February 19, 2023

Just wow! Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow! The more you know, the more you really realize you know nothing at all. Or at least that’s how I feel after what transpired on Day 2 of the Triple Crown NIT on Sunday in Kansas City. What happened was impossible – I mean IMPOSSIBLE – to predict. Not in a million years! How in the world are we entering Day 3 of the most prestigious non-national championship tournament of the season and the top three teams in the country in the 17s division did not make the Top 8?!? In the latest vballrecruiter.com 17s Top 50 National Rankings released earlier this month, A5 17 Jing topped the list, followed by Dynasty 17 Black at No. 2 and TAV 17 Black at No. 3. Yet, inexplicably, none have a shot at winning the 17s here, not after all three bowed out Sunday evening. It seemed like a very safe pick to guess one of the big three (if that term still even applies?) would leave Kansas City with the title. But it is mind-boggling the quarterfinals will take place Monday morning and none are going to be involved. The good news is you can still catch two of them playing each other on Day 3. In fact, TAV faces A5 in the 9th-place Elite Division bracket. Meanwhile, you have to scroll down to the 17th-place Elite Division bracket to find Dynasty. The biggest shock – and it’s so big it might hold up throughout the entire season as the biggest shock (at least in the 17s) – came when Miami Hype 17 Emilio upset Dynasty in three, 25-21, 16-25, 16-14. Look at Dynasty’s season last year. It doesn’t lose to anyone but other top contenders, so this was something I never saw coming. No one did. As for A5, it ran into a buzzsaw called NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami in the Round of 16. NKYVC took it to A5, sweeping, 25-22, 25-19. At least TAV was taken down by arguably the best opponent that the big three faced, as national No. 6 Co Jrs 17 Kevin outlasted TAV in three, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10. Obviously, this development totally throws a wrench into the 17s division and opens it wide up for someone to take advantage. I don’t even want to begin thinking about – although I already have – what impact this is going to have on the next set of updated Top 50 National Rankings for that age group. Let the chaos begin! Something similar happened in 15s, but the 15s division is where you expect unexpected results because of the age. Still, I was surprised to see top-ranked Mintonette Sports m.51 and No. 2 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold shown the exit before reaching the Top 8. Austin Skyline 15 Royal showed up strong, sweeping Mintonette in the Round of 16 before reaching the Top 8. Boiler Jrs was taken down by AZ Sky 15G, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14. Boiler Jrs barely survived SG Elite 15 Rosh the round before, winning in three, 26-24, 28-30, 16-14. It leaves No. 3 Skyline 15 Royal as the highest-ranked team still alive. Madfrog 15 Green, at No. 5, and TAV 15 Black, at No. 7, are the only other teams from the Top 10 still in the hunt. But No. 12 Legacy 15-1 Adidas and No. 13 Austin Skyline 15 Royal are just outside of the Top 10 and still in it. In the 16s, our top-ranked team in Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is still in the mix. As is No. 3 1st Alliance 16 Gold, No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and No. 8 Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. One result that did surprise was national No. 16 A5 16 Gabe upsetting fourth-ranked Drive Nation 16 Red. Here’s how the quarterfinals for the 15-18s and semis for 14s stack up for Day 3: 18s   17s   16s   15s   14s *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS DRIVE NATION 14 RED: With TAV 14 Black and Arizona Storm 14 Thunder squaring off in one semifinal, it’s a great chance for Drive Nation to reach the final and take its shot at an upset. Drive Nation rolled through Day 2 action, sweeping Munciana 14 Chipmunks, SASVBC 14-1 and GP 14 Rox without allowing more than 19 points in any set. Outsides Lexi Martin and Landri Trice carry a load, as does libero Callie Gardner. AZ SKY 15G: Without question, AZ Sky deserves a ton of credit for still being one of the eight teams that can still win gold in the 15s division. AZ Sky escaped GP 15 Rox, winning in three, 17-25, 25-20, 17-15, before delivering a big upset over Boiler Jrs. One strength of this group comes in the middle with Jordyn Joppru and Leylah Duran. Libero Marianne Garcia is quick and gets around the court making plays as well, while Brooklyn Jenkins is a promising outside. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks, a 5-star recruit, is super fun to watch with everything she brings to the court. She’s a smooth disher and does well getting under the ball. She’s also a sharp attacker capable of punishing defenses. Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 16-1 Black: A 3-star middle, Kelly was a force at the net! She was hurting opponents off the slide as well as blasting balls down from the right side. She’s also puts up a huge block and is a game-changer across the front row for NorCal. Macey Hughes RS Alamo 16 Premier: Hughes – a 3-star lefty right side – flew under the radar this past high school season playing for Cornerstone Christian, which finished No. 2 in the nation. However, she seems poised for a breakout club campaign. She times her blocks well and she’s also a capable scorer who really can help balance out the attack. Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront: A 4-star setter from the Class of 2024 who is committed to Washington, Haury’s play helped keep

