15U Teams Shine at Nike President’s Day Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Nike President's Day Classic showcased remarkable talent from 15U teams across the Gateway Region and Heart of America. Following my coverage of the competitive 15 Open field, let's celebrate the standout teams that thrived in their divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15 Club Blue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HPSTL South 15 Diamond had an outstanding weekend, finishing 9-0 with an impressive 18-3 in sets, claiming the title in the 15 Club Blue division. They dominated the Day 1 pool with a perfect 3-0 record, mirroring that success on Day 2. In the gold bracket semifinal, they faced a tough challenge from Prime Time 15 Blue, edging out a thrilling 16-14 victory. The finals were no less dramatic, as they triumphed over Adversity G15 Purple Adidas in another nail-biter, winning 16-14 in the third set. Key players included pin hitters <strong>Ava Krebel, Claire Morff, Olivia Riedy</strong>, and <strong>Skylar</strong> <strong>Clayton</strong>, with <strong>Emily Horton</strong> excelling as libero. Congratulations on the title!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">15 Club Blue</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FVA 15-2 started strong, sweeping their first seven opponents to advance to the semifinal round in Gold. However, they were defeated by Adversity G15 Purple Adidas, the eventual runner-up, with scores of 19-25 and 12-25. <strong>Grace Gilligan</strong> excelled in the middle, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='891048' first='Kaitlyn' last='Bonds']</strong> made significant contributions on the left pin. The duo of <strong>Rilyn Helms</strong> and <strong>Victoria Benoist</strong> in the libero positions proved crucial to the team's success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">15 Club Red</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>573 15 Premier C achieved a commendable runner-up finish with an 8-1 record and 17-3 in sets. The team kicked off the tournament with seven straight sweeps before facing a formidable opponent in Circle City 15 Volt during the Gold bracket semifinal. They narrowly lost 28-26, 24-26, 15-11, which set up a championship rematch with HBJ 15U Elite. Unfortunately, this time, 573 15 Premier fell short, losing 25-23, 20-25, 12-15. Standout performances came from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='891692' first='Hannah' last='Lackman']</strong> (flexible on pins or libero), <strong>Chloe Chiteri</strong> (dominant left-side hitter), and <strong>Kayla Pitts</strong> (solid in the middle). A fantastic finish for 573 15 Premier!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">15 Premier Blue</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next Gen 15U Gold also made waves, finishing as a runner-up in the 15 Premier Blue Division with an 8-2 weekend record. After a tough opening loss to Adversity G15 Adidas (23-25, 25-23, 13-15), they bounced back by winning eight consecutive matches to reach the Gold Bracket final. Unfortunately, they faced a strong Club Fusion 15-1 National team and lost in straight sets, 19-25, 17-25. Key contributors included<strong> Emerson</strong> <strong>Braun</strong>, <strong>Grace Robinson</strong>, and <strong>Sydney Ward</strong>, who all played exceptionally well throughout the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->