Tournament officials have combed through the results from the nearly 580 teams that competed Feb. 16-18 at the Triple Crown NIT and have declared the winner of the 2019 Top Club Award – Texas Advantage.

To be eligible for the award, a club must have entered a team in at least three age divisions (12s through 18s), and points were tabulated from the top three finishes of each club. Here is the breakdown for the Top 10:

1.      Texas Advantage (240 points) – The TC NIT Club Champion for the second time in three years; winners of the 14 Elite, runner-up at 17 Elite and sixth place at 18 Elite.
2.      Dynasty (220 points) – The Kansas City, KS program dominated at the younger age groups; winners at 13 Elite, fifth place in both 12 and 15 Elite.
3.      Asics KIVA (210 points) – One of the nation’s powerhouse clubs out of Louisville; strong work in placing third at 18 Elite, fourth at 14 Elite and fifth at 13 Elite.
4.      Nebraska Premier (200 points) – Since 2018, a welcomed addition to the competitive level of the TC NIT; this year they won the 12 Elite and 15 Elite titles.
5.      A5 Mizuno (170 points) – Longtime presence in the TC NIT; the suburban Atlanta program placed second at 16 Elite and third at 15 Elite.
T6.    Legacy (160 points) – Always a factor at the TC NIT, the Rochester (MI) club won the title at 18 Elite (the team is now 36-1 this year) and placed fifth at 17 Elite.
T6.   MAVS (160 points) – Based in nearby Olathe, KS, the MAVS brought serious punch to the younger age groups in 2019, placing third at both 12 Elite and 13 Elite.
8.     MadFrog (150 points) – The second Texas program to appear on this list, MadFrog (Plano) was a factor throughout, placing second at 13 Elite and fifth at 15 elite.
9.     Top Select (140 points) – Based out of Orlando, Top Select opened a lot of eyes with a terrific win at 17 Elite, and then added a seventh-place finish at 18 Elite.
10.   Tstreet (130 points) – The only California squad on the list, Tstreet (Irvine) won an impressive title at 16 Elite, and also muscled up at 13 Elite, placing eighth.

For full club results - CLICK HERE 

While there were plenty of big plays by the Nebraska Premier 12 Gold roster in Monday’s championship match of the Triple Crown NIT 12 Elite, a strong argument can be made that the critical moments came earlier in the semifinals.

The Nebraska Premier squad fell behind by 10 points at the start of that semi against MAVS, but somehow figured out a path back to contention. After securing a 25-23, 25-17 victory there, the 12 Gold had their confidence and faith fully restored before posting a 25-13, 25-21 win over Munciana Peppers at the MAVS facility in Olathe, KS.

“We had to regain our poise in the noise,” said 12 Gold coach John Castle. “We talked about what we wanted to do, but it’s volleyball and they are 12 years old … all I can say is everybody had a role in the comeback. We had amazing sideline energy, and that helped us get going in the right direction. After that, we knew we were fortunate to have the opportunity to play in the final.”

The championship turned out to be a rematch from earlier in the tournament, when Munciana authored a 22-25, 25-17, 15-9 victory. The 12 Gold could have been sobered by that early loss, but Castle said his young squad ended up with exactly the right attitude.

“We took that loss at the time as, let’s put ourselves in a position to get a chance at a rematch,” he said. “And that meant, focusing on the things that got us there – having fun, connecting with each other on the court and taking care of our side of the net. Really, that loss was a good thing, because it made us refocus on what makes us successful.

With Castle and coach Krysta Peers, the 12 Gold stood in a circle after their finals victory, shared their appreciation for each other and soaked in the first-ever 12 Elite title awarded at the TC NIT.

“We congratulated Munciana on a great tournament and how they helped us get better,” Castle added. “And when that final ball dropped, it was an awesome feeling.”​

​KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When the Nebraska Premier volleyball program joined the fray at the Triple Crown NIT in 2018, you could tell it wouldn’t take too long for the club to make an impact on Championship Day.

Nebraska Premier delivered on the promise Monday, with the 12 Gold team taking first place thanks to a 25-13, 25-21 victory over Munciana and the 15 Gold muscling up for a 27-25, 25-20 win over Central Iowa Select.

