Championship Aspirations in 15 Open, National, and USA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The day is here! Day one of Nationals for the 15s and teams from across the state of Missouri and Kansas City. They are ready to embark on what could be an amazing week ahead, as numerous teams are expected to be in the hunt on the final day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very competitive 15 Open field will feature three teams from the area I cover, led by <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 15 Black</strong> as the 5th overall seed. The Kansas City team has racked up 67 wins based on AES submitted information. They won Show Me and finished as runner-ups at MEQ. [player_tooltip player_id='518356' first='Molly' last='McGovern'] is a talented right-side who is a difference maker both offensively and defensively. The play in the middle will be a huge factor as they have gotten solid play from [player_tooltip player_id='512227' first='Lilianah' last='Jackson']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 11th seed, <strong>Mavs 15 Elite</strong>, will begin the tournament at 9 AM in Pool 2. Their bid was earned with a 3rd place showing at MEQ back in March. They also had a solid 5th-place performance at the Show Me qualifier. The team features two high-level setters in [player_tooltip player_id='635415' first='Grace' last='Engeman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='729549' first='Jaelyn' last='Jordan']. [player_tooltip player_id='729587' first='Sloane' last='Fende'] has had big defensive performances in the back row this spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 2 will host the 14th seed, <strong>HPSTL 15 Royal.</strong> They grabbed a bid at the Big South qualifier. They've had a strong spring with multiple top-ten finishes in the Open Division and a 13th-place showing at Triple Crown. [player_tooltip player_id='729467' first='Gillian' last='Pfeiffer'] is a dynamic middle, and setter [player_tooltip player_id='729593' first='Shelbi' last='Mead'] has turned some heads this club season. Rilynn Winnebach was recently pegged as the top player in the 2028 rankings for Missouri. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15 National</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams are seeded in the top seven, while a third sits at 16, marking what could be a big weekend in the National Division. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 15 Elite</strong> will be the second seed when play starts. They played a heavy Open schedule and will be in the mix on the final day. The Kansas City team had numerous top ten showings and is led by setter Grace Lutman. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='562061' first='Amaya' last='Jimenez'] has been steady in ball control and will go a long way in ensuring [player_tooltip player_id='562034' first='Braydee' last='Miller'] and company get good swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 15 Mize</strong> has the 7th seed and, like [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''], played a strong qualifier schedule. They came up just short in their quest for an Open bid with a season-high 5th-place finish at Show Me. [player_tooltip player_id='517118' first='Channing' last='Minton'] is a strong defensive performer in the libero jersey. [player_tooltip player_id='518345' first='Nyah' last='Harris'] does a good job of feeding players like [player_tooltip player_id='518353' first='Mya' last='Lee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='518349' first='Sanaa' last='Woodberry'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16th seed, situated in Pool 3, is your <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 15 Elite</strong> squad. A 60-25 record in AES, they had two top-five finishes in the USA Division. [player_tooltip player_id='545003' first='Eden' last='Wilson'] entered the initial 2028 rankings as the top-ranked setter and will work to feed [player_tooltip player_id='729579' first='Remy' last='Stack'] on the outside. [player_tooltip player_id='545051' first='Lily' last='Grothe'] has been a bright spot for this team defensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15 USA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mizuno [program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 15 Ang</strong> has earned the third seed in the USA Division. They emerged from the 91 team field at MEQ as the tournament champions. The team based in the Northland of Kansas City has a displayed record of 40-14 on AES. The team has a lot of fire[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] behind [player_tooltip player_id='666872' first='Payton' last='Osegueda'] and [player_tooltip player_id='729456' first='Miah' last='Omoike']. [player_tooltip player_id='742595' first='Ensley' last='Fisher'] is one of the two setters who run the offense and displays good athleticism and decision-making. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 2 will have <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 15 Blue</strong>. They had multiple top ten showings in the USA Division at qualifiers, including a 3rd-place outing at Show Me. [player_tooltip player_id='769812' first='Lillian' last='Horn'] has emerged this spring as a player to keep watch on in the coming years. Outside [player_tooltip player_id='729520' first='Kamiyah' last='Harris'] is athletic and plays above the net. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->