Wisconsin Clubs Claim Gold, National Bids at NLQ

Tickets are punched!  This past weekend Wisconsin clubs found plenty of success at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Minneapolis where multiple teams punched their ticket to USAV Nationals where the 18s will play in Salt Lake City in April and the 17s heading to Dallas in June.  

What Is The Significance Getting a Bid at a National Qualifier? 

This is very significant.  When a team from the Badger Region gains a bid at a national qualifier, this will help the region where teams who compete at a Badger Region Qualifier can earn a bid to nationals from the region.  Confused?  This all took me a while to figure out.  For FC Elite 18 Elite and Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold earning a open bid means they will not compete in the Badger Region Qualifier March 1-2 because they have attained the highest bid possible at a national event.  This will allow other teams to earn a bid from the region.  The more bids teams from the Badger Region earn at national qualifiers, the more teams will be able to earn bids from the region.  Put a star next to the Badger Region Qualifier in Milwaukee happening on March 1 and 2. 

FC Elite 18 Elite Crowned Champions of 18 Open 

FC Elite 18 Elite came in as a favorite to have a shot at the gold pools on Sunday and walked away with the top prize as champions of the 18 Open field at the Northern Lights Qualifier. However, rising to the top prize came with some dramatics of day one and day two of the event.  As with any qualifier, it's all about winning the right matches at the right time.  On day one, 18 Elite would advance to gold pools going 2-1 with wins against Kokoro 18-1 and Nebraska Elite 18 Moana.  Day 2 is always “Separation Saturday” where they were in a pool with Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold, NORCO 18 Black (Colorado), and Kairos 18 Alpha (South Dakota).  Despite going 1-2, they were in a three way tie for second and were able to advance to the final gold pools.  A win against Lovb 18-1 and a close three set loss to MAVS KC 18 Elite, they were able to once again be on the right side of the tiebreaker and advance to the finals against VCN out of Lincoln, Nebraska.  They would claim the gold ball and bid with a thrilling three set victory 25-20, 21-25, 16-14. This is the sixth straight open bid for FC Elite 18 Elite.  

Milwaukee Sting 17s Dancing In Dallas

Milwaukee Sting has been off to a fast start this season with the 18 Black team punching their ticket to nationals at the opening qualifier of the season in Chicago.  At the Northern Lights Qualifier it was the 17s who were playing in some huge matches on day three with 17 Gold and 17 Black qualifying for Nationals in Dallas with a top three finish.  Sting 17 Gold was so dominant, winning their first nine matches that included three, three set wins to advance to the championship of 17 Open.  They would drop the championship match to Coast out of Southern California, but would go home with a 17 Open bid to nationals making it the second year in a row Sting 17 Gold had picked up their bid in Minneapolis.  Sting 17 Black also had a big weekend where they would advance to the gold bracket of 17 USA, winning five of their first six matches.  They dropped their semifinal match, forcing a third place, winner gets a bid duel with Rockwood Thunder 17 Navy out of St. Louis. Sting 17 Black would hold off Rockwood 27-25 in set two to claim the match and punch their ticket to Dallas in the USA Division. 

Spiketown 18.1's Earn An American Bid 

Spiketown 18.1 out of the Appleton area caught fire this past weekend, placing second in the 18 American Division, claiming their bid to 18s Nationals in Salt Lake City in April.  They went 2-1 on day one and followed that up with a 2-1 finish on day two, sending them to the gold bracket.  In the 18 American Division, there is one bid given to the champion.  Spiketown had a match with Kairos 18 Beta out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota which they would drop 22-25, 22-25 - however with Kairos already having a bid from a previous qualifier, Spiketown was able to punch their ticket to Salt Lake City. 

***Come back in a month when we talk about trickle down bids from national qualifiers and region qualifiers.

Other Wisconsin Top Ten Finishes: 

Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold - 5th - 18 Open 

Milwaukee Sting 18 Black - 3rd - 18 USA

MVP 18 Blue - 7th - 18 USA

FC Elite 18 Navy - 9th - 18 USA

Wisconsin Juniors 1801 - 5th - 18 Liberty 

Milwaukee Juniors 18-1 - 10th - 18 American 

Milwaukee Sting 17 White - 5th - 17 Liberty 

I AM VBC 17 Red - 5th - 17 Liberty 

Milwaukee Sting 17 Silver - 3rd - 17 American 

Wisconsin Ice 17 National - 5th - 17 American