Notes and Random Thoughts From Day 1 of January Thaw
Setter Hope Leimbach (Lincoln Lutheran) of Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium tips a ball back over her shoulder to avoid the block of Mackenzie Close (3) and Courtney Cahill (2) of Northern Lights 161 during Friday’s match. (Photo by Berk Brown)…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSetter Hope Leimbach (Lincoln Lutheran) of Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium tips a ball back over her shoulder to avoid the block of Mackenzie Close (3) and Courtney Cahill (2) of Northern Lights 161 during Friday’s match. (Photo by Berk Brown)
OMAHA – Let me just say that if there is any way you can be at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha this weekend to watch the action at the January Thaw tournament, do yourself a favor and come. You won’t regret it.
The caliber of play in the 18 Open division of this USAV Girls Junior National Championship Qualifier is simply unbelievable. With two bids up for grabs and the division being trimmed down to just eight teams remaining in contention, we are in for a treat on Courts 1 and 2 this weekend.
Of the eight teams remaining, six are ranked in the top 53 of 18s teams in the nation and Iowa Power Plex 17U – the 41st-ranked team among 17s – is trying to crash the 18 Open party.
Here is my take on what to expect in the two 18 Open pools of teams still in bid contention on Saturday. The top two teams from each pool Saturday advance to the four-team championship pool on Sunday.
In Pool 1 you have #7 KC Power 181, which already has earned an 18 Open bid. Does it have the killer mentality to go after another qualifier title or might it not have the mental edge it needs if things start to go sideways on Saturday. That will be interesting to see. Minnesota Select 181 comes in ranked #4 and Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold – ranked #32 – make for a really difficult pool. And don’t sleep on Power Plex – with future Husker Madi Kubik and Missouri commit Kenna Sauer on the outside and dynamic MB Devyn Robinson – a Wisconsin recruit – the team has some firepower.
Ultimately, I see Minnesota Select and Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold moving on. Sting had the misfortune of being placed in the same pool as A4 on the first day and I think the fact it came so close to a bid earlier this year is the extra fire it needs to get to the final four.
In Pool 2, I don’t see anyone stopping A4. Not the way it played on Friday, that’s for sure. So, to me it comes down to the Northern Lights 181 and Coast 181 match for the final spot in the final four and based on what I’ve seen, I’ve got to give the edge to Coast 181. Club ONE AZ could sneak out a win somewhere, but it will have its work cut out for it.
- ••••
The best player I saw – and there were a lot – was Devon Chang, the UCLA setter recruit from A4. She was superlative in pretty much every way in leading A4’s stampede through its pool. The great ones make everything look so easy, and that’s definitely the case with Chang.
Chang’s teammate Rachel Ahrens – a California recruit – was really impressive as well at OH. She’s a big, physical presence that absolutely crushes the ball and her serve was really impressive in the time that I watched.
- ••••
It’s easy to forget just how spoiled those of us who live in Nebraska can be when it comes to the volleyball culture in our state. There are two Division I programs here in Omaha, and they were all over the action on Friday. Creighton’s Kirsten Bernthal Booth is flat out one of the best college coaches in the nation and she was the only head coach of a Top 20 D1 program in attendance Friday morning – and she was there a very, very long time. On top of that, she is one of the most likeable, approachable and down to earth person you’ll ever meet.
She’s a great ambassador for volleyball in this state and for Omaha, as is Rose Shires and her staff at Omaha. Assistants Micah Rhodes and Elena Pietro were working the courts at CenturyLink Center from the time the doors open until they closed Friday night. Shires and Pietro will likely be there all day Saturday and Sunday as well. The Mavericks are in on some really, really great players and there is a lot of momentum in that program right now. Let’s remember, the only thing that stopped Omaha from taking a set against the eventual national champions from Lincoln this past fall was a ball that sailed long by just a couple inches. Omaha has two great D1 volleyball programs and even better people running them.
Matt Buttermore from Hastings College spent a lot of time courtside on Friday and Pau Giesselman and the ENTIRE Midland University staff pretty much blanketed the arena. The GPAC is so good because those coaches work their tails off and recruit great kids.
Kansas State, Wichita State and Sioux Falls were there Friday as well and I’m sure several others were too, but those are the ones I specifically saw.
- ••••
Some other random things that I saw that I really liked:
Libero Erin Williams (Lincoln Lutheran) of Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium impresses me every time – EVERY TIME – I watch her. She is so filthy it’s ridiculous.
Obviously Marriah Buss (Lincoln Lutheran) of Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium is outstanding, but what I noticed and liked today was an effort to be more of a leader on the court. I liked that a lot.
I really liked the grit Nebraska Elite 17 TKO played with on Friday despite being pretty overmatched. TKO had Coast 181 – the #24 18s team in the nation – tied at 12-12 in the third set before losing 15-13. Whether or not you believe in moral victories, that really showed me something.
I said it on Twitter and I will say it again here – nobody in Nebraska is playing better right now than Elite 17 TKO OH MacKenzie Saitta (Elkhorn South). She was taking to – and over – a really big block from Coast 181. Saitta is just playing absolutely fearless volleyball right now and it’s fun to watch.