USAV Nationals Spotlight: Premier Nebraska 16 Gold
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There’s a lot of teams to cover in the wake of USAV Nationals. Let’s keep it going! Premier Nebraska 16 Gold has some of the top 2023s in the Cornhusker State. We’ve seen many of these players already make their…
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Continue ReadingThere’s a lot of teams to cover in the wake of USAV Nationals. Let’s keep it going!
Premier Nebraska 16 Gold has some of the top 2023s in the Cornhusker State. We’ve seen many of these players already make their mark on the high school scene, and they continued to impress throughout the recently completed 2021 club season.
16 Gold wrapped up their club slate at GJNC in Las Vegas, where Premier’s rising talent was on display once again. With the recruitment of 2023s now in full swing, this is going to be a fun group to watch.
Let’s recap their season finale.
Nationals Journey
16 Open was a star-studded division, and no pool was spared from tough competition. Premier opened the competition Friday afternoon with a hard-fought three-set win over a talented Hive team. After dropping the second match of the day against Drive Nation, 16 Gold responded with a big win over Colorado Juniors to start off Saturday’s gauntlet. Sunshine and OT got the better of Premier later that morning, but Sunday offered an opportunity to reset.
16 Gold fell in Sunday’s opening match against a juggernaut of an A5 team. Premier would not be deterred, however, and bounced right back with a win over Skyline. Another tough crossover match awaited against MAVS. Though Premier dropped that match, they had an opportunity to prove themselves again in the silver bracket.
This Nebraska team started bracket play strong with a win over HJV. The season finale against OT ended in a loss, but that does little to diminish the tremendous success that Premier 16 Gold had this season.
Key Players
I’ve talked about a lot of these players in the past, but I want to give a shoutout to a few players who really elevated their game at Nationals.
Stella Adeyemi Stella Adeyemi 5'9" | OH Papillion-LaVista South | 2023 State #95 Nation NE made the most of her time in the starting lineup throughout the week. She’s such an exciting, high-flying hitter, but she can also step up in the ball control phase, too. Being part of strong high school and club programs will continue to aid her development.
Kailey Hrbek is another player who rose to the occasion when her name was called. This middle blocker provides some stingy defense along the net and knows how to generate good touches. She’s a great option on offense, too, and Hrbek is poised to continue raising her stock in the years to come.
Defensively, Makenzie Dyrstad Makenzie Dyrstad 5'7" | DS/L Papillion LaVista South | 2023 State NE has delivered at another big event. She forms such a solid passing tandem with defensive specialist Jocelyn Healy Jocelyn Healy 5'8" | DS/L Omaha Westside | 2023 State NE , and Premier does everything they can to ensure one of those two passers can take the first contact. With these backcourt players patrolling the endline, Premier will see many in-system plays in its future.
There’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this group, and they’re likely not done earning accolades at big events like GJNC.