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March 4, 2023

Bluegrass: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

March 4, 2023

The highest-seeded clubs spent the opening day of the Bluegrass Tournament in power pools, their spots in Sunday’s challenge rounds guaranteed. For the rest, it was business as usual, aiming to break pool to remain in contention. Those that managed to stay in the hunt will get their shot at pulling off upsets of the power pool participants on Day 2 when the gold medals will be awarded. In 14 Open, Elevation 14 Molly – the top seed and winner of Central Zone – looked good in going 3-0 by sweeping Far Out 14 Black, HPSTL 14 Royal – which has already qualified for 14 Open – and Munciana Indy 14 Otters. Munciana 14 Chipmunks was the only other power-pool squad to go 3-0 in the 14s as Muncie took care of Adidas KiVA 14 Red, AVC Cle 14 Red and Lex United 14 Adidas all in straight sets. For seeding purposes, it was NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami gaining first place in Power Pool 3 after finishing tied with Tri-State Elite 14 Blue at 2-1. NKYVC swept the head-to-head against Tri-State to get first. Of the non-power pool teams, Alliance 14 Ren, Maverick 14 Elite and Circle City 14 Purple all went 3-0 in winning their pools. However, it was EliteVBTC 14 Black which arguably had the best day of any 14 Open team. Elite went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in Pool 5 to drastically improve its seeding. Another age group going off in the morning was 16 Open, which featured two power pools. SPVB 16 Elite shined in one of them while the other pool featured mixed results. SPVB took down a solid group of teams in Circle City 16 Purple, Munciana 16 Blaze and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami. In the other pool, AVC Cle 16 Red, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue all finished at 2-1 overall and 5-3 in sets. KiVA took first based on points percentage, followed by AVC and Tri-State. OPVC 16 Robinson was the fourth team in the pool and went 3-0 against the stiff competition. It started with AVC outlasting Tri-State in three games. Tri-State then clipped KiVA in three before KiVA closed out the pool by edging AVC in three. The top teams in 17 Open all finished 3-0 in their respective pools. Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami fared the best of the trio. NKYVC was the only one not to lose a set, sweeping Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Hurricanes Category 7 in Power Pool 2. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue was part of a perfect Power Pool 3. And by perfect I mean every match in the pool went to three sets! That’s a long day for everyone involved, but it was Tri-State prevailing in all three it played. Union 17-1 UA finished 2-1 followed by Elevation 17 Ulland at 1-2 and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal at 0-3. The same thing was close to happening in Power Pool 1. Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami sweeping Team Pineapple 17 Black in the opening match was the only one of the six not to go the distance. Academy eventually took the pool by fending off Memphis Academy 17 Red and Maverick 17 Elite. The biggest result in 15 Open came with AVC Cle 15 Red knocking off top-seeded Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in Power Pool A. That’ll shake up the seedings for Sunday’s challenge pools and beyond. AVC finished on top at 3-0, having also downed Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite. Both second-seeded NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and third-seeded Elevation 15 Tony lost as well in their pools. That’s only going to shake up the seedings further. In Power Pool B, it was Team Pineapple 15 Black at 3-0 which wound up in first place. TVC 15 Black also picked up a big victory over NKYVC to finish at 2-1, ahead of NKYVC at 1-2. Far Out 15 Black topped Elevation in the last match of Power Pool C to finish 3-0. Elevation came in second at 2-1. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze: Schrader does a great job moving the ball around and mixing it up for an undersized offensive group overall. She has precise location and puts the ball in a hittable window very consistently. Shanese Williams MB/RS Munciana 16 Blaze: I’m glad I caught Williams again. There was simply too many players to write about from Triple Crown and Williams certainly could have been mentioned for her play on Day 2 against Drive Nation 16 Red. Williams was doing her thing again, banging away from the right side and adding pop to the Munciana attack. Lilly Howell MB Munciana 16 Blaze: Howell is the tallest player for Munciana and she made an impact across the front row. She has a big arm and Munciana likes to take advantage of that, setting her as often as they can when she’s lined up on the left. Aubrey Anders MB AVC Cle 16 Red: Anders is a quick jumper. She gets up quick and is tough for defenses to time. She also showed off a nice arm putting balls down to the ground. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: There’s no questioning that Bullington – a 4-star recruit – has a massive arm. She was blasting balls repeatedly. She’s another quick jumper who just gets off the floor and lets it rip! Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: Asleson is currently a 3-star recruit who’ll be moving up to 4 stars in the next update. She’s a smoother disher with a clean, consistent release and she locates well. Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: If I was handing out a personal pick for Day 1 MVP, it would go to Haggard. She was a key ingredient to KiVA’s lineup. She was playing with lots of energy and spirit, was setting well and was swinging with a purpose in helping her team in many ways. Bailey Blair

