NLQ: Free Indepth Preview 15 Open – Who’s Getting The Bid?
Teams are running out of time. Time to get that last bid, time to be seen by Division 1 coaches before they go quiet in May, and one last time to get on the court before things slow down in May. This point of the club season tends to be a bit of a grind after big time tournaments filling up March and April, some athletes juggling multiple sports, and with school nearing the end the academic pressure amps up a bit too. The Northern Lights Qualifier will be taking place at the Minneapolis Convention Center April 19-21 for the 13s,14s, and 15s and again the following weekend for some of the younger and older divisions. Here is a quick look at what to expect in the 15 Open Division.
Who Has a Bid? Who is Looking For One?
Rockwood Thunder is the only team in the 15 Open Field who is already locked into competing in the Open Division at USAV Nationals, punching their ticket at MEQ in Indy . However, Central Iowa Select (CIS), Iowa Rockets 15R, FC Elite (Appleton, WI) and Northern Lights (MN) 15-1 have locked in a National bid from their region.
There is still plenty to write in this story for the teams who have not gained a big. Some may take the AAU route to nationals, while others will be using this weekend as their peak. CIS and Iowa Rockets have been so close and have had moments of greatness with CIS finishing second at the prestigious Triple Crown Invite in Kansas City on Presidents Day weekend defeating some of the top clubs in the nation. Iowa Rockets finished just outside of bid contention while making an elite eight appearance at MEQ and Nebraska Elite will be a tough matchup as they defeated Northern Lights 15-1 at their Presidents Day Tournament in Omaha.
What Athletes Will Be Ones To Watch
Rockwood brings in a balanced team, but it starts with setter Annie Arand who is the Prep Dig top prospect out of the Class of 2022 from Missouri along with a physical middle blocker in Madilyn Sell.
Julia Hanson of @nlightsvball taking a swing. Such a high flyer pic.twitter.com/j86fkZ0rNa
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 16, 2019
Northern Lights 15-1 always has some of the top athletes in the state of Minnesota and has produced some of the best NCAA volleyball players we’ve seen. This year they have high flying Julia Hansen from the pin along with two solid right sides in Kendall Minta and Sienna Ifill. Keep tabs on their libero as well in Simara Amador, really solid all around.
FC Elite out of Appleton, WI (Fox Cities) has an electric team that starts with Karissa Kaminski who has already committed to Dayton that can play on the pin or will be a solid libero who is so solid and high IQ. Brianna Cantrell is a high flying pin who also has a mix of shots as well. She is joined by her Appleton North High School teammates Berkley Mischler in the middle and Bella Van Lannen as another pin.
Macy Daufeldt can put the ball on the floor from either pin. Rising prospect out of @WestLibAthletic and @IowaRockets pic.twitter.com/4cZExf30io
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 24, 2019
CIS and Iowa Rockets coming up from I35 from Iowa to the Twin Cities brings in some electrifying players. CIS has the top two prospects out of Iowa in the Class of 2022 with Hayden Kubik and Lauren Carter. Carter has committed to Denver and Kubik is definitely on the radar and of some of the top programs in the country. Keep an eye on their two middles in Chloe Largent and Myah Shipley as well. Iowa Rockets has an electric six rotation pin in Macy Daufeldt and setter Kora Ruff, but will also bring in another dynamic outside in Ella McGlaughlin and right side Calia Clubb.
@CISvolleyball is going to the Elite 8️⃣ – They defeat Skyline out of Texas in three sets! pic.twitter.com/AfMR4J7kYD
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2019
Nebraska Elite 15 Koa will be a huge wildcard this weekend with a really athletic team who has had some big wins. Abby Schomers runs the show with one of her favorite targets being opposite Madilyn Siebler.
Vital is also out of the Twin Cities Metro as is MN Select. Vital has a well balanced attack with Cameron Berger setting and their three big hitters of Ellie Sieling, Cassie Sieling, and Marless Walters. MN Select will bring the size with multiple six footers in the lineup and could be a major mismatch problem.
Coming from San Diego is Coast VBC, you can never count out a West Coast Team. Coast has not locked in a bid yet, but has a AES national ranking of 19th and is the 3rd ranked team out of Southern California. They have wins over perennial top clubs CVC, Fusion, Sunshine, Milwaukee Sting, and Team Indiana.
What Could Happen?
Out of nine teams, one will get a bid. If Rockwood would finish first, the bid would trickle down to who finishes second. This is tough. Out of all of the teams, I have seen 7 of the 9 play live throughout the season. Rockwood is extremely tough with an all around physicality that I think teams will have a tough time matching up with. However, with a bid already in place does that change the sense of urgency compared to a Coast, CIS, or Iowa Rockets?
The Final Four
Rockwood
CIS
Northern Lights
Coast
Rockwood, CIS, and Northern Lights I know have depth, they have multiple options as to who can score points and ball control that is going to keep them in any match. Coast is kind of the wildcard here, coming into the Midwest they will be seeing some new teams that they may not have seen since Triple Crown. So much can change in a matter of a couple months. As far as getting the bid, I think Rockwood will be in the final two which leaves one team. If it comes down to matchups, I think it comes down to Northern Lights and CIS. These two teams are balanced, they have power at the pins, solid ball control, have split their match ups in previous meetings, and in this case I think I’m going to have to pick the hometown team.
Who Gets The Bid?
Northern Lights 15-1