2023 Season History

2023 Season Historyadmin2023-08-04T09:48:32-05:00

2023 Teams

US Junior National Championships | June 28 – July 6, 2023 | Chicago, Illinois | Girls 14’s – 17’s

Northern Lights placed 3 of our 9 teams into the Gold Championship Brackets at the US Junior National Championships in Chicago, Illinois and medaled 1 of them. Northern Lights had 4 All Tournament player selections. Northern Lights had more teams finish in the top 10 than any other Minnesota club team! #MNLproud

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4 Northern Lights All Tournament Selections

Player Name	Team
Maddy Dombeck	Northern Lights 17-1
Reese Ptacek	Northern Lights 17-1
Mesiaya Bettis	Northern Lights 16-1
Ava Ball	Northern Lights 16-1

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Final Finishes

Team	Final Finish	Division
17-1	3rd	17 National
17-2	29th	17 USA
16-1	5th	16 Open
16-2	13th	16 Liberty
16-Red	19th	16 American
15-1	19th	15 National
15-2	35th	15 American
14-1	5th	14 National
14-2	23rd	14 Liberty

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Northern Lights 17-1 | 3rd Place

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US Junior National Championships | June 17 – June 17, 2023 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Girls 11’s – 13’s

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Team	Final Finish	Division
13-1	19th	13 National
13-2	55th	13 American
13-Black	9th	13 Patriot
12-1	35th	12 National
12-2	35th	12 American
11-1	27th	11 National

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AAU National Championships Trip (11s – 17s) | June 12 – 30, 2023

Northern Lights placed 14 of our 23 teams into the Gold Championship Brackets at the AAU National Championships and medaled 4 of them. Three teams were in their division finals and all three won their championship match! NL had 13 AAU All Tournament selections. It was an amazing run at AAU Nationals for Northern Lights!

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15 Northern Lights AAU All Tournament & MVP Selections

Player Name	Team
Brynlee Opland	Northern Lights 13-1
Gabrielle Weidemann – MVP	Northern Lights 13-1
Ella Zieske	Northern Lights 13-1
Kaelyn Bjorklund	Northern Lights 14-1
Clara Christ	Northern Lights 14-1
Ellie Utecht – MVP	Northern Lights 14-1
Clara Keaveny	Northern Lights 15-2
Izzy Keaveny	Northern Lights 15-2
Anna Johannson	Northern Lights 16-Red
Avery Klein	Northern Lights 17-2
Lola Beck	Northern Lights 17-Red
Cassie Gospodarek – MVP	Northern Lights 17-Red
Molly Klembarsky	Northern Lights 17-Red

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Final Finishes

Team	Final Finish	Division
17-1	9th	17 Open
17-2	5th	17 Premier
17-Black	71st	17 Club
17-Red	1st	17 Aspire
16-1	9th	16 Open
16-2	9th	16 Premier
16-Black	19th	16 Club
16-Red	5th	16 Aspire
16-White	9th	16 Spirit
16-Xenon	9th	16 Classic
15-1	27th	15 Open
15-2	3rd	15 Club
15-Black	27th	15 Aspire
15-Red	75th	15 Aspire
15-White	126th	15 Spirit
15-Xenon	45th	15 Classic
14-1	1st	14 Open
14-2	9th	14 Club
14-Black	19th	14 Aspire
13-1	1st	13 Premier
13-2	50th	13 Club
12-1	5th	12 Premier
11-1	9th	11 Club

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Northern Lights 13-1 | 1st Place

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Northern Lights 14-1 | 1st Place

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Northern Lights 17-Red | 1st Place

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Northern Lights 15-2 | 3rd Place

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Northern Lights Banquet

The Banquet was an amazing event with close to 900 people in attendance. It was the second year of the Marlon Johnson Award of Excellence (which replaces the Maurice Batie Award from previous years).

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Congratulations to our Northern Lights Coach, Lisa Slinde, on receiving the Marlon Johnson Award of Coach Excellence! You are so deserving and we appreciate you!

