By Adam Burns
​
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On the biggest stage of the TC NIT, Munciana Samurai 18s was up for the challenge. Even if it was a daunting task.
 
The kids from Muncie, Indiana, bounced back after dropping the first set to take down star-studded Sunshine from Los Angeles (23-25, 25-22, 17-15) in a thrilling Elite Division Championship contest Monday afternoon inside Bartle Hall at the Kansas City Convention Center.
 
“They challenged us,” said Munciana outside hitter Eva Hudson, who recorded a match high 25 kills. “It was scary to come out here on the big stage, but to prevail is just amazing. We really came together as a team, which was great because (Sunshine) is such an amazing team.”
 
Highlighted by outside hitter Elia Rubin and setter Kelly Belardi – a pair of future Stanford Cardinal players – Sunshine boasted 11 Division I bound players out of the 12 on this weekend’s roster.
 
“How about that?” Munciana head coach and club owner Mike Lingenfelter said. “It had to be a street fight because they were so good.”
 
Like most of the match, the two sides stayed within two points of each other and endured 11 ties during the third and final set. Hudson and Lovie Wallace (uncommitted) each delivered a kill to knot the score at 14- and 15-all, respectively. Then, Hudson notched a crucial kill for a 16-15 lead prior to a game winning combined block from Wallace and North Carolina bound Ella Bostic.
 
“It was amazing,” Hudson said of her final kill. “I knew that I could swing away because my defense was going to cover me up. To have that confidence in each other is even that more amazing.”
 
Sunshine went 7-2 overall in the three-day NIT. On Championship Monday, they beat Tri-State Elite in straight sets (25-20, 25-21) and Skyline in two (25-23, 25-17). A5 Mizuno was the other club to beat Sunshine (28-26, 21-25, 15-5).
 
“The volleyball was very high level. (Munciana was) very, very tough,” Sunshine coach (LA) Ali Fathali Nejad said. “But we were happy because we had practiced for this situation. We were prepared and we knew this tournament was very tough. We had the path but unfortunately we had some errors. We have to go back and work.
 
“We’ll meet this team again in nationals and hopefully this tournament will prepare us for that.”
 
Munciana, which went 8-1 overall and beat Club V (25-13, 25-13) in the quarters and PVA Elite (25-18, 25-19) in the semis on Monday, relied heavily on the right arm and hops of the 6-foot-1 Hudson throughout the title match, especially late.
 
Hudson, who recently decommitted from Notre Dame due to the departure of former Irish coach Mike Johnson, hammered home eight of her team’s 17 points in the third set.
 
Lingenfelter wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
“I can tell you this,” he said. “In the last possession, if we got the transition, I told them to get it to (Hudson). She got us to the dance, so we’re going to dance with her. … That kid is as good a player as I’ve ever had. And I’ve had some pretty good ones. What’s amazing is that she’s a really gutsy player, but it’s something that’s lost in volleyball today; she’s got great volleyball IQ. She feels the game, I mean, and I think the special one’s do.”
 
Tight until the 20s in the first set, Sunshine used a 5-1 late run to claim the opener. The Los Angeles squad then started the second set strong with a 6-3 lead. However, a big-time block from Liberty University bound Brooke Elliott and kills from Wallace and Hudson ignited a Munciana 6-1 run and 9-7 lead. But, more importantly, a jolt of momentum and confidence.
 
“One of the questions I had coming in here was their tenacity and their willingness to win,” Lingenfelter said. “How hard are they willing to work?”
 
Sunshine responded, eventually tying it at 15-15 and 17-17 in the second set, but Hudson slammed home two kills and UMKC bound Kimora Whetstone added another kill to help send the title match into the decisive set claimed by the Indiana club.
 
And, of course, playing in front of a roaring crowd and an ESPN3 broadcast, Munciana came through in a big way.
 
“We’ve been fighting for these moments,” Hudson said, “so it just feels good to finally feel that glory.”

By Cody Thorn

The flight home will be a good one for the TStreet Volleyball Club 13 Bailey squad after winning the TC NIT Elite championship on Monday.

The Irvine, California club beat MadFrogs 13’s National Green from Plano, Texas in three sets, winning the first set, 25-23 and the deciding third set, 15-7. In between, MadFrog won 25-15.

“It feels incredible; this is the first of many big tournament wins for this team,” TStreet coach Bailey Tanner said. “They win a lot of local ones so it was about time we got a national one. We are ready to go home and get better and go onward and upward.”

TStreet Bailey went 9-0 during the tournament and was 3-0 in matches that went three sets – including the semifinals against Arizona Storm 13 Thunder early in the day.

“I was worried,” TStreet’s Ella Olson said of going to a third set. “But I knew we would pull it out. It was great winning. We came a long way and we proved why we got here and we showed them what we had.”

The decisive third set in the finals started out in favor of the Californians after a kill by Kate Jackson started the scoring. Olson, who led the team with eight kills, made another to make it 3-1 on a shot that landed in the corner, just in bounds.

“We had a call that didn’t go our way. It was close, 1-2, and it made it 1-4,” MadFrog coach Stefanie Samuels said. “We got the ball back and then we missed a couple of serves back-to-back. That put us back where we could’ve closed the gap, we didn’t get the opportunity to.”

MadFrog pulled within 6-4 but back-to-back points for TStreet, including a kill by Megan Hodges, made it 8-4 and led to a timeout by the Texas squad. The break didn’t help much as TStreet scored the next three points – two when kills by Jackson went off a MadFrog player and out of bounds.

Samuels called another timeout but TStreet added the next two points and led 14-4.
MadFrogs kept battling and scored three straight, the last on a kill from Keelyn Green, making it 14-7. However, a shot into the corner by Katherine Nowak fell in and ended the title match.

