Wisconsin’s Class of 2021 at MEQ
Ah, the Mideast Qualifier. A tournament that attracts the masses. Compels teams from all over the country to meet in one of the most iconic sports cities in America; Indianapolis. Home of the NFL Combine and also home to…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAh, the Mideast Qualifier.
A tournament that attracts the masses. Compels teams from all over the country to meet in one of the most iconic sports cities in America; Indianapolis. Home of the NFL Combine and also home to multiple history-altering moments in the wide world of sports.
This weekend, it was home to the 11s-15s divisions of Women’s Club Volleyball and the city was alive and well. Food trucks littered the streets and filled the air with their enticing aroma of smoked beef and delectable cupcakes. The halls of the Indiana Convention Center were flooded with volleyball vendors and families excited to purchase some of MEQ’s Nike sponsored gear. The interior of the convention was precisely packed with 80+ volleyball courts and, if you were lucky enough, you may have found yourself playing in the one and only Lucas Oil Stadium; the very same field where one of the greatest NFL Quarterbacks of all-time (Peyton Manning) fielded a good 3/4 of his career.
Now, how did some our Wisconsin teams fair down in the “Circle City”?
Midwest Penguins 15 Black (15 USA)
Entered: 13th overall
Finished: T-5th overall (Gold Bracket)
Your winners of the 15’s Badger Region Qualifier, MWP 15-Black, entered into the 15USA division at MEQ ranked 13th overall began their quest for gold with a 3-0 day one by the skin of their teeth. Dismantling their first two opponents and then edging out an extremely intense three-set endeavor winning 16-14 against MVA 15-National (LK), Penguins found themselves in first, primed for day two. In day two, Penguins would begin 2-0, winning another tight three-set match 15-13 against THR33 VBA 15-1 (HA) and headed to face the number 3 overall seed in USA division in Elevation 15-1. MWP would fall in a close two sets, however, they would still make it to the Gold bracket for the final day. Heading into the Gold bracket for Day 3, Penguins would play 4th Seed, Prime-Time 15 Blue (GL) and win in straight sets before falling in the second round of Gold to a team from Southern California, SVVC in another well fought two-set match.
Penguins showed the same level of energy and grit that they possessed at the In-State Qualifier and truly carried that momentum into this weekend against some of the best competition from across the country, playing teams from Kansas, Illinois, California, Kentucky, Ohio and New York.
Standout players for MWP 15 Black included MB Alexis Boling, RS Kayla Lewinski, and OH Jordan Bergling. All three of these players contributed not only by physically imposing their wills on the teams that they faced, however by also mentally carrying and supporting their team through the highs and the lows that come with these intense matches where every point can be a momentum changer. What stood out to me from these three is that they were the backbone of allowing the rest of the team to take the smallest victory and turn it into a pure momentum changer. For a team that is dangerous on a full head of steam, watch out for MWP 15-Black this coming weekend at Badger Champs.
FC-Elite 15 Navy (15 USA)
Entered: 7th overall
Finished: T-5th overall (Gold Bracket)
Your runner-up of the 15’s Badger Region Qualifier, FC Elite 15 Navy was looking for a bit of revenge in the Circle City this weekend and may have been hoping to run into MWP again on Day 3 in the finals of Gold. But they had to get there first in order to do it. Day one began and FC Elite dismantled their first two opponents before running into a marathon from Virginia Juniors 15 Elite (8th overall ranked), barely losing 14-16 in the 3rd set. Ending day one with a 2-1 record. With a bit to prove coming out in Day 2, FC Elite sharpened their swords and went at their opponents, finishing 2-1 again on Day 2, earning their way into the Gold Bracket for Day 3, on the same half of the bracket as MWP. FC Elite ended up winning their first match against 9th seeded, and friendly neighbor, Chicago Elite 15-1s in straight sets. Their second-round match would be against top-ranked Houston Juniors 15-1. The team from Texas would eventually prevail in an unbelievable match filled with future Division-1 Prospects on both sides of the courts honing their respective crafts of volleyball. From a volleyball enthusiasts standpoint, this match was one to take note of to watch later.
