Putting a Bow on USAV Junior Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before the holidays, we wrapped up the final divisions at the 2025 Championships for the 16U and 17U age groups. Many teams made deep runs in the tournament, representing Missouri and the KC metro. Here is how things ended for those squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Open play, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 16 Elite</strong> just missed a spot in the gold bracket, dropping a tough challenge match in three sets to MadFrog. They would spend their final day in the Silver A bracket and go 1-1 to finish the tournament 5-5. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 16 Black</strong> was paired with Rockwood after repooling and was defeated by them in straight sets, and again in a one-set playoff. They went 4-5 in the tournament, good for a top 20 finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moving on to the National Division, two KC teams advanced to the gold bracket, but both were eliminated after their first match. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 16 Elite</strong> and <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 16 Johnson</strong> would finish tied for 5th after a solid run over four days. [player_tooltip player_id='483934' first='Presley' last='Kreter'] of [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] and [player_tooltip player_id='446314' first='Bo' last='Bronson'] of [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] were named to the all-tournament team. <strong>HPSTL 16 Royal</strong> had a strong start to the tournament, winning their first five matches. They dropped both matches after the re-pool, before also losing their challenge match. In Flight 1, they picked up another win to finish the week 6-4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 16-1</strong> and <strong>HPSTL 16 Orange</strong> both had winning records in the USA Division. [program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] went 6-4, and 16 Orange went 6-5. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 16 Stout</strong> won the Bronze bracket in the Liberty Division, going 7-3. They won five straight to close out the tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The deep American Division saw <strong>Mavs 16 Elite</strong> fight to the Gold bracket after a strong showing in pool play. They unfortunately fell short, losing their quarterfinal match. Their tournament would end with an 8-2 record. [player_tooltip player_id='478871' first='Maryn' last='Dean'] was pegged for the all-tournament team. Also competitive in the division, <strong>KC [program_tooltip program_id='428823' first='Voltage' last=''] 16-1</strong> went 7-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 16 Navy</strong> made it to the round of eight and was defeated by the eventual national champions in the opening match, which would be their sole loss in the tournament. They finished 8-1 and had Maria Murray named to the all-tournament team. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 16 Blue </strong>didn't have a bad showing, going 7-3 over the four days. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Open Division saw <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Stowell</strong> go 3-6 and <strong>Mavs 17 Elite</strong> finish 5-4.<strong> [program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 17-1</strong> was a win shy of playing for a national title in the National Division. They played in a highly competitive semifinal match that saw every set go extra points, including the 16-14 third set that kept them from playing for the top prize. This defeat would be their only one as they finished 9-1. A pair of players, Hallie Vaughn and [player_tooltip player_id='446308' first='Kennedy' last='Glasgow'] played their way onto the all-tournament team. <strong>HPSTL 17 Royal</strong> had a strong start and was defeated in their crossover challenge match, preventing them from a shot at the Gold bracket. They completed their championships with a 7-3 record. Rounding out the teams in the National, [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 17 Elite went 1-8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopping over to the USA Division, <strong>Invasion 17 Black</strong>, like [program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''], was close to the final match, dropping a semi to the eventual national champion. They finished tied for third with a 7-3 record and saw [player_tooltip player_id='357615' first='Piper' last='Bahr'] and Kamryn Hinnenkamp earn spots on the all-tournament team. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Elite</strong> also had two players named, [player_tooltip player_id='544984' first='Nora' last='Wiley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='222076' first='Abigail' last='Schoene'], who helped lead their team to the Gold bracket, finishing 4-5. Not necessarily in Kansas City, but representing the Heart of America region, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='432164' first='Fight' last='Club'] 17-1 </strong>went 8-2. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Navy</strong> won six of their first seven matches. Then they had to face their sister club, 17 Elite, in the crossover match and were defeated in straight sets. They produced a 6-3 showing over the week. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 17 Black </strong>rounds out the coverage teams, going 5-4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams in the Liberty Division, <strong>Mavs KC 17 National</strong> went 5-4, and<strong> [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Pozek </strong>went 5-5. <strong>Mizuno [program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 17 Mike </strong>went an impressive 8-2 in the American Division. They won their first six matches, dropped a pool play match on Day 3, and followed by losing their crossover match. They bounced back to win both matches in the Bronze bracket. <strong>Topeka Impact 17-1 </strong>and <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 17 Blue </strong>both had 5-5 weeks, while <strong>Summit VBC 17 National </strong>went 3-5. <strong>417 Missouri Jrs. 17 Elite</strong> rounds out the Missouri teams, going 4-6. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final division, the Freedom, had <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='541076' first='Midwest' last='Blitz'] 17-1</strong>, and battled to a 3-6 record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->