“Normally the team that wins the second set has momentum and we didn’t let that get to us,” said Olson, who was named her team’s MVP for the match. “We gave everything we had left, it was our last game, we came this far. We just had to show them.”

Olson came up with big plays throughout the finals. A kill in the first set gave TStreet its first lead of the set, 10-9, after trailing by as many as three points. The first set was tied at 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 – before return errors gave TStreet the lead for good.

“We knew they would get kills, they were big and strong, but we had to hang in there and dig them out,” Turner said.

MadFrog, which had a majority of the roster of players that won the 12’s title last May in Kansas City, reached the finals by beating Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar in the semifinals, 25-22 and 25-18.

“This was the first loss of the season and we’ve played a lot of good teams,” Samuels said. “Our region in North Texas is so strong with Skyline, TAV, Dallas Premier. We’ve been doing so well, now what do we learn from a loss like this?”

Up next for the Texas club is a trip to Salt Lake City in early March.

For TStreet, the win in three sets was different than the two previous ones, where they won the second set and then carried that momentum into the third set to win.

“We knew they (MadFrog) are a good team but our girls were terrific all day, all weekend,” said Tanner, who was an AVCA All-American player at Washington in 2016 and was a three-time All-Pac 12 selection. “They bought back a few times and we got better each time we went three sets. I was stoked.”

Tanner played for TStreet when she was younger and is now coaching, following in the footsteps of her dad Troy Tanner, who won two NCAA titles as an assistant coach for the BYU men’s program. He also coached Misty May and Kerri Walsh to a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

​By Kyle Koso
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a weekend of flying high, it came as a total shock to see Jurnee Robinson laid low.
 
The soaring, roaring offensive presence for the 17s A5-Mizuno Jing squad had a truckload of huge kills in the team’s 17 Elite title match Monday against Drive Nation, and it’s no surprise she had the finishing blow in what was a 25-21, 19-25, 15-9 victory. However, she landed awkwardly after making the shot and had to be helped off while the Kansas City Convention Center crowd watched anxiously.
 
She eventually made it back to the celebration, posing for pictures and reveling in an amazing performance. Her kills and a cluster of hard-to-believe block from teammate Milana Thornton were the obvious highlights as A5 Mizuno held on the claim the title, which they won as 16s last May at this event.
 
“I was ready for it. This matchup, I had no idea about Drive Nation, but to play like we did feels great,” said Robinson, who has signed to play collegiately at LSU. “We had nothing to lose, and in that third set we talked about having the energy we showed the whole game. We just dropped a bit in the second set … we always know other teams may be bigger than us, but we are stronger. We have confidence in everyone.”
  
Thornton had a message-delivering block to start off the third set; Robinson had one to make it 3-0, Thornton did it again for a 5-0 lead, and she added a service ace off the top of the net to push the lead to 7-1. Drive Nation found some footing late, pulling within 12-8, but one more Thornton block felt huge, and was a nice table-setter for Robinson’s final swing.
 
“I had faith and I was focused, it all felt really good,” Thornton said. “They had good hitters, but we decided to bring it right back at them, and harder. We won last year, so we wanted to get back in.”
 
“Sometimes we get a little bit down and look at the ground,” said A5 head coach Jing Hou. “Our blocking wasn’t good there for a while, and we didn’t get off to a good start in that second set. Those were great blocks (by Thornton) and really, really important. It totally shut things down.”
 
She didn’t get the early swings in the title match, but Ashley Sturzoiu eventually got into the flow and smoked a series of impressive kills that matched whatever Drive Nation was putting together on their end.
 
“At the end of the day we win as a team and lose as a team; whatever I can do to help is my job,” Sturzoiu said. “When I get my moment, I’ll take it, but until then I’m there for my team. I wasn’t too concerned about the second set, there was just a moment there when they took the momentum But it wasn’t like they took all our energy. We made some errors, and I knew for the third set we’d just go all out.”

​By Kyle Koso
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One way to describe the task of facing the 16u Dynasty Black volleyball team can make anyone shiver in dread – imagine having a never-ending to-do list.
 
The way Dynasty can take charge at the net, as well as dig up any variety of tough shots, while also offering up numerous offensive threats from the back row to the front … well, it’s a lot to solve. And the team from Kansas City, KS., simply played at the height of its powers on Monday, storming past NKYVC in the TC NIT 16 Elite title match, 25-9, 25-18.
 
Dynasty won every match in straight sets in bracket play, in one of the toughest competitive challenges a team will face in a given season. You can shower compliments on them just as they showered points in a dominant Set 1, scoring 14 in a row at one point.
 
“All of us talked after that first set, and we thought we played pretty perfect volleyball. We’ve been focusing a lot on our defense, and we’ve been pretty confident in our offense,” said Dynasty head coach Cassie Rockers. “They’ve been pretty darn good; we added three players to our roster who make us a lot better. They round out the team.”
 
Those additions – setters Reese Messer and Lauren Wright and middle Jada Ingram – did great work, with Messer using some clever tips to register points. Providing relentless offense and great blocking was Skyler Pierce, while Carlie Cisneros answered every assignment, whether it was to keep a point alive or to come flying in from the back row to tally another point.
 
Libero Ryan McAleer had a couple of difficult digs right out of the gate, more or less announcing to the crown and the ESPN3 audience that Dynasty wasn’t kidding around with a title on the line.
 
