Gateway 17s and 18s Top Finishers at President’s Day Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Nike President's Day Classic has wrapped up, and I managed to catch quite a bit of the action during my off matches. Here are some of the standout finishers in the 17 and 18 divisions.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18 Premier Division</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428797' first='Pursuit' last=''] 18 National emerged as the leading team from the Gateway Region in the 18 Premier Division, finishing 3rd with a record of 7-2 and 15-6 in sets. They faced 414-18 Elite on the first day of pool play, suffering a close loss (24-26, 25-18, 10-15), but bounced back by winning all three matches on day two in straight sets, securing a spot in the Gold bracket for the final day. In the Gold bracket, [program_tooltip program_id='428797' first='Pursuit' last=''] defeated Club Fusion (28-30, 25-22, 15-9) and avenged its earlier loss by defeating 414-18 Elite in the quarterfinals (25-20, 18-25, 15-5). However, they fell to the eventual champion, Milwaukee Sting 18 White, in the semifinals (19-25, 18-25). [player_tooltip player_id='232326' first='Claudia' last='Jones'] orchestrated the offense, effectively distributing the ball to her key hitters. [player_tooltip player_id='490200' first='Lyla' last='Sands'], [player_tooltip player_id='512874' first='Olivia' last='Cox'], and [player_tooltip player_id='569675' first='Sydney' last='Miller'] were impressive with their blocking throughout the tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='793857' first='Emma' last='Smith'] excelled as libero, making crucial saves, while [player_tooltip player_id='236994' first='Ashley' last='Hawkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='569674' first='Brenna' last='Botkin'] contributed significantly as six-rotation pins, showcasing the team's strong representation of the Gateway Region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Navy was the top finisher from the Gateway Region, securing 5th place with a record of 5-3 and 11-6 in sets. They ended day one with a 2-1 record, falling to a tough Circle City 18 Purple (16-25, 23-25). Day two mirrored this performance with another 2-1 finish, losing to another formidable opponent, Iowa Rockets 18R (25-22, 22-25, 15-7). In the Gold Bracket on the final day, RT 18 Navy triumphed over Club 1 18 Skronkstrong (25-14, 25-16) before facing Circle City 18 Black again, suffering a close loss (22-25, 22-25). [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Navy had an impressive showing, only losing to the teams that finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in 18 Open. Players [player_tooltip player_id='229558' first='Maggie' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='542220' first='Marlie' last='Karsten'], [player_tooltip player_id='845483' first='Emma' last='Hlavsa'], and [player_tooltip player_id='810496' first='Alanna' last='Orton'] continue to shine in their club seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18 Club</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Arch City 16U participated in the 18 Club division, representing the Gateway Region as the top team, finishing 9th with a 5-3 record and 12-9 in sets. After a solid day one (2-1) and a challenging day two (1-2), Arch City entered the Silver bracket. They won their first match against Iowa Impact 181 Elite (25-21, 22-25, 15-13) and clinched the Silver Bracket championship with a victory over NIVA 18 Black (25-21, 25-23). Libero [player_tooltip player_id='774467' first='Sophia' last='Fuegner'] and DS [player_tooltip player_id='774366' first='Delaney' last='Boain'] excelled at keeping the ball off the floor, allowing [player_tooltip player_id='774395' first='Chloe' last='Leidholdt'] to set up powerful hitters like [player_tooltip player_id='897291' first='Kylee' last='Donahue'], [player_tooltip player_id='774547' first='Gabby' last='Johannesman'], and [player_tooltip player_id='828015' first='Zoey' last='Poole']. This was a fantastic performance for Arch City 16U, playing up in competition and enhancing their skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Club</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Club Four 17-Boost dominated the 17 Club division, finishing with an impressive 10-0 record and 20-2 in sets. After a semifinal victory over Club MVP 17-1 in a three-set thriller, they cruised to a title match win against Iowa Impact 172 Elite (25-16, 25-19). Hannibal High School products [player_tooltip player_id='897186' first='Marissa' last='Falconer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='829347' first='Aly' last='Falconer'] joined forces with <strong>Madison Loos, Kate Gramke</strong>, and <strong>Laina Bunte </strong>to create a formidable core. Their coach, who was quite the player herself, also played a vital role. 😊</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HPSTL 17 Orange suffered only one loss throughout the weekend, facing a tough defeat against CVC 17 Black (23-25, 24-26) on day two. After a grueling match against AVC CLE 17 White, where they triumphed (22-25, 25-23, 17-15) in the opening Gold bracket match, they swept Circle City 17 Purple and 1st Alliance 17 Black to set up a rematch with CVC 17 Black. This time, they left no doubt, winning decisively (25-13, 25-22) to claim the Gold bracket title. The team features an impressive roster of talented 2027 players, including [player_tooltip player_id='836165' first='Micheline' last='Roth'], [player_tooltip player_id='485593' first='Jersey' last='Robinson'], [player_tooltip player_id='618831' first='Albany' last='Humphrey'], [player_tooltip player_id='485600' first='Madelyn' last='Schaefer'], <strong>Lillian Ringhofer</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='809456' first='Sienna' last='Roth'], and <strong>Lily</strong> <strong>Witzel</strong>, all of whom contributed to their tournament success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Premier Red</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428797' first='Pursuit' last=''] 17 National finished the tournament in 5th place with a record of 6-1 and 13-3 in sets. They navigated days one and two with only one set dropped. In the Gold bracket, they faced Alpha A.71 in a challenging match but ultimately lost (18-25, 25-15, 10-15). I caught part of set one of the Alpha match and noted the standout performances of libero [player_tooltip player_id='515744' first='Macyn' last='McCarthy'] and setter [player_tooltip player_id='485611' first='Ashtyn' last='Van De Ven']. The middles, [player_tooltip player_id='809612' first='Ella' last='Pierce'] and <strong>Mia Congiardo</strong>, were solid, while outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='544683' first='Maggie' last='Wood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='485590' first='Rylie' last='Schreiner'] consistently pressured on the left pin. [player_tooltip player_id='827056' first='Lexie' last='Rayoum'] also made her mark with powerful hits and impressive blocks on the right pin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Premier Blue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No Coast 17 Atlantic finished as the top representative from the Gateway Region, placing 9th in the 17 Premier Blue Division. They recorded a weekend tally of 3-4 and 8-9 in sets. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='916869' first='Lucy' last='Reckamp'] delivered a strong performance, while middle [player_tooltip player_id='881008' first='Rylie' last='Leonard'] showcased her skills at the net. [player_tooltip player_id='814508' first='Jori' last='Bibbs'] on the opposite pin and <strong>Abbi Bishop</strong> on the outside made significant contributions to the team's efforts—a commendable showing for the new club, No Coast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->