Nebraska Bid Tracker: Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy Back on NLQ Podium

Another year, another NLQ bid.   We had a good feeling that Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy would remain a championship threat at this year's Northern Lights Qualifier after a bid-earning third-place effort in 2022. Sure, there are a couple of new contributors on this season's group that weren't around for that previous triumph. A familiar core group has returned, however, and the team seemed to find a new peak during this repeat trip to Minneapolis.   That all yielded a second-place finish in last weekend's 16 Open field and yet another Nationals bid claimed at NLQ. Here's the rundown from 16 Synergy's wild journey as we add another team to the Nebraska Bid Tracker.     A Hot Start   Nebraska ONE's success at NLQ was anchored by an incredibly strong start to the weekend.   In short, 16 Synergy won its first five matches without dropping a set. Opening day was particularly dominant, as none of Nebraska ONE's opponents managed to surpass 17 points in a single set. That set up a wave of momentum into Saturday's pools, where the stakes would be raised a little more.   The dominance continued into Day 2. Nebraska ONE's second round started with a fascinating border battle against Iowa PowerPlex, a team that produced some Friday heroics to advance through the top group. Still, 16 Synergy's medley of stifling defense and quick offense yielded a fourth consecutive sweep and a win on the board for Saturday's slate.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1639630683160076290?s=20 </div></figure>   Next in line was a reprise of a Triple Crown NIT thriller. Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy and MKE Sting 16 Gold had everyone on edge in the Round of 32 of last month's NIT, as the teams exchanged blows and went to a deuce third set. Synergy eventually took a 20-18 win in that classic contest, and the two teams would meet again in Round 2 pools at NLQ.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1639655991796019202?s=20 </div></figure>   But this rematch was all about Nebraska ONE. A 25-23 win in the first set led to a much more comfortable win in the second, giving 16 Synergy a 2-0 record in Round 2. That all but assured a spot in Gold pools on Championship Sunday, even as Synergy took its first loss of the event in a three-set gauntlet against fellow unbeaten 1st Alliance. Nebraska ONE had been at this stage a year ago and had an extra dose of confidence heading into the final round.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1639689506424012803?s=20 </div></figure>     Tiebreaker Pandemonium   This is where things get wild.   Nebraska ONE was placed in a Sunday Gold pool with a pair of very familiar foes. The first was Northern Lights 16-1, the team that 16 Synergy had defeated in last year's third-place match to earn the last NLQ 15 Open bid. Then there was Premier Nebraska 16 Gold, an in-state rival who was having an extraordinary tournament and was very accustomed to Nebraska ONE's style and personnel.   What ensued between this trio was absolutely mindblowing. 16 Synergy watched the opener as Northern Lights swept Premier Nebraska. Then, it was Nebraska ONE's turn to pick up a sweep against Northern Lights. But, to throw this entire group into chaos, Premier Nebraska earned a stunning sweep over Nebraska ONE to defy the entire series history between the two Great Plains competitors.   This pool ended with a very anticlimactic feeling of, "now what?" Each team posted a 1-1 record with set records being exactly the same. The tiebreaker flow charts were coming out, and we were going way down to the bottom of the page.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640001371645566977?s=20 </div></figure>   Point percentage was suddenly under the microscope, and this is where 16 Synergy had an advantage. Nebraska ONE's close losses against Premier Nebraska (-24, -22) and a particularly dominant set win against Northern Lights (-13) proved to be a deciding factor in 16 Synergy's bid pursuit. The pool was sorted by point percentage, and Nebraska ONE came out on top. The USAV tiebreaker flowchart indicates that point percentage can grant teams a bid as long as it is not the last bid in the division. A tiebreaker set would happen in this group, but 16 Synergy was exempt. The bid was in hand.   With the big goal complete, Nebraska ONE advanced to the NLQ championship for another meeting with that feisty 1st Alliance 16 Gold squad. You have to give credit to 1st Alliance for the way it came out and dominated in this event. 16 Synergy put up a good fight in the early stages of the title match, but 16 Gold would not be denied an unbeaten run in Minneapolis. Still, a runner-up finish is an extraordinary building block to what is shaping up to be a brilliant 16 Open campaign for Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1640022778190389252?s=20 </div></figure>     Some New, Some Familiar   Here's where we give our shoutouts.   As we alluded to earlier, this Nebraska ONE team has a unique blend of recognizable roles and new additions. The fresh faces were particularly impactful last weekend, so let's address those first.   The multi-faceted role of Sierra Crist has been fascinating to follow. She's played on the pin, in the middle, as a defensive specialist, and almost anything in between. In Minneapolis, she primarily slotted into the frontcourt as an opposite and made some crucial swings on the right throughout the weekend. What can't Crist do?   Of course, [player_tooltip player_id='155050' first='Mattie' last='Dalton'] was also spectacular as she continues her debut season with Nebraska ONE. What's particularly notable about this tournament is how much Dalton expanded her role in the backcourt. Dalton has now been entrusted with some passing and defensive duties on a 16 Synergy team that has always prided itself on quality ball control. This is a big step forward for Dalton and her team.   And even as we discuss some familiar contributors with this group, there were new wrinkles shown last weekend that have changed the way we see 16 Synergy's lineup. The first place where this applies is at the middle blocker spot featuring [player_tooltip player_id='189320' first='Natalie' last='Wardlow'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189321' first='Lexi' last='Hasselbalch']. Nebraska ONE frequently used crossing patterns and combination plays that put its middle blockers on the left pin in side-out situations. It's a testament to how much 16 Synergy trusts Wardlow and Hasselbalch to deliver clutch swings, and it makes this duo even more difficult for opposing blockers to track.   Another evolution we saw at NLQ involved defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='155031' first='Zoe' last='Rademacher']. We've previously mentioned that Rademacher has impressive length for a defensive specialist, and that physicality has recently yielded an occasional role as a back-row attacker. Moreover, Rademacher's spot in the rotation has shifted over to the DS spot for Crist at opposite, putting Rademacher primarily in the right-back area despite her background in middle-back. This has allowed Rademacher to hit the 'D' pattern in the back row and has also shifted [player_tooltip player_id='189326' first='Harper' last='Gable'] over to Zone 6 in place of Dalton whenever the situation warrants.   Other roles within 16 Synergy's lineup feel as old as time. [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] is still a six-rotation mainstay who leads with frontcourt attacking and backcourt passing and defense. [player_tooltip player_id='155029' first='Keri' last='Leimbach'] remains anchored at the libero spot and is a can't-miss prospect among the nation's top 2025s. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='458117' first='Malorie' last='Boesiger'] runs the whole show and shares the right pin with [player_tooltip player_id='189322' first='Kendall' last='Cose'], another Norris product who is rising through the ranks.     The Tracker   18 Open   Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK)     18 USA   Premier Nebraska 18 Black (Music City)     17 Open   Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NLQ)     16 Open   Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy (NLQ)

Another year, another NLQ bid.