“It went really well, the best we played all weekend, and we did it as a team, not individually,” said Pierce, who had a noisy solo block for the first point in Set 2 that made it hard to imagine Dynasty would be letting down. “It felt amazing to do what we do, and it’s fun to do it with this team. I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”
 
Ultimately, Set 2 did get a bit interesting as NKYVC took a 12-11 lead on a tip from Lilly Gillespie, with another moment where all six Dynasty players watched a ball just drop in the middle of the court. But the window closed quickly. A sharp-eyed backset from Messer led to a kill from Abigail Mullen, Pierce combined with Piper Newton on a block, and Cisneros had an ace and another tough serve to handle, and suddenly it was 16-12.
 
“Our offense is already amazing, but we’ve been working on defense. Scouting teams, knowing what moves to make, and we all made the right moves at the right time,” McAleer said. “We had a moment of miscommunication, but we know that mistakes will happen and you have to move on from it. We’ve gotten good at putting a smile on our faces and talking each other up.”
 
“It feels amazing, because every single player that goes out there for us, we all have a very important part in things,” added Cisneros, who had a nice terminal swing to make it 22-15 in the second set and later ended the match with a kill. “We were meshing together; we didn’t want matches to go to three (sets), and the goal was to win Triple Crown.”

​By Craig Buchanan
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A year after losing in the NIT 13U Elite Championship after taking the first set, MadFrog 14 National reversed the tide, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to Wave Volleyball to claim the 14U Elite NIT Championship (15-25, 25-18, 15-13).
 
MadFrog returned 10 players from the 2021 NIT Finalist team, but head coach Olaya Pazo said that her team tried to keep that out of their mind.
 
“We try to take it one match at a time,” Pazo said. “Of course we have high expectations for our group, but expectations can be hard to handle, especially at this young age. We just keep things in perspective; we want to compete, we want to do our best, and we want to improve as a team. The results will come.”
 
Their mental fortitude was tested in the first set as Wave jumped on MadFrog from the start and never looked back. Wave utilized great floor defense and aggressive serves to keep MadFrog out of rhythm and looked dominant in an opening 25-15 set victory.
 
“I told them that they have to get their mind right to compete,” Pazo said. “We fixed a couple of things (between sets). We tried to serve a little bit more aggressive to get them a little bit more out of system, which worked. When my girls play together as a team, they play amazing.”
 
That amazing display was in full force in the second set, led by a three-headed attack of Simone Heard, Blaire Bowers and Layla Austin. Heard led the team with 11 kills in the match, while Bowers and Austin had nine and eight kills respectively, as MadFrog took the second set in commanding fashion, 25-18.
 
The championship headed to a deciding third set, which MadFrog had plenty of experience in. MadFrog was tested with three-set victories in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, while Wave had yet to play a three-set match in bracket play.
 
The third set was worthy of a championship-deciding set, with both teams exchanging points, and neither side able to lead by more than two points. With the set tied at 11-11, libero Gabi Rodriguez saved a point with a diving dig and followed it up with an ace to give MadFrog a 13-11 lead. Wave responded with two points of its own to tie the game at 13-13 and force a MadFrog timeout. MadFrog came out of the timeout composed and rattled off the final two points to give the team a 2-1 victory in the championship.
 
“What’s amazing about my team, is we are so deep,” Pazo said. “We have 11 really good players. Those three (Heard, Bowers, Austin) are just really competitive. When it gets to the point, they just don’t care about making mistakes. I think that was the difference. They were just really aggressive.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As 12’s, 13s and 14’s, the current group from the Absolute Black (CA) 15 Black squad has had success, understood pressure, and made big plays.
 
However, it’s fresh ground they are walking these days, thanks to a hard-fought and stress-filled three set win over Drive Nation 15 Red to wrap up their Saturday at the TC NIT and earn a berth in the quarterfinals of the Elite bracket.
 
Absolute Black came up a step short at Open Nationals last year, but confidence is surely building after a win like this, 30-28, 21-25, 16-14, which tested every aspect of the roster. During the final push in Set 3, Absolute got a couple of critical digs and good work defensively at the net to blunt the charging approach of Drive Nation.
 
“We have the luxury of three really good defenders who are interchangeable anywhere in the back row. Whatever the matchup we need, we can move those pieces,” said Absolute head coach Thomas Amberg. “Drive Nation is a really good team, and the matchup in the middle was really fun to watch. At the end, Bella (Ehrlich) was able to get a funnel block to one of our defenders, they transitioned it, and we got the big point.”
 
Absolute tried to maintain the big boost it got from winning the demanding first set, but a letdown felt almost inevitable, especially with the pace and power Drive Nation brought to the table.
 
“We talked about being consistent, but hey, we’re playing 15s volleyball here. The drive to sustain it is tough to maintain, and we made three our four mistakes in the middle of the set that we couldn’t come back from,” Aberg said.
 
“This has been a successful team historically, but for us to break through and get into the last day, the top 8, is a big deal. To win today and be in a position to play for a championship (Monday) I couldn’t be more proud.”
 
Other 15 Elite quarterfinalists include Dynasty, which beat Arizona Storm in three sets Sunday night and will face Absolute on Monday at 7:30 a.m. The other three matchups are OTVA Randy (FL) and Surfside Legends (CA); Legacy (MI) and MadFrog (TX); and Houston Skyline and 1st Alliance (IL).​

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Scott Harris had just one request. 
 
“Conserve your energy. Conserve your energy,” the Sky High Adidas 16’s head coach informed his players prior to Sunday.
 
Why? Sky High had to work for its 2-1 opening day during their efforts Saturday at the TC NIT. The Illinois-based club located just north of Chicago went to three sets in all three pool play contests.
 
“They like to make it tough,” Harris said with a laugh. “They dig a hole and have to climb out of it the hard way.”
 
Setter Jenna Meitzler was also relieved to play three fewer sets than the previous days.
 
“Today, we had a lot of energy because we didn’t go to three sets,” she said.
 
