21 Teams Head to Denver in Search of USAV Bids
DENVER - The scenery in Denver is always spectacular, but it will be even more so this weekend as many of the top teams in the nation converge on the Mile High City for the Colorado Crossroads USAV National Qualifier.
This weekend 21 teams from Nebraska are competing in the 16s, 17s and 18s divisions while next weekend is for the younger ages.
In the 18 Open division, 48 teams are competing for four bids to the national championships. However, of the 48 teams, six have already earned bids. So, for example, if all six of the previously-qualified teams should finish in the top six spots, teams that finish seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th would earn bids, etc. Those teams competing this weekend that have already earned bids include Rockwood Thunder, KC Power, Invasion, Sky High, Metro and Houston Skyline.
Nebraska's lone representative in the 18 Open division is Premier 18 Gold, which is ranked #44 in the nation and is coming off the 18 Open championship at the Asics President's Day Classic in Omaha earlier this month. 18 Gold is seeded 19th out of the 48 teams but looks to have gotten a favorable pool assignment, dodging any teams ranked higher than it on the first day of competition. Colorado Juniors is the top seed in 18 Gold's four-team pool but is ranked #60 nationally. LAVA and Academy are also in 18 Gold's pool but are unranked.
In order to stay in contention for a team title and bid to nationals, a team must place in the top two of its pool on Saturday and then turn around and accomplish the same thing in re-pooled competition on Sunday.
In the 18 USA division where there are also four bids available, Performance 18 NIKE is one of 88 teams competing.
In 18 American, 80 teams will be competing for just one bid, and that field includes Premier 18 Black and Club Legacy 18 ROX.
In 17 Open, Premier 17 Gold earned the #22 seed out of 48 teams while Nebraska Elite 17 Ooh Rah is seeded #31. Unlike 18 Open, there are only three bids up for grabs in the 17 Open division.
In 17 USA, Club Legacy 17 ROX, Nebraska ONE 17 Shockwave and Performance 17 NIKE are all competing while Premier 17 Black and Nebraska Elite 17 KOA are both taking part in the 17 American competition.
In 16 Open, Premier 16 Gold takes the #21 seed into the tournament out of 48 teams while Nebraska Elite 16 Meraki starts as the 27th-seeded team.
Nebraska teams taking part in the 16 USA division this weekend are Performance 16 NIKE, Banzai 161 and Nebraska ONE 16 Krush while in the 16 American division, Premier 16 Red, Nebraska Elite 16 Mojo, Club Legacy 16 Shattered, Nebraska ONE 16 Heist and Premier 16 Black are competing.
