Nebraska Bid Tracker: 17s and 18s Battle for Great Plains Bids

It's Bid Tournament season.   While we were juggling the long list of Nebraska teams fighting for GJNC bids at NLQ, several more Great Plains Region competitors faced off for Nationals berths on home turf. The CHI Health Center hosted the Great Plains Regional Championships and Bid Tournament, and postseason implications were the big storyline.   The 17s and 18s started the bid hunt during Sunday's slate. These groups featured many recognizable teams and players with ample Nationals experience in past seasons. So, the CHI Health Center was treated to some elite volleyball and a new wave of GJNC-bound squads.   Here's the breakdown as we add six more teams to our Nebraska Bid Tracker.     18s   USAV's 18s Nationals is a few weeks away, and Nebraska is adding three more worthy squads to the fray.   Premier Nebraska 18 Gold was an unstoppable force en route to the Great Plains Region's 18 National bid. This group started Sunday's slate with two sweeps over NE Top Flight and Banzai VBC in pool play. The 2-0 triumph placed 18 Gold within one more win of assuring a GPR berth.   The task was completed following another win over NE Top Flight in the Gold bracket semifinals. However, 18 Gold had unfinished business and wrapped up the undefeated run by taking down Premier Nebraska 18 Black in the finale. 18 Gold is heading to an 18 National division with plenty of other Open-level competitors in the field.   Of course, a finals berth places Premier Nebraska 18 Black in the bid discussion, too. This talented squad pushed past Club Legacy and NVA in pool play to lock up a semifinal spot. One more win over Banzai VBC 18 Select was the final step to securing 18 Black's spot in the 18 American division.   This is where we focus our attention toward the final bid, which belongs to Banzai VBC 18 Select. Despite falling to Premier 18 Gold in pool play, 18 Select pushed past NE Top Flight to assure a place in the Gold bracket's upper half. Banzai VBC then triumphed over NVA to come within one win of a bid.   Following a loss to Premier 18 Black, Banzai VBC had one more opportunity to swipe a bid through the third-place match. This turned into a reunion with NE Top Flight, where 18 Select triumphed in a three-set thriller to nab GPR's 18 Freedom bid.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/04/IMG_6278-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-764874" style="width:435px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Banzai VBC 18 Select competes at the 2025 Northern Lights Qualifier.</figcaption></figure>     17s   The list of 17s squads vying for a bid was more than double the size of the 18s. 15 teams entered the mix, so we were bound to see some drama.   Four pools were used to determine bracket seeding, and the top teams immediately flexed their might. [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black triumphed over Club Legacy, Premier 17 Red, and VCN 17 Blue to win its group. Midwest Elite ran through its pool without dropping a set, and VCNebraska 17 Elite prevailed in Pool 3. The only "upset" pool winner was Premier 17 Black in a three-team group with South Central and AVC.   Top seeds still prevailed in bracket play. [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black won its way into a guaranteed bid by sweeping VCN 17 Black and Premier 17 Black. Midwest Elite 17-1 did the same by taking down Club Legacy and VCN 17 Elite.   The title bout went to Midwest Elite 17-1, completing a Sunday slate in which the team only dropped one set. This club, which emerged from the remnants of [program_tooltip program_id='429192' first='MVP' last='United'], will return to GJNC as the region's 17 National representative.   [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black's new-look roster has paid dividends with the team locking up the 17 American bid. It's another chance to add to the roster's expansive postseason resume--in club and high school.   VCNebraska 17 Elite pushed past Premier Nebraska 17 Black in the third-place match to clinch the 17 Freedom bid. We've seen this talent-stacked roster thrive in Open-level venues, so set your expectations high heading into the summer. Of course, 17 Elite isn't done battling at USAV qualifiers, either.     The Tracker     18 Open   [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 18 Elite - KC MLK     18 National   Premier Nebraska 18 Gold - GPR     18 USA   [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 18 Black - NLQ     18 American   Premier Nebraska 18 Black - GPR     18 Freedom   Banzai VBC 18 Select - GPR     17 Open   Premier Nebraska 17 Gold - NLQ     17 National   Midwest Elite 17-1 - GPR     17 American   [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black - GPR     17 Freedom   VCNebraska 17 Elite - GPR     15 USA   VCNebraska 15 Elite - NLQ

It's Bid Tournament season.