That’s right, Meitzler and her teammates gave their coach a break with a 3-0 Sunday, capped with a straight set victory (25-19, 25-20) over Colorado-based Momentum. 
 
In the win, Sky High used a 10-4 run to take the first set. The final set was more of a back-and-forth affair, with a 7-3 burst to seal the deal. 
 
“They’re starting to execute things more consistently like combo plays, which we need in our offense,” Harris said. 
 
“We tried a lot of combos just to throw off their blockers,” Meitzler said,  “which we worked a lot on in practice. And just staying up beat and working together.”
 
With the victory, Sky High moves into the Select Division Championship bracket and will play in a semifinal match at 10:30 a.m. Monday against the winner of OK Charge-Illini Elite. 
 
Harris just hopes he sees the Day 2 Sky High squad that did not drop a set. 
 
“They’ve gained more confidence since they’ve been there,” Harris said. “Things are starting to come together for them and we’ll take that into tomorrow.”
 
So does Meitzler.
 
“I think we got rid of our tired and anxious nerves,” Meitzler said, “and we just have to do that again.”

By Cody Thorn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The recipe for success, as odd it seemed, was for Club V 18 Ren Reed to lose the opening set twice on Sunday.

The Utah-based program fell behind 1-0 in both matches but rallied each time to finish the day 2-0 and advance to the TC NIT 18s Elite Division Championship bracket quarterfinals on Monday morning.

Club V won 2-1 against Skyline 18 Royal from Dallas, 17-25, 25-20 and 15-10. Then, dispatched Houston Juniors Volleyball Elite, 19-25, 25-18 and 15-9. There were a lot of parallels between the two contests held at the Kansas City Convention Center.

“Texas is one of the hotbeds for volleyball and we don’t see those types of teams back at home,” Club V coach Reed Carlson said. “To come here and a) compete with them and b) walk away with a couple of wins is unbelievable for us.”

Houston Juniors jumped ahead early, breaking a 4-4 tie on a kill by left-handed swinging Bella Woodard. HJV maintained the lead until Club V tied it at 12, 13 and 14. Another kill by Woodard, who is 6-foot-2, gave HJV the lead for the final time. That was part of an 8-3 run that allowed the Texans to pull away. A block by 6-4 Alexis Roberson, who will play at LSU, helped lock up the win in the first set for HJV.

“The first set we came off a big emotional win against Dallas Skyline and they kind of rocked us in the first set and chipped away and then we turned around and we had a little lull against Houston,” Carlson said. “Houston was playing well and they jumped on us good.”

The second set was competitive early on but after a combo block by Roberson and Madison Morgan allowed HJV to tie the match at 8-8. Then, a kill by Jayda Tupea kick-started a 10-1 run that gave the Utah squad momentum it used to roll to a 25-18 win.

“It felt amazing, we played rough the first set but after that we came together and said we can do it, we know we can,” said Club V’s Randi Reeves, who has committed to play at Salt Lake Community College. “We know they are overlooking us so we just have to play like we know how to play.”

The run featured a pair of timeouts called by HJV. Houston had some return errors, while Club V mixed in a kill from Brielle Rueckert and a combo block by Rachel Jepsen and Sadie Scoville.

“Serving and blocking and I think we aced them a few times, but we got them on the block five or six times and we started channeling stuff and they swung into it,” Carlson said. “We had made some errors (in set one) and we cleaned up our serving and passing and it made our blocking and attacking a lot easier.”

Club V’s held a 23-13 lead before HJV closed within seven twice.

Club V was strong at the net down the stretch in the second set and that carried into the third, jumping ahead 4-1. HJV rallied to tie it at 6-6, before a 6-1 scoring burst featured kills by Tupea and Ilaisaane Katoa, which forced HJV to call a timeout down 9-6.

The advantage grew to 12-7 after a net violation. Kills by Jepsen, a Pitt signee, and Tupea closed the match.

“We started talking about our blocking and where we need to put the block and where we need to set our defense,” said Reeves, who is the team’s libero. “From our blocking, it was easy to put the ball up and put it away.”
Club V will play Munciana 18 Samurai at 8:30 a.m. in a quarterfinal matchup.

By Adam Burns
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since Ava Martin began playing competitive volleyball at age 10, Bartle Hall has served as one of her hometown venues.
 
Martin, now a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas, nearly 20 miles south of the Kansas City Convention Center, is playing in her final volleyball invitational at Bartle Hall at this weekend’s TC NIT.
 
And the outside hitter bound for Creighton is hoping to make one final memory at Bartle with Performance Volleyball Academy (PVA) in the TC NIT 18s Elite Championship bracket play. 
 
“This is the last tournament we’ll play here,” said Martin, who was deemed a first team All-American by MaxPreps after leading Aquinas to a state title this past fall.
 
Alex Dvorak, a Park Hill South (Riverside, Missouri) senior, echoed Martin’s sentiment.
 
“We need to defend our turf,” the PVA setter said. 
 
Following three Power Pool losses on Saturday, PVA, an Overland Park-based club, made a statement on Sunday, going 2-0 with straight set wins over MadFrog (25-20, 26-24) and San Gabriel Elite (26-24, 25-20).
 
In the win against San Gabriel Elite, PVA outdueled the California squad in a first set that saw 11 ties and seven lead changes. 
 
Setter Alex Dvorak was pleased with her team’s bounceback effort. 
 
“We stayed together as a team,” said Dvorak, a William Jewell College commit. “A couple people came up to us after we beat MadFrog and asked where we were from. I just said that we’re from here. We’re from home. It’s great to be able to say that.”
 
PVA head coach Justin Franklin agreed.
 
“Today we came out strong and did not look back,” Franklin said. “California is always going to bring the heat but we’re from the Midwest and we do the same thing. We have a bunch of talented girls who fight through everything.”
 
