Matchup of North Texas at Triple Crown NIT Challenge Bracket

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Triple Crown NIT because of all of the talent that will be under one roof.&nbsp; It is being held in Kansas City, MO this weekend, February 15-17^th.&nbsp; It brings together the toughest competition from all over the country.&nbsp; Day two is filled with some solid challenge matches that ramp up the energy and level of play.&nbsp; We were on hand to cover the match between TAV 16 Black Paul and [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] 16 National Blue.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anyone who is anyone in the club scene knows what to expect when you have a matchup with a TAV team.&nbsp; They are well coached and have talent in every position.&nbsp; Not many people know about the [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] squad that burst onto the scene last year in the Open division.&nbsp; They have lots of height, power, and high volleyball IQs throughout their squad also.&nbsp; TAV ran into two super elite squads, Arizona Storm 16 Thunder and Vision 16 Gold, which bested them in their opening pool.&nbsp; That is nothing to be ashamed of because both matches were highly contested and could have gone either way.&nbsp; They did manage to beat a Tri-State Elite squad very handily to finish out 1-2 and still have a shot to be in contention during the Challenge brackets.&nbsp; 1 United, however, was not in the opening Power Pools and had to work their way into the challenge brackets by going undefeated in pool O and they did so in impressive fashion.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Challenge matches, TAV made quick work of their first matchup this morning against Actyve 16-Navy.&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] had a very close battle with OT 16 T JP and came out as the victor in two tightly contested straight sets.&nbsp; TAV was riding on a high and rode that momentous wave as they demolished their next opponent Mintonette Sports m.61 in straight sets (25-16, 25-12).&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] also won their opening match today against a tough Academy 16-1O Yeti (25-20, 25-17).&nbsp; This set up a showdown between the two north Texas neighbors who know each other well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both squads came out firing with their elite pins in the opening part of the first set.&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last='']'s class of 2029 outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='536897' first='Camryn' last='Corso'],&nbsp; who is playing up an age group, flexed her muscle as she ripped a kill that deflected off of the TAV block and out of bounds.&nbsp; A couple of unforced errors tied up the score at four each.&nbsp; TAV then flexed some muscles of their own as super middle [player_tooltip player_id='534300' first='Nyla' last='Livings'] smoked a quick attack around a solo block that scored easily.&nbsp; Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='534373' first='Naomi' last='Livings'] was amazing on the left side pin as she thundered away for another strong score.&nbsp; Both sisters were unstoppable as they took over this part of the match with some strong blocks at the net also.&nbsp; Add in a powerful right side attack by [player_tooltip player_id='534299' first='Brynn' last='Stephens'] and it forced [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] to call their first timeout at 4-10.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='534300' first='Nyla' last='Livings']&nbsp; then decided to take over the match by unleashing some very athletic slide attacks to different parts of the court that [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] just couldn't handle.&nbsp; It seemed that TAV's offensive arsenal was just too much to try to slow down at this point as they had total control of the match at this point.&nbsp; However, at this level, both of these squads will not go down without a fight and [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] used some great serving to keep TAV out of system.&nbsp; They then employed some scrappy defense and a few well-timed off-speed shots to score and keep the game interesting.&nbsp; Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='443039' first='Riley' last='Koshkin'] came alive for [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] and scored a few points against a weak block.&nbsp; She got some help from teammate and lefty opposite [player_tooltip player_id='512902' first='Jordan' last='Flodder'] who rifled away.&nbsp; The tension seemed to get a little heated when a tough referee decision was in question with an attacking error into the antenna/net.&nbsp; But in the end, TAV came out of the first set with the victory 25-21.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During the second set, both teams continued to fire away at each other and it was close again throughout the entire set.&nbsp; For this set, TAV inserted six foot four outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='694108' first='Allie' last='Hudgins'] into their lineup and she went to work.&nbsp; This young lady travels all the way from Austin to Dallas in order to train with this squad.&nbsp; Last season she played for Austin Skyline.&nbsp; Once again, powerful and smart net play from [player_tooltip player_id='534373' first='Naomi' last='Livings'] contributed to TAV's dominance early in this second set and they gained control of the match.&nbsp; Lengthy middle [player_tooltip player_id='534306' first='Lyla' last='Crowder'] showed some fire as she swung for the fences a few times for [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] to keep them in the fight.&nbsp; But in the end, the beautiful set distribution of [player_tooltip player_id='518965' first='Sophee' last='Peterson'] kept TAV's offense flowing.&nbsp; She moved the ball around masterfully to all of the amazing attackers that they have on their roster.&nbsp; It was evenly distributed and showed perfect placement for them to tee off.&nbsp; TAV pulled away and ended the match with a 25-22 victory.&nbsp; This squad is showing that they have what it takes to beat anyone as they march toward the Gold bracket.&nbsp; Their weapons are dangerous and it doesn't matter if someone is having an off match, because the next woman can step up if needed.&nbsp; Stay tuned to see if they can continue to ride this wave of momentum for the remainder of the tourney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Family!&nbsp; Don't be afraid to interact with us.&nbsp; We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.&nbsp; Keep them coming!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->