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Sunshine Classic : Day 2 Show Stoppers (Week 2)

March 4, 2023

Another day of action brought more heat across the gym. For the most part seeded teams held their own. But you have to love a good upset, right?!  For the most part I have seen most of the top Open level teams play this season already. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal was one of the clubs I have not been able to personally see as of yet. Tribe features a ton of South Florida stars who I was able to watch this past high school season. One is 5-star recruit Charlotte Glass is “quarterbacking” the team. Add in 5-star recruit outside Kelly Kinney, 4-star recruit libero Zoey Matias, 3-star recruit outside Tekoa Barnes and right side Mija Bendziute and watch out. They will be a lot of fun to watch this season.  Sunday means Championship Day!  The 17 Open Gold Pools are set. See below.  GMPP1 Triangle 17 Black HPSTL 17 Royal Legacy 17-1 ADIDAS   GMPP2 A5 17-Jing Mintonette Sports – m.71 CUVC 17 Arete   GMPP3 TAV 17 Black OT 17 O Felix Top Select 17 Elite   GMPP4 OT 17 T Aaron Skyline 17 Royal MKE Sting 17 Gold   The 16 Open Gold Pools: GMPP1 H Skyline 16 Royal  Top Select 16 Elite  OT 16 O Roberto   GMPP2 A5 16-Gabe Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite HPSTL 16 Royal    GMPP3 OT 16 T JP GP 16 Rox DYNASTY 16 Black   GMPP4 Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS Austin Skyline 16 Royal Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal    DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: Bobbitt, a 3-star Iowa State commit, is a gamer with pin-point accuracy who shows strong command of running the show. Taylor Pagan OH High Voltage 1517 College Pre: Pagan hits a heavy ball and is high on the energy scale on the court.  Becca Wight Opp Mintonette Sports – m.71: A 6-4 3-star Virginia commit, Wight is a physical presence on the court both offensively and defensively.  Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: A 4-star Coastal Carolina commit, Bowron is a fearless attacker who aggressively goes at bigger blockers on the reg.  Macaria Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears, a 5-star recruit, was literally cracking on balls. She was absolutely tormenting defenses with her scoring ability. Megan Morello L H Skyline 16 Royal: Morello was as holding it down defensively, coming up with saves all over the court.  Camryn Jeffery Opp A5 16 Gabe: Jeffery, a 4-star recruit, adds a physical presence to the attack. She had huge swings and big blocks. Chichi Nnaji Opp Skyline 16 Royal: Chichi is making her presence known these days. She hits a heavy ball consistently.  Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn, a 5-star recruit, runs a good offense. She has good connections with her middles and is consistent with her locations from anywhere on the court.  Amina N’diaye OH OT 16 O Roberto: A 5-star recruit, N’diaye takes a lot of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes, a 3-star recruit, was ripping balls through and around the block all day. She is a very explosive hitter. Ella Florez S/Opp Dynasty 16 Black: Flores, a 5-star recruit, plays a vital role hitting and setting. She has good hands and can dish anywhere effectively.  Kayden Green S/Opp GP 16 Rox: A 4-star recruit, Green did a nice job dishing and running the attack. Elissa Baez OH GP 12 Rox: There’s no backing down with Baez. She kept digging and challenging defenses. She’s a crafty hitter too. Brooklyn Howard L A5 12-LA: Howard is a nice anchor in the backcourt. She made some strong plays and has good, consistent energy. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko displayed her skills all around. She passed well out of the backrow. She also was swinging well and providing offense.

