March 11, 2023

For many of the top-seeded clubs the opening day of the second weekend of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas offered an easing-in period. But for some, the first day was truly a matter of survival as they found themselves locked in elimination matches. The highest-profile case came in 16 Open when AVA TX 16 Adidas and Absolute 16 Black were matched in a crossover in which the winner advanced to the Round 2 Division 1 pools while the loser would fall to the Round 2 Division 2 pools for Sunday. AVA entered ranked No. 21 in vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings while Absolute sits at No. 35. This was a case where neither team expected to be knocked from contention on Day 1. Yet, Absolute was on the wrong side of the score as AVA TX prevailed in three, 25-17, 25-27, 15-8. Wave 16 Kevin – ranked No. 26 nationally – and unranked clubs in Forza1 North 16 One and Club One 16 Platinum joined AVA in capturing must-win crossover matches to move on as well. Two unranked teams in 16 Open which helped create some of the upheaval Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center were Forza1 16 One and AZ Rev 16 Premier. Forza began its day with an upset of Absolute while AZ Rev closed its three-team pool by upsetting AVA TX and finishing first. Forza lost its crossover to AZ Sky 16G while ID Crush 16 Bower defeated AZ Rev in another crossover. Both AZ Rev and Forza remain in the mix for Day 2. The only other real news out of 16 Open is Vision 16 Gold and Temecula Viper 16 both advancing as the No. 3 team in their respective pools. They each beat the No. 2 team in their pools, with Vision taking down Aspire 16 Adidas and Temecula upending Rage Westside 16 Jen. Of the top six-ranked teams in 16 Open from our Top 50, only No. 13 Coast 16-1 lost Saturday. Coast had already clinched first place in its pool when it fell to unranked Muscle VB 16-1. Meanwhile, No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 7 Arizona Storm and TAV 16 Black went a combined 15-0 with only Surfside dropping a set. All 12 teams in appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings advanced in 17 Open. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While the highest-ranked team in No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red went 3-0, the next two highest in No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G lost. Hou Skyline earned its Open bid at NEQ last weekend but was uprooted by No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder in its three-team pool. AZ Sky was beaten by unranked TAV Houston 17 Adidas. It left both Hou Skyline and AZ Sky – which tied for third at Triple Crown – needing to win crossovers to remain in the mix. Both did. Wave 17 Juliana – ranked No. 16 nationally – No. 18 Vision 17 Gold and No. 20 Coast 17-1 didn’t lose a set on the day. Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 – finished 3-0 and but went three twice while No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy ended 3-0 and dropped one set. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Addison Massey OH TX Performance 16-1: Massey helped her team to an upset of No. 49 AZ Sky 16G. She’s a six-rotation outside and a big part of the attack. She swings front and back row and did well in helping carrying her share of the offense. Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner is a 4-star recruit with soft hands and a smooth delivery. She did well mixing her sets up and utilizing all of her hitters.   Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack is another 4-star recruit and you can see her next-level potential when she goes on the attack. She elevates quickly and can deliver rockets for kills. Justice Fuhrmann S Forza1 16 One: Fuhrmann is a bit undersized but she did a nice job running the attack and putting up a hittable ball. She located consistently. Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 One: Thunstrom did well in her role in helping provide offense on the outside. She found gaps in the blocks for kills and even delivered a big block of her own. Kimanni Rugley MB AVA TX 16 Adidas: Rugley is an athletic middle who makes her presence felt in the middle. She gets up fast and has a good arm to punish opponents with. Sydney Black L/DS HJV 16 Elite: Black – a 4-star recruit – was sound in serve receive and doing well with her first-ball contact. Nicole Steiner OH Vision 16 Gold: Steiner was taking her share of cuts on the outside and was helping keep Vision in the game. She has a fluid swing and was mixing up her shots. Kendall Timme OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Timme is a lanky outside and one of Arete’s best scoring threats. She’s an option both front and back row and can deliver. Rylee Smith MB Arete 16 Navy Telos: Smith has nice size and is a disrupter in the middle. She does well getting touches and blocks. *** Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower: A 4-star recruit, Frye has command of the offense and does well locating. She has a nice touch and with her size she’s a factor at the net too. Kiana Mark OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Mark brings physicality to the attack. She hits with power and score a lot of points. Lilyana Kautai RS Rage 16 Westside Jen: Kautai is someone opponents need to keep eyes on when she checks in. Rage will set her. She gets up well and takes aggressive swings. Natalia Clifford OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Another six-rotation outside, Clifford contributes both front row with her attacking and her strong defense in the