Nebraska Bid Tracker: Premier 17 Black Strikes Gold in Chicago

Another USA division champion emerges at Premier Nebraska!   Premier Nebraska 17 Black has seen Chicago's McCormick Place before. It was the site of last year's GJNC, where this group put up an inspired effort against some of the nation's best. Why not run it back in 2024?   This year's Windy City Qualifier drew an unusually large field of Nebraska teams for the holiday weekend. With so many teams in the hunt, we figured at least one Great Plains Region representative would get on the board for our Nebraska Bid Tracker. That's exactly what happened.   Tally another USA bid for Premier Nebraska. We covered 15 Black's NLQ triumph, and now it's time to hone in on Premier 17 Black's championship at the Windy City Qualifier.     The Perfect Storm   If you'll recall from <a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/03/nebraska-teams-on-easter-bid-hunt-at-windy-city-qualifier/">yesterday's feature</a>, Premier 17 Black quickly established itself as a frontrunner with a 6-0 start. This triumph didn't come easily, as half of those contests went the distance in three-set thrillers. A perfect medley of dominance and resilience led 17 Black to a perfect start through two rounds, but this was just the beginning of the journey.   The team's biggest pressure test awaited early Sunday morning. Premier's quarterfinal contest against Tribe 17 Elite Navy was a must-win to stay in contention for one of USA's three bids. Fortunately, the hot streak continued with a 2-0 win to reach the semifinals. Another win would be enough for a bid--either in the semis or the third-place match.   But 17 Black did not seem content with just snagging a bid. The team's overall record ballooned to 7-0 after the win over Tribe, making Premier Nebraska a true championship frontrunner. Might as well go for gold.   A back-and-forth semifinal contest ensued with Premier Nebraska exchanging 25-22 sets with Top Select 17 Elite. Two undefeated teams traded haymakers with so much on the line. In the end, the clutch factor of 17 Black emerged in another third set. The tiebreaker ended in a 15-12 decision for the Great Plains crew, locking up a bid and a spot in the championship match.   After two consecutive wins over Florida squads, 17 Black met Arizona's Club One 17 Platinum in the title bout. Once again, this was a meeting of undefeated teams. Set 1 was befitting of that distinction as a deuce battle unfolded. Eventually, Premier Nebraska took a 30-28 thriller and never looked back. A Set 2 victory followed, putting another Premier Nebraska team atop a USA podium. See you in Vegas.     A Rising Tide of 2025s   We have to take a moment to marvel at the growth of Premier 17 Black's athletes. This team features some of the biggest stock risers in Nebraska's 2025 class.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/Nyah-Potthoff.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-255275" style="width:310px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Potthoff</figcaption></figure>   It's an adaptable team, too. We've seen 17 Black deploy a mixture of one- and two-setter offenses while getting the most out of its frontcourt talent. Expect to see more experimentation now that a GJNC bid is in hand.   Let's talk about those setters. [player_tooltip player_id='230003' first='Nyah' last='Potthoff'] is a consistent "glue" player for 17 Black who frequently runs the show in a 5-1. The Gretna East athlete is incredibly deceptive and will never be afraid to set against the grain. Setters ought to have the green light to take some risks, and Potthoff embraces that challenge.   But the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='155046' first='Isabel' last='Campie'] gives 17 Black a new layer of options. Campie has seen some of the biggest prep stages in both high school and club venues. A 6-2 is a real possibility for 17 Black with Campie offering a steady hand at the position. This Omaha Marian prep star has even played defensive specialist in her club career, so expand those possibilities even further.   The case for the 6-2 is bolstered by 17 Black's pair of terminal opposites. [player_tooltip player_id='342514' first='Maddie' last='Schnell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189350' first='Lainey' last='Bosiljevac'] have locked down the right pin and given 17 Black so much heat behind the setter. Their varying styles make this position hard to defend, too. Schnell will run different routes along the net while Bosiljevac's biggest strength is her physicality.   We also have some evolving narratives at the left-side hitter spot. The perennial leader has been Huston Rau, a high-flying pin attacker who joins the fray from Council Bluffs, Iowa. She has done a little of everything for this Premier Nebraska team over the years, and her impact is not limited to the front row. Rau will gladly take on six-rotation responsibilities while never losing her groove as a go-to attacker.   17 Black has incredible left-side flexibility alongside Rau. Charley Hernandez, another Iowan, has become another all-around threat who can fill multiple spots in the lineup. Even if she's not teeing off along the net, Hernandez will likely see the floor as a middle-back DS who can stabilize the passing formation. The same narrative has played out for Audrey Sandbothe, Rau's high school teammate at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln. Sandbothe is an extraordinary contributor in the ball control phase who can also be an outlet hitter on the pipe.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/137A1384.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-438130" style="width:318px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hernandez</figcaption></figure>   What about the middles? The ever-prominent duo of [player_tooltip player_id='189352' first='Hailey' last='Levinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='213981' first='Lindsey' last='Hrbek'] runs the show at this position. It's no surprise that Levinson is thriving as she sharpens her connection with Potthoff, her high school setter at Gretna East. Her lateral quickness gives 17 Black a lethal 'gap' play away from the setter. Meanwhile, Hrbek keeps climbing the ladder in the Premier Nebraska gym and has cemented her place as 17 Black's top blocker.   All that's left here is the libero. This is [player_tooltip player_id='189351' first='Gabby' last='Lund']'s domain. Our stock-riser conversation is not complete without recognizing how much Lund has grown with 17 Black. This natural defender stepped up with perfect passes when the team needed it most. The offense was humming in Chicago, and we can't dismiss the libero's impact here. Lund and 17 Black should keep humming now that the Vegas trip is locked in.     The Tracker   Here's our tracker--pending the addition of more teams from Windy City. Stay tuned for the next couple of days as we grow the list.     18 Open   Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK)     18 National   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 18 Elite (GPR)     18 USA   Premier Nebraska 18 Black (NLQ)     18 American   Banzai VBC 18 Select (GPR)     18 Freedom   Club Legacy 18 Alpha (GPR)     17 USA   Premier Nebraska 17 Black (WCQ)     15 Open   Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution (NLQ)   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 15 Elite (MEQ)     15 USA   Premier Nebraska 15 Black (NLQ)     15 Liberty   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 15 Black (MEQ)

Another USA division champion emerges at Premier Nebraska!