Dynasty 16 Black was untouchable in its first two qualifiers of the season – winning both Northern Lights and MEQ. The Heart of America Region club was continuing its dominance into Day 3 at Show Me until NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami finally found a way to solve it in their gold pool meeting. The huge victory not only eventually gave NKYVC a bid, it helped propel the squad into the final. There, however, NKYVC ran into a red-hot Circle City 16 Purple group that wasn’t going to be denied as the Hoosier Region club finished off its undefeated run to the 16 Open championship and earned its bid as well. With Dynasty, KC Power 16-1 and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold already having bids and finishing in the top six, it created trickle down with OT 16 Roberto taking advantage and earning the final qualifying spot on the weekend. Here’s a look at these teams’ weekends in Kansas City.
CIRLCE CITY 16 PURPLE (FIRST, 10-0)
- Day 1: d USA South 16 Premier 25-18, 15-25, 15-10; d MKE Sting 16 Gold 20-25, 30-28, 15-6; d HPSTL 15 Royal 25-15, 25-18
- Day 2: d Nebraska Jrs 16 Black 25-22, 25-13; d Pohaku 16 25-17, 25-17; d NKYVC 16 Tsunami 25-18, 21-25, 15-12
- Day 3: d Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 25-22, 18-25, 15-9; d HPSTL 16 Royal 25-16, 25-20; d KC Power 16-1 21-25, 25-22, 15-13; d NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 25-22, 22-25, 17-15
At MEQ, Circle City put itself in a position to get a bid in its hometown but went 0-2 in gold pools with straight set losses to 1st Alliance 16 Gold and NKYVC. It was part of a rough finish in Indy, where after winning its first five outings Circle City dropped three in a row.
With the grit and determination Circle City played with at Show Me, it was bound not to let that happen again. The path to the bid was not without its challenges as Circle City needed to pull out three-set victories six times, including in four of its final five matches. Two of those types of victories came against NKYVC – once on Day 2 and then again in an exciting conclusion in the championship match as Circle City won 17-15 in Game 3.
Circle City also picked up impressive victories over previously-qualified Premier Nebraska and KC Power – both in three as well. The weekend kicked off in that fashion too, with Circle City going three in victories over USA South 16 Premier and MKE Sting 16 Gold on Day 1.
Circle City went with the same lineup at MEQ and Show Me. Five-star recruit Ava Utterback was a featured part of the attack with her explosiveness on the outside. Sophia Mayo also had a strong effort at the other outside position, as did right side and three-star recruit Alexis Maesch. Setter and three-star recruit Emery Moore was also finding Caroline Frost, Scarlett Kimbrell and Dakota Elliott in the middle. Kimbrell and Elliott are three-star recruits, along with libero Alleigh Dutton. Dutton was part of a steady back row that also featured defensive specialists Rachel Vorst and Chloe Gilley.
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NKYVC 16-1 TSUNAMI (SECOND, 8-2)
- Day 1: d KC Power 16 Red 25-21, 25-13; d IPVA 16 Black 25-12, 25-4; d OP2 16-1 25-17, 25-15
- Day 2: d Pohaku 16-1 25-21, 25-21; d Nebraska Jrs 16 Black 25-5, 25-12; l Circle City 16 Purple 25-18, 21-25, 15-12
- Day 3: d Six Pack 16 25-17, 22-25, 15-9; d Dynasty 16 Black 25-19, 15-25, 15-11; d OT 16 Roberto 25-11, 26-28, 16-14; l Circle City 16 Purple 25-22, 22-25, 17-15
Few teams were as eager to get another crack at qualifying as NKYVC was. Its only setback at MEQ – a 15-13 loss in Game 3 to 1st Alliance – cost NKYVC its bid in Indy. Even then it wasn’t like NKYVC put it on its opponents en route to qualifying at Show Me. There was a definite grind to its second-place showing as NKYVC went three sets in its final five contests, including losses to Circle City on Day 2 and again in the final. However, NKYVC picked up arguably the most impressive victory of the season so far when it handed Dynasty its first loss in qualifying play.