As one would guess, Day 2 was full of great action and upsets. The 12s division had a few shake-ups with A5 12-LA and Excel 12 Red both losing in three in their respective four-team pools. With that, Monday morning brings about an interesting and quite honestly exciting first match between A5 and Excel right from the start in the six-team championship bracket.  In the 13s division, Madfrog 13 Green, A5 13 Karen and Dynasty 13 Black all went 3-0 in their pools. However, in the R2 Elite C pool there were some shakeups with KIVA 13 Red and TAV 13 Black both going 2-1 overall and KIVA coming out on top. And in the 14s division the overall play was incredibly fun to watch throughout the day making for a fierce Top 4 Monday morning, which includes a rematch of the 2022 USAV 13 Open semifinals match  between TAV 13 Black and Arizona Storm 13 Thunder from last summer.  DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Addison VanNess S Dynasty 12 Black: VanNess does a solid job at the setting position. She has nice hands and can move well.  Harper Krawiec OH 1United 12N Jennifer: Krawiec has a lively arm and can bring real heat with her swings.  Kari Knotts OH A5 12-LA: With her jump and arm, Knotts produces wow moments on offense.  Collins Alonzo L Madfrog 12 Green: Alonzo was passing well out of serve receive. She’s incredibly scrappy too, making hustle plays chasing down balls and keeping rallies alive. Kennedy Jefferson S Madfrog 12 Green: Jefferson has a soft touch and puts up a very hittable ball with consistent location. She is also incredibly fast and agile.  Brylie Milo OH KC Power 12 Black: Milo is a six-rotation outside hitter who is active in the back row and is a reliable scorer in the front. Delaney Holder S Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar: Holder does a solid job dishing at the setting position for her squad.  Jayla Green OH Premier Nebraska 12 Gold: Green can bring a combo of power and heat and is capable of carrying the load at times.  Leah Stickney OH A5 13 Karen: Stickney a strong attacker with a nice arm and hits with plenty of pace. Kayleigh Rogers OH Adidas KIVA 13 Red: Rogers can bring a combo of power and heat and is capable of carrying the load at times. Bella Turcios L Tstreet 13-Bailey: Turcios passes, defends, covers and has a great range. Anna Jackson L Iowa Power Plex 13u Black: Jackson did a great job owning the back row and picking off cross court shots coming her way. Lyla Crowder MB 1United 13N Bill: Crowder is always a threat in the middle. She’s long and hits well. She also provides a big block to help slow down attacks. Aleyna Bramschreiber S/Opp Madfrog 13s N Green: Bramschreiber a terrific setter with a great touch and strong accuracy. She’s also a capable scorer and helps spread out the attack being a threat on the pins. Brynli Burgess L Madfrog 13s N Green: Burgess is quick and was showcasing her speed as a defender. She can hustle down balls and help extend rallies well. Eva Clevenger OH Munciana 13 Stingrays: Clevenger is scrappy and smart outside. She has a variety of shots she uses to keep the defense off guard. Tessa Larkin OH Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: A high-flying outside, Larkin hits a heavy ball with authority.  Nylah Bibby OH Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Bibby is an explosive hitter (to say the least). She has a quick jump, a fast arm and defensive craftiness to boot.  Sophee Peterson S/OH TAV 14 Black: An upbeat, energetic disher, Peterson is fun to watch do her thing. She can get up and absolutely unleash with authority too.  Nyla Livings MB TAV 14 Black: Livings is an athletic attacker who gets up and swings very well along with being a literal wall on defense.  Lexi Martin Drive Nation 14-Red: A key component on offense, Martin has a great arm and has a good knack for tooling the block or just going right around them. Callie Gardner L Drive Nation 14-Red: Gardner’s a steady passer with strong ball control skills. She makes great hustle plays chasing down balls and keeping rallies alive.  Bailey Lambert MB AZ Sky 14G: Lambert is an athletic attacker who gets up and swings very well. She moves well too, helping her form a strong block. Aubrey Burns L  AZ Sky 14G: Burns brings a defensive presence and attitude to the lineup. She’s steady out of serve receive and has no issues hitting the floor to keep balls in play.