One day remains at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City after Day 2 saw the hunt for the Open bids tighten up. vballrecruiter.com will have plenty of coverage in the days ahead, including our substantial standout players list when the three-day event concludes. Some of the players we saw today who are sure to be featured include Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite right side Claire Morrissey, NE Elite 17 Vici libero Jocelyn Healy and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal outside Kenna Wollard. A few more include NE Elite 15 Matrix right side Ashlyn Paymal, Six Pack 16 libero Annalise Gergen and Circle City 16 Purple right side Alexis Maesch. Below, we look at three storylines from Day 2 action.

PATH TO A BID

Three previously-qualified clubs began in each 15, 16 and 17 Open and all nine are in their respective gold pools for Day 3. The most intriguing division is 17 Open, where Premier Nebraska 17 Gold is in Pool 1 and MAVS KC 17-1 and Dynasty 17 Black are both in Pool 2. Joining MAVS and Dynasty in Pool 2 are Mintonette Sports m.71 and MN Select 17-1.

What makes this division the most intriguing is seeing if MAVS can make the top three in its pool or not. Dynasty is favored to finish in the top three, as is Premier Nebraska in Pool 1. If all the teams with bids already land in the top three of their pools, then it takes the bracket matches out of play in terms of bidding as trickle down will go to sixth if needed. However, if MAVS – or Dynasty or Premier Nebraska for that matter – finish last in the pool then either the third or fifth-place match becomes a must-win contest for the final bid.

In both 15 and 16 Open we seem destined to have the bids decided by the time gold pools end. In 15 Open, Dynasty 15 Black and Circle City 15 Purple share Pool 1. Nebraska One 15 Synergy is in Pool 2. It would take some big upsets in either pool for one of those three to finish in fourth place in their pool. It’s much more likely all finish in third place or better and that would have trickle down in play to sixth place if needed.

It’s the same scenario in 16 Open. Dynasty 16 Black is in Pool 1, while KC Power 16-1 and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold are in Pool 2. Some crazy results would have to take place for one of those three to finish in fourth place in a pool so we seem to be looking at all three making the top six.

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WILD RIDES

Outside of top-seeded Dynasty the results were all over the place in 15 Open on Day 2. Dynasty went 3-0 in Pool 1, where NE Elite 15 Matrix finished 2-1 as the No. 3 team to advance. NE Elite swept a showdown with Premier Nebraska 15 Gold in the 3 v 4 outing to secure second place.

In Pool 2, HPSTL 15 Royal posted a 3-0 mark as the No. 3 team. HPSTL opened its day by topping Circle City and kept going from there with victories over Tulsa Power 15-1 and Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite. It left Circle City needing to beat Tulsa Power in the 1 v 2 match just to advance. Circle City swept and finished 2-1.

MAVS 816 15-1 was the story of Day 1 and the team controlled its own fate as the No. 1 seed in Pool 3. MAVS squared off with Northern Lights 15-1 in the 1 v 2 contest, with the winner getting second place and a spot in the gold pool. Mich Elite 15 Mizuno had already earned first place by going 3-0 as the No. 4 team and setting up the must-win meeting between MAVS and Lights. Lights swept though, ending MAVS’ run.

MAVS 816 upsetting Nebraska One on Saturday dropped Nebraska One into the No. 4 slot in Pool 4. That threw a wrench into that pool, as Nebraska One went 2-1 and grabbed second place. MAVS KC 15-1 and Skyline 15 Royal met in the 1 v 2 contest with both still having a chance to move on. But the only way Skyline could advance was by sweeping MAVS. MAVS captured the first set then eventually the match in three to finish 3-0 and take first place. But had Skyline swept, Nebraska One would’ve taken first and Skyline second.

Granted, 17 Open wasn’t as wild a ride as 15 Open was, but it hardly played out according to seed. NKYVC 17 Tsunami started the fun by upsetting top-seeded Dynasty in the first match of Pool 1. NKYVC finished 2-1, losing its final match to PVA 17 Elite in three games. But NKYVC already had first place clinched regardless of the result based on tiebreakers. As for Dynasty, it faced MKE Sting 17 Gold in the 1 v 2 outing. Both were 1-1, so the winner advanced and the loser was eliminated. It was Dynasty sweeping to take second.

Mintonette Sports m.71, the No. 1 team in Pool 2, made it out unscathed at 3-0. But it was Iowa Rockets 17, the No. 4 team, which managed to land in second by going 2-1. Iowa Rockets picked up key victories against Northern Lights 17-1 and Co Jrs 17 Kevin to make the gold pools.

The No. 1 team in Pool 3 in KC Power 17-1 wasn’t so fortunate. Losses to Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite and MN Select 17-1 ended Power’s bid hopes. MN Select, the No. 2 team, rode a strong day to a 3-0 showing as the No. 2 team. Rockwood made it out at 2-1 as the No. 3 team.

In Pool 4, both MAVS and Premier Nebraska were guaranteed spots in the gold pools by the time they met in the 1 v 2 match. Still, Premier Nebraska, the No. 2 team, took that one to finish 3-0 and take first.

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MOSTLY ON PAR

The 16 Open division was fairly straight forward on Day 2. The top two teams in each of the four pools all advanced. Dynasty, KC Power and Six Pack 16 all went 3-0 as the Nos. 1 teams. NKYVC 16 Tsunami was the only No. 1 team to lose, falling to Circle City 16 Purple in the1 v 2 contest. Premier Nebraska and HPSTL 16 Royal both went 2-1 as Nos. 2 teams. The closest call came in Pool 3 where OT 16 Roberto, the No. 2 team, ended in a three-way tie at 1-2 with USA South 16 Premier and VCNebraska 16 Elite. OT earned the second-place tiebreaker though to move on.