Just Short: Dynasty Finishes Second in 17 Open

In the era of many athletes graduating early to head off to their college campuses, this would be the last dance for [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 17 Black as we know them. This team has a history of solid finishes and finding a way on the podium over the previous three years with a championship, runner-up, and third-place finish to their credit.   This tournament also would look different with one of the top players in the country being regulated to cheering duties after suffering an injury earlier in the season. However, with [player_tooltip player_id='119226' first='Carlie' last='Cisneros'] out, the deep roster stepped up and fought to a second-place finish in the top division for 17U.   They would start their run in Chicago by going 3-0 on day one. There are no off-matches in the open division evidenced by a three-set win to start the day. The second day saw them also open with a three-setter and it was a closer battle, winning 15-13. They would suffer their first defeat of the tournament in the final pool match against SCVC 17 Roxy in straight sets, -22, -22.   Day three would start with pools being reformatted and 1st Alliance would knock off 17 Black in their opening match in three sets. This essentially put them in a do-or-die scenario where a win was needed to advance to the Group 1 crossover matches. A loss would send them to Group 2 and out of championship contention. [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] rose their play and made quick work of SG Elite 17 Roshambo in straight sets to advance to the Gold Bracket.   Top of day four, Metro 17 Travel escaped with a 25-23 win in the opening set. The Kansas City team would take control in the second set to create some breathing room and win 25-20. [player_tooltip player_id='152831' first='Maya' last='Houseworth'] had a couple of huge blocks to fire up her squad. The final set was the most entertaining of the match with big plays on both sides of the net both offensively and defensively. After a big defensive play from libero [player_tooltip player_id='150068' first='Ryan' last='McAleer'], [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] closed the deal 16-14. It wouldn't get any easier with Houston Skyline looming in the semifinals. Riding the high of the previous match, they were able to secure a sweep to advance to the finals and a shot for a championship.   The opponent in the final match would be no stranger being the team that gave them their first loss of the tournament. The first match went extra with SCVC pulling it out 28-26. The second was just as tight with [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] getting the 25-23 win to force the pivotal third and decisive set. Both teams made runs but it was the California team who would win the national title with a 15-11 win.   [player_tooltip player_id='119707' first='Skyler' last='Pierce'], [player_tooltip player_id='153930' first='Abigail' last='Mullen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='201027' first='Jada' last='Ingram'] all earned a spot on the all-tournament team.   [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Black   [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 17 Black finished their run in the Open division with an 18th-place finish. They got off to a good start, going 4-1 in pool play with the loss coming to Metro 17 Travel, who advanced to the Gold Bracket. The dream of a championship would come to an end on the third day after dropping both pool matches and slide into the Group 2 Crossover matches. They won that match in three-sets over local foe, Pohaku 17-1 to advance on to the Bronze Bracket. In the Bronze, they won the first match over Club V before dropping the second to Coast 17-1.   Pohaku 17-1   We mentioned Pohaku above as they dropped their match to [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] and finished their tournament in Flight 1 bracket play. They would go 1-1 there after defeating Premier Nebraska 17 Gold in two before losing a three-setter to Vision 17 Gold. This was a strong finish considering how the tournament started. They went 1-2 on the first day and needed a better second day to stay in the hunt. They regrouped and won both matches to finish third in their pool. They dropped both matches on the third day, including one to the eventual National Champions. Pohaku would end in 22nd place.   [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Elite   The St. Louis area club was in good shape after the first day, going 2-1. The odds suggest getting one win on day two may be good enough to stay in Group 1 on day 3. A 3-2 record generally can put you as high as second and as low as fourth. That second day didn't go as planned as they would drop both matches and slide down to the 5th spot. Day 3 put them in a four team pool in Group 2 play and they dropped all three matches to finish their tournament in Flight 3. We saw them finish their season strong by winning three straight matches to go 5-6, good for 31st.   Mavs KC 17-1   The final team from our bi-state area Mavs KC ended their season with a 33rd place showing. They went 2-7 over the four days after getting a win to open the championships.

In the era of many athletes graduating early to head off to their college campuses, this would be the last dance for Dynasty 17 Black as we know them. This team has a history of solid finishes and finding a way on the podium over the previous three years with a championship, runner-up, and third-place finish to their credit.