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Sunshine Classic: Day 1 Show Stoppers (Week 2)

March 4, 2023

The start of the second weekend of the 2023 Sunshine Volleyball Classic definitely started off in an interesting way. One, kudos to all the coaches, parents and athletes who stepped up for missing members being stranded from weather issues while traveling. Secondly, there is nothing like a 20-min convention center blackout! After that passed it was back to non-stop high flying and hard-hitting action! Never a dull moment at the Sun! DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Anyanwu, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, is a beast at the net both defensively and offensively.  Victoria Harris L SC Midlands 17 National R: Harris is a scrapper who is wicked fast on the court.  Niyah Lester MB ROCKC 17-1: Lester is a strong presence in the middle who moves side to side well and gets up on the block to cause problems for attackers.  Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17N Emilio: Molina is a big presence at the net. Her physicality keeps defenses on their toes.  Nayelis Cabello S Top Select 17 Elite: A 5-star recruit and Louisville commit, Cabello has a great touch and a good arm to beat defense. Kassidy O’Brien S H Skyline 17 Royal: O’Brien, a 5-star recruit, was dishing with the best them. She’s super smooth and can keep defenses guessing with her ability to set from anywhere on the court. Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal: The 6-5 Gaido, a 4-star recruit, was hitting with great extension and power.  Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Glass, a 5-star recruit, has great hands and knows how to run an offense well.   Shylah Swope S VA Elite 16’s: Swope has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Ella Moore OH NYC Juniors 16 National: Moore is an undersized six-rotation outside scrapper who has no fear on the court.  Amirra Bailey MB SKEVA 16 Blue: Bailey is HUGE at the net with a gigantic upside both defensively and offensively.  Isabella Mogridge S OT 16 T JP: A 4-star recruit, Mogridge runs a smooth offense. She smart, athletic, and has a great touch.  Addison Walker OH BVA 17 Elite: Walker is a 6-2 six-rotation powerhouse who is one of BVA’’s  most consistent scorers with her ability to go over and around blocks on the regular. Emory Miskovsky L OP2 12-1: Miskovsky is an smooth libero who communicates and controls the back row well. Roxy Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is an athletic 5-1 setter with strong hands.  Peyton Robinson OH A5 12 LA: Robinson did a double duty role to. When I first saw her she was swinging well on the outside. By the end of the pool she had the libero jersey. She was fun to watch the switch up.

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Bluegrass: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

