2024 Nebraska Bid Tracker: Premier 18 Black Finds NLQ Redemption

Premier Nebraska 18 Black started its qualifier journey at mid-January's KC MLK Tournament. It was a successful weekend, but 18 Black fell just short of its ultimate goal of securing a GJNC bid. That was rectified in Minneapolis.   The Northern Lights Qualifier was a venue for retribution as Premier 18 Black claimed a bid and a runner-up finish in the 18 USA division. We're adding to the 2024 Nebraska Bid Tracker today, and we're doing it with a veteran group that stepped up to seal the deal.   Time to relive the magic.     The Long Haul   The bulk of the grind in 18 USA came in pool play. Many of NLQ's divisions featured three-team pools, but 18 USA competitors faced back-to-back rounds with groups of four. Long mornings morphed into high-pressure afternoons. Premier 18 Black was ready for it.   18 Black took over the opening round despite being seeded second in its quartet. Friday started with an emphatic win over Top Flight to immediately set the tone. That was followed by another two-set win over FC Elite, a common qualifier rival for Premier Nebraska teams. Securing two sweeps put 18 Black in prime position to advance, but the wave of momentum kept rising. Premier put its stamp on Round 1 and downed Iowa Rockets, the #1 seed in the opening pool. On to the next one.   18 Black's Round 2 draw was fascinating. Half of the pool was made up of Mizuno Northern Lights squads. Indeed, we had the #1 and #2 Northern Lights 18s squads looking to lock down home territory in the same pool. Another neighborly foe lurked with MKE Sting filling out the four-team field.   Saturday began with another swift sweep over MKE Sting. At this point, Premier had still not dropped a set all weekend. That didn't change in the next match against NL 18-2. Finally, 18 Black was tripped up in a wild three-set thriller against Northern Lights 18-1, the #1 overall seed in the division.   <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/1751263079864692780?s=20 </div></figure>   A second-place pool finish was enough to assure a spot in the final four. For as much as pool play was a marathon, the final Gold bracket was a sprint. Two bids were up for grabs, and a single win in the Sunday opener would be enough to snag one.   18 Black still faced an uphill battle, however. The opponent standing in the way of a bid was TAV Houston 18 Adidas, the winner of the other Round 2 pool. This squad was untouchable through both rounds and dropped only one set en route to the final bracket.   But Premier would not be denied this time. A physical battle ensued with TAV Houston taking a deuce Set 1. In a show of tremendous resolve, 18 Black fought back from the Set 1 setback to win in three and earn the trip to Baltimore.   Premier finished the weekend as the 18 USA runner-up following another tiebreaker slugfest with Northern Lights 18-1.   <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/1751690978702852193?s=20 </div></figure>     A New Medley   This year's 18 Black roster has a brilliant medley of players who have represented a variety of Premier Nebraska groups over the year. It was all woven together to produce something special.   It's a conversation that ought to start with outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='122824' first='Kayla' last='Eggiman'], who has climbed the club ladder to become a massive scoring spark for 18 Black. The Bellevue West prep star has played on both pins throughout her career but is really flourishing as a six-rotation left side on this team. A Minneapolis run wouldn't have been possible without Eggiman.   [player_tooltip player_id='336633' first='Emma' last='Fontana'] and [player_tooltip player_id='187692' first='Makenza' last='Holly'] are a pair of impactful additions on the right side. These two have history playing on the same team, but their step up to 18 Black is a new wrinkle that has already paid off. The team's 6-2 offense allows both of these opposites to get plenty of action and find a scoring groove behind the setter.   One of those setters is [player_tooltip player_id='183955' first='Anabel' last='Seaman'], another new addition to 18 Black who has experience playing with Fontana and Holly. We've seen so many advancements in Seaman's game lately. Her instinctive defense in the right-back area is a perfect fit for 18 Black, which clearly prides itself on quality ball control.   That ball control is bolstered by [player_tooltip player_id='109587' first='Kyla' last='Dyrstad'], the setter on the other end of 18 Black's 6-2. Dyrstad has been an anchor player for this team for a long, long time. She's a multi-year state champion, an incredibly skilled distributor, and she's determined to end her club career with another trophy.   Setter-hitter connections in Minneapolis were strong across the board. Millard West's [player_tooltip player_id='122816' first='Kaelin' last='Pribyl'] was lethal on the left side no matter which setter was dishing the ball. She showed expansive range with kills down the line, in the crosscourt, or through any gaps in the opposing defense. It's everything we'd expect from a player who was so productive with Millard West last fall.   We're not done with the pin hitters, either. [player_tooltip player_id='185755' first='Rylee' last='Anderson'] had a breakout NLQ as one of 18 Black's leading options on the right. She remained an attacking threat even if the setter was drifting off the net. A combination of effortless elevation and a quick arm swing allowed Anderson to chip in when 18 Black needed it most. These high-pressure matches suited her well.   What about the middles? We had a couple of good ones in [player_tooltip player_id='124776' first='Isabella' last='Lamb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='104995' first='Camille' last='Renken']. With 18 Black sticking with a 6-2, these middles had a similar objective: terminate in front of the setter. Lamb and Renken understood the objective while also adding a physical anchor to 18 Black's block. This was a statement weekend.   <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/1751675775441355145?s=20 </div></figure>   Of course, the middles can't get in-system opportunities without consistent first touches in the back row. Our tour of 18 Black's roster ends with the defensive specialists who held the line throughout NLQ.   It starts with libero [player_tooltip player_id='109595' first='Haylee' last='Wolf'], who is writing another chapter in her storied prep career. She was one of the original players who helped build Elkhorn North to prominence, and she's bringing a similar impact to the club side. Wolf was not afraid to take serious volume in serve receive and complemented that with jaw-dropping saves.   [player_tooltip player_id='187687' first='Grayson' last='Piening'] was plugged into the 18 Black lineup this year, and she's a natural fit as a middle-back DS in the 6-2 system. She can sub in for either of the left-side hitters to offer a ball control boost. The same can be said of Addison Harris, who made waves in a variety of roles in Minneapolis. Whether it was with serving or floor defense, Piening and Harris were some of the unsung heroes of this bid-earning triumph.     The Tracker     18 Open   Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK)     18 USA   Premier Nebraska 18 Black (NLQ)

Premier Nebraska 18 Black started its qualifier journey at mid-January's KC MLK Tournament. It was a successful weekend, but 18 Black fell just short of its ultimate goal of securing a GJNC bid. That was rectified in Minneapolis.