15 Elite head coach Shannon Smolinksi said her squad thrived in an extremely difficult pool of competition by embracing and excelling in whatever role was required. The team went 8-1 overall, including four three-set victories.

“Their passion, their grit, their desire to not only compete at the highest level but to win, it’s special to watch,” Smolinksi said. “They trusted themselves and trusted their training.”

Nebraska Premier fell behind 6-0 to CIS in the first set, but figured out a path while slowly working on the comeback. In the second set, Nebraska Premier was sturdy and stable right out of the gate.

“They knew how the play was going to look, so that flowed into our offense, and we were able to have our offense go a little bit faster and attack with the speed we typically use,” Smolinksi added. “We were proud of their adjustments, to be able to take risks and go for it.”

The 13 Elite title was claimed by Dynasty VBC, based in Kansas City, KS. They slipped past MadFrog (TX) 25-20, 18-25, 16-14. Dynasty was just 1-3 in its first four matches, then turned around to win four straight.

By Kyle Koso

KANSAS CITY, Mo -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jessica Mruzik might have been hard to find for a stretch Monday, but rest assured, she had no interest in hiding at the Kansas City Convention Center.

The powerful hitter for the Legacy Elite (Michigan) vaulted her team off to a great start, hung back in the shadows, then delivered some killer blows as Legacy claimed a 25-21, 16-25, 15-12 victory over Texas Image to win the 18 Elite championship at the Triple Crown NIT. In a contest where the teams traded serious shots from powerful offensive sequences, the match was tied as late as 9-all in the third set.

Paige Briggs (heading to Western Kentucky for college volleyball) came through with a kill and a difficult dig, which was converted into another point on a swing by Allyson Severance (Miami-Ohio). Mruzik, who still has until 2020 before heading to Michigan, converted to make it 14-12, then served an ace for match point, a nice counterpoint to the second set that saw her play more in the background.

“When I’m struggling, I think of the most effective way I can help my team if I’m not playing one part of my game as efficiently as I’d like,” said Mruzik, whose flying kills from the back row provided many highlights in the first set. “I try to help my team out in other ways; if I’m not hitting well, I want to step up my passing.

“The (last serve) … that was great. I really wanted to get that ace.”

Texas Image had a few too many service errors and other mistakes to survive Set 1, but the team came at Legacy in waves in Set 2, with the kills from Azhani Tealer (Kentucky) reverberating through the hall. Molly Phillips (Texas) and Sophia Miller (Arkansas State) also broke loose offensively as Texas Image rumbled ahead in a set that was once as close as 11-10.

Legacy needed to make some adjustments before the third set, and they seemed to work as the Michigan squad took an 8-4 lead. Texas Image tied it at 8-all as Legacy settled for tipping the ball over the net, but that last push fueled by Mruzik and Briggs did the job.

“Paige does things you don’t expect – at 5-foot-10, she touches 10-3, so she can be deceiving. What she did in the third set, she’s such a great kid and a great player,” said Legacy coach Ricky Cottrill. “I flipped Jess and Jessica Robinson to start the third set to get a bigger block on (Tealer), and we got some momentum early. Paige did what she needed at the end.

“For (Mruzik), she takes a lot of swings, and I think she was running out of steam. I get after Jess; she’s one of those kids you can yell at, and she’ll respond. It’s a delight to be able to coach her.”

Robinson (Michigan) had important kills sprinkled throughout the match, including one that put Legacy up 21-18 in Set 1 and 13-11 in the third set.

“After Game 2, we said we knew we were the better team, and that was sloppy play by us. We had to focus on our jobs, not to do too much more or less,” Robinson said. “Play clean, support each other, and we’re not going to let anything hit the ground without, like, eight people diving for it.

“It feels amazing (pouring in points). Obviously the kills feel awesome, then you turn around to your teammates, and they are all screaming in your face, you hold your hands up. It’s great to feel the momentum, and you know your kill gets everyone ready to go.” 

Legacy was 8-1 overall at the TC NIT.