May 5, 2022

For the second time this season Club V 17 Ren Reed earned gold at a qualifier. Back in March, Club V picked up its bid and first place at Salt Lake City. It closed the season the same way it opened it – taking first, this time at Far Western in Reno. Club V topped Hou Skyline 17 Royal in the final. Hou Skyline was also previously-qualified and it helped create trickle down to fifth place. While AZ Storm 17 Thunder and SynergyForce 17 Jeff earned their bids at the conclusion of gold pool play, it took Absolute Black 17-1 winning the fifth-place match to secure the last bid spot. Here’s how the weekends played out for all involved. CLUB V 17 REN REED (FIRST, 7-2) Day 1: d Encore 17 25-17, 25-15; d SIVBC Storm 25-15, 25-13; l SynergyForce 17 Jeff 16-25, 25-18, 15-12 Day 2: d NE Elite 17 Vici 25-18, 25-21; l Hou Skyline 17 Royal 25-19, 15-25, 15-10; d Co Jrs 17 Kevin 25-23, 25-20 Day 3: d SynergyForce 17 James 29-27, 22-25, 15-8; d Absolute Black 17-1 25-23, 25-16; d Hou Skyline 17 Royal 25-20, 27-25   Club V arrived at Far Western with one of the most impressive qualifying records of any team. The Intermountain Region club was 27-3 through the Salt Lake City, Red Rock Rave and Lone Star Classic qualifiers. It led to a first-place showing in SLC; a fifth in Vegas; and a third in Dallas. In Reno, Club V actually lost twice for the first time at a qualifier but still managed to walk away with another gold medal after topping Hou Skyline in the final. It pushed Club V’s qualifier record to 34-5. “It was a good weekend,” Club V coach Reed Carlson said. “I’m proud of the girls. Losing early is no fun. We haven’t lost very often so to learn from that and come back and finish strong is a big step for us.” SynergyForce upset Club V on Day 1, pulling that result out in three. It dropped Club V into the same pool as Hou Skyline on Day 2. The Lone Star club handed Club V yet another setback but Club V still advanced to the gold pools. It offered Club V a shot at redemption against SynergyForce. Club V returned the favor and took their second meeting in three sets. Getting past Absolute next gave Club V another chance at Hou Skyline in the final. Club V swept that one. “We were up 8-3 on Skyline on Day 2 and they went on a 12-3 run,” Carlson said. “We stopped being aggressive in all aspects. The next time our goal was to keep the energy high and keep our foot on the gas. They are such a disciplined team you can’t give them too many opportunities. We had to put the ball away sooner.” *** HOU SKYLINE 17 ROYAL (SECOND, 8-1) Day 1: d Absolute Black 17-1 25-19, 18-25, 20-18; d VVA 17-1 25-15, 25-18; d Miz Long Beach 17 Rockstar 25-21, 25-23 Day 2: d Co Jrs 17 Kevin 25-23, 25-13; d Club V 17 Ren Reed 25-19, 15-25, 15-10; d NE Elite 17 Vici 25-21, 25-16 Day 3: d AZ Storm 17 Thunder 25-19, 25-21; d NorCal 17-1 Black 25-22, 25-12; l Club V 17 Ren Reed 25-20, 27-25   Hou Skyline closed out a strong qualifying season by adding another silver medal to the mix. Despite its consistent showings it took Hou Skyline until its third try to qualify. The team just missed out on a bid at NEQ in March, coming in fourth and finishing one spot away from qualifying. A seventh-place showing at Sunshine once more kept Hou Skyline one spot removed from a bid. The bid finally came Hou Skyline’s way two weeks ago at the Lone Star Classic, where it placed second. In Reno, Hou Skyline had a tough opening match against Absolute, taking the third set 20-18. Hou Skyline defeated Club V in three as well on Day 2. On Day 3, Hou Skyline swept both AZ Storm and NorCal 17-1 Black to reach the final where it was swept by Club V. *** ARIZONA STORM 17 THUNDER (THIRD, 6-3) Day 1: d Hive 17 Gold 25-8, 25-23; l Club V 17 Ren Matthew 29-27, 25-18; d Rage 17 Greg 25-9, 25-17 Day 2: d Academy 17 Diamond 25-19, 20-25, 15-12; d OJVA 17-1 Gold 25-15, 25-20; l Absolute Black 17-1 25-22, 25-18 Day 3: l Hou Skyline 17 Royal 25-19, 25-21; d NorCal 17-1 Black 25-20, 23-25, 15-13; d SynergyForce 17 Jeff 25-20, 25-21   Injuries played a role in AZ Storm’s qualifier struggles and tested the resolve of the team as it headed to Reno in hopes of earning an Open bid. There were no crazy dramatics or out of the ordinary happenings at Far Western. Just a steady determination to pull through and go home qualified. Once AZ Storm defeated NorCal 17-1 Black in its final gold pool match on Day 3 its wish was granted. Storm finished out by topping SynergyForce in the third-place match. “We knew we had a bid but our mindset was let’s earn it,” Storm coach Aaron Payne said. “Let’s go win this match and say we qualified outright. We played tough against Synergy. That was a great win.” Storm had worked to get past its disappointment at the Red Rock Rave in early April. A 0-3 mark on Day 1 was not what the team expected as it was knocked from contention. Storm did earn a National bid through the regional tournament but came to Reno looking to end the qualifier season on a high note. Even without its full lineup available. Storm found a way. “The injuries have been tough,” Payne said. “We’ve been going back and forth with our setters. We had Gabby (LeBlanc) setting for a period of time. We got Tatum (Longnecker) back in the gym and she took it back over.