Now, PVA looks to overcome that 0-3 start and make some more noise on Monday when they take on the Arizona Storm at 8:30 a.m. Monday – the final day Martin and Dvorak and their Kansas City area teammates will compete in a building they’ve gotten to know quite well over the years. 
 
“When we received an open bid to get here, we were like, ‘OK, so what now?’” Martin said. “I feel like now it’s about continuing to prove to ourselves. I’ve been playing here since I was 10, so I want to go out with a bang.” 

By Kyle Koso
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Watching an early lead wither and perish can really take the bounce out of the steps of a volleyball team.
 
But the OTVA 16 Jason squad has been making strides on their mental approach these days, and that was the key to prevailing in hard times Sunday as the Florida program earned a spot in the 16 Elite quarterfinals of the TC NIT. Their 25-23, 25-15 victory over MadFrog Green means OTVA will look to advance into the semis in Monday’s 7:30 a.m. match with A5 Mizuno-Gabe at the Kansas City Convention Center.
 
OTVA got off to a fine start against MadFrog, with a Mara Happ kill putting them up 14-10, but once the Texas squad began to settle in, they got back in range and actually went ahead, 18-16, on a kill from Brianna Watson. OTVA head coach Jason Partington called a timeout, and the reset worked wonders as his squad scored five consecutive points, two on aces from Bella Lee.
 
“We got ourselves in some trouble with serve receive, keeping ourselves in system. We talked about moving our feet, get to the ball early, and we made an adjustment on the block,” Partington said. “Their outside was hitting hard cross-court, so we said move the block inside and take it away, and we were able to do that.
 
“We’ve been harping on it all weekend, we have to limit our errors. Keep it simple, and if it’s not there, get ourselves regrouped, which we did consistently there.”
 
“We had to discuss the small changes we needed to make, come together and relax. Our team, especially, will get stressed out, so it’s taking that 30 seconds and then getting back to it,” said Bailey Higgins, a potent left-handed kill option who was on fire early, tapered off, then had the big shots at the end. “A lot of times, I do say, I want that ball, I want to slam it, but my mentality is it won’t happen always. I try to find different ways to find a point or motivate my teammates to get the kill and keep things going.”
 
Higgins had some early success on her swings in Set 2 as OTVA moved ahead, 6-2. MadFrog tied it at 9-all, but OTVA bounced back with shots from Taylor Bedinghaus, Taylor Parks and Happ. Higgins did her work again with a kill to make it 18-13, and MadFrog could never shrink the gap.
 
“She’s mentally tough, and nothing rattles her,” Partington added about Higgins. “Even if she’s not getting touches or getting at down ball she wants, maybe the other team made adjustments … she plays defense, gets a block, waits for the opportunities to get those putaways.”
 
The other obvious strength for OTVA in the match came down to a sense of calm and steadiness, even as MadFrog’s terrific hitters started to get loose. Right there in the heart of it for OTVA was Happ, who dealt out some hard-earned blocks and a mix of kills to keep the match from suddenly tipping toward the muscle and might of the opponents.
 
“We’re a good team, one that can come back when we are down. I really wanted to win this match, win it in two, and stay aggressive,” Happ said. “I try not to be intimidated by anyone, even if I’m tall I know they might be taller. I put faith in myself and my teammates, because they always support me. At this level, you’re going to play others who are taller and stronger, but I do what my coaches tell me and make the adjustments I need while I’m playing.”

 By Kyle Koso
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A couple of early plays from Maia Neiman and Eva Travis worked nicely as coming attractions.
 
The two TStreet 17-Naseri players took charge early in a Saturday night match against Arizona Revolution at the TC NIT, Naia with two skillful digs on shots that were smoked nearly to the ground and Travis with her trademark soaring attacks from the outside, with a vertical jump that would also get any basketball coach paying attention.
 
So when the match reached its tipping point late in Set 3, it made sense again that Neiman would keep a point alive with a clutch dig and Travis would drill the kill from on high, as TStreet secured the 25-21, 19-25, 15-11 victory to go 3-0 in Power Pool action. TStreet would be one of four teams from the 32-squad Power Pool lineup to go undefeated on the day.
 
The Revolution 17’s actually came back to tie up Set 1, slowly but surely unleashing their long and springy roster highlighted by the hitting prowess of Kendal Murphy (a Baylor commit), Eryn Jones and Evan Hendrix. A Neiman kill and two aces from Grace Jackson put TStreet in control to close out the set.
 
Set 2 was an enjoyable showdown of skills, with the Revolution taking a 13-6 lead before TStreet clawed back to within 14-13 on a block from Travis. But Murphy’s work on the outside and especially on leaping attacks from the back row rebuilt the lead, evened the match, and set the table for the Set 3 dramatics to come.
 
“When I’m focusing on staying calm, I think about how I’ve been in these situations so many times. I know that if we stay together and work hard, we’ll be OK,” Neiman said. “When I was pretty young, around age 11, I was a libero, and I’ve always loved playing back row more than anything.”
 
TStreet’s offense did a nice job of funneling the offense toward Travis as the third set advanced, going up 7-3 before two aces from the Revolution’s Bella Anderson (Grand Canyon University signee) tied it at 8-all. Neiman had a kill to make it 12-10, and after an Arizona timeout, the key sequence played out on Neiman’s dig and Travis’ startling height on her kill. The match was closed out on a terrific, hard-to-handle serve from Ella Scott.
 
“We have so many good players on this team, and we really jell. Maia is a phenomenal passer, really sets it up for me, and it all starts with the pass,” Travis said. “It can be nerve-wracking sometimes with the (hitting responsibility) but I thrive under pressure.
“My dad was a big jumper, he played volleyball, and I think I found it in middle school. One day I went up, I played middle, and I said, ‘oh, I can see the top of the net.’”
 