FC-Elite again proved that they can hang with the best of the best and that they are one of the top teams in the country. Playing against teams from Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, Michigan, Illinois and Texas, this was a qualifier for them to sharpen their edges, find their grooves and to get ready to put it all out on the line this coming weekend at Badger Champs.
Standout players for FC-Elite 15 Navy included OH Cora Behnke, S Brooke Bolwerk, and L Saige Damrow. Cora Behnke was certainly one of the top 5 outsides seen within the entirety of the USA division. A physical beast on the outside, blowing up top-tier liberos left and right and tooling blocks with last-second reads as if she were able to freeze time and perfectly read the positioning of her opponents’ hands to net her a kill. Brooke Bolwerk made reversing the flow easy and consistently kept opposing blockers feel silly if they even remotely thought of cheating certain directions. Her ability to watch the opposing defense from her peripheral all the while maintaining the poise to run a tempo offense was second-to-none. Saige Damrow is a name you will be hearing a lot of over the next few years. The 13-year-old possesses a mental fortitude years above her chronological age as well as a grit and ability to read opposing hitters that is entirely on par with some of the top liberos at MEQ in the class of 2021. For Saige to compete at this level as a class of 2023 on this stage really speaks volumes about who she is as a player.
The MWP v FC Elite rematch will have to wait. I have a hunch that we will see more of them this weekend at Badger Champs.
Wisconsin Premier 15 Teal (15 American)
Entered: 30th overall
Finished: T-19th overall
Your 3rd place team at the Badger Region Qualifier was also present at the Mideast Qualifier this weekend in the American division. Wisconsin Premier entered Day 1 seeded first in their pool dismantling their first two opponents and barely losing a 3-set marathon match to Michigan Elite 13-15 after a close comeback down 9-14 in the third. Ending day one with a total record of 2-1. Entering into Day 2, Premier was faced against 3rd overall seed Houston Juniors 15-2 and ended up upsetting them in three sets, 13-15, in one of the most intense matches of the tournament. This sent the entire pool in flames as Premier then lost to Lions 15 Navy (GL) and defeated Academy 15s (HO). The pool ended in a three-way tie for 1st place, forcing a tiebreaker set between Lions and Premier. Premier dismantled lions 25-12 in their one set playoff, earning the opportunity for Gold in a crossover match against 4th overall Net Results 15-2 (HA) from Missouri. Premier dropped the first set, won the second set and eventually fell in the third 8-15. Premier would go on to go into silver and lose in the semi-finals with an overall record of 7-4 on the weekend and a 19th place finish, drastically improving their starting position.
Standout players for Wisconsin Premier 15 Teal included S Lily Behrendt, L Kady Stigler, and MB Ella Chevalier. Lily Behrendt was a master of tempo from all aspects of the game. When the ball was in her hands, the game was entirely in control. Whether she was dominating teams by methodically picking them apart from beyond the service line or sending the perfect GO ball to her outside, to only be picked off as a 31 by her Middles, you could never truly be ready for what Behrendt was going to throw at you as she targeted every chink in your armor to perfection. A true setter. Kady Stigler was an absolute menace on serve receive covering all aspects of the court and when you thought you had her beat, she was able to cover ground in an instant. What further makes her play even more amazing was her ability to play defense against all middles within her path. Stigler dug high-level middles with ease, turning opposing in system middle attacks into chance ball opportunities for her own team. Stigler was ready for everything, even playing through a bloody nose in her Gold Crossover, digging balls left and right while simultaneously maintaining her composure during this time. Ella Chevalier has come a long way since the beginning of the season. Chevalier was able to read and shut down opposing hitters with well time blocks and quick twitch muscle movements to be ready for all opposing attacks. At the same time, her transition from blocking to first tempo attacking was not only flawless but ruthless. Chevalier would shut down your high percentage shot and then bounce right back and soar for a quick 31 attack. Her improvement throughout the season and the tournament is only doubled by her ability to constantly stay positive and bring her team up around them.
Premier will be an interesting wild-card team to watch at Badger Champs based on the performance they showed this past weekend.