Triple Crown NIT Day Two Key Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Two Ohio Squads in 18 Elite Quarterfinals</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TVC 18 Black rebounded from a 1-2 finish on day one to take three consecutive matches on the second day, finding themselves in the quarterfinals of the 18 Elite division. Opening the day with a challenge match win in straight sets over Vital 18-1 gold, this victory advanced them to the final elite bracket of 32 teams where they faced Far Out 18 Black. That 2-0 win led to the round of 16 and a very good team in Arizona Storm. After falling in set one 16-25, TVC prevailed with some aggressive and efficient play the rest of the way as they claimed victory with final scores of 25-21 and 15-11 to move on. In watching them play, you can see the depth of chemistry in how they compete together and the trust they have in one another. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='261337' first='Hayden' last='Rodriguez'] was so good in her command of the offense, often finding hitters with open space for them to swing aggressively to the court. Their ball control in the latter part of the last match boosted their ability to score when they needed it most. Lefty <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='403536' first='Katie' last='Pahl']</strong> was impressive as she scored some big points on some heavy swings from the left side. The usual high quality effort was also in play from both [player_tooltip player_id='828450' first='Leah' last='Pike'] and [player_tooltip player_id='227830' first='Mallory' last='Pike'] as the two not only scored with some emphatic kills at times, but they both contributed defense from their positions that ignited their team's overall play. Other key contributors included libero [player_tooltip player_id='412607' first='Jessie' last='Kennelly'] with her passing and defense as well as [player_tooltip player_id='491446' first='KylieEmma' last='Obeto'] as she held her own as the other middle matching up against some quality arms in front of her. Winners of the 17 Open division at the St. Louis President's Day in 2025, there spot in the top division at NIT is well deserved and earned. They are certainly making the most of it. They continue Elite bracket play on Monday versus Vision 18 Gold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 18 Lehman has lost one match, to Ohio-based [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 18 Blue, in their opening match of the tournament. They have since found their groove and their success rate has been on point as they finished 2-1 in pool play on Saturday followed by three more wins on Sunday to land them in the 18 Elite quarterfinal round. They handily defeated MN Select 18-1 in straight sets in the challenge round, landing them in the Elite championship bracket where they earned consecutive wins over MKE Sting 18 Gold (2-0) and CPA 18 Benson (2-1). Their final match of the day was one of their toughest matches of the weekend so far. The connection between setter [player_tooltip player_id='227619' first='Makenna' last='Kirlin'] and her pins in [player_tooltip player_id='227617' first='Cara' last='Richter'], [player_tooltip player_id='227628' first='Sidney' last='Sprada'], and [player_tooltip player_id='222621' first='Ava' last='McIntyre'] made all the difference. They each bring their own style of attacking and are all capable of taking the big swing when a point is needed. Kirlin (*pictured) is such a skilled and high I.Q. setter with a lot of experience and success. Her ability play and lead her team freely is a key asset to how they compete. This squad finished 33rd overall in the NIT 17U division in 2025. They next face TAV 18 Black Jason Monday morning. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't be surprised if both of these teams advance further on Monday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Other Ohio Area Teams Making Elite Bracket Play</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>15U</strong>: [program_tooltip program_id='430764' first='AVC' last='CLE'] 15 Red; [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 15 Blue; [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 15 Ed</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>16U</strong>: [program_tooltip program_id='430764' first='AVC' last='CLE'] 16 Red; [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 16 Renfro</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>17U</strong>: [program_tooltip program_id='430764' first='AVC' last='CLE'] 17 Red; [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 17 Blue; NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>18U</strong>: [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 18 Blue; NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*All teams lost first-round matches in bracket play at the time of this article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->