Weekend Rewind

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Qualifier season is keeping us busy as another weekend is behind us with teams traveling all over the United States. Here are some of the highlights to pass your way!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Open Bid in 18 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spokane, Washington. That's right, we had a team travel to Spokane for the Pacific Northwest Qualifier and that team returned with an 18 Open bid. <strong>816 Mavs 18 National</strong> kept fighting after suffering some tough setbacks and emerged with the third and final bid. They went 1-2 on the first day, which in most instances would eliminate you from contention but with THREE teams going 1-2, that opened up room for hope. Hope was slightly in their favor as they had a 43% set percentage to get the second-place finish in the pool. They took advantage of the opportunity by going 2-1 the next day to earn a place in the Gold Pool on the final day. They got one win, which proved enough to finish third after a 4-5 weekend. The team has been getting great play in the middle this spring by [player_tooltip player_id='223890' first='Avery' last='Patton'] and Brooklyn Morrissey. Their blocking has been key to their success as both players have demonstrated the ability to get pin-to-pin. They have been effective on offense as well thanks to the dynamic play from their two setters, Taylor Nielsen and [player_tooltip player_id='493376' first='Abbie' last='Roth']. Both control the flow of the offense and make good decisions. The play of libero [player_tooltip player_id='219709' first='Summer' last='Anderson'] has been stellar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Race for Bids in Indy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mideast Qualifier took place in Indianapolis for the 17s and 18s and a couple of 16s divisions. In the 18 Open, <strong>Mavs 18 Elite </strong>already owned an Open bid but had a good showing suffering only one defeat to finish tied for 5th. <strong>Alpha Omega 18 Elite</strong> just missed out on a bid in the American division with a third-place finish going 8-1. [player_tooltip player_id='540285' first='Ava' last='Renner'] had a strong weekend from the outside with numerous timely kills. I also liked what I saw from [player_tooltip player_id='476879' first='Gabby' last='Horn'] with her swings on the right pin. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='477959' first='Aydia' last='Mayotte'] played well and was strong behind the service line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 17 USA, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='432164' first='Fight' last='Club'] 17-1</strong> from the Heart of America region didn't have to play the third-place match for the final bid after Blue Ridge declined the opportunity. The Wichita area-based program went 8-1, dropping only two sets all weekend. Sofic Simic continues to impress with the levels of her game. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Pozek</strong> returned to Kansas City with a Liberty division bid after a runner-up finish and a 9-1 record. [player_tooltip player_id='222084' first='Lilli' last='Weber'] did a good job of keeping the ball moving and set the ball well. [player_tooltip player_id='489774' first='Kennedy' last='Tobaben'] scored on the pin and behind the 10-foot line all weekend. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='714718' first='Leilah' last='Perry']'s game has continued to evolve this spring and she had a strong blocking weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Summit Volleyball 17 National</strong> outlasted the competition to win the American division in the 17s age group going a perfect 11-0, dropping three sets along the way. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='542203' first='Amber' last='Fellhauer'] was all over the court playing fantastic defense keeping balls off the court. The front line has been strong putting up a big block behind [player_tooltip player_id='542209' first='Kylie' last='Goodale'], Lauren Kingston, and [player_tooltip player_id='542212' first='Nylah' last='Kalimullah-Story']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northern Lights Shined </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 15 American division, <strong>Club North 15 Janell </strong>grabbed a bid after a runner-up finish and the champions previously qualified. The Kansas City North-based team went 10-1. [player_tooltip player_id='778357' first='Ava' last='Stamps'] played well on the right pin with some big swings and timely blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='778360' first='Maddie' last='Asaeli'] was a force on the outside throughout the weekend. In the middle, [player_tooltip player_id='778363' first='Nikyah' last='Chappell'] had standout moments using her length to find gaps around the defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->