Adversity G18 Adidas can pack its bags for Columbus, Ohio, after a surprising few days the 23 Nike Mideast Qualifier at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, last weekend.
Despite losing twice along the way to Mintonette Sports – m.81 (Columbus, Ohio) and Paramount VBC 18s (Leesburg, Virginia), Adversity advanced to the Gold bracket of the 18 Open division at the Mideast Qualifier thanks to a stunning 28-26, 25-22 victory over 1st Alliance 18 Gold in day two pool play.
Adversity dropped its final match of the qualifier, 25-23, 25-18, to Elevation 18 Spinney (Mason, Ohio), but its third-place finish qualified the team for the USAV Girls 18 Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, on April 28-30.
Adversity is 6-3 outside hitter Ava Nepkin (Lincoln-Way East), 6-3 middle/outside hitter Catherine Burke (Loyola Academy), 6-0 middle blocker Reese Garland (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-9 outside hitter Jada James (Lincoln-Way East), 5-8 setter Maeve Welsh (Fenwick) and 6-3 middle hitter Mia Mattingly (Lincoln-Way Central,
Also, 5-9 libero Shannon O’Laughlin (Fenwick), 5-8 outside hitter/libero Mila Popovic (Marian Catholic), 5-11 setter Ava Schabes (Whitney Young), 6-3 outside hitter Kaitlyn Thick (Hinsdale Central) and 6-1 outside/rightside Lauren Wallace (Munster, Indiana).
Meanwhile, the loss to Adversity dropped 1st Alliance 18 Gold into a three-way tie at 2-1 in the pool, and after the tiebreakers were applied, the Woodridge girls were exiled to the Silver bracket where they completed an 8-1 weekend with a 25-15, 25-19 victory over A5 18-Marc (Roswell, Georgia).
But all is good as 1st Alliance 18 Gold had previously secured an Open bid to USAV nationals at Florida Fest.
1st Alliance 18 Gold features 5-6 libero/defensive specialist Vanessa Del Real (Crown Point, Indiana), 5-10 setter Jordan Heatherly, 6-4 middle blocker Annie Eschenbach (Benet Academy), 6-1 middle/opposite Kamryn Lee-Caracci (Lyons Township) and 6-1 outside hitter Kennedy Wagner (Valparaiso, Indiana).
Also, 5-6 libero/defensive specialist Gigi Navarrete (Mother McAuley), 6-1 outside hitter Kamryn Chaney (Marist), 6-0 middle/opposite Chidera Ozoh (Homewood-Flossmoor), 5-6 junior defensive specialist Alyssa Lawton (IC Catholic Prep) and 5-10 middle/opposite Ufuoma Omene (Marist).
Meanwhile, just missing out on the bid party was Fusion 18 Apex, which went 4-3 on the weekend and placed ninth of 64 teams in the 18 USA division. Three of those wins were in close, three-set matches, the biggest against Milwaukee Sting 18 White.
Trailing 13-9 in the third set of a must-win match to reach the Gold bracket, Jessica Parker had a huge block, Lauren Benson sided out and Claire Bickett served out the rest of the game for a 15-13 win.
“We had some great team defense, including several diving saves from Abby Buban to keep Claire’s serving run alive,” said Fusion coach Henry Graack. “With back-to-back matches at 11:00 a.m. and noon, the very next match against OTVA went three again.
“We trailed 11-9 in the third set and needed to win again to make gold,” the coach added. “Jessica Parker served out the match to win 15-11.”
All three losses of Fusion 18 Apex’s losses on the weekend were at the hands of teams that had already qualified for nationals.
Apex is 6-0 middle hitter Natalie Rush (St. Charles East), 5-11 outside Kate Goudreau (St. Charles East), 5-10 outside hitter Brooke Hoffman (Burlington Central), 5-7 defensive specialist/libero Olivia King (West Aurora), 5-10 setter Jessica Parker (St. Charles North) and 5-7 libero Nina Schuberth (Yorkville Christian).
Also, 5-11 middle Lauren Benson (Geneva), 5-11 junior outside Claire Bickett (Rock Falls), 5-10 outside Abigail Buban (Geneva), 6-0 middle Anja Kelly (Neuqua Valley) and libero/defensive specialist Kiley Morrison (Wheaton Academy).
Also missing out on the bid party was 1st Alliance 18 Silver, which went 4-3 and finished 15th in the 18 Open division. 1st Alliance 18 Silver has already qualified for nationals in the 18 National division by virtue of its Windy City Power League championship.
1st Alliance 18 Silver features 5-10 outside hitter Madison Shroba (Bolingbrook), 6-6 middle blocker Jessica Schmidt (St. Francis), 5-7 junior defensive specialist Christine Pullen (Benet Academy), 6-1 middle blocker Brooke Gwiazda (Peotone) and 5-10 outside/rightside hitter Mary Kate Sheehan (Mother McAuley).
Also, 5-9 outside hitter Grace Ulatowski (Lemont), 6-1 middle/opposite Chloe Anderson (Romeoville), 5-10 setter Vivian Campbell (Oswego East), 5-6 defensive specialist Peyton Turner (Benet Academy) and 5-10 rightside hitter Colleen Engstler (Downers Grove South).
Among the other Illinois teams earning bids at MEQs were Blue Steel 18 Black (18 Liberty), Mission 17 Elite (17 USA), 1st Alliance 17 Gold (17 Open), HP Illinois 16 National (16 USA) and 1st Alliance 16 Black (16 Liberty).