February 18, 2023

If you have never experienced Day 1 of the Triple Crown NIT before until the start of this year’s three-day tournament on Saturday in Kansas City, then welcome! I’m guessing your head hasn’t stopped spinning and you were completely and totally blown away by the amazing competition witnessed on Day 1? You are also probably asking yourself why can’t every tournament be like this? I’m going to digress there because there is already enough to get to without adding any sidebars. Stuff like a daily rundown, Team Spotlights and of course our Day 1 Show Stoppers. First, if you have been to Triple Crown before then you get it. Someone like myself could write thousands and thousands of words about one Power Pool A in one age division. Let’s factor in there was action from the 14-18s I was trying to get through and I’m not going to spend too much time running through all the results. I started by covering the 14s this morning. I saw a lot of Power Pool A, which saw Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson and TAV 14 Black all go 3-0. Storm and TAV looked especially strong. I touch on Legacy 15-1 Adidas and Boiler Jrs 15 Gold both going 3-0 in Power Pool A below. As for the 16s, I was a bit surprised not to see a team make it through at 3-0 in Power Pool A. Then again, considering the strength of competition, maybe that was asking too much of any team? As it turned out Drive Nation 16 Red, Arizona Storm 16 Thunder, 1st Alliance 16 Gold, Coast 16-1 and Surfside 16 PV Legends all finished up at 2-1. I’m not even going to attempt to sort that mess out. Let’s just see how the 16s continues to play out and go from there. Power Pool A from the 17s division produced ridiculous matches but Dynasty 17 Black was the only one to go 3-0. Wave 17 Juliana, TAV 17 Black, A5 17 Jing and Drive Nation 17 Red all went 2-1 in Power Pool A. Lastly, Drive Nation 18 Red continued to establish itself as the team to beat after going 3-0 in its Power Pool A. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS SKYLINE 14 ROYAL: Skyline had a day in Power Pool B, going 3-0 and not allowing an opponent to score more than 19 points in any of the six sets. Skyline was the only club to go 3-0 in the pool Saturday. We know what a performance like that has the Skyline faithful thinking. Why weren’t we in Power Pool A?!? It’s okay, Skyline still has time to show where it belongs, as the North Texas Region club turns its attention to bracket play starting Day 2. Skyline swept past WPVC 14 Armour Black, Munciana 14 Chipmunks and A5 14 Helen and posted a 1.5 points ratio in the process. Ryan Spencer and Kate Cuppett did a great job at outside, while Izabelle Buchholz showed what type of threat she can be in the middle. Defensively, Dakota Huynh showed up strong at libero, making several nice hustle plays and showing her grit and determination in keeping balls alive. AP 14 ADIDAS: Like Skyline, AP was the only squad to post a 3-0 mark in its pool, owning Power Pool C with a solid outing. AP seemed to get stronger as the day wore on as it finished with sweeps over City 14 Gold, Wave 14 Tammy and GP 14 Rox. Logan Sanders and Emerson Butler were tasked with running the offense and both did well delivering the ball to their hitters. The middles were doing their thing as well, with Camille Presley getting up and ripping balls down and Jazzlyn Hepburn showing her agility and quickness at the net. AP also has Susan Hudgins on the left. She’s a tall outside with lots of upside as she put down a few impressive kills as well. LEGACY 15-1 ADIDAS: Legacy had a tough result at Central Zone a few weeks back, where it was upset by TVC 15 Black and knocked out of contention. Legacy was one of our teams to watch for this season, with some of the roster moves it made. A 3-0 showing in Power Pool A could be a sign that this group is beginning to figure it out. Legacy had no issues sweeping Madfrog 15 Green before narrowly getting past Wave 15 Brennan in three, 15-13 in the third. Legacy then closed out by hammering Tstreet 15 Curtis. Gabby DiVita played up on the 15s last year but stayed with her age group this go around and she’s a force on the left. Legacy is also really strong in the middle with Kayla Nwabueze and Ella Andrews. Legacy is also in a good spot in the back row with Meredith Martin at libero. BOILER JRS 15 GOLD: Like Legacy, Boiler Jrs went 3-0 in Power Pool A. We figured Boiler Jrs was going to be a real contender here and that’s how the team looked on Day 1. Boiler Jrs downed Tstreet, Madfrog and Skyline 15 Royal. It was the usual suspects for Boiler Jrs, with Lexi Shondell standing out at setter and Ellie Hepler taking care of the back end. Caroline Ward continues to put up a huge block on the right side and give attackers problems. NKYVC 15-1 TSUNAMI: The standout from Power Pool B was NKYVC, which defeated AZ Sky 15G, SCVC 15 Roxy and Forza1 North 15. Callie Combs and Grace Portwood once again took care of business on the left, while Audrey Dyas was a strong presence in the middle, while setter/right side Addyson Bianchini played a vital role. AP 15 ADIDAS: AP went 3-0 in Power Pool C but just as easily could have finished 1-2. AP swept Far Out 15 Black before getting past both HPSTL 15 Royal (15-13 Game 3) and AVC Cle 15 Red (16-14 Game 3) in three. Of course, this team

