By Chris Fitzgerald
The 18s season is one giant swan song for these athletes. In a matter of months they will graduate high school and head to the next level. For the KC Power 18s this is one of their final chances to play in front of the “Home Crowd” at the 2026 NIT Triple Crown.
“I think it's really special to have everyone here. Having our parents and friends has always been such a great support system. They always have our backs,” said KC Power 18-1 right side Willow Weninger.
KC Power, one of the hometown teams made the most of it going 3-0 on the day in a loaded power pool with some of the top teams in the country. They started their day off with a win against FaR Out 18 Black out of Grand Rapids, Michigan followed by a three set thriller against 1st Alliance 18 Gold out of Chicago, setting up a match against Legacy 18 Adidas out of Detroit.
With both squads having a 2-0 record it was the final chance to build momentum heading into a pivotal crossover match to advance to gold to be held on Sunday morning.
KC Power would take early control in set one where they relied on clean passing and a well balanced offense run by setter Neely Leathers who will be heading to Air Force to play her college volleyball. She has a calm presence about her game where the defense remains guessing each time she releases the ball. She was connecting with all attackers, which led to a convincing set one win 25-18.
Set two started all Legacy behind the swing of Harvard commit Kayla Nwabueze, the 2025 Gatorade Player of the year in Michigan. But there was no panic from the Kansas City squad. They would chip away with swings from Weninger on the right side and Ella Stowell on the outside. Power would up 24-19 in set two, surviving a late rally to finish the set and win the match 2-0 by the scores of 25-18, 25-23.
Balance was very key for the success of this team which was echoed by Wieninger who is committed to play at Georgia Tech.
“Everyone knows their role, they know what they have to do for the team to be successful. We found that really early on in the season and we see how we all work together so well.” said Weninger.
Success would be an understatement for this group as they have already double qualified earning a bid to USAV Nationals 18 Open at Kansas City MLK and Northern Lights Qualifier. Before they set their sights on nationals in April, they have a chance to bring home another crown in their backyard.
Up next will be a challenge match against Northern Lights 18-1 out of Minneapolis Sunday morning. The goal will be to win three matches on Sunday for a chance to be in the elite eight on Monday.
