Chris Tobolski

Open bids were awarded across 15, 16 and 17s on Monday at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. Let’s get to it and look at how those divisions played out on the final day of competition. 17 OPEN The most dramatic bid chase played out in 17 Open, and not because second-ranked Dynasty 17 Black, No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red and No. 4 TAV 17 Black were in the same pool with No. 20 OT 17 Felix. While the volleyball was epic in that pool, Dynasty, Drive Nation and OT already owned bids. It meant all that TAV had to do to qualify was not finish last in its pool, but that was of course easier said than done given the stiff competition. However, once TAV downed Drive Nation in its pool opener, it was looking bright for TAV. TAV clinched its bid by downing OT Felix in its next outing before beating Dynasty to win the pool and eventually sweep KC Power 17 Black for the gold medal. It was OT Felix which kept TAV from qualifying at Sunshine, so there was a measure of payback extracted there. With KC Power wrapping up its bid and winning its pool before playing its final match, it really left all the bid drama to the 3 v 4 contest in Pool 2. That paired Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite for a winner-take-all match for the final bid. Both were 1-1 at the time, with the winner moving to 2-1 and guaranteed second place and the last remaining bid. The drama didn’t disappoint, as Skyline finally prevailed in the back-and-forth contest. It was looking dire for Skyline as VCNebraska crept ahead 11-8 in Game 3. But, Skyline went on a remarkable 6-0 run to gain match point at 14-11. VCNebraska stalled Skyline’s celebration for one more point before Skyline closed it out 15-12 and began jumping up and down. It was a big deal for Skyline, which tried qualifying previously at both Sunshine and MEQ but came up short. Show Me wasn’t Skyline’s last chance, but probably its best chance with Lone Star on tap and the difficult field there. VCNebraska coach Blake Rawlins said the club was seeking its first Open bid. KC Power bounced back from a tough time in Indy. KC Power positioned itself to qualify at MEQ by reaching the fifth-place bracket but was eliminated in the first match by Pohaku 17-1. KC Power took care of Pohaku on Day 2 here before upsetting Drive Nation and taking over the No. 2 seed on Day 3. KC Power outlasted Skyline in three sets in its opener before rallying past VCNebraska to move to 2-0. When Premier Nebraska 17 Gold – which was already qualified – fell to 0-2, it meant KC Power clinched the pool before facing Premier. Meanwhile, there was no let up for TAV after clinching its bid. The Texas club turned in one of the best days any teams had this season. TAV entered Day 3 holding a 1-1 mark against Drive Nation and was 0-1 against both Dynasty and OT Felix. TAV not only qualified but showed it’s as good as anyone in the country when it’s on its game. 16 OPEN Much of the bid hunt on Day 3 in this division hinged on Nebraska One 16 Synergy. The top seed in Pool 2 was the only team already qualified and so it was a question of would Nebraska One help create trickle down to fourth place or not? Nebraska One opened with victories over both Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16 to move to 2-0. That assured Nebraska One of finishing in the top four and gave much more clarity to the rest of the results. Once TAV 16 Black beat Skyline in the 2 v 3 outing to also get to 2-0, the bid was clinched for TAV. TAV and Nebraska One then faced off for a spot in the final. It’s always interesting to see how a team performs once it knows it has its bid and TAV deserves a lot of credit for beating Nebraska One and reaching the championship match. TAV faced a match point against at 24-23 in Game 2 but Sydnee Peterson’s stuff block erased it before TAV forced a third set and eventually prevailed in three. However, the day did not belong to TAV. Not in this division. That honor belongs to Northern Lights 16-1, which turned in a big-time performance on the final day to not only qualify, but take home the gold medal after sweeping TAV in the final. The matches in Pool 1 were intense because the teams knew what was at stake and that finishing first and second was likely good enough to qualify considering the strength of Nebraska One in the other pool. Northern Lights earned a key victory right out of the gate by taking down AJV 16 Adidas in straight sets. MAVS KC 16-1 followed by outlasting Iowa PowerPlex 16 515 in three sets before then sweeping AJV. At 2-0, MAVS was in a great spot but could quite count itself qualified just yet. At that moment it was still possible for a three-way tie to occur, but once Northern Lights beat Iowa PowerPlex, both Northern Lights and MAVS could celebrate. It wasn’t quite that simple though as Northern Lights needed a little extra volleyball to get past the pesky PowerPlex squad and win in three, 26-24, 20-25, 17-15. That put Northern Lights and MAVS each at 2-0 and about to play for first place in the pool and spot in the championship game. Northern Lights swept that one. With sixth-ranked Nebraska One and No. 9 TAV the only teams in the Top 10 and Top 20 from our Top 50, I knew Show Me represented a great opportunity for two other clubs to get it done. Northern Lights was actually the third-highest ranked team in the field at No. 26, so

