Nebraska Teams Hunting Gold in Mid-March Qualifier Tour

The Great Plains Region is going on a nationwide tour.   This weekend's flurry of results has given us so many teams, athletes, and storylines to follow. Nebraska's top squads have spread out across multiple qualifiers in every corner of the country. We have all our browser tabs open and computer monitors in play.   So, what have we learned while tracking the Red Rock Rave, Northeast Qualifier, Northern Lights Qualifier, and Mideast Qualifier at the same time? First and foremost, these Nebraska challengers are in the Gold hunt.     Victory Bell   Philadelphia's Northeast Qualifier has become an emergent, unlikely venue for Midwestern powerhouses--and it's not just to see the Liberty Bell.   Nebraska has joined the NEQ party and has a few prospective bid-earners heading into Championship Sunday. This NEQ wave covers all the 18s divisions, plus the very hotly contested 17 Open field.   The 18s race is all about Nebraska Juniors 18 Black. This group has taken on the 18 American division and is in the Round of 16 behind an extraordinary 6-0 pool record. 18 Black's cast of veterans did not drop a set until Saturday afternoon's final contest. The American division demands a championship to guarantee a bid, but Nebraska Juniors has proven to be a bracket threat.   Then, we have the 17 Open crowd. 12 teams have landed in NEQ's Gold pools, and two of them hail from the Cornhusker State.   But these are simply high-level reps for [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 17 Elite. The Lincoln-area stars already secured their Open berth through January's Northern Lights Qualifier, so the pressure is off heading into Sunday. That hasn't stopped 17 Elite from compiling an impressive 5-1 record and a spot in the Gold hunt in Philadelphia.   So, all eyes are on one of the four undefeated teams left in this division. That's [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 17 Synergy. The Open bid was elusive for this group last year, but this might be the time to make amends. 17 Synergy is 6-0 after two rounds of action, and Round 2 was a show-stopper. [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] claimed a three-set win in every Saturday pool match to showcase its resilience and grit. That's how you rack up extra Open reps.   <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/2012528652911530182?s=20 </div></figure>   Gateway to Nationals   On to St. Louis.   This weekend's wave of the Nike Mideast Qualifier brings all the 15s divisions into the fray, plus a few 16s qualifier groups. St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, could offer the path to GJNC for Nebraska's postseason hopefuls.   Premier Nebraska has become the Great Plains headliner at MEQ. We can't help but start in 15 Open, where Premier Nebraska 15 Gold is the top seed in Pool 4 of Sunday's Gold group. The path to a bid looks favorable with two previously qualified teams among the 12 squads remaining in Gold. Still, Premier Nebraska is focused on its own red-hot game.   15 Gold is 6-0 and played some of its best volleyball to open Saturday's action. It's a continuation of the top-tier form we saw at Triple Crown NIT.   Elsewhere, Premier Nebraska 15 Silver is making some of its own noise. The colossal American division is split into the "Red" and "Blue" groups, and the red-clad Premier Nebraska team is fittingly found on the Blue side. And, like its 15 Gold counterpart, 15 Silver is 6-0 after two rounds of pool play.   Our Class of 2029 radar is expanding after this one. After a first-round bye, 15 Silver will face off with EVA 15 National in its Sunday opener.   <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/2022777596648309224?s=20 </div></figure>   Queens of the North   Teams are about to brave a blizzard in Minneapolis, so they might as well make the trip worthwhile.   Our Sunday discussion of the Northern Lights Qualifier is all about [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 16 Elite. We alluded to this team being the lone Nebraska representative in the 16 USA division, but quality supersedes quantity in this case. 16 Elite has reached Sunday's quarterfinals behind a perfect 6-0 start in the Twin Cities.   The first five contests were emphatic sweeps, but the Saturday finale against Kokoro was the real highlight. [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] was pushed to a third set after dropping its first stanza of the tournament in 32-30 fashion. Still, 16 Elite bounced back with a 15-12 win to secure a spot in the final chase.   A bracket debut against Skyline 16 Black awaits. With three bids in play, this is the must-win match of the day. From there, anything goes.   <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/2022667900344242425?s=20 </div></figure>   More to Do   Sunday will not be the end of our weekend grind.   Unlike the aforementioned qualifiers, the Red Rock Rave in Las Vegas does not wrap up with Sunday's slate. Instead, teams are competing in a Saturday-Monday schedule that extends all these storylines into next week.   So, we don't know who the final Gold contenders are yet. That doesn't stop us from highlighting Club Legacy 17 Alpha, which carries the Great Plains banner in Sin City. 17 Alpha participated in some Day 1 nail-biters and finished strong with a win over FSVC 17 Black Amanda.   With everything going on this weekend, we can't forget about this star-studded cast from Omaha.

The Great Plains Region is going on a nationwide tour.