The surprise of the weekend was AZ Rev 15 Premier taking home the championship in 15 Open. It also gave AZ Rev the Open bid it coveted. Previously-qualified teams in Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar, NorCal 15-1 Black and NE Elite 16 Matrix all finished in the top four. The two remaining bids went out to Coast 15-1 and ID Crush 15 Bower. Here’s how their weekends played out at Far Western in Reno. AZ REV 15 PREMIER (FIRST, 8-1) Seeded No. 16 to begin with, AZ Rev was not viewed as a bid favorite let alone a club that could come to Reno and win it all. There was the big upset on Day 1, as AZ Rev swept past top-seeded and previously-qualified Absolute Black 15-1. But then there was the loss to previously-qualified NE Elite 15 Matrix to open Day 2. At that moment it was difficult gauging where AZ Rev stood. Was the victory over Absolute the anomaly and the loss to NE Elite closer to the norm? Or was the loss to NE Elite the anomaly and the win against Absolute closer to the norm? It took five more matches before we fully had our answer. And once we did there was no denying where AZ Rev stood. On top of the 15 Open division after fending off Long Beach in three in the championship match. “Every single one of them wanted it so bad,” AZ Rev coach Nicole Peterson said. “They played with their hearts. That’s all we can ask. You don’t have to be perfect. They were wanting to play and wanting to win.” How close it was to being a different tale. AZ Rev went to three sets five times, including in its final four contests. The one to kick off that streak was the most important one of the weekend. It was AZ Rev’s final Day 2 pool contest against Vision 15 Gold. The teams were tied at 1-1 with a bid awaiting the winner. NE Elite, NorCal 15-1 Black and Long Beach had already positioned themselves to be in the six-team gold pools. That meant the other three joining them would clinch bids before even playing a match on Day 3. AZ Rev grinded to a victory in that one to complete its task. “We had a National bid from our region,” Peterson said. “While we did have that our goal has always been to get the Open bid.” The final day was one of those magical days that only a few teams get to experience during qualifying season. AZ Rev simply wasn’t going to be denied, fighting and clawing its way to the title. It beat NorCal, ID Crush and Long Beach all in three. The victories over NorCal and Long Beach were decided by two points in the third set. “We focus a lot on serve and pass,” Peterson said. “We executed our serving assignments as well as passing. It kept the offense in rhythm and kept the other teams on their toes. Those were the big things we executed well this weekend.” Setter/right side Tristen Raymond played well enough she could have easily been named the tournament MVP. Her setting was consistent throughout and she helped carry the offensive load across the front row. Bailey Reed shared in the setting duties. Lexi Mallonee and Marielle Ramos were reliable on the pins with right side Payton Whalen getting in on the action as well. Libby Monson, Rory Tower and Jordyn Quinn all spent time in the middle while libero Ava Lambert helped hold it down defensively. “Every point matters,” Peterson said. “Anyone can beat us. When we’re not giving it our all we’ll lose. We can’t take any plays off. That was the lesson learned in Vegas. Every point matters and that was the game changer for this tournament.” *** MIZUNO LONG BEACH 15 ROCKSTAR (SECOND, 7-2) After a second-place showing in Reno, Long Beach has now triple-qualified. The performance at Far Western followed a runner-up finish at Salt Lake City and a third-place effort at PNQ. That’s a lot of winning as Beach has positioned itself to compete for qualifier titles like few have this season. The next step come Junior Nationals is going to be learning to finish once in that position. “It’s a great group of girls,” Long Beach coach Carlos Briceno said. “We just need to get over that hump.” Reno was not without its challenges. Cruising through its first two matches, Beach was pushed to the brink by Rage Westside 15 Jen before prevailing in three to close out Day 1. Beach was then upset by ID Crush to end Day 2. Day 3 opened with a convincing victory over NE Elite before the match of the tournament broke out between Beach and Coast. Beach barely escaped the thriller, winning in three, 29-31, 33-31, 17-15, to reach the final. There, Beach fell in a close one to AZ Rev. Beach has rolled out a consistent lineup throughout the season and nothing changed in that regard in Reno. Setters Isabella Jones and Ayva Ostovar were running a 6-2 like normal. Their targets were the same in outsides Simone Roslon and Kiana Greer, middles Kalyssa Blackshear and Emma Rowell, and a trio of right sides Beach can utilize in Layli Ostovar, Preslie Saunders and Sunni Skipps. Sydney Raszewski and Kayla Ostovar formed the libero duo. “We are getting better,” Briceno said. “It’s just decision making. I think we practice really hard. I don’t have a single complaint about how hard we practice.” *** NORCAL 15-1 BLACK (THIRD, 8-1) The final qualifier of the season wasn’t about getting a bid or not for NorCal. That had already been accomplished in March at PNQ, where it finished runner up to Absolute Black 15-1. If Far Western was about maximizing its time in Reno, Nor Cal hit its goal. It played a lot of volleyball! Nor Cal – which finished third overall after beating NE Elite in the

