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March 30, 2023

Show Me: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

It’s a busy, busy weekend with multiple qualifiers happening at literally almost every corner of the country. There’s bid competition in Spokane, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philly. And of course, Kansas City! The Show Me Qualifier is where I’ll be spending this weekend and providing coverage of the three-day event. Below, we take a look at the 15-17 Open divisions and take a guess as to what might happen. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3   Previously-Qualified Teams (5): Dynasty 17 Black; Drive Nation 17 Red; Premier Nebraska 17 Gold; OT 17 Felix; Rev 17-1 Raptors vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 4. TAV 17 Black 12. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 13. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold 16. Pohaku 17-1 19. KC Power 17 Black 20. OT 17 Felix 30. Skyline 17 Royal 31. VCNebraska 17 Elite 42. Iowa Power Plex 17U 47. Rev 17-1 Raptors 48. Shockwave 17 Black 49. Northern Lights 17-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (South Dakota) Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Cincinnati) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors (Florida) Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black (USC) Jadyn Livings OH TAV 17 Black (USC) Camille Edwards S TAV 17 Black (Michigan) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black (2025) Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black (2025) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite (Marquette) Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite (USC) Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix (Cincinnati) Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Oregon) Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black (Cincinnati) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black (Tennessee) Gracie Morrow OH Shockwave 17 Black (Wichita State) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Carson Eickenloff S Drive Nation 17 Red (Ole Miss) Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Lauren Salata OH Adversity 17 Adidas Ava Pratt OH Adversity 17 Adidas (Northwestern) Mikala Young OH TAV 17 Black (TCU) Anna Boatner MB TAV 17 Black Jade Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Mak Miller MB Pohaku 17-1 (2025) Jordan Smith OH/RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Outlook/Prediction: This division is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not quite as packed as the Big South 17 Open field, but it’s pretty close. The second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation from our Top 50 are here, as are eight from the Top 20. With five qualified teams, we know all three bids are going out. There’s sure to be trickle down, but could it go all the way to eighth-place? With this field, it’s definitely possible that all five qualified teams could finish in the top eight. But where do the bids go? TAV 17 Black is the front-runner. TAV lost once at Sunshine and finished in fifth to miss out on a bid. It would be a huge upset to see TAV not finish in a spot to qualify here. TAV is a gold-medal favorite, right with Dynasty 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red. Dynasty has two second-place showings at Northern Lights and MEQ and would love to actually add a gold at Show Me. Drive Nation took first at Red Rock and is looking to add another gold to its collection. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, OT 17 Felix and Rev 17-1 Raptors are the other teams with bids and could factor into trickle down. Rev qualified at NEQ and will have to up its game to get into contention in KC. Premier Nebraska qualified back at Northern Lights and should finish in the top eight. As should OT Felix. It still leaves the bids. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, KC Power 17-1 and Pohaku 17-1 are all contenders along with TAV. Pohaku beat KC Power at MEQ in a must-win fifth-place bracket match but fell a victory short of a bid when it lost to Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and took sixth. Rockwood Thunder is looking to create some of its own luck. Rockwood Thunder finished fourth at Northern Lights, tied for fifth at NEQ and in a tough-break lost just once at MEQ – to Pohaku – and finished 13th. Ultimately, I like Drive Nation topping TAV in the final, while Dynasty beats Pohaku for third. Rockwood Thunder outlasts VCNebraska for fifth place, joining TAV and Pohaku in qualifying. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Nebraska One 16 Synergy; Premier Nebraska 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (10): 6. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 9. TAV 16 Black 26. Northern Lights 16-1 27. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 30. Dynasty 16 Black 31. Skyline 16 Royal 35. AJV 16 Adidas 38. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite 41. NE Elite 16 Maverick 44. MAVS KC 16-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Logan Parks S/RS MAVS 16-1 Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Ella Florez S/RS Dynasty 16 Black (2026) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Chichi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Cook S Skyline 16 Royal Bella Ocampo OH Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black Madison Winkler L/DS TAV 16 Black Audrey Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black Sydnee Peterson RS TAV 16 Black Reese Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1 (2026) Outlook/Prediction: I’m excited to see which teams punch their tickets in this division. With Nebraska One 16 Synergy qualifying at Northern Lights, that’s one big bid

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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

March 30, 2023

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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15s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 30)

March 30, 2023

The question posed during the last 15s Top 50 National Rankings update is could Skyline 15 Royal hold onto the No. 1 spot? Skyline took over the top spot in our rankings after winning Triple Crown and hasn’t slowed down since, winning the Red Rock Rave national qualifier. It helped Skyline retain the No. 1 position in our newest Top 50. In fact, the Top 5 teams remained the same. It’s after that when the shuffling begins, starting with AZ Sky 15G climbing into the Top 10 for the first time this season. More ranking news from the state of Arizona includes Aspire 