Both Travis and Neiman said they weren’t thrilled with how TStreet needed three sets to win every match on Saturday, noting either energy drop-downs or lapses that made the day harder than it needed to be. But with superior competition waiting at every turn, it’s hard to be perfect.
 
“We are a scrappy team. Maia made a great play late there, gave us an opportunity to set Eva in transition, and Eva had a matchup we really liked on the outside,” said TStreet head coach Naseri Tumanuvao. “The messaging was just about matching the opponent’s intensity and establishing our level of performance. We would like to put teams away when we get the opportunity.
 
“We encourage the kids to be tough defensively and to welcome the challenge. You’re going to see a lot of big attackers at this tournament, especially, and there’s no escaping it. You’ve got to battle, hold your ground, make a play.”

by Adam Burns

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A little bit of pressure on the first day of the TC NIT can’t hurt. Not one bit. Especially for Michigan Elite Mizuno’s 18-and-under squad, which went 3-0 in Power Pool play Saturday inside Bartle Hall at the Kansas City Convention Center.
 
The unblemished start to the jam-packed TC NIT field did not come easy for Vince Muscat’s squad, as they earned a thrilling 25-22, 19-25, 19-17 victory over previously unbeaten Performance Volleyball Academy to cap Day 1. 
 
“Pressure is a gift,” the Michigan Elite head coach said after the win.
 
Michigan Elite also beat Carolina Union Volleyball Club Premier in straight sets (25-14, 25-20)  and Arizona EVJ in three sets (25-22, 22-25, 16-14). 
 
“It was good to see the resilience of the kids,” Muscat said, “and as a coach that’s what you want in those pressure moments.”
 
In the decisive set, Michigan Elite fought off four match points. Outside hitter Kimani Johnson, an East Tennessee commit, admitted the win, although exciting, was not easy.
 
“It was definitely rocky at times but tense; I’m just glad we came out with the win and kept pushing, even though it was a really tough match.”
 
PVA, based just south of Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas, certainly made the out-of-towners work for every point.
 
“Well, it was tough, honestly,” Johnson said. “At moments, we struggled, but it was really good to come back and connect with the team and battle together.”
 
Under pressure, Michigan Elite came through in the clutch on Saturday. And they’re ready for the next two days of TC NIT action.
 
“We’re going to get some good competition,” Muscat said. “And with all of these (college) coaches here seeing their players and checking in on them, there’s some pressure with that. But our girls handled it well today.”
 
OTHER UNBEATENS
 
Michigan Elite was among six Power Play 18s who opened the tournament with 3-0 starts, joining A5 Mizuno, OTVA, Dynasty Black, Tri-State Elite, and Illini Elite Cardinal. Tri-State Elite and OTVA swept through the day without dropping a set. 
 
STRONG STARTERS
 
Plenty of squads put together strong starts to the weekend with 2-1 efforts – Munciana Samurai, Madfrog Green, Sunshine LA, H Skyline Royal, Adversity G18 Adidas, Rockwood Thunder Elite, Skyline Royal, Arizona Storm Thunder, MIZ LB Rockstar, VC United, Vital Gold and Legacy Adidas.
 
WHAT’S NEXT

There are 32 matches to start Sunday's play, with the 32 winners earning a spot in the Elite championship bracket, while the other 32 are seeded into the Open championship bracket.

by Adam Burns
​ 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Among the 32 18-and-under Power Pool clubs playing in this weekend’s TC NIT, only two teams pulled off a perfect opening day.
 
What makes a perfect Day 1 at one of the toughest club volleyball tournaments the nation has to offer? Three pool play match victories, six set wins, and zero set losses.
 
After defeating NC Volleyball Academy Diamond 25-21, 25-16 just after midday Saturday, Northern Kentucky-based Tri-State Elite sat pretty at 3-0 overall and with a full steam of momentum. With one victory early Sunday at the Kansas City Convention Center, they’ll be in the 32-team Elite bracket and another step on the way to fulfilling their obvious promise.
 
“I’m very proud of our start here,” said Tri-State Elite head coach Matt Long, who noted the same team took third last season. “In practice we’ve stressed good starts to be able to compete for championships, so it’s fun to see (the 3-0 effort).”
 
Tri-State Elite also notched straight-set wins against Arizona EVJ and PVA Elite.
 
“We just fight and believe that we can (win this tournament),” said TSE outside hitter Lucy Trump, a Notre Dame commit. “Right now our defense is killing it and things were opening up in the back more than normal, so that worked well for us.”
 
Attacking from the back and at the net, Trump hammered home 10 kills, including two crucial hits that came late in a competitive first set that saw the North Carolina-based Academy Diamond squad lead for most of the action.
 
Trump attacked from the back twice – and Tessa Jones, an Ole Miss commit who finished with four kills, also recorded a kill – in the final four points to seal the ever-important Set 1 win. Tri-State Elite rolled in the second set, registering a 13-3 run for a commanding 19-10 lead.
 
“Our center Sophia (Hudelpohl, Limpscomb commit) has been able to let me play in the back row if we need to switch things up,” Trump said, “or if no one else is open, so it was a little weird but it made sense and it was successful.”
 
Regardless of the way it happened, Tri-State Elite got the job done. 
 
“When you go into Power Pools you just hope to put your best foot forward, but you just never know what’s going to happen,” Long said. “We stuck to our game plan and to serving well and keeping them out of system, but also being a better team in general.” 
 
