Nebraska Teams Taking on Northern Lights Qualifier #1
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Here we go. The Northern Lights Qualifier is the first pressure test of the year for so many of Nebraska’s top club teams. Bids are at stake and the competition is fierce. Teams are about to get a good look…
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The Northern Lights Qualifier is the first pressure test of the year for so many of Nebraska’s top club teams. Bids are at stake and the competition is fierce. Teams are about to get a good look at where they stand in the early weeks of the 2024 season.
I’ll be on scene Saturday and Sunday to cover the action and see which teams reach the mountaintop. A lot of Nebraskans will make the Minneapolis trek along with me, so let’s give you the full rundown.
Here’s your Nebraska viewing guide for this weekend’s first Northern Lights Qualifier.
Club Legacy
This Club Legacy group is back in the NLQ spotlight.
Last year, Club Legacy 17 Alpha made waves in Minneapolis by emerging in the final bracket within its division. This season’s 18 Alpha group has plenty of new faces, but the goal remains the same in the 18 Liberty division.
Look out for dynamic new additions like Rilyn Gish Rilyn Gish 5'10" | MB Millard North | 2025 State NE and Anna Johansen Anna Johansen 5'5" | DS/L Freeman | 2025 State NE in the frontcourt. They’ll pair well with seasoned veterans like Brooklynn Snyder Brooklynn Snyder 5'8" | OH Omaha Concordia | 2024 State NE and Delaney Briganti Delaney Briganti 5'9" | MB Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE , who have been impactful in the Club Legacy gym for the past few years.
Nebraska Elite
Nebraska Elite is bringing the full cavalry to this one. The club has seven entrants across the three age groups competing for bids–including a team vying for an Open bid in each of those groups.
Nebraska Elite 18-1 is hunting a GJNC berth in the Open division with some of the state’s best 2024s wrapping up their prep careers. We’ll have our eye on high-flying stars like Addison Johnson Addison Johnson 5'10" | OH Columbus | 2024 State NE , Carly Ries Carly Ries 6'3" | OH Norfolk | 2024 State NE , and Ava Spies Ava Spies 5'9" | OH Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE from this talented roster.
This club is three-deep for the 17s and 15s. 17-1 brings a roster full of players who have clinched Open bids before. This includes top-tier 2025s like Ashlyn Paymal Ashlyn Paymal 6'2" | RS Omaha Westside | 2025 State NE and Elizabeth Layson Elizabeth Layson 6'0" | OH Omaha Duchesne | 2025 State NE . But Nebraska Elite 17-1 also has its share of new additions, and we’re anxious to see how McKenna Smith McKenna Smith 5'9" | OH Wahoo | 2025 State NE and Olivia Kremer Olivia Kremer 5'11" | DS/L Lincoln Southwest | 2025 State NE perform in a new environment.
The 17s are stacked. Melody Mayer Melody Mayer 5'7" | DS/L Omaha Marian | 2025 State NE , Kate Denker Kate Denker 5'6" | OH Fremont | 2025 State NE , and Brylee Nelsen Brylee Nelsen 5'9" | S Millard North | 2025 State NE are ball control stars that highlight the 17-2 roster. We’ll also learn a lot about the 17-3 group that will compete in 17 American this weekend.
And, as we’ve discussed in our club previews, the 15s age group represents “the great unknown.” We at least know a little about Nebraska Elite 15-1, which features early prep standouts like Nora Herian Nora Herian 6'1" | OH Pierce | 2027 NE , Emilee Thayer-Mencke Emilee Thayer-Mencke 6'1" | RS Fort Calhoun | 2027 NE , and Madison Phillips Madison Phillips 5'9" | MB Millard South | 2027 NE . Many other leaders will likely emerge as 15-1 chases a coveted Open bid. Get ready for our narratives to expand to 15-2 and 15-3, both of which will compete in 15 American.
Another big pack of teams enters the fray. Nebraska ONE brings six teams to Minneapolis. And, like our discussion of Nebraska Elite, this is a medley of new and familiar.
The 18 American division will have a Nebraska ONE double stack featuring 18 Black and 18 Lime. We’re thrilled to see some of the state tournament regulars in 18 Black’s lineup. Joslyn Rice Joslyn Rice 5'6" | DS/L Waverly | 2024 State NE , Eden Moore Eden Moore 5'10" | RS Waverly | 2024 State NE , and Sophie Wohlgemuth Sophie Wohlgemuth 5'9" | OH Lincoln Lutheran | 2024 State NE are just a few of the dominant prep players who are ready to rise up on the club side. The same can be said of Keira Hennerberg Keira Hennerberg 5'6" | S Diller-Odell | 2024 State NE , Brie Evert Brie Evert 5'3" | DS/L Fremont | 2025 NE , and Libby Kraochvil on 18 Lime’s roster.
Bring on the 17s. This age bracket is keynoted by Nebraska ONE 17 Synergy, last year’s 16 Open runner-up at NLQ. We know the national stage never daunts this team. Keri Leimbach Keri Leimbach 5'4" | DS/L Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State #40 Nation NE and Malorie Boesiger anchor the ball control phase while Natalie Wardlow Natalie Wardlow 6'5" | MB Lincoln Southeast | 2025 State #17 Nation NE and Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE remain key terminators in the frontcourt.