March 4, 2023

The highest-seeded clubs spent the opening day of the Bluegrass Tournament in power pools, their spots in Sunday’s challenge rounds guaranteed. For the rest, it was business as usual, aiming to break pool to remain in contention. Those that managed to stay in the hunt will get their shot at pulling off upsets of the power pool participants on Day 2 when the gold medals will be awarded. In 14 Open, Elevation 14 Molly – the top seed and winner of Central Zone – looked good in going 3-0 by sweeping Far Out 14 Black, HPSTL 14 Royal – which has already qualified for 14 Open – and Munciana Indy 14 Otters. Munciana 14 Chipmunks was the only other power-pool squad to go 3-0 in the 14s as Muncie took care of Adidas KiVA 14 Red, AVC Cle 14 Red and Lex United 14 Adidas all in straight sets. For seeding purposes, it was NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami gaining first place in Power Pool 3 after finishing tied with Tri-State Elite 14 Blue at 2-1. NKYVC swept the head-to-head against Tri-State to get first. Of the non-power pool teams, Alliance 14 Ren, Maverick 14 Elite and Circle City 14 Purple all went 3-0 in winning their pools. However, it was EliteVBTC 14 Black which arguably had the best day of any 14 Open team. Elite went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in Pool 5 to drastically improve its seeding. Another age group going off in the morning was 16 Open, which featured two power pools. SPVB 16 Elite shined in one of them while the other pool featured mixed results. SPVB took down a solid group of teams in Circle City 16 Purple, Munciana 16 Blaze and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami. In the other pool, AVC Cle 16 Red, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue all finished at 2-1 overall and 5-3 in sets. KiVA took first based on points percentage, followed by AVC and Tri-State. OPVC 16 Robinson was the fourth team in the pool and went 3-0 against the stiff competition. It started with AVC outlasting Tri-State in three games. Tri-State then clipped KiVA in three before KiVA closed out the pool by edging AVC in three. The top teams in 17 Open all finished 3-0 in their respective pools. Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami fared the best of the trio. NKYVC was the only one not to lose a set, sweeping Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Hurricanes Category 7 in Power Pool 2. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue was part of a perfect Power Pool 3. And by perfect I mean every match in the pool went to three sets! That’s a long day for everyone involved, but it was Tri-State prevailing in all three it played. Union 17-1 UA finished 2-1 followed by Elevation 17 Ulland at 1-2 and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal at 0-3. The same thing was close to happening in Power Pool 1. Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami sweeping Team Pineapple 17 Black in the opening match was the only one of the six not to go the distance. Academy eventually took the pool by fending off Memphis Academy 17 Red and Maverick 17 Elite. The biggest result in 15 Open came with AVC Cle 15 Red knocking off top-seeded Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in Power Pool A. That’ll shake up the seedings for Sunday’s challenge pools and beyond. AVC finished on top at 3-0, having also downed Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite. Both second-seeded NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and third-seeded Elevation 15 Tony lost as well in their pools. That’s only going to shake up the seedings further. In Power Pool B, it was Team Pineapple 15 Black at 3-0 which wound up in first place. TVC 15 Black also picked up a big victory over NKYVC to finish at 2-1, ahead of NKYVC at 1-2. Far Out 15 Black topped Elevation in the last match of Power Pool C to finish 3-0. Elevation came in second at 2-1. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze: Schrader does a great job moving the ball around and mixing it up for an undersized offensive group overall. She has precise location and puts the ball in a hittable window very consistently. Shanese Williams MB/RS Munciana 16 Blaze: I’m glad I caught Williams again. There was simply too many players to write about from Triple Crown and Williams certainly could have been mentioned for her play on Day 2 against Drive Nation 16 Red. Williams was doing her thing again, banging away from the right side and adding pop to the Munciana attack. Lilly Howell MB Munciana 16 Blaze: Howell is the tallest player for Munciana and she made an impact across the front row. She has a big arm and Munciana likes to take advantage of that, setting her as often as they can when she’s lined up on the left. Aubrey Anders MB AVC Cle 16 Red: Anders is a quick jumper. She gets up quick and is tough for defenses to time. She also showed off a nice arm putting balls down to the ground. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: There’s no questioning that Bullington – a 4-star recruit – has a massive arm. She was blasting balls repeatedly. She’s another quick jumper who just gets off the floor and lets it rip! Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: Asleson is currently a 3-star recruit who’ll be moving up to 4 stars in the next update. She’s a smoother disher with a clean, consistent release and she locates well. Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: If I was handing out a personal pick for Day 1 MVP, it would go to Haggard. She was a key ingredient to KiVA’s lineup. She was playing with lots of energy and spirit, was setting well and was swinging with a purpose in helping her team in many ways. Bailey Blair

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Sunshine Classic : Day 2 Show Stoppers (Week 2)

