Premier 16 Gold Brings 2017-18 Club Season to End with 3rd Place Finish at USAV

<p>DETROIT - The 2017-18 indoor club volleyball season officially came to an end on the 4th of July with the conclusion of the USAV Girls Junior National Championship in Detroit and Premier 16 Gold made sure Nebraska teams finished the year with a bang.</p> <p>Premier 16 Gold won its first nine match in the 16 National Division in Detroit before falling 25-21, 25-23 in the championship semifinals to eventual champions Six Pack 16s of Iowa to finish in a tie for 3rd place.</p> <p>Premier 16 Gold came into the tournament as the #6 seed and dominated competition in its initial pool, going 5-0 without dropping a single set over the first two days. On the third day, Premier 16 Gold again won its pool, sweeping both of its opponents to reach the challenge round for a berth into the championship bracket. In that challenge match, Premier 16 Gold cruised to a 25-21, 25-17 win over Mauloa 16's Pono - which would go on to finish 10th. </p> <p>In the championship quarterfinals on Wednesday morning, Premier 16 Gold took a 25-15, 25-23 win over Arsenal 16 Gold of Texas to reach the semifinals. Despite its loss to Six Pack, Premier 16 Gold gave the champions their toughest challenge in bracket play as Six Pack went on to beat Iowa Rockets 25-20, 25-18 in the finals. </p> <p>Members of the Premier 16 Gold team are:</p> <p>Emma Crouch, Elkhorn<br /> Paige Fixemer, Millard South<br /> Sophie Hendrix, Papillion-LaVista South<br /> Izzy Lukens, Millard North<br /> Meredith Mueller, Omaha Marian<br /> Gabi Nordaker, Millard West<br /> Chloe Paschal, Papillion-LaVista<br /> McKenna Ruch, Millard North<br /> Kennedy Schaecher, Gretna<br /> Brooklyn Schram, Papillion-LaVista<br /> Lydia Yost, Gretna</p> <p>Below is a list of how all the teams from Nebraska - not previously mentioned in earlier articles - at the USAV National championship did. Teams are listed by oldest age first and divisions are ranked from most competitive to the least.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>17 Open </strong></span></p> <p>Premier 17 Gold - tied for 31st place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>17 National</strong></span></p> <p>Premier 17 Black - tied for 43rd place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>17 American</strong></span></p> <p>Banzai 171 - tied for 61st place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>16 National</strong></span></p> <p>Premier 16 Gold - tied for 3rd place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>16 American</strong></span></p> <p>Premier 16 Black - 29th place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>13 National</strong></span></p> <p>Nebraska Elite 13 Thunder - tied for 5th place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>13 American</strong></span></p> <p>Premier 13 Gold - tied for 13th place<br /> Premier 13 Black - 22nd place</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>11 National</strong></span></p> <p>Premier 11 Gold - tied for 5th place</p>