Kansas and Missouri Get Bids at MLK

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The qualifier season is here and we have two bids dispersed to teams in our coverage zone, one from Kansas City and one from St. Louis. Three bids were in play and another Kansas team, Mavs KC just missed out, losing the third-place match in straight sets to Premier Nebraska. Here is how the weekend looked for teams from Kansas and Missouri.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 18 Black earned the first bid after a 9-0 run through the field, dropping only three sets along the way. Coach Dave Johnson's team was clicking on all cylinders but it wasn't an easy road. They had little trouble in their first two matches on the first day but the final match was an epic back-and-forth with [program_tooltip program_id='430218' first='Six' last='Pack'] 18 out of Iowa. The slugfest ended in a 31-29, 29-27 win for [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''], which would prove to be one of the better matches in the whole tournament over the weekend. Resilence would prove to be the keyword on day two as the Kansas club had two three-set matches. The first was the opening battle with Adrenaline 17 Ben who saw [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] drop the first set 23-25 before coming back to get the second 25-14. The third was another heavyweight blow-for-blow set with [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] escaping 19-17. The final match of the day saw them again drop the opener to [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] before storming back to capture the next two, with the last in 15-13 fashion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final day would see [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] go 2-0 in the three-team Gold Pool with wins over Mavs KC and another tight three-setter over [program_tooltip program_id='430218' first='Six' last='Pack']. The win guaranteed a bid but the championship would be the icing on the cake, which they got over Rockwood in straight sets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tournament runner-ups, [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Elite earned their bid to start the year and played solid volleyball over the three days in Kansas City. They opened up in a three-team pool, which included auto-three matches. They won both matches dropping one set along the way to Academy 18E Rage. Day two would be a stressful day for the St. Louis club as a couple of losses typically mean you are out of the running. Lucky for them, two other teams suffered two defeats, and going three sets in two matches plus a sweep gave them the second spot in the pool and advancement into the day 3 Gold Pools. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final day started well with a sweep over Minnesota Select. There was little rest as they would play the second match of the morning also against Premier Nebraska. This was another high-energy match in 18 Open as both teams snatched a set in extra points. The team from Nebraska grabbed momentum early to win the third. Playing the first two matches meant 18 Elite would need to ref and wait for the outcome. A Select win would give Rockwood the pool. A Premier win would send them to the third-place match. Well, the team from Minnesota was up for the challenge and grabbed the first set in commanding form, 25-18. Premier wouldn't lay down and came back to get the second, which would lead to the intense final set that saw the lead switch time and time again. In the end, Select would leave the court exhausted and with a 17-15 win. As mentioned above, Rockwood would finish second after losing to [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This gives us the third bid and it would go to Premier Nebraska, who probably was frustrated after letting one slip out of their grasp. The first set against Mavs was a tight one, 25-21 but the second saw Nebraska race out to the lead and never look back, ending. it 25-8. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pohaku 18-1 went 6-3 for a seventh-place finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Missouri Jrs. 18-Blue had a 1-7 tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 18 Black saw their play end with a 3-6 record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] 18 Navy finished 2-4 in 18 Open. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->