March 4, 2023

Another day of action brought more heat across the gym. For the most part seeded teams held their own. But you have to love a good upset, right?!  For the most part I have seen most of the top Open level teams play this season already. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal was one of the clubs I have not been able to personally see as of yet. Tribe features a ton of South Florida stars who I was able to watch this past high school season. One is 5-star recruit Charlotte Glass is “quarterbacking” the team. Add in 5-star recruit outside Kelly Kinney, 4-star recruit libero Zoey Matias, 3-star recruit outside Tekoa Barnes and right side Mija Bendziute and watch out. They will be a lot of fun to watch this season.  Sunday means Championship Day!  The 17 Open Gold Pools are set. See below.  GMPP1 Triangle 17 Black HPSTL 17 Royal Legacy 17-1 ADIDAS   GMPP2 A5 17-Jing Mintonette Sports – m.71 CUVC 17 Arete   GMPP3 TAV 17 Black OT 17 O Felix Top Select 17 Elite   GMPP4 OT 17 T Aaron Skyline 17 Royal MKE Sting 17 Gold   The 16 Open Gold Pools: GMPP1 H Skyline 16 Royal  Top Select 16 Elite  OT 16 O Roberto   GMPP2 A5 16-Gabe Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite HPSTL 16 Royal    GMPP3 OT 16 T JP GP 16 Rox DYNASTY 16 Black   GMPP4 Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS Austin Skyline 16 Royal Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal    DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: Bobbitt, a 3-star Iowa State commit, is a gamer with pin-point accuracy who shows strong command of running the show. Taylor Pagan OH High Voltage 1517 College Pre: Pagan hits a heavy ball and is high on the energy scale on the court.  Becca Wight Opp Mintonette Sports – m.71: A 6-4 3-star Virginia commit, Wight is a physical presence on the court both offensively and defensively.  Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: A 4-star Coastal Carolina commit, Bowron is a fearless attacker who aggressively goes at bigger blockers on the reg.  Macaria Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears, a 5-star recruit, was literally cracking on balls. She was absolutely tormenting defenses with her scoring ability. Megan Morello L H Skyline 16 Royal: Morello was as holding it down defensively, coming up with saves all over the court.  Camryn Jeffery Opp A5 16 Gabe: Jeffery, a 4-star recruit, adds a physical presence to the attack. She had huge swings and big blocks. Chichi Nnaji Opp Skyline 16 Royal: Chichi is making her presence known these days. She hits a heavy ball consistently.  Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn, a 5-star recruit, runs a good offense. She has good connections with her middles and is consistent with her locations from anywhere on the court.  Amina N’diaye OH OT 16 O Roberto: A 5-star recruit, N’diaye takes a lot of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes, a 3-star recruit, was ripping balls through and around the block all day. She is a very explosive hitter. Ella Florez S/Opp Dynasty 16 Black: Flores, a 5-star recruit, plays a vital role hitting and setting. She has good hands and can dish anywhere effectively.  Kayden Green S/Opp GP 16 Rox: A 4-star recruit, Green did a nice job dishing and running the attack. Elissa Baez OH GP 12 Rox: There’s no backing down with Baez. She kept digging and challenging defenses. She’s a crafty hitter too. Brooklyn Howard L A5 12-LA: Howard is a nice anchor in the backcourt. She made some strong plays and has good, consistent energy. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko displayed her skills all around. She passed well out of the backrow. She also was swinging well and providing offense.

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Sunshine Classic: Day 1 Show Stoppers (Week 2)

March 4, 2023

The start of the second weekend of the 2023 Sunshine Volleyball Classic definitely started off in an interesting way. One, kudos to all the coaches, parents and athletes who stepped up for missing members being stranded from weather issues while traveling. Secondly, there is nothing like a 20-min convention center blackout! After that passed it was back to non-stop high flying and hard-hitting action! Never a dull moment at the Sun! DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Anyanwu, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, is a beast at the net both defensively and offensively.  Victoria Harris L SC Midlands 17 National R: Harris is a scrapper who is wicked fast on the court.  Niyah Lester MB ROCKC 17-1: Lester is a strong presence in the middle who moves side to side well and gets up on the block to cause problems for attackers.  Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17N Emilio: Molina is a big presence at the net. Her physicality keeps defenses on their toes.  Nayelis Cabello S Top Select 17 Elite: A 5-star recruit and Louisville commit, Cabello has a great touch and a good arm to beat defense. Kassidy O’Brien S H Skyline 17 Royal: O’Brien, a 5-star recruit, was dishing with the best them. She’s super smooth and can keep defenses guessing with her ability to set from anywhere on the court. Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal: The 6-5 Gaido, a 4-star recruit, was hitting with great extension and power.  Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Glass, a 5-star recruit, has great hands and knows how to run an offense well.   Shylah Swope S VA Elite 16’s: Swope has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Ella Moore OH NYC Juniors 16 National: Moore is an undersized six-rotation outside scrapper who has no fear on the court.  Amirra Bailey MB SKEVA 16 Blue: Bailey is HUGE at the net with a gigantic upside both defensively and offensively.  Isabella Mogridge S OT 16 T JP: A 4-star recruit, Mogridge runs a smooth offense. She smart, athletic, and has a great touch.  Addison Walker OH BVA 17 Elite: Walker is a 6-2 six-rotation powerhouse who is one of BVA’’s  most consistent scorers with her ability to go over and around blocks on the regular. Emory Miskovsky L OP2 12-1: Miskovsky is an smooth libero who communicates and controls the back row well. Roxy Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is an athletic 5-1 setter with strong hands.  Peyton Robinson OH A5 12 LA: Robinson did a double duty role to. When I first saw her she was swinging well on the outside. By the end of the pool she had the libero jersey. She was fun to watch the switch up.

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