After two days of action at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, paths to the Open bids are clear. Let’s start with 17 Open, where eight teams – split between two pools – remain in the hunt for the gold medal. Half of those teams – Dynasty 17 Black, Drive Nation 17 Red, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and OT 17 Felix – are already qualified. That means that between TAV 17 Black, KC Power 17 Black, Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite, three are going home with bids while one is simply going home. While we have seen more dramatic setups when it comes to chasing bids, here’s where it gets fun! Dynasty – ranked No. 2 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – No. 3 Drive Nation and No. 4 TAV are in Pool 1 together, along with OT 17 Felix. I really wish I could just sit at this court Day 3 and watch all the insane action that’s going to be taking place. TAV is in an interesting spot, not having a bid. It was actually OT Felix which kept TAV from a bid at Sunshine. That was TAV’s only loss in Florida and payback is sure to be on TAV’s mind. The path to a bid for TAV looks like this. As long as Premier Nebraska doesn’t finish in last place in Pool 2, TAV is guaranteed one match for a bid no matter what happens in pool play. If both Premier Nebraska and TAV finish third or better, TAV qualifies. Being in Pool 2 is not bad, as KC Power, Skyline and VCNebraska all have a great opportunity. It’s possible that no matter what happens in the pool, that one of them still gets to play for a bid. But, two of three are assured of qualifying, while it’s possible all three earn bids, however a long shot that might be. It’s crazy how the pools broke in 16 Open when it comes to Day 3 qualifying. One four-team pool features AJV 16 Adidas, Iowa PowerPlex 16 515, Northern Lights 16-1 and MAVS KC 16-1. None of them have bids and that’s certainly about to change, as two of the four should qualify. The other pools features already-qualified Nebraska One 16 Synergy, along with TAV 16 Black, Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16. We know trickle down can’t go past fourth place, and that’s if Nebraska One finishes second or better. It’s pretty straight forward if that happens, as the the first or second-place team in Nebraska One’s pool along with the other top-two finishers in Pool 1 qualify. Where it gets wild is if Nebraska One doesn’t finish in the top four. In that scenario, the pool winners will qualify, with a third-place match for the final bid between the two second-place squads. MAVS KC had a big day, winning a must-win clash with Dynasty 16 Black. Both teams were 1-1 with the winner reaching the gold pools. MAVS is currently ranked No. 44, while Dynasty sits at No. 30. The only other team in 16 Open with a bid in Premier Nebraska 16 Gold finished in a three-way tie with Tulsa Power 16-1 and Six Pack 16 at 1-2. Premier Nebraska took third and is out of gold pools. Six Pack took second, while Tulsa Power took fourth a day after upsetting top seed Nebraska One. The format is different in 15 Open. Instead of two, four-team pools, there are two, three-team pools. What really matters though is that both Skyline 15 Royal and TAV 15 Black are both qualified and are in separate pools. Skyline is matched with MAVS 816 15-1 and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. TAV is with Pohaku 15-1 and OP2 15-1. But, with just two bids available instead of three trickle down can extend to fourth place. No further. Skyline is the top team in the country, so there’s a good chance Skyline wins its pool. Same goes for TAV. In that situation, the second-place finishers would both qualify. Should neither TAV nor Skyline win their respective pools, then the two pool winners would both qualify. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 4-star Marquette recruit, Long helped VCNebraska remain in contention for an Open bid. She’s a smooth disher with a strong grip on the offense. She can set tempo and doesn’t miss her spots very often. Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Given the considerable talent in the 17 Open division, to say Lambert, to say Lambert had the biggest hammer of them all isn’t an understatement. The 4-star Arkansas high-flier was denting the floor at times. Ava Martin S Pohaku 17-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – and her Pohaku teammates had a rough day and were eliminated from contention after going 0-3. Martin does well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A 3-star Lipscomb commit, Bredenberg and Northern Lights were also knocked out of bid contention after going 0-3. She’s often asked to pass half the court in serve receive and does a fine job defending the back row. Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: It was tough at times to get Ptacek involved with Northern Lights struggling to pass, but when she was able to get set she produced. The 3-star Kansas commit takes up a lot of space at the net and does well finding open space to exploit. McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – helped Skyline advance to the gold pools with her backrow effort Sunday. She was passing soundly in serve receive and keeping Skyline in system. Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Tvrdy and her Premier Nebraska teammates are already qualified and could play a factor in trickle down as they made the gold pools. Tvrdy was a problem in the middle for opposing defenses. She’s strong, gets off the

