Nebraska 17s Teams Surging after Northern Lights Qualifier

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nebraska's 17s squads are off to a roaring start on the national stage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Northern Lights Qualifier provides our first annual dose of qualifier storylines for many of Nebraska's top 17s competitors. We covered a group of Great Plains representatives who broke into Gold contention in Minneapolis, and [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 17 Elite capitalized with a coveted 17 Open bid. Now that the dust has settled at NLQ, we can dive deeper into some early-season stock-risers on the 17s scene.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which teams excelled in the spotlight? We have a few picks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Nebraska Elite 17 Surge</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's only fitting that our discussion of "surging" teams includes Nebraska Elite 17 Surge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was one of two Nebraska teams to reach the final bracket in NLQ's 17 American division. And, as we mentioned in our Championship Sunday preview, most of 17 Surge's athletes were already accustomed to the pressure after reaching last year's Gold group at NLQ. Seasoned veterans like [player_tooltip player_id='521244' first='Quinn' last='Sanmann'], [player_tooltip player_id='521219' first='Taylin' last='Mumford'], [player_tooltip player_id='521242' first='Alexis' last='Hewitt'], and [player_tooltip player_id='521217' first='Lily' last='Hestwood'] have stuck together to form a cohesive unit for Nebraska Elite. Adding [player_tooltip player_id='508161' first='Nevaeh' last='Hilderbrand'] to the mix has further bolstered 17 Surge's ball control and firepower at the outside hitter spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A fifth-place finish in Minneapolis has positioned 17 Surge to make even more gains as the qualifier grind continues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Nebraska Juniors 17 Black</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's the other Gold bracket breakthrough to discuss from 17 American.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had a feeling this would be a good weekend for Nebraska Juniors 17 Black, and the star-studded team backed up the hype with a quarterfinal berth in Minneapolis. Ogallala standout [player_tooltip player_id='498996' first='Alex' last='Ervin'] has built on her exceptional junior campaign with even more highlight moments for 17 Black. [player_tooltip player_id='575175' first='Suzanne' last='Riggins'], [player_tooltip player_id='521294' first='Maddie' last='Walsh'], and [player_tooltip player_id='443105' first='London' last='Meints'] add to the frontcourt physicality for 17 Black, while [player_tooltip player_id='510900' first='Raegan' last='Lehr'] has been a transformative addition at the setter spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Nebraska Elite 17-1</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Add one more to the Nebraska Elite camp.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NLQ was an important early proving ground for Nebraska Elite's top 17s group. We saw this team hone its skills at regional venues like the GPR Gold Series, but 17 Open competition in Minneapolis was another step up. Early reps are steadily paying off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":941754,"width":"523px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.501489906408696","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/IMG_3895.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-941754" style="aspect-ratio:1.501489906408696;width:523px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black competes at this season's first Great Plains Region Gold Series.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17-1 brought its best at the end of the weekend, winning three of its final four NLQ contests. Ball control has remained a strength for this group, with [player_tooltip player_id='521215' first='Mary' last='Bahle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458183' first='Kherington' last='Snider'] anchoring first and second contacts. That allows [player_tooltip player_id='809776' first='Madison' last='Phillips'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458184' first='Myla' last='Deats'] to make the most of their in-system opportunities. Establishing these connections will be critical as Nebraska Elite chases Open glory, as some of 17-1's athletes experienced two years ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So far, so good for the new-look [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Black lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sure, this roster has plenty of returning commodities who contributed to last year's GJNC effort. [player_tooltip player_id='458146' first='Alex' last='Kroll'] continues to lead the 17 Black offense, and her unspoken bonds with [player_tooltip player_id='807924' first='Elsie' last='Schmidt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='521271' first='Emery' last='Williams'] have flourished. But 17 Black has also added [player_tooltip player_id='365054' first='Evelyn' last='Timmons'] and [player_tooltip player_id='521256' first='Emmalyn' last='Quinn'] to the fray to retool one of the club's best all-around lineups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highlight of [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE']'s 17 USA journey was a five-match win streak, including a perfect Saturday stretch with no set losses. 17 Black can find that gear at any time and remind us of their past success at prominent qualifiers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->