Nebraska 15s Teams Taking on AAU Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eyes on Orlando!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AAU Nationals is about to ramp up for many of the age groups we cover on Prep Dig, and the 15s are about to take a sizeable chunk of the spotlight. So, we want to give these teams their due with some previews and breakdowns of all the action. Standout players are sure to emerge from this event. Stay tuned.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, as a primer, here are a few 15U Great Plains teams I have on my radar heading into the next few waves at AAU Nationals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Elite 15 Phoenix</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll start in the 15 Open division with a Nebraska Elite squad that could loom large among its peers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nebraska Elite 15 Phoenix has proven that it can hang with Open-level competition. Now, 15 Phoenix's journey starts in a pool featuring Tribe, Kokoro, and T2VB. It's a stacked group, especially after the impressive outing from Tribe at NLQ back in March. But Nebraska Elite will be ready.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye on this Nebraska Elite frontcourt. [player_tooltip player_id='276195' first='Makenzie' last='Wingett'] has been impressive on the pin while [player_tooltip player_id='275897' first='Taya' last='Thaden'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349419' first='Blair' last='Boehlke'] have locked things down in the middle. Several other up-and-coming athletes will likely surge into the spotlight, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>VCNebraska 15 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's another serious competitor in the 15 Open field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like 15 Phoenix, VCNebraska 15 Elite has tested its mettle against Open teams at a variety of big qualifiers. It's time to bring that experience to the AAU stage with matchups against EVA, Caroline Rogue, and EU on the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll be looking for ball control gems to make big contributions for 15 Elite. [player_tooltip player_id='349482' first='Piper' last='Petersen'] has excelled in the libero jersey, and [player_tooltip player_id='349481' first='Eleanor' last='Griffin'] is a multi-talented setter who can do some attacking, too. [player_tooltip player_id='231947' first='Kaydence' last='Haase'] and [player_tooltip player_id='253933' first='Peyton' last='Svendsen'] should be on your radar on the offensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1642630926189428736?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/1642630926189428736?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Juniors 15 Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On to Nebraska Juniors!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 Black has been battle-tested to a similar extent as the previous two teams we've mentioned. This squad will be taking on the 15 Premier division in Orlando, where the opening pool features BSVBC, RCVA, and Kali.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many familiar names will rise to the forefront when 15 Black takes on AAUs. [player_tooltip player_id='253935' first='Sophie' last='Gleason'] has been an effective terminator for this squad alongside [player_tooltip player_id='396764' first='Annie' last='Backemeyer']. [player_tooltip player_id='275961' first='Sidonia' last='Wattier'] leads the offense at setter and can transition into an opposite role in the frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Juniors 15 Red</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another one is on the board for Nebraska Juniors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll see the depth of this club in Orlando as Nebraska Juniors 15 Red competes in the 15 Club division. The team has been given a top seed in its pool with Freeze, NPJ Seattle, and Uno looking to challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":402284,"width":521,"height":347,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/IMG_7255.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-402284" width="521" height="347" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nebraska Juniors 15 Red competes at the 2023 Northern Lights Qualifier.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be a great event to build our scouting report on this team. [player_tooltip player_id='518609' first='Nadia' last='Zuhairi'] has been an early standout at the libero spot, and [player_tooltip player_id='850999' first='Josephine' last='Bennett'] runs a nice offense on the second contact. These are athletes that will factor heavily in our next 2026 rankings update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>River City Jrs 15 Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expectations should be high for this group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're staying in the 15 Club division to address our first entry from River City Jrs. 15 Navy has been a scrappy bunch at Midwest events and qualifiers, particularly the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. The team's first AAU group has American, Chicago Elite, and MWVC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can pick and choose so many potential standouts here. [player_tooltip player_id='349467' first='Mariah' last='Dutcher'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349470' first='Ella' last='Frandson'] are two stout setters. [player_tooltip player_id='257188' first='Brooklyn' last='Stehlik'] has done great work in the frontcourt alongside [player_tooltip player_id='349475' first='Jazmin' last='Garcia-Alvarez'] in the middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Elite 15 Prime</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More for Nebraska Elite!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 Prime is next in the spotlight. This rising squad completes a trio of Great Plains teams in the 15 Club division, and 15 Prime is slated to face ESVBC, WVBA, and OTVA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An impressive collection of frontcourt talent highlights this team. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='349451' first='Reese' last='Blankenau'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349424' first='Halle' last='Mason'] will surely be a factor. Likewise, we'll be watching Rayna Batholet's expert distribution as one of the team's standout setters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>River City Jrs 15 Red</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We now move to 15 Aspire to find the other 15s entry for River City Jrs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 Red awaits Round 1 matchups with Atlanta Extreme, TCVA, and CVA. As the group's #2 seed, 15 Red is positioned to make some noise here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='582848' first='Nadia' last='Arul'] has recently made some big strides at libero for River City. Riley Homan will be worth following at setter, while Hope Preston remains a big scoring threat on the right pin. Again, this is a team we have bookmarked for our next 2026 rankings update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nebraska Elite 15 Xtreme</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, we finish the Nebraska Elite triad with 15 Xtreme.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team resides in 15 Spirit and shares an initial group with UpOnTop, Xtreme, and Top Flight. With a huge volume of teams in this division, anything is possible!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive specialist spot is a major strength for 15 Xtreme, and players like [player_tooltip player_id='349463' first='Raisa' last='Halweg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='349462' first='Kenley' last='Froehlich'] are big trendsetters. [player_tooltip player_id='349461' first='Morgan' last='Zabloudil'] and [player_tooltip player_id='396736' first='Emily' last='Fulton'] should get their share of kills along the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->