Tri-State Elite, no doubt, has played as a team thus far at the WNIT, joining Florida-based OTVA as the lone “perfect” 18U Power Pool club after Day 1.

by Kyle Koso
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Already longer and better leapers than your average group of teenagers, the Mizuno Long Beach 13u Rockstar L squad may be ready for that next step, which comes when the mental game starts making sense.
 
Day 1 of the TC NIT showed that Mizuno Long Beach will be heard from, going 3-0 in pool play at the Kansas City Convention Center, capping the day with a 25-18, 25-13 win over the Milwaukee Sting Gold, who were also 2-0 heading into Saturday’s final match.
 
The most stressful moment for Long Beach came in the first set, when two aces from the Sting’s Peyton Woolman tied the set at 13-all. After a very cleverly placed kill from Makenna Barnes, the lead was back to 19-14 and Long Beach kept the pressure up to close off the set.
 
“They’ve been working hard getting ready for the tournament; this group is very young, with three kids that could play 12. We treat them like they are older because of their physicality, then they open their mouths and you go, “oh yeah, they’re 12 and 13 years old,’” said head coach Lance Aoki. “You joke with them on the bench a bit to calm them down, and then we get refocused. One group of 13’s we have is pretty focused, and this group, you’ve got to keep talking to them.”
 
The messaging certainly worked in Set 2, as Long Beach jumped ahead 15-5. Kaitlyn Herweg, who had a pair of important aces in Set 1, hammered in another in Set 2 to make it 20-8, and the defense did a nice job limiting the damage from the Sting’s two most potent hitters in Ally Schwab and Amelia Olson. Set 2 was never in danger, with the electric nature of Hanna McGinest’s play leading to some late kills and a big block to seal the deal.
 
Another cluster of big shots and hard work at the net came from Taimane Poe. While Mizuna Long Beach moved the ball around comfortably, thanks to setter Miette Moon-Sasik, it was clear McGinest would get leaned on to finish off key points.
 
“I wasn’t anxious, really. Our first two matches were easier, and this one, when it’s a team that is tougher, it makes me play better,’ McGinest said. “It feels good, because I know people are looking for me, and they rely on me to get kills. We goof off a lot off the court, but we are ready to compete when we get on the court.”
 
“We’ve definitely faced hard teams, but our team is really strong, and we knew we could walk I and be dominant,” Barnes added. “It’s a challenge, but when we get focused, we are determined. We have the vertical, the strength, the shots to take the other team out of the game.”
 
There’s already a pointed rivalry going with another California team, TStreet, and the odds are good Mizuno Long Beach will cross that path again at the TC NIT.
 
“We’ll be excited to see them. When we play them at home, they would always win key points, and we thought this tournament would be a time for us to show them we are better,” Barnes added.
 
“We had a good match last time; we are very competitive with them,” Aoki said. “We’re short a player this time, but hopefully we can still stay strong.”
 
13’s ROUNDUP – The aforementioned TStreet squad also went 3-0 on Saturday, as did MadFrog Green (last year’s 12u champions at this event), Arizona Storm, Flyers, Club V, Wave and City Volleyball. 

By Kyle Koso
 
By definition, there’s an umbrella of anxiousness when it comes to the TC NIT Unsigned Senior/Junior Workout, which took place Friday afternoon at the Kansas City Convention Center.
 
Any way you slice it, there are student-athletes trying to make an impression, and a few dozen college coaches looking to either solve current issues with their roster or get in the work it takes to eyeball what their team might look like in a year or two. All you can hope for is that the two-hour workout gets you closer to your goal, and maybe you toss and turn a bit less at night.
 
One player who showed her range of appealing skills was Sophia Ortquist, 18, who plays for the Vegas Aces club program and Nevada State High School. The accelerated pace of the drills showed her to be a physical presence at the net while also handling the ball when necessary, and the moment was useful in clarifying the work that needs to come next.
 
“I’m pretty chill about it. I’ve talked to a couple of schools, so I don’t feel I’m too far behind,” she said. “Maybe for a couple of things off the volleyball court I may be a little behind, but I’m catching up on it. I’ve been to a few showcases, so it’s not too bad.
 
“I’m not at my peak or my goal, still have work to do on my timing (as a hitter) and blocking, getting better with my footwork. This is one of my favorite showcases I’ve been to – I like the tempo. It’s player-based, where you can show your individual strengths. I wasn’t as nervous this time.”
 
From the coaching standpoint, there are a million stories as well, and you can be sure Nikki Binetti was hoping she could tick off a few things from her to-do list. Binetti was hired as head coach at Arcadia University in late December, and she must deal with some roster vacancies for the program out of the D-III school in Glenside, PA.
 
The mix of skilled players, at a variety of positions, was exactly what Binetti needed on Friday.
 
“I’m still looking for a decent amount of players for the (2022) class, four or five more, and I thought there would be good turnout here, good quality,” said Binetti, who was an assistant at Getysburg College for three years before taking the helm at Arcadia. “This event is one of the best, one of my favorites because of the level of talent. I want to finish off the ’22 class and dive deeper into my ’23 class and start to build my database a little bit.
 
“I do work ahead, check out their GPA before I even reach out to them, and that helps. Getting our name out there is always huge, and I would love to pull from West Cost and the Midwest. It starts with getting your face seen and talking with people.”
 
The TC NIT is known for the avalanche of college coaches who work the event and prowl the sidelines in heavy recruiting mode, but Binetti knows the D-III experience has a unique flavor and long-term value that athletes would be wise to consider.
 
“Just having that balance in general, of getting a really fantastic education while participating in a sport, but that sport won’t run your life,” she said. “You can do so many other things, internships, and prepare yourself for the future. That’s the D-III model and something I bought into, and what I want to sell to my team going forward.”

by Kyle Koso

Basking in the sun in crisp Kansas City may not have been an option when the TC NIT volleyball event took flight, but there’s nothing like College Camp Friday to warm the spirits of those gearing up for arguably the nation’s most elite tournament setting.
 
