By Austin Kingsley
Triple Crown NIT draws elite club volleyball competitors from every corner of the country. Teams travels hundreds of miles to Kansas City for a chance to shine on this prominent stage. But some, like MAVS KC 16 Elite, have the privilege of staying right at home.
Perhaps defending familiar territory provides a little extra motivation. Whatever the case, MAVS KC brought its best to Bartle Hall en route to a 3-0 opening day of Triple Crown NIT power pools.
NIT’s power pool teams are billed as America’s best, so every contest features two formidable squads. This didn’t seem to rattle MAVS KC, as the Heart of America Region juggernauts soared to two sweeps over Mintonette and KIVA to start Saturday’s action. 16 Elite looked ahead to a bout with Munciana 16 Nighthawks to conclude its first wave of matches.
However, MAVS would receive its first considerable dose of adversity in this finale. Munciana, a powerhouse club from Indiana, seized early momentum and built a lead over 16 Elite. MAVS stared down a 13-6 deficit as head coach Connor Gregston exhausted the team’s second timeout.
Munciana did not yield and delivered a 25-15 gut punch in Set 1. MAVS would have to respond from its first set loss of the event.
16 Elite took that initiative. We saw the full array of stars step up for this Kansas City crew. Outside hitter Olivia Maciel was the go-to scorer in the outside, producing floor-denting kills down the line or in the crosscourt. Her connection with setter Jaelyn Jordan tightened throughout the match.
MAVS KC raced to an 8-4 lead in Set 2 after dropping the opener. 16 Elite’s balance was now on full display with Elizabeth Weinert and Riley Macrorie getting involved in the middle. Vivian Goode found her stride on the right side.
And, of course, no MAVS KC team is complete without its army of exceptional defenders. Sloane Fende commanded the libero jersey and got plenty of help from her allies, too. Grace Engeman, Grace Benfort, and Channing Coslet further bolstered 16 Elite’s backcourt prowess and lifted the team to a 25-19 win in Set 2.
With this response delivered, the home team would not be denied. Left-side hitters continued to lead the way with Maciel and Maci McDowell remaining steady under pressure. Municiana made several late pushes and forced MAVS into a late timeout. Still, 16 Elite’s perfect Saturday slate concluded with a 15-9 tiebreaker triumph.
The work isn’t finished. More Sunday power pool matchups await before 16 Elite advances to the Round of 64. Shifting to a single-elimination format will ramp up the pressure, but MAVS KC is built for it.
They’ll have the home crowd behind them.