Some Day 1s are fire. Other times they are the spark for the fire for Days 2 and 3. It was latter case on the opening day of the 2023 version of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. It was an especially different beginning in 15 Open from other qualifiers because there were no teams eliminated on Day 1. There are three, six-team pools in 15 Open and so no teams were cut from bid contention Saturday. The top contenders in Skyline 15 Royal, Pohaku 15-1 and TAV 15 Black combined to go 9-0. It was the typical format in both 16 and 17 Open. The biggest news was top-seed Nebraska One 16 Synergy going down. Nebraska One is one of two teams in 16 Open with a bid, so there’s nothing to lose so-to-speak for Nebraska One. But Tulsa Power 16-1 pulling off the big upset of the No. 6 team in the nation definitely shakes up the seedings for Day 2. Tulsa Power takes over the top seed and is now in a pool with AJV 16 Adidas, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold and Six Pack 16. Premier Nebraska already owns a bid and we could’ve seen both previously-qualified teams in the same pool. Instead, Nebraska One is now the No. 4 team in Pool 2, along with Dynasty 16 Black, MAVS KC 16-1 and Adversity 16 Adidas. That’s a tough break for those teams, as Nebraska One should advance and take away a spot from one of three. Nebraska One wasn’t the only No. 1 team in its pool to fall in 16 Open. Skyline 16 Royal stumbled in its opener against PVA 16 Elite and finished in a three-way tie with PVA and VCNebraska 16 Elite at 2-1. Skyline still wound up first based on tiebreakers though, with PVA taking second place. It was a good day for Iowa Power Plex 16U, which went 2-1 as the No. 4 team in Pool 6. Iowa Power Plex defeated both KC Power 16-1 and Muscle VB 16-1 Black to advance along with 3-0 Northern Lights 16-1. There were minor upsets and movement in 17 Open. Both Six Pack 17 – in Pool 1 – and Shockwave 17 Black – in Pool 3 – were the only non-Nos. 1 and 2s to advance. They were both the No. 3 team in their respective pools and moved on. OT 17 Felix, VCNebraska 17 Elite and Pohaku 17-1 all lost as No. 1 teams in their respective pools. All three finished second and still advanced. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Leah Robinson OH MAVS 816 15-1: Robinson helped her MAVS teammates to a 2-1 mark and are poised to advance from the six-team pool on Day 2. Robinson is a presence on the court with her size. She’s a great offensive option for MAVS and she’s utilized a bunch in the attack. Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 15-1: Christianson – a 5-star recruit – and Northern Lights have work to do to break pool after going 1-2 on Day 1. Christianson, with her size and length, is such a factor anywhere she’s on the court. She’s the team’s best scoring threat across the front row and a sound setter in the back. Anna O’Keefe S Northern Lights 15-1: O’Keefe can keep the offense churning when she checks in. She has good hands and touch. Romi Chlebecek OH Northern Lights 15-1: Chelbecek is a bit undersized on the left but she doesn’t back down. She stays aggressive and keeps on taking swings and pressuring the defense. Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: A 3-star recruit, West has tons of potential and will be someone to watch as she keeps adding strength and power. She’s the go-to on the left for this squad and she provides her share of offense. Paighton Erb MB Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Erb is another member of the rooster who looks to have lots of upside too as she continues developing. She’s lanky with a quick arm swing and someone defenses need to be ready to get the ball. Malia Miller OH Integrity 15 Intense Blue: It was our second time seeing Miller this season. Her and her teammates went 2-1 on the opening day and remain alive to break pool on Day 2. She’s a six-rotation go-to hitter. She’s raw and still developing but she is solid across the back row and showed a nice arm. Carlyle Johnson MB Shockwave 15 Black: Johnson was a factor in the middle as Shockwave went 1-2. She has some height and she was swinging and scoring well. Taylor Stanley RS Dynasty 15 Black: Stanley made us take notice with her play at the night. She’s a tall right side with huge upside. She has a nice arm and was doing well touching balls at the net. Makenzie Walsh RS Kairos 15 Alpha: The lefty was a reliable scoring option as Kairos wrapped up the day 1-2 in Pool 3. She has good size and swings well, helping her team open up the attack when she was front row. Audrey Bassett OH NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Bassett was an outside who was bringing it on the attack. She’s a bit undersized but has a big arm and hits a heavy ball. She isn’t afraid of bigger blocks either and had NE Eilte in contention to upset TAV 15 Black before falling in three. Taya Thaden MB NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Thaden displayed her scoring ability. Though she didn’t get the ball a lot, the times she did she was effective. She has a quick swing and hits with pace. Sydney Light MB Iowa Power Plex 15 Black: At 2-1, Iowa Power Plex is looking well to break its pool and make the challenge rounds on Day 2. Light is active in the middle and will get set when in system. She hits out of the middle and runs slide. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit