1st Alliance 16 Gold’s Grit Leads to TC NIT Quarterfinal Berth

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's never over until it's over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sports is full of cliches, including this one. But this old adage is especially true in volleyball, where every new set offers a chance to reset and refocus. Early deficits can be overcome, as 1st Alliance 16 Gold would prove during Sunday's Triple Crown NIT bracket play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Great Lakes Region competitors bring a rich history of national success to NIT. Talent-stacked squads like 16 Gold have helped turn Chicago into one of prep volleyball's most competitive metros. Such a reputation helped 1st Alliance nab a spot in Triple Crown's power pools, and 16 Gold has backed up the high expectations that come with that selection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday's opening slate was a preview of how resilient this team could be against elite foes. 16 Gold dropped its opening match of the weekend but battled back to a 2-1 mark with wins over Houston Skyline and Arizona Thunder. Both of those triumphs came via three-set decisions that tested 1st Alliance's resolve. But that was just the beginning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pressure mounts on Sunday as the threat of elimination looms. 16 Gold played some of its best volleyball of the weekend en route to a challenge round win over VCNebraska. The left-side hitter tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='730948' first='Keira' last='McQuillan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='546004' first='Neda' last='Savic'] became the focal point of the offense. 1st Alliance setter [player_tooltip player_id='484408' first='Tatum' last='Kelly'] knew when to feed them in crunch time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Balance still remained a key element of 1st Alliance's bracket breakthrough. 16 Gold wielded a four-headed monster at middle blocker featuring [player_tooltip player_id='846313' first='Addison' last='Clausing'], [player_tooltip player_id='761532' first='Alyson' last='Cahill'], [player_tooltip player_id='846643' first='Sommer' last='Shaw'], and [player_tooltip player_id='734129' first='Madison' last='Finn']. Finn effectively operated as a middle-opposite hybrid who could score on either side of the setter. It's a gnarly assignment for any opposing net defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Still, 1st Alliance had to prove that its intangible assets could carry it through adversity. This became apparent in the Round of 16, as Madfrog delivered an opening-set gut punch to the Chicago challengers. 16 Gold had won three-set contests in power pools, but neither of those wins came after Set 1 defeats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sunday was for new trends. 1st Alliance forged a massive comeback to topple Madfrog and meet HPSTL in the Sunday finale.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps you could bill this showdown as the “Battle for I-55.” Regional intrigue intensified as 1st Alliance battled their St. Louis comrades from across the Land of Lincoln. Something had to give.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And, like the match against Madfrog, 1st Alliance would have to rally. HPSTL nabbed a dominant win in Set 1 over 16 Gold. Time for another one of those resets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2023092769707925610?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2023092769707925610?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Depth is always tested in these high-pressure situations. 16 Gold's star-studded cast of defensive specialists dug in. [player_tooltip player_id='522628' first='Hope' last='Garland'] anchored the libero jersey, and she had a great supporting crew, too. [player_tooltip player_id='522626' first='Ellery' last='Cabaj'] and Hayden Klimowicz were equally comfortable in the serve-receive pattern, and [player_tooltip player_id='522622' first='Angelia' last='Robinson'] carried a multi-faceted role in that area throughout the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stable first contacts yielded terminal results. McQuillan and Savic returned to form and anchored a clutch 25-23 win in Set 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That was all the momentum 1st Alliance needed to forge another comeback. With legs surely trembling from so many marathon matches, 16 Gold found a second win in the third set. 1st Alliance never trailed en route to a tiebreaker win to reach Monday's quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The journey isn't over, but we already know it's never over until it's over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2023108564622200909?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2023108564622200909?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->