Nebraska Bid Tracker: VCN 17 Elite Brings Its Best Out West

This is as clutch as it gets.   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 17 Elite has seen its share of close calls on the qualifier trail. It's a squad stacked with future D1 stars and Lincoln-area standouts. 17 Elite had been on the cusp of an Open bid throughout 2024 but narrowly missed out at each juncture. One late-season venue offered a chance at redemption: Salt Lake City.   The Salt Lake City Showdown has expanded its geographical reach in recent years, and [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] made the westward hike to take care of unfinished business. 17 Elite broke through at last weekend's qualifier to earn an Open bid at the buzzer. Another top-tier Great Plains team is heading to Vegas.   Our Nebraska Bid Tracker grows today, and this one was a long time coming.     Tiebreaker Madness and Second Chances   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 17 Elite had seen some big stages before, but this one might have been a little different. This was a season-altering weekend.   The 17 Open journey started with a Round 1 pool featuring Legacy, Seal Beach, and Flyers. VCN was seeded second among the four teams, but that's not where 17 Elite would finish.   Tense volleyball unfolded right away as VCN came back from an opening set loss to defeat Flyers in three. That exact storyline played out again in the next matchup against Seal Beach. 17 Elite took a while to heat up but dominated from Set 2 onward to win another tight contest.   This 2-0 start assured VCN's spot in the next round, but the team added another sweep over top-seeded Legacy for good measure. On to the next challenge.   Saturday's slate pitted 17 Elite against Academy and local Utah competitor Club V. Matches usually get tougher on "Separation Saturday," but 17 Elite achieved a level of dominance that few teams could match.   VCNebraska swept both of its pool foes while not allowing either team to surpass 18 points in any set. It was an extraordinary accomplishment, but VCNebraska's Round 2 work wasn't over. Being in a three-team pool meant 17 Elite would play an additional crossover match for Sunday seeding. Again, VCN found its winning form with a two-set win over Drive Nation.   Now, we cue up one of the wildest Sunday grinds we've seen in a long time. Buckle up for this one.   17 Elite's final Gold pool matched it up with Austin Skyline and, of course, Great Plains rival [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Synergy. It was always going to work out that way, right? Austin Skyline was the first obstacle, and VCN extended its winning streak to seven with a sweep of the Lone Star Region team.   Austin Skyline was fresh off their own sweep of [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE']. This will become important later.   So, the pool finale featured the Great Plains showdown. VCNebraska only needed one set victory to get a tiebreaker advantage and reach the final Gold bracket. Unfortunately, 17 Synergy surged ahead to secure a two-set win and set off tiebreaker chaos.   All three teams finished with a 1-1 record and a 2-2 mark in set count. Tiebreaker procedures would normally narrow down to point percentage, but USAV rules dictate that a team can't be eliminated from bid contention based solely on this metric. [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] already had its bid, so we were left with a deadlock between VCNebraska and Austin Skyline. A tiebreaker set to 15 would decide the pool winner.   By this point, two of the four spots in the Gold bracket were filled by teams that already had Open bids from prior qualifiers. This meant that the winner of the tiebreaker set between VCN and Austin Skyline would automatically receive one of SLC's three available bids.   This is where Austin Skyline got its revenge. Despite its loss to VCN to start Sunday's action, 17 Royal won a 15-9 set to lock up a bid and a spot in the final four.   The story doesn't end here. Two bids were handed out to Gold bracket teams, but where's that third bid? We now turn to the Silver bracket featuring Sunday's second-place pool finishers. 17 Elite now had another chance to swipe the final bid by winning a "bid playoff."   The first opponent on the slate was SAVC. All the clutch moments from Day 1 came roaring back as VCN climbed back from a Set 1 loss. 17 Elite won in three sets to get within one match of a bid.   Even after all the close calls, heartbreaks, and narrow margins, VCNebraska just needed to get another win over Drive Nation to finish the job. The Sunday finale went exactly how the crossover match had: a sweep for VCNebraska. Finally, the deed was done. It took one of the wildest routes we've seen, but 17 Elite got it done.     Reinvention   That's a lot of tiebreaker talk, but we have to give a shoutout to the players who helped make this happen. It's a medley of familiar standouts and new additions to the 17 Elite lineup.