But given the wackiness of qualifiers the triumph over Dynasty still left NKYVC needing to beat OT or else NKYVC could finish third in the pool. Either way, NKYVC was still looking at a bid but no doubt deserved better after upsetting Dynasty. NKYVC pulled it out against OT in three – 16-14 in Game 3 – to finish its gold pool on top and reach the final.
“I think it was exciting,” NKYVC coach Tyler Collins said. “It was a fun weekend going 8-2 and beating the No. 1 team in the country. We just missed the mark at MEQ. We were just a hair shy and we went back to practice working on different things.”
Dynasty had NKYVC’s number at Triple Crown and NKYVC was determined to put up a better showing this time around. One key focus was trying to attack Dynasty from the service line and it worked.
“We really served them hard,” Collins said. “We have a lot of respect for Skyler (Pierce) and their right side Abigail (Mullen). They have another really good outside too (Carlie Cisneros). We wanted to go really aggressive on serves against them. It helped tremendously. It limited their middle exposure and that allowed our middles to cheat and put up a better block.”
Collins said he could talk about each individual in detail. The weekend was that good. Yet, he did want to make sure setter Abby Yoder – a three-star recruit – received just due.
“I think people look past her but she did a phenomenal job,” he said. “She’s IQ heavy and was able to make the different sets that needed to be made. She finds our middles often and that relates to our success.”
The defensive play was also an integral part of the team’s success. That was paced by libero and four-star recruit Elizabeth Tabeling and DS Kaleigh Frietch. Outside Alivia Skidmore and middle Julia Hunt – a four-star recruit – also provided a lot of firepower on the offensive side.
“I’m really excited,” Collins said. “Everyone played and did a phenomenal job. They all had major key points. I know I talked about a couple kids but everyone showed up and did something.”
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DYNASTY 16 BLACK (T-THIRD, 8-1)
- Day 1: d Iowa Rockets 16 25-7, 25-19; d Nebraska Jrs 16 Black 25-7, 25-13; d UPVBC 16 Open 25-19, 25-21
- Day 2: d Academy Yeti 16 25-20, 25-16; d KC Power 16 Red 25-12, 25-21; d HPSTL 16 Royal 25-15, 25-20
- Day 3: d OT 16 Roberto 25-19, 25-15; l NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 25-19, 15-25, 15-11; d Six Pack 16 25-20, 25-23
Dynasty entered its gold pool match against NKYVC on a 27-match winning streak in national qualifiers. It had only dropped two sets in that span and none since Northern Lights as it made a perfect run through MEQ. Qualifying season has been going so well that even when Dynasty was surprised by NKYVC and lost in three sets, it didn’t rule out Dynasty still winning its gold pool and advancing to the final. NKYVC still needed to beat OT or else Dynasty would have been playing for a third consecutive qualifier title.
There’s not too much to make of the setback. Dynasty rebounded to sweep Six Pack 16 and still tied for third. If anything, Dynasty only reaffirmed its stance atop the field nationally in that it’s going to take a great effort from an opponent to even challenge Dynasty.
Many by now know of the immense talent on the roster. Outside Skyler Pierce is one of three five-star recruits. Freshmen right side Abigail Mullen and setter Reese Messer are the others. Libero Ryan McAleer and outside Carlie Cisneros are both four-star recruits and middle Jada Ingram is a three-star recruit. There’s also freshman middle Saida Jacobs in what is one of the deepest lineups in the division.
Dynasty heads to the Windy City Qualifier this weekend and it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see a new streak started as well as another championship added to its ledger.
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PREMIER NEBRASKA 16 GOLD (T-THIRD, 7-2)
- Day 1: d Northern Lights 16-1 25-16, 25-19; d Tejas 16 Black 25-20, 25-20; d Academy 16 Yeti 25-22, 25-20
- Day 2: d NE Elite 16 Lokahi 25-21, 23-25, 15-9; d MKE Sting 16 Gold 25-19, 25-15; l Six Pack 16 25-13, 25-19
- Day 3: l Circle City 16 Purple 25-22, 18-25, 15-9; d KC Power 16-1 18-25, 25-19, 15-13; d HPSTL 16 Royal 25-16, 25-21
Premier Nebraska was among the fortunate few not needing to worry about qualifying at Show Me and instead just play and see where the cards may fall. After winning its first five matches, the deck started to seem stacked against Premier Nebraska with consecutive losses to Six Pack 16 to end Day 2 and to Circle City to begin gold pool play on Day 3. Yet, Premier Nebraska didn’t give in and responded with a strong victory over previously-qualified KC Power before sweeping HPSTL to finish its weekend.
