No Power Pool? No Problem. Nebraska Underdogs Thrive at 2024 NIT
Time to revisit one of our favorite annual storylines from Triple Crown NIT. Before last weekend’s action in Kansas City, we addressed all the Nebraska teams that would start their NIT journey outside of power pools. These “outsider” teams feel…
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Continue ReadingTime to revisit one of our favorite annual storylines from Triple Crown NIT.
Before last weekend’s action in Kansas City, we addressed all the Nebraska teams that would start their NIT journey outside of power pools. These “outsider” teams feel immediate pressure to win and earn their way into a bracket match with a power pool squad. Some squads thrive under these circumstances. Nebraska teams certainly did.
This feature is for the overachievers. Here are the Nebraska teams that went above and beyond their NIT seeding to make some noise among the nation’s best.
VCNebraska 18 Elite
We had a feeling this was coming.
VCNebraska 18 Elite has a long history of competing well at major Open-level tournaments. This year’s Triple Crown NIT journey started outside of power pools, but 18 Elite is no stranger to surviving stress tests. After all, a few of the team’s top performers just won a state title with Lincoln Southwest last fall.
Day 1’s opening statement was an emphatic one. VCN soared past 1st Alliance, COAST, and EXCEL while only dropping one set en route to a 3-0 record. This cemented 18 Elite’s spot in the challenger round, where the team would finally spar with one of 18U’s power pool competitors.
It turned out to be a classic Nebraska-Wisconsin battle between VCNebraska and FC Elite 18 Elite, which finished second in Power Pool D. With only one loss combined between the two squads, the intrigue was high.
VCN pounced early and never looked back. An emphatic Set 1 win gave way to an even bigger triumph in Set 2, allowing the Lincoln crew to lock up a coveted spot in the Elite bracket. Scoring an upset in the crossover battle is a tough task, but VCN made it look easy.
Though 18 Elite was ousted in the Round of 32, the team still competed hard in the consolation brackets and notched another win over Academy. This sets the stage for another wave of important qualifiers in the abbreviated 18s season. Triple Crown NIT was a step in the right direction.
Premier Nebraska 18 Black
Depth, depth, depth.
Premier Nebraska’s 18s teams have already given us so many compelling storylines this year. Premier 18 Gold locked up its Open bid right away at Kansas City’s MLK Tournament. 18 Black, after coming up just short at the same venue, bounced back with a runner-up finish at the Northern Lights Qualifier.
Then, we headed back to Kansas City for Triple Crown NIT. 18 Gold got a power pool spot. 18 Black did not. Both were in the challenger hunt on Sunday.
Of course, that means Premier 18 Black won its way in. It all started with a high-drama match with Legacy 18-1 Adidas in which both teams exchanged 25-23 set victories. 18 Black eventually ran away in the tiebreaker to win 15-11 and notch a vital opening W.
With this momentum established, 18 Black played its best volleyball of the weekend against Ku’ikahi and Academy. It’s another Nebraska 18s team with a 3-0 record in its non-power pool. The first team to stop 18 Black was Tri-State Elite, the eventual third-place team in the Elite bracket.
NIT was a reminder of why both of Premier Nebraska’s 18s teams are already Baltimore-bound. It’s all about depth.
Premier Nebraska 15 Gold
This was a special weekend for Premier 15 Gold. We haven’t seen 15 Gold on the qualifier stage, but we know these players are ready.
In our aforementioned NIT preview, we identified 15 Gold as “the team you don’t want to see in your pool.” That panned out. After a grueling three-set win over NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami to open the tournament, 15 Gold rolled past AZ EVJ and AP to go 3-0 on opening day. This is only the beginning of the story.
Premier Nebraska’s challenger match against FORZA1 North was an instant classic. The Southern California team dominated Power Pool C as the group’s top seed but drew a tough matchup to become Elite. The teams exchanged blows before FORZA1 North edged ahead to hand 15 Gold its first setback of the tournament.
Coming up just short of the top bracket could sour the team dynamic for the rest of the weekend, but 15 Gold used it as motivation. The Open bracket was next up, and the wins kept coming.
15 Gold looked untouchable in its first three Open matches against Actyve, FORZA1 (a separate entry from FORZA1 North), and Sports Performance. Once again, we were reminded of how dangerous this team was–especially for a non-power pool group.
Premier reached the Open mountaintop after a three-set semifinal win over AZ Sky. One more dominant win over Drive Nation yielded an Open championship and an 8-1 overall record in Kansas City. We have a lot to talk about after this performance.
Premier Nebraska 15 Black
15 Black deserves a shoutout after last weekend’s action.
Like their 15 Gold counterparts, Premier 15 Black started outside of NIT’s power pools. We knew what this group could accomplish on the national stage after a 15 USA championship at NLQ. This was a huge opportunity for growth.
Day 1 was a reminder of 15 Black’s resurgence as the team won two dramatic matches against NORCO and Houston Skyline. A 2-1 record is almost always good enough to reach the challenger round against a power pool team.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case in 15 Black’s group. Premier lost out on a triple 2-1 tiebreaker to finish third in its pool. A matter of set victories made a massive difference in finishing position, which is a familiar narrative at high-profile events. That setback cannot taint what was a strong early showing for another Premier 15s team. The future is bright.