One previously-qualified team was gone after Day 1. Another was done after Day 2. That left Vision 16 Gold as the only team with a bid still in contention come Day 3. That also set the stage for an exciting conclusion to the bid chase as seven teams were still in the hunt on the last day of Far Western in Reno. While Vision went on to capture the championship by beating Hou Skyline 16 Royal and SG Elite 16 Rosh knew its bid was secured, it was a wild ride for the last bid winner in OJVA 16-1 Gold. Below, we share the details of their weekends. VISION 16 GOLD (FIRST, 10-0)   Having already qualified in early April at the Red Rock Rave in Las Vegas, there wasn’t much on the line as Vision wrapped up its qualifying schedule this past weekend at Far Western in Reno. It didn’t keep the NCVA club from playing like the stakes were high however. Vision posted a perfect 10-0 mark and dropped just one set on its way to earning the 16 Open championship. The run ended with a sweep of Hou Skyline in the final. “The girls played well,” Vision coach Ron Whitmill said. “Winning a qualifier, some of it is luck and some of it is playing well at the right times. We got into a groove and played well. We switched the lineup a little bit after getting a bid. We thought we needed some work on it and that it would be better for us. That lineup came together.” In between Vegas and Reno, Vision ventured to Lone Star in Dallas. It was a learning lesson for Vision, which lost two of three on Day 1 and didn’t break pool. “I think it really helped us,” Whitmill said. “We didn’t play poorly. We just had one bad match and it happened to be the first match of the tournament. That cost us in terms of being able to move forward. That was definitely the message. We need to learn to show up and that we can’t take Day 1 for granted.” Vision showed up all three days in Reno. It swept its first eight outings before needing three sets to fend off SG Elite in its final gold pool match. That propelled Vision into the final where it was able to remain unbeaten for the weekend. Freshman setter Maya Baker was her usual standout self. Whitmill praised her ability to command the offense and get the most out of it. One of the changes was moving Cleo Hardin opposite of Baker and playing Katelyn Cook at outside instead of right side. Taylor Williams remained at outside and had a strong weekend too. Amiya Kucibhotia and Briley Lackey were part of the middle attack while Michael Torkaman was her usual steady self at libero. “We’re probably not the favorite but I think we can beat any of the teams out there,” Whitmill said. “I think we are the furthest away from our ceiling. We are just scratching the surface. We could be really dangerous. “I’m pleased with the team how much they have improved at a national level. We double-qualified this year. That hasn’t happened often out of our region recently. It’s been a long journey to get to this point. Things haven’t come easy for this group. It’s been hard.” *** HOU SKYLINE 16 ROYAL (SECOND, 7-4)   Needing to qualify in Reno, Hou Skyline was off to a rocky start. The Lone Star Region club ended in a three-way tie at 1-1 in its opening pool. It took third and was forced into a must-win crossover just to remain in contention. While Hou Skyline prevailed in that one, it lost its next two matches and was sitting at 2-3 overall before finding its stride. By finishing the rest of the weekend winning five of its next six contests, Hou Skyline not only secured its bid it ended runner up to Vision with a second-place showing. “I thought it went well,” Hou Skyline coach Ashley Williams said of the weekend. “We’ve been focusing a lot in practice on our serving and serve receive. I thought we did a good job staying consistent. We like to call them our three littles in Keely McNeill, Mykayla McMillian and Macy McPartland, they really held it down throughout the weekend and we were able to run our offense through our setter Cayley Hanson. Reese Animashaun and Morgan Warren were our big terminators and we stayed in system a lot.” After Day 1 ended with a loss to OJVA and Day 2 opened with a setback to SG Elite, Hou Skyline didn’t lose again until facing Vision in the final. The team turned in a strong Day 3 performance in gold pool to clinch its bid. It featured victories over Rocky 16 National, Absolute Black 16-1 and payback against OJVA. The last two triumphs came in three sets and the team definitely knew the stakes of playing OJVA once more. “Match three of Day 3, we were about to play OJVA and we knew if we won we would for sure have our bid,” Williams said. “If we lost, we could’ve ended up in a tie. We wanted to control our own destiny and not leave it up to chance.” It appeared Hou Skyline took a big step forward two weeks ago when it finished in the top 10 at Lone Star. It provided a boost of confidence that led to the team feeling good about its chances of getting it done this past weekend in Reno. “We talked about qualifying pretty extensively,” Williams said. “We’ve been on an uptick. We’ve been getting a lot stronger.” *** SAN GABRIEL ELITE 16 ROSH (THIRD, 9-1)   San Gabriel headed to Reno without an insurance policy. The choice was made to forgo the SCVA Regional bid tournament the same weekend in hopes of earning an Open bid at Far Western. In an all