by Chris Fitzgerald, PrepDig
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The best of the Midwest, and now the best in the country. Milwaukee vs Chicago when it comes to Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold and 1st Alliance 17 Gold. Two storied clubs that are always in the conversation when it comes being a threat to take a tournament title. They’ve had plenty of great matchups over the years, but today at the TC NIT it was all about the kids from Milwaukee winning 16-14 in set three for the 17 Elite crown. With these two teams are in the heart of Big Ten country there were plenty of Big Ten players in this match with Addison Horner of 1st Alliance and Madison Quest of Milwaukee Sting being committed to Wisconsin, Gabriella Pitcel of Sting is heading to Illinois, Olivia Durst of Sting will be going to Michigan State, and Aniya Warren to Indiana. Sting’s head coach Amy Wagner is a former Wisconsin Badger. 1st Alliance started the match on fire. Addison Horner had four kills and two solo blocks, Texas outside commit for 1st Alliance Abby Vander Wal had three kills and was a huge threat to score out of the backrow. Karli Molnau of Sting had four kills and a block, but it wasn’t enough. 1st Alliance was dominant, winning set one 25-17. “I told my team the best thing about set one is that it’s over,” said Coach Wagner. “We just needed to settle down and calm the nerves. We needed to pass and serve tough. The key was to settle in to play our game instead of nervous, tense ball.” Settle in and turn it around they did. Coach Wagner also talked about challenging her top outside hitter in Madison Quest to play big. The Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year rose to the occasion. Quest had five kills and an ace in set two. This sparked the rest of the Sting squad with Molnau finding some great connections with setters Billie Reiter and Madison Marx. Sting also had key points from Hailey Goebel, Emma Koceja, and Pitcel. Set two was lopsided similar to set one, this time in favor of Sting 25-12. Set three started much like set two with Sting racing out to an early lead before 1st Alliance stormed back to force a tie at eight apiece. The stars were shining with Vander Wal and Horner coming up with some big kills that would be followed up by a kill from Quest. Libero for 1st Alliance Aniya Warren came up with some clutch digs. At the end it was Quest and the blocking of Pitcel that would propel Sting to the 16-14 set three victory and NIT title. This Sting team has been consistent in tournament finishes. They claimed their open bid at the Northern Lights Qualifier at the end of January finishing third in a loaded field, but this is their first major tournament title. What’s next for this team? A trip to Europe competing in the Cornachia Cup with matches in Austria and Italy. With the talent and strong chemistry of this team, it will continue a special season for this group. “These girls are great friends on and off the court. There’s no drama. They are willing to learn and work hard. I’m sure some of them wish they could commit to the same school and play together,” said Coach Wagner. |
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