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Congratulations to our player, Teagan Timperley, on receiving the Marlon Johnson Award of Player Excellence! You are such a great person on and off the court, Teagan!

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Prep Dig Gauntlet 2023 | Milwaukee, WI

We had seven teams compete in the Prep Dig Gauntlet in Milwaukee, WI over Memorial Day Weekend! Our teams faced some great competition and four of our teams placed in their divisions.

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14-1 finished 2nd in 14 Open

15-1 finished 3rd in 15 Open

15-2 finished 7th in 15 Open

16-1 finished 3rd in 16 Open

16-2 finished 10th in 16 Open

17-1 finished 2nd in 17 Open

17-2 finished 6th in 17 Open

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Molten Cup 2023

A big congratulations to our teams that competed in the Molten Cup; Northern Lights had 8 teams medal!

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12-1 finished 15th in 13/14 Premier

13-1 finished 3rd in 13/14 Premier

13-2 finished 16th in 13/14 Premier

13-Black finished 7th in 13/14 Club

13-Red finished 4th in 13/14 Aspire

14-1 finished 1st in 15 Premier

14-2 finished 1st in 13/14 Premier

14-Black finished 9th in 13/14 Premier

14-Red finished 5th in 13/14 Club

14-White finished 8th in 13/14 Premier

15-1 finished 4th in 16 Premier

15-2 finished 4th in 15 Premier

15-Black finished 6th in 15 Premier

15-Red finished 5th in 15 Club

15-White finished 13th in 15 Club

15-Xenon finished 3rd in 15 Aspire

16-1 finished 3rd in 17/18 Elite

16-2 finished 5th in 17/18 Premier

16-Black finished 5th in 16 Premier

16-Red finished 6th in 16 Premier

16-White finished 1st in 16 Club

16-Xenon finished 5th in 16 Club

17-1 finished 2nd in 17/18 Elite

17-2 finished 6th in 17/18 Elite

17-Black finished 11th in 17/18 Elite

17-Red finished 2nd in 17/18 Premier

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AAU Super Regional

We had 21 teams compete in the AAU Super Regional! 8 of our teams medaled.

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Final Finishes:

12-1 finished 8th

13-1 finished 3rd

13-2 finished 6th

14-1 finished 1st

14-2 finished 2nd

14-Black finished 5th

15-1 finished 2nd

15-2 finished 3rd

15-Black finished 5th

15-Red finished 7th

15-White finished 7th

15-Xenon finished 10th

16-2 finished 1st

16-Black finished 2nd

16-Red finished 4th

16-White finished 5th

16-Xenon finished 6th

17-1 finished 1st

17-2 finished 2nd

17-Black finished 6th

17-Red finished 5th

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NL Annual Ice Cream Social 2023

This fun night includes playing Queen of the Court, Zumba, and of course, ice cream! It is a night to dress up in funky outfits and hangout with multiple teams and coaches. Enjoy a few pictures capture from the Annual Ice Cream Social:

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May Freebie 2023

Our Northern Lights May Freebie was a full and successful tournament! We had 12 Northern Lights teams medal!

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18’s USA Girls Junior National Championships 2023

Our 18-1’s traveled to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the USA Girls Junior National Championships. They were they highest finish from Minnesota placing 19th overall in 18 Open!

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Team	Finish	Division
18-1	19th	18 Open

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MNL April Freebie (Elite Scrimmage)

The Northern Lights April Freebie was an invite-only elite scrimmage this year! It was a fun and successful weekend for our 12 teams that participated.