While pool play begins Saturday, there’s no shortage of interest in the roster of camps, 12 of them in 2022, where many of the nation’s most accomplished D-I and D-II programs put hundreds of student-athletes in the middle of drills at sincere skill-building tempo. That mix of an encouraging tone and a no-joking-around mindset is the recipe for a great kickoff moment, with players eager to add to their athletic tool kit.
 
“I’ve always been a power hitter, and now I’m focusing a lot more on my creativity on the court and how I can play the best shot to get the point,” said Evan Glade, 17, an Omaha native and hammering outside hitter who plays for Nebraska Juniors and the Millard West High School squad, which reached the state finals in 2021. “But, at the same time, increasing the power. I play year-round, sand, club, high school … it’s just a love and dedication for the sport. I’ve played since first grade, and it’s been with coaches and teammates I love, with a lot of support from family.
 
“I definitely got what I wanted today. I talked with a lot of coaches whose camps I’ve been to, so to see them again for the first time or maybe the second time again was really good. I’m never really fulfilled as (an athlete), I’m proud of myself for what I came here to do, I will come back from 5-7 tonight (for the Unsigned Player Workout) ... it’s a lot of volleyball, but there’s a lot to learn and a lot to grow.”
 
Another player eager to have a college-level book thrown at them was Rya Fingerlin, 15, of Parker, Colo., who suits up for Lutheran High School and the Momentum club program. Taking part in the libero/DS portion of her clinic, Fingerlin showed quick hands and calm demeanor even when trying to handle difficult, diving serves.
 
“I just love it. I feel like I want to get better every time out, and get the most difficult hits, I think it’s really fun,” she said. “This is my first (college camp), so I wanted to get some reps and get input from coaches. There are a lot of different styles to watch and learn from, and I also like the feedback, which you may not usually get.”
 
College coaches from every time zone ran drills at College Camp Friday, from Pepperdine to West Virginia, Texas to Marquette, Duke to Oregon State, and many points in between. Enjoying her time in the swirl of action was Arizona State head coach Sanja Tomasevic, a native of Serbia who has always tried to import her understanding that volleyball is an easy sport to love.
 
“The passion for the game … where I come from, we don’t have people who get burned out. We stick with what we love, and if you end up not liking it, you move to something else. Nobody makes us do things – whatever you do in life, it’s important to have that passion,” she said. “For me, I love coaching, and getting into the gym is the best part of my day. You put the time in as an athlete, there will be a lot of reward in that.
 
“This is a fun event – kids sign up for it, and when they do that, you know they are eager about it. When someone wants to give their best and get after it, learning for an hour and a half, I’m all in. Let’s get better.”

FORT COLLINS, CO – An uncommon mix of volleyball talent has again been drawn to the common ground of the Kansas City Convention Center, as Triple Crown Sports prepares to run the 2022 TC NIT, from Feb. 18-21 with 551 teams bracketed at Bartle Hall in age groups ranging from 12u through 18u.

The nation’s highest achieving club programs, ranging from California to Florida, long ago carved this trip into their calendars with the event in full rebound after being cut back to 360 teams in 2021 because of COVID-19 disruptions. Another sign of normalcy are the 12 college camps that will take place in the facility on Friday, Feb. 18, anchored by top university programs like Baylor, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, Pepperdine, Pittsburgh, Texas and West Virginia, among others. Because of NCAA restrictions, only D-II programs could run camps in 2021.

Friday includes the popular Unsigned Junior/Senior Workout, with more than 200 student-athletes booked to show their skills in front of a sea of colleges looking for roster help. About 1,000 players will take part in Friday’s camp and workout activities, and more than 500 college coaches will hit the convention center floor over the four days.

And that just warms the seat for match play running Saturday through Monday; the event is scheduled so the highest-ranked teams play each other right away, with Power Pool teams still guaranteed a berth in the Elite championship bracket. Other teams can earn their way into the final chase for the trophy – the 13u through 15u championship matches will be broadcast on YouTube, with the 16u through 18u title matches broadcast on ESPN3.

Also competing in multiple age groups are club programs from the immediate area, including Dynasty, KC Power and MAVS.

“On behalf of Kansas City’s hospitality and sports communities, it is our distinct pleasure to welcome Triple Crown’s athletes, fans and officials back to Downtown KC,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission. “From the event’s high-caliber competition to memorable experiences outside of the Convention Center, I have no doubt attendees will enjoy their time in the Heart of America. We encourage our fellow Kansas Citians to join us in welcoming this esteemed event and its talented athletes back to KC for another incredible year.”

The TC NIT began in 2014 and moved to Kansas City in 2019. The event has evolved numerous special touches embraced by the volleyball world, including shuttle arrangements for teams to get to and from the airport, a dynamic vendor row, free seminars on the in’s and out's of college recruiting and a parent hospitality room, with drinks and snacks available for fans needing a break from the whistles.

“Our time in Kansas City has helped this event grow in national stature. We’re grateful for every promising development along the way, just as we are grateful for the city sticking with us during the hard times of the pandemic,” said TC event director Jared Rudiger. “Thanks to the partnership, we can run a truly riveting volleyball event that attracts superior competition and can further develop each and every player who takes the floor.”
​
About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for 40 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering “WNIT” concept events in D-I softball (NISC) and volleyball (NIVC), with those two events debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features 8-10 of the top DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX. TC fastpitch tournaments (including the 1,000-team Sparkler/Fireworks event) draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces one of the largest youth baseball events in the world with the 650-team Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 550 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.