A real bright spot for Premier Nebraska was the play of middle Mia Tvrdy – a three-star recruit. She was a difficult cover all weekend long and a favorite target of setter Reagan Hickey. Another key component was three-star recruit Aowyn Schrader on the outside, as was three-star recruit Faith Frame at libero. Sierra Pokharel also saw some time at libero and the other time spent at DS. Morgan Bode was part of the attack at the other middle spot. As was Josie Cleveringa at outside.
Premier Nebraska isn’t as big or powerful as some other teams but it does take care of the ball when it’s playing well and is good at extending rallies.
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KC POWER 16-1 (T-FIFTH, 7-2)
- Day 1: d ECJ 25-17, 25-18; d Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 25-5, 25-12; d NE Elite 16 Lokahi 25-17, 25-16
- Day 2: d USA South 16 Premier Purple 25-19, 25-17; d VCNebraska 16 Elite 25-13, 25-23; d OT 16 Roberto 22-25, 25-21, 15-10
- Day 3: d HPSTL 16 Royal 25-17, 25-23; d Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 18-25, 25-19, 15-13; d Circle City 16 Purple 21-25, 25-22, 15-13
KC Power likely walked away from Show Me feeling as confident as ever. Even though it settled for a fifth-place tie after dropping its last two matches of the weekend, both were tight losses and had a handful of points gone the other way it would’ve been KC Power playing in the final.
After streaking to seven consecutive victories, KC Power was upended by Premier Nebraska and Circle City – both 15-13 results in Game 3 – in its last two gold pool contests. KC Power ended tied for fifth as it wrapped up its qualifying season with another strong showing. KC Power finished fifth at Northern Lights and tied for third at MEQ, where it earned its bid.
It should earn KC Power a decent seeding come Nationals. With five-star recruit Rachel Van Gorp on the outside with Alea Goolsby, three-star recruit and setter Janelle Green has a strong duo to work with. There’s also hard-hitting right side Jillian Huckabey as well as middles Zoe McDonald and Julia Headley, plus three-star libero Mya Bolton. It’s a roster that can compete with any team in the country.
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OT 16 ROBERTO (T-FIFTH, 4-4)
- Day 1: Mission 16 Elite 25-8, 25-19, 25-19; d Pohaku 16-1 25-13, 25-22, 25-18
- Day 2: d VCNebraska 16 Elite 25-22, 25-20; l USA South 16 Premier 25-15, 20-25, 15-11; l KC Power 16-1 22-25, 25-21, 15-10
- Day 3: l Dynasty 16 Black 25-19, 25-15; d Six Pack 16 25-22, 25-22; l NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 25-11, 26-28, 16-14
It was a bit of an odd tournament for OT at Show Me. The Florida club just missed qualifying at Northern Lights last month when it lost in three sets to Premier Nebraska in the third-place contest. The journey to a bid at Show Me wasn’t necessarily a straight forward one.
OT went 3-0 on Day 1 in Kansas City but then dropped four of its next five contests over the last two days and yet still found a way to clinch a bid. It was an unusual path to be sure but sometimes it takes a bit of luck to qualify.
On Day 2, OT ended in a three-way tie at 1-2 with USA South and VCNebraska 16 Elite but earned second place based on having the best set percentage of the trio. Then on Day 3, OT opened with a victory over Six Pack before falling to both Dynasty and NKYVC. Yet, its finish was good enough for a tie for fifth and the last bid.
The play of outsides Amina N’diaye – a freshman four-star recruit – and Fallon Stewart carried the team to its bid. Libero Abigayle Dickinson also was solid in anchoring the defense and helping OT avoid another heartbreaking finish at its latest qualifier.