Congratulations to our teams on their successful weekend:

Team	Finish	Division
13-1	4th	14’s Division
14-1	1st	14’s Division
14-2	5th	14’s Division
15-1	1st	15’s Division
15-2	6th	15’s Division
16-1	2nd	16’s Division
16-2	1st	16’s Division
17-1	1st	17’s Division
17-2	2nd	17’s Division
18-2	1st	18’s Division
18-Black	2nd	18’s Division
18-Red	3rd	18’s Division

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Northern Lights 14-1 | 1st Place

Northern Lights 15-1 | 1st Place

Northern Lights 16-2 | 1st Place

Northern Lights 17-1 | 2nd Place

Northern Lights 18-2, 18-Black, 18-Red

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14th Annual Mizuno Northern Lights 12’s Cup

Six of our Northern Lights teams competed in the annual 12’s Cup tournament! Congratulations to our 12-1’s for placing 1st in the Open Division! And to our 12-Black team for placing 2nd in the Club Division!

Final Finishes:

10-1 placed 4th in 12 Classic

11-1 placed 7th in 12 Open

11-2 placed 3rd in 12 Classic

12-1 placed 1st in 12 Open

12-2 placed 3rd in 12 Open

12-Black placed 2nd in 12 Club

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12-1 | 1st Place in Open

12-Black | 2nd Place in Club

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LoneStar Qualifier 2023 | Dallas, TX

Our 15-1, 15-2, 16-1, 16-2, 17-1 and 17-2 teams attended the LoneStar Qualifier in Dallas, TX. All teams faced great competition; only our 16-1 team competed in gold on Championship Sunday and placed in the top 10!

Final Finishes:

15-1 finished 21st

15-2 finished 49th

16-1 finished 7th

16-2 finished 23rd

17-1 finished 15th

17-2 finished 19th

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18’s Italy Trip 2023

Our 18’s finally returned to Italy for competition and adventure! All four teams started in Rome, competing in a scrimmage against local teams, but then ventured off to their own tournaments in the following cities…

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18-1 to Venice then Pordneon

18-2 to Ancona

18-Black to Verona

18-Red to Lignano

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18-2, 18-Black and 18-Red finished the trip in Venice for a day of shopping and exploring.

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Show Me Qualifier 2023 | Week 1 & 2

Congratulations to our Northern Lights Teams that competed in the Show Me Qualifier at Kansas City, MO!

In Week One our 15-1, 15-2, 16’s and 17’s competed in the Qualifier. Our 15-2, 16-1, 16-2, 16-Red, 16-White, and 17-2 teams competed in GOLD on Championship Day!

In Week Two, our 14-1 team and 15-Black team competed in the Qualifier.

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Final Finishes:

14-1 finished 6th in 14 Open

15-1 finished 9th in 15 Open

15-2 finished 9th in 15 USA

15-Black finished 19th in 15 Liberty

16-1 finished 1st in 16 Open

16-2 finished 4th in 16 USA

16-Black finished 29th in 16 Liberty

16-Red finished 9th in 16 Liberty

16-White finished 5th in 16 American

16-Xenon finished 73rd in 16 American

17-1 finished 11th in 17 Open

17-2 finished 3rd in 17 USA

17-Black finished 33rd in 17 Liberty

17-Red finished 13th in 17 American

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Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier 2023 | Week 2

Northern Lights had 20 teams play in Week 2 of the 2023 Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier!

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Final Finishes:

Team	Finish	Division
15-1	20th	15 Open
15-2	15th	15 USA
15-Black	15th	15 Liberty
15-Red	51st	15 American
15-White	47th	15 American
15-Xenon	65th	15 American
16-1	5th	16 Open
16-2	1st	16 Liberty
16-Black	5th	16 Liberty
16-Red	1st	16 American
16-White	9th	16 American
16-Xenon	23rd	16 American
17-1	13th	18 Elite
17-2	1st	17 Elite
17-Black	3rd	17 Elite
17-Red	2nd	17 Elite
18-1	2nd	18 Elite
18-2	9th	18 Elite
18-Black	15th	18 Elite
18-Red	18th	18 Elite

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16-2 Team | 1st place in 16 Liberty

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16-Red | 1st Place in 16 American

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17-2 | 1st Place in 17 Elite

