880193?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1652686027599880193?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->