We like Nebraska ONE 17 Black’s chances in the 17 USA field. Shelby Harding Shelby Harding 5'8" | OH Lincoln Southwest | 2025 State NE and Jillian Donovan Jillian Donovan 5'11" | S Lincoln Lutheran | 2025 State NE bring state championship resumes to the lineup. Sierra Crist Sierra Crist 5'11" | OH Crete | 2025 State NE adds another layer of offensive firepower as she joins 17 Black this year.
Then, we’ll have a chance to pile onto the 2027 watch list by scouting 15 Lime and 15 White in the 15 American division. A big learning experience awaits when we visit these two teams. That’s why we go to these events.
Premier Nebraska
Seven more. Let’s do it.
The pressure is off for Premier Nebraska 18 Gold. This extraordinary team already locked up its Open bid at KC MLK a couple of weeks ago. Now, it’s all about fine-tuning the small details in a condensed 18s season. Expect Lauren Medeck Lauren Medeck 5'10" | OH Papillion-La Vista South | 2024 State #31 Nation NE and Mia Tvrdy Mia Tvrdy 6'0" | MB Papillion-La Vista | 2024 State #35 Nation NE to remain dominant.
Premier Nebraska 18 Black was on the cusp of its own bid-earning triumph in Kansas City. Minneapolis offers an excellent chance at redemption in the 18 USA division. This team will likely strike a balance between its top terminators with Kaelin Pribyl Kaelin Pribyl 6'0" | OH Millard West | 2024 State NE , Isabella Lamb Isabella Lamb 6'0" | RS Omaha Westside | 2024 State NE , and Kayla Eggiman Kayla Eggiman 5'8" | OH Bellevue West | 2024 State NE leading the way.
Minneapolis holds fond memories for Premier Nebraska 17 Gold. We won’t soon forget the tiebreaker madness that yielded an Open bid last March. New reinforcements like Brooke Larsen and Kenzie Kucks Kenzie Kucks 5'5" | DS/L Millard North | 2025 State NE will be absolutely critical to 17 Gold’s 2024 success.
The USA division is back in the conversation with Premier Nebraska 17 Black preparing for its bid hunt. 17 Black impressed us at last weekend’s Midwest Power League with Nyah Potthoff Nyah Potthoff 5'8" | S Gretna East | 2025 State NE guiding a balanced offense. Hailey Levinson Hailey Levinson 6'1" | MB Gretna East | 2025 State NE and Maddie Schnell Maddie Schnell 5'9" | OH Gretna East | 2025 State NE help establish strength in the middle. NLQ always seems to produce a huge triumph for at least one Premier Nebraska team, and 17 Black could do the honors.
More 15s teams, more learning experiences. 15 Black, 15 Red, and 15 Silver are carrying the torch for Premier Nebraska this weekend. We already got a glimpse of 15 Black’s firepower with Makenna Sanders Makenna Sanders 5'10" | OH Papillion LaVista South | 2027 NE and Charlotte Gregg Charlotte Gregg 6'0" | MB Elkhorn South | 2027 NE finding a groove at the Midwest Power League. Scouting opportunities exist all the way down the 15s ladder, and we’ll have a huge list of 2027s to follow after our Minneapolis visit.
Three VCNebraska teams are raring to represent the Star City in Minneapolis.
VCNebraska 18 Elite will draw a lot of attention in 18 Open. This team has KC MLK under its belt and will be battle-tested for NLQ. Championship-winning connections between Malayah Long Malayah Long 6'0" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State #142 Nation NE , Madison Rink Madison Rink 6'2" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE , and Emerson Lionberger Emerson Lionberger 6'0" | MB Lincoln Southwest | 2024 State NE will thrive. Paisley Douglas Paisley Douglas 5'5" | DS/L Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2024 State #123 Nation NE anchors the defense.
17 Elite is pursuing an Open bid, too. It’s a retooled roster with Kamryn Behrns Kamryn Behrns 5'11" | RS David City | 2026 State NE and Ellie Eckman Ellie Eckman 5'10" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2026 State NE coming up from the Class of 2026. Zoe Rademacher Zoe Rademacher 5'6" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE , Kendall Cose Kendall Cose 6'0" | RS Norris | 2025 State NE , and Rya Borer Rya Borer 5'1" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE are new to the VCN fray. Mark this down as one of the most fascinating NLQ entrants from the Great Plains Region.
17 Black is lurking in 17 American to round out VCN’s representatives. Lauren Pearson Lauren Pearson 5'8" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2026 State NE is an exciting 2026 setter prospect. She is flanked by 2025 stars like Katie Merten Katie Merten 5'11" | MB Lincoln East | 2025 State NE and Paisley Piatkowski Paisley Piatkowski 5'11" | OH Elkhorn South | 2025 State NE who have already made their mark in the VCN gym. This weekend’s event will write another compelling chapter.