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MNL Challenge 2023

Final Finishes:

15-Black finished 6th

15-Red finished 5th

15-White finished 9th

15-Xenon finished 8th

16-Black finished 5th

16-Red finished 1st

16-White finished 3rd

16-Xenon finished 4th

17-Black finished 1st

17-Red finished 3rd

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(Italy Prep)

18-1 finished 1st

18-2 finished 3rd

18-Black finished 2nd

18-Red finished 4th

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NL 16-Red | 1st Place

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NL 17-Black | 1st Place

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Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier 2023 | Week 1

Northern Lights had 15 teams play in Week 1 of the 2023 Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier! Our 11-1 team placed 3rd in 11 National and our 14-2 team won the championship in gold in 14 Liberty! We are so #MNLproud!

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Team	Place	Division
10-1	17th	11 National
11-1	3rd	11 National
11-2	17th	11 National
12-1	9th	12 National
12-2	10th	12 American
12-Black	25th	12 American
13-1	6th	13 Open
13-2	21st	13 USA
13-Black	13th	13 Liberty
13-Red	25th	13 American
14-1	17th	14 Open
14-2	1st	14 Liberty
14-Black	9th	14 Liberty
14-Red	68th	14 American
14-White	46th	14 American

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14-2 | 1st Place

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11-1 | 3rd Place

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NCR-USAV Regional Qualifier 2023

Congratulations to our teams that competed in the NCR-USAV Regional Qualifier 2023 and earned bids to the USAV Girls Junior National Championship 2023 in Minneapolis, MN and Chicago, IL!

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11-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

12-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

12-2 placed 2nd and qualified 🥈

13-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

13-2 placed 4th

13-Black placed 9th

14-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

15-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

15-2 placed 4th and qualified

16-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

16-2 placed 3rd and qualified 🥉

17-1 placed 1st and qualified 🥇

17-2 placed 2nd and qualified 🥈

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NL 11-1 team | 1st place

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NL 12-1 team | 1st place

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NL 13-1 team | 1st place

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NL 14-1 team | 1st place

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NL 15-1 team | 1st place

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NL 16-1 team | 1st place

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NL 17-1 team | 1st place

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National Invitational Tournament (NIT 2023)

Our 14-1, 15-1, 16-1, 17-1 and 18-1 teams traveled to Kansas City, Missouri for the NIT to compete against the best in the country.

Although our teams did not place in the top ten in their divisions, it was a great experience. It was the first year our 14-1 team has attended the NIT and they placed 19th!

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Omaha Presidents’ Day Classic 2023

Northern Lights sent 28 teams to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2023 ASICS Omaha Presidents’ Day tournament. Congratulations to the 5 teams that placed 1st in their division and the 6 teams that placed 3rd in their divisions. Thank you to the athletes, coaches, chaperones, and parents for a great weekend! It was a very successful weekend!

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Team	Place	Division
18-2	6th	18 Open
18-Black	1st	18 Club
18-Red	21st	18 Club
17-2	1st	17 Open
17-Black	9th	17 Club
17-Red	3rd	17 Club
16-2	1st	16 Open
16-Black	3rd	16 Club
16-Red	5th	16 Club
16-White	3rd	16 Select
16-Xenon	5th	16 Select
15-2	5th	15 Open
15-Black	5th	15 Club
15-Red	29th	15 Club
15-White	9th	15 Select
15-Xenon	12th	15 Select
14-2	5th	14 Open
14-Black	9th	14 Club
14-Red	51st	14 Club
14-White	3rd	14 Select
13-1	1st	13 Open
13-2	15th	13 Club
13-Black	5th	13 Select
13-Red	7th	13 Select
12-1	1st	12 Open
12-2	1st	12 Club
12-Black	3rd	12 Select
11-1	3rd	12 Select

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2023 Northstar Presidents’ Day Challenge

Congratulations to our 12-1 team for placing 1st place in the 12 Premier division at the NorthStar Presidents’ Day Challenge! #MNLproud

Our 10-1 team placed 12th in 12 Aspire and our 11-2 team placed 10th in 12 Pinnacle.