The opening day of the Triple Crown NIT started out for me at the 12s courts. And yes, we all know there are a ton of aces BUT heads up y’all, there are some studs out there. From height to power to straight out scrappers the 12s division DEFINITELY DOES NOT disappoint! Let’s get to it. For the most part four of the five top ranked teams held their seeds. Three squads ended up undefeated for the day: Madfrog 12 Green, Excel 12 Red and Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar. A5 12-LA and Premier Nebraska 12 Gold both went undefeated match wise and 6-1 in sets. There were a bunch of other scrappy teams along with straight out ballers.  Excel 12 Red is a lot of fun to watch. They have a ton of options the setters Anna Lukas and Gabriella  Fiori can dish to. Two of those options include outside hitters Mary-Christine (MC) Crutcher and Skye Lincoln who can terminate balls in any location. A5 12-LA was another team that was not only fun to watch but was loaded with size and talent. Pins Macurdy Harden, Kari Knotts and Milan Tallman brought the heat. Middles Madison Middleton and Gia Stokes also packed a punch.  And let’s not forget to mention Madfrog 12 Green. The defending 2022 11s champions are both scrappy and explosive. Libero Collins Alonzo anchors the back court with pins Nadia Cobos and Tatum Smith who pass incredibly well. Middles Julianna Godbey and newcomer Soleil Rhodes are both sizeable and powerful at the net.  TAV 13 Black is a whole new squad to watch out for. Size and scrappiness headline this team. Pins Cailtin Carriazales, Sarah Floyd, Natalie O’Donnell and Olivia Permenter all can terminate with the best of them. Libero Madison Kutch anchors the backcourt well.  Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar is another team to keep your eye on. Setter Riley Stringer dishes well to her hitters. Outside hitters Cadence Talaga and Daisy Brown pack a punch on the court. And let’s not forget to mention libero Paulina Zahn and DS Londyn Foster who hold down the backcourt with fire and consistency.  DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Julianna Godbey MB Madfrog 12 Green: Godbey was quick laterally and able to attack effectively.  Mary-Christine (MC) Crutcher OH Excel 12 Red – A big strength of Excel comes with the outside duo of Crutcher and Lincoln. A six-rotation outside, MC can terminate anywhere on the court. Skye Lincoln OH Excel 12 Red – Lincoln, the other part of the outside hitter duo, jumps well and hits with a heavy hand.  Danaya Petkova MB Rockwood Thunder 12 Elite – Petkova is huge at the net and plays six rotations. Watch this kid!  Isabelle Alexander L KIVA 12 Red- I loved Alexander’s leadership and fire on the court. Her out of system sets were pretty on point too.  Reese Canada OH Boilers 121E Gold – Canada gets up and bangs. She’s a great six-rotation athlete. Kendall Rowray MB Munciana 12 Peppers: Rowray explodes jumping wise on the court and has a whip of an arm.  Bel Wood MB ID Crush 12 Seward: Wood is an aggressive middle who has no fear at the net. She’s another six-rotation athlete who attacked everywhere on the court.  Lily Vandeweghe MB Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar: Vandeweghe is a huge wall in the middle blocking position and she moves well laterally too.  Madison Middleton MB A5 12-LA: Middleton is a dynamic middle blocker who has a whip of an arm combined with incredible athleticism.  Macurdy Harden OH A5 12-LA:  A six-rotation outside, Harden displayed her all-around game, scoring in the front and playing defense in the back. Cadence Talaga OH Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar: Talaga is an all around scrapper. From swinging with aggression in the front row to sick defense in the back row she is a six-rotation threat.  Sarah Floyd Opp/OH TAV 13 Black: Floyd is an impactful player on both pins. She can go over the top of blocks or simply tool them with ease. Haedyn Lynnes L DYNASTY 13 Black: Loved her leadership on the court. Also was kinda a defensive rockstar back there.  Vanessa Gridley S Arizona Storm 13 Thunder: Another duo to watch out for but this time it’s a setter duo. Gridley has a long frame with great extension. She is consistent in her delivery and location. Jade Smith S Arizona Storm 13 Thunder:  Smith is also part of the setter duo. Smith has good vision, sees the court well and connects with her hitters.  Meredith Abney L A5 13 Karen: Abney is a fluid libero who moves around the court with ease. She anchors the back row well.  Jaelyn Jordan S MAVC KC: Jordan was dishing well and putting up a nice ball for her hitters. She elevates her team with the ability to guide an offense. London Merchant OH Madfrog 14 Green: Merchant hits a heavy ball and can power through blocks along with off speed shots to keep defenses guessing. She was passing well too. Ella Olson OH Tstreet 14 Carson: Olson can do it all on the court. She brings serious offense and scrappy defense to the court. She’s a versatile player and one to keep tabs on. Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Omoruyi is a HUGE presence at the net. She has a big arm and is an aggressive, physical attacker who moves well laterally to boot.  Fara Bronson S Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Bronson is a leader on the court. Her vocality combined with her athleticism and fire help lead her squad, plus she did a great job of moving the ball around and getting her middles invovled.