New Month, New Bids

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we transition into March, we have new bids earned at qualifiers across the country. Here are teams who returned to the Midwest with bids under their belts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boston Volleyball Festival</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 18-1 </strong>made the trip to the Northeast and earned a bid in the Open Division, going 7-2 along the way. After going 2-1 on the first day, [player_tooltip player_id='119689' first='Ava' last='Martin'] and company would win five straight matches over the next two days, only losing to eventual champion Dallas Skyline in the semi-finals. With the other team in the championship already holding a bid, and the team [program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] would have faced in a third-place matching already qualified, no match was needed and they signed off on their bid. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of the other third-place team, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Elite</strong> would be them and they would qualify for the third time this winter going 7-1. [player_tooltip player_id='153929' first='Maya' last='Witherspoon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='124222' first='Allison' last='Risley'] continued to be steady on the pins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sunshine Classic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had a small number of teams venture to Florida for some sunshine and aspirations of earning a bid. Unfortunately, none of the teams returned with one in hand but there were some good showings from Kansas and Missouri teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 17 Open, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Black </strong>had a ninth-place showing. The [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']/Blue Valley West trio of [player_tooltip player_id='173372' first='Lily' last='Wedman'], [player_tooltip player_id='173397' first='Allison' last='Heck'], and [player_tooltip player_id='173371' first='Ella' last='Davidson'] continue to play at a high level. Jumping over to the USA division, <strong>816 Mavs 17-1 </strong>went 5-2, good for ninth place as well. They had a four-match streak going heading into the gold bracket before being knocked out of bid contention. [player_tooltip player_id='154037' first='Abigail' last='Riggs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='219776' first='Madeline' last='Sallee'] were among a deep group of players who had moments. Matching the ninth place in the division was <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Navy,</strong> who also went 5-2. We talked about [player_tooltip player_id='231739' first='Kennedy' last='Jones'] last week and her growth in the middle and it was on display over the weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mizuno [program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 17 Karen</strong> kept the ninth-place/5-2 ride going for Missouri teams over in the Liberty division. After losing their opening match, they racked up five straight to get to the gold brackets where they fell to Tampa United. [player_tooltip player_id='219760' first='Megan' last='Bishton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='737573' first='Lanyn' last='Sisk'] continue to step up their play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will finish in the 16s division where two teams returned with fifth-place showings. In Liberty, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 16 Blue</strong> finished with a record of 5-3. In the American, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 16 Ashley</strong> had a strong weekend, going 8-1 and losing to the eventual champion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->