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12-1 Team placed 1st in 12 Premier

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Big City Luau 2023

We had 6 teams compete in the Big City Luau 2023, hosted by Kokoro Volleyball across the Twin Cities Metro Areas. Coming home with some fun trophies our 12-1 team and 12-Black team took 1st Place and 2nd Place in their divisions!

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Team	Place	Division
10-1	7th	12 Classic
11-1	8th	12 Premier
11-2	15th	12 Club
12-1	1st	12 Premier
12-2	5th	12 Premier
12-Black	2nd	12 Club

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12-1 Team placed 1st in 12 Premier

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12-Black Team placed 2nd in 12 Club

2023 January Thaw and 17’s/18’s Mizuno Northern Lights National Qualifier

Congratulations to the 29 Northern Lights teams that participated in our annual January Thaw and the 17’s/18’s Northern Lights National Qualifier in Minneapolis! Our 18-1 team placed 3rd in 18 Open and earned a bid to the USA Girls Junior Nationals! Our 17-Red placed 2nd in 17 American and six of our teams medaled in the January Thaw. #MNLproud

Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier

Team	Place	Division
18-1	3rd	18 Open
18-2	11th	18 USA
18-Black	11th	18 Liberty
18-Red	14th	18 American
17-1	9th	17 Open
17-2	4th	17 USA
17-Black	15th	17 Liberty
17-Red	2nd	17 American

January Thaw

Team	Place	Division
16-1	1st	16 Club
16-2	5th	16 Club
16-Black	3rd	16 Club
16-Red	5th	16 Club
16-White	14th	16 Club
16-Xenon	17th	16 Club
15-1	2nd	15 Club
15-2	7th	15 Club
15-Black	9th	15 Club
15-Red	13th	15 Club
15-White	15th	15 Club
15-Xenon	19th	15 Club
14-1	1st	14 Club
14-2	3rd	14 Club
14-Black	17th	14 Club
14-Red	22nd	14 Club
14-White	9th	14 Club
13-1	3rd	14 Club
13-2	13th	14 Club
13-Black	21st	14 Club
13-Red	19th	14 Club

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The 18-1 Team placed 3rd | MNLQ

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The 17-Red Team placed 2nd | MNLQ

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NL Amsterdam / Innsbruck Trip 2023

From December 25 – January 6 2023 our Northern Lights 16-1 and 16-2 teams competed in Amsterdam. Pictures are posted on the Northern Lights Facebook page and videos can be found on the Northern Lights YouTube site!

Day 1 – USA to Amsterdam & Apeldoorn
- Day 1 Journal
- Travel Day and Zaanse Schans Windmill Village
Day 2 – Apeldoorn & First Day of Competition
- Day 2 Journal
- Recap from Mckenna & Kate
Day 3 – Apeldoorn & Party Time
- Day 3 Journal
- Dancing & Singing at the Player Party
Day 4 – Apeldoorn & Final Competition
- Day 4 Journal
- Competition & Awards

Day 5 – Travel Day to Amsterdam
- Day 5 Journal
- Travel Day & Exploring Amsterdam

Day 6 & 7 – New Years in Innsbruck
- Day 7 Journal
- Recap on the day in Innsbruck with Reese & Josie

Day 8 & 9 – Competition Day in Innsbruck
- Day 8 & 9 Journal
- Here are a few of our Favorite Things

Day 10 – Innsbruck
- Day 10 Journal
Day 11 – Final Day in Europe
- Day 11 Journal

Congratulations 2022 All-State Players

Northern Lights would like to extend our congratulations to all of the High School Players in Minnesota who were selected for the MN Coaches Association All State teams. The MNVBCA sponsors All-State teams for the top players in each class (1st team and honorable mention). 20 players from Northern Lights were selected:

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