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/04/IMG_0337-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-532589" style="width:356px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Traudt</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='155042' first='Tia' last='Traudt'] keeps pacing the 17 Elite offense. The UNLV commit posted double-digit kills in several matches throughout SLC and confounded opposing defenses with her shot variety. Of course, this Grand Island prep star also gives VCN all the six-rotation contributions you'd expect from an elite outside hitter. Traudt is always looking to anchor VCN's serve receive.   Another household name in the lineup is [player_tooltip player_id='189362' first='Faith' last='Venable'], the Omaha commit who has adapted to many different roles in the VCNebraska gym. She has made her mark as a dominant middle blocker at Lincoln Pius X, but that narrative evolves even further on the club side. Venable has earned recent reps as a pin attacker and found herself on the left side at last weekend's qualifier. This allows 17 Elite to harness her athleticism as much as possible, giving the team a new look for the scouting report.   Pin depth is becoming a major strength for 17 Elite. We still have returning assets like Seward standout [player_tooltip player_id='213980' first='Amara' last='Siebert'] in this group, but it's also a place to find many of those new additions. [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher'] joined the fray this year and can adapt to playing outside hitter or as a defensive specialist. This dual role is the hallmark of Rademacher's game, and her ball control to center stage in Salt Lake City.   How about the right pin? [player_tooltip player_id='189322' first='Kendall' last='Cose'] made the move with Rademacher to 17 Elite and has added a ton of physicality to the opposite position. The Norris standout knows how to compete in high-pressure situations and can shift over to the middle if needed.   [player_tooltip player_id='349479' first='Kamryn' last='Behrns'] adds to the right-side narrative. She's not new to the VCN gym, but she jumped an age group this year to boost 17 Elite's high-powered offense. Behrns' strong lefty swing makes her a great choice for the opposite spot--though she's had successful tenures on the left, too. David City High School has a good one.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/04/IMG_0006.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-532587" style="width:351px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anderson sets for 17 Elite.</figcaption></figure>   The Class of 2026 gets another representative in standout setter [player_tooltip player_id='251144' first='Ellie' last='Eckman']. Eckman's maturity and poise make it easy to forget that she's younger than the players around her. She can run the offense herself or participate in a 6-2 with [player_tooltip player_id='173517' first='Meghan' last='Anderson'], a multi-year state champion with Omaha Skutt Catholic. Multiple combinations have proven effective.   Speaking of Skutt Catholic, defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='173524' first='Nikki' last='Ott'] is another SkyHawk who is on a hot streak with 17 Elite. She donned the libero jersey a few times throughout SLC and showed a strong command of the back row. Ott has been one of Nebraska's biggest 20225 stock risers, and that's not slowing down anytime soon.   [player_tooltip player_id='189328' first='Rya' last='Borer'] works alongside Ott in the back row. This adds to our conversation on new additions, and Borer's impact is undeniable. She is so quick to make defensive reads and will take up a ton of court in serve receive. It's a flawless fit for the 17 Elite lineup, and we can't wait to see Borer on the national stage.   Ball control is a group effort that also includes Lincoln Lutheran state champion [player_tooltip player_id='152042' first='Ava' last='Jurevicius']. Whenever 17 Elite needed a scoring run, Jurvevicius' serving rotation was usually a safe bet. She can play opposite, libero, and a ton of other spots around the dial.   Finally, we reach the final pair of middle blockers. This is where [player_tooltip player_id='189413' first='Alexandra' last='Rasmussen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='269932' first='Gretchen' last='Seagren'] have locked in their spots. We've seen a lot from these two on the prep stage, but it's all coming together for a run at club glory. SLC was a big step forward as 2025s keep making gains during the late-season sprint.     The Tracker   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 Open   [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Synergy (WCQ)   VCNebraska 17 Elite (SLC)     17 USA   [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black (WCQ)   Premier Nebraska 17 Black (WCQ)     17 American   VCNebraska 17 Black (Show Me)     16 Open   Premier Nebraska 16 Gold (Show Me)     16 Liberty   South Central NE 16 Black (Show Me)     15 Open   Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution (NLQ)   Premier Nebraska 15 Gold (WCQ)   [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)

This is as clutch as it gets.