The first bids in the 17s go to PVA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bid season is here and the 17s had their first crack after the 18s got things started a couple of weeks back. Many teams from Kansas and Missouri journeyed north to participate in a couple of early season qualifiers. Here are the teams who earned bids on their first attempt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northern Lights</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 17 USA, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 17 Elite</strong> took care of business to grab the third and final bid in the division. The team was strong out of the gate, winning their pool with some lopsided sets along the way. On the second day, they had their first tough match of the tournament, beating [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Navy in three sets. The pool win for the second straight day elevated them to the Gold Bracket for the final day. In an eight-team bracket, winning the first match is a big deal as it at least puts you in the position for a bid when three bids are at stake. [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] kept their win streak going defeating Houston Stellar in straight sets. A win in the semi would guarantee a bid, a loss would send to the third-place match. The team from Kansas went down a set after dropping the first -22. They returned the favor, grabbing the second -21. The final set was intense and much different from the 15-5 third-set win Jax Skyline would have in their first bracket match. The two teams traded blows and some big blocks on both sides had both sides hyped. In the end, Jax would win an extra 17-15. This would send 17 Elite to the 3rd place match. They found themselves in a similar situation to the previous match, losing the opener and then winning the second. They found themselves in another high-level third set that went extra but with different results, winning 18-16. [player_tooltip player_id='326464' first='Bria' last='Dawson'], [player_tooltip player_id='227605' first='Alex' last='Myers'], and Mckenna Jacquin had moments of high-level play along with many others to go 8-1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mavs 17-2</strong> with a third-place finish just missed earning a berth in the Liberty division. After starting the tournament with seven straight wins, they dropped a tough three-set showdown with the eventual tournament champions PSVBA 17 Legacy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highest showing in the open division came from <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 17 Black</strong>, who ended their weekend 5-2, good for fifth place. In American, <strong>Alpha Omega 17-1,</strong> who we stated in our preview had a chance worked their way to the Gold Bracket but walked away tied for fifth. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->