Gateway Region 16s Set for Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are getting even closer to nationals and today we want to look at the teams who will represent the Gateway Region in the 16s divisions across the board. As a reminder, Open, USA, and Liberty bids come via qualifiers or reallocation. National and Freedom come out of the region and American can come out of both. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Open</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 16 Royal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16 Royal took care of business right away, traveling to Florida and capturing the Sunshine Classic title in early March. They went 8-2 in the tournament but won at the right time to secure their Open bid. That wouldn't be their only success as they also had a second-place finish at Windy City. I saw them last weekend in the pre-national tournament in Lawrence and they appear to be ready for the big stage. [player_tooltip player_id='169895' first='Tara' last='Greenberry'] has continued to get better and better in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='168037' first='Hannah' last='Leftridge'], [player_tooltip player_id='168035' first='Reagan' last='Nelson'], and the company are taking care of the pins. [player_tooltip player_id='207576' first='Harper' last='Highfill'] is quickly becoming one of the top defensive prospects in the class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">National</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rockwood 16 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockwood earned the region's National bid after a good showing in the region's events. After playing a heavy Open schedule, look for them to be in contention for the top prize when the tournament begins. They also journeyed to Florida and came back with a 9th-place outing. [player_tooltip player_id='174406' first='Brytn' last='Lyon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='169899' first='Maddy' last='Bach'] are both quality setters on this roster making the magic happen. [player_tooltip player_id='237704' first='Gabrielle' last='Clinkscale'] and [player_tooltip player_id='169897' first='Jenna' last='Cubbage'] will look to find the floor often. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">USA</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HP Illinois 16 National</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HP went to MEQ to get their USA bid in March with a 5th-place finish. They came back with a runner-up showing in the same division at Windy City. In late April their year concluded with a 2nd-place weekend in the region's bid weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 16 Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While HP went to Mideast, Rockwood went Northeast to gain their entry into nationals in the USA division. They would go 8-2 en route to a runner-up trophy. 16 Navy had numerous top ten weekends in the USA division and should be primed for a battle-tested tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Liberty</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428760' first='Core' last='STL'] U16 Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The trend we are seeing is all of the Missouri teams were smart enough to go to Florida in early March for the weather. [program_tooltip program_id='428760' first='Core' last='STL'] was one of those teams to return with a bid after ending in second place. Their record was 7-3 over the tournament stretch. For good measure, they followed that performance up with a 4th place run at MEQ in the same division. Cameron Kohmetscher is driving the offense from the setter position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">American</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 16 Orange</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16 Orange earned the region's American bid after a third-place output in their bid event. Their qualifier season was a mix between USA and LIberty. Some of these results include a 5th-place showing at MEQ and an 8th-place at Windy City. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Freedom</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HP South 16 Premier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premier was able to get the Freedom bid coming out of the Gateway region. They took aim at a Liberty bid at both Show Me and Windy City and fell short. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->