Dream Reached by Three at ASICS MLK

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the earlier qualifiers took place in downtown Kansas City over the weekend. Three teams that I consider to be in my coverage space clinched bids at the MLK Qualifier. In 18 Open, [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] navigated its way to the Gold Pool on the last day. The Kansas-based team with players on both sides of the state line had a good start, winning their first five matches of the weekend. They were beaten in the final match of day two by eventual champion Nebraska Premier. A 2-1 day two earned a spot in the Gold Pool. They were dropped by A5 in the first match and again by Premier in the second. A must-win match for the third bid saw the KC team sweep Oklahoma Peak. In the matches I glanced in on, [player_tooltip player_id='807773' first='Ella' last='Stowell'] was productive from both the front and back row, and [player_tooltip player_id='355651' first='Neely' last='Leathers'] did a good job of running the show. Head Coach Lucas Galmarini was relieved to get the bid out of the way early, considering they passed on [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] League, and was happy with how the team managed overall. They lost a big player to early graduation, and he thought [player_tooltip player_id='222092' first='Willow' last='Weninger'] came up big in key moments, filling some big shoes. He also added, "Stowell and [player_tooltip player_id='240984' first='Cami' last='Sher'] didn't come off the floor all weekend and were workhorses". </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two bids were available in 18 Liberty, and one of them went to Missouri's [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Navy squad. They had a phenomenal showing, going 8-1 on the way to securing a chance to play for a championship in many of their final club season. They were dominant through the first two rounds with many lopsided contests. They were pressed slightly by Topeka Impact in the second set in the Gold Bracket and were pushed to three sets in a showdown with Oklahoma Charge, which ended in a 15-13 win. They ran out of gas in the championship, losing in straight sets to UEPA 18D out of Texas. [player_tooltip player_id='229558' first='Maggie' last='Smith'] was impressive on the right side for the runner-ups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third bid came from the American Division. One bid was at stake, and 68 teams showed up to grab it. When the dust settled, [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 18 Blue out of Kansas City would emerge with a trip to the Nationals. It wasn't easy as they finished with a 7-3 record. Often, you have to be near perfect, but luck had it, their losses came early, and they were able to secure a spot in the Gold Bracket. Once there, they won three straight to get to the championship match. Prior to the showdown taking place, their bid was already clinched regardless of the outcome due to facing Oklahoma Peak 17-1, who wouldn't accept the bid if they won. I liked what I saw on the right side from Keira Cole and backrow specialist [player_tooltip player_id='839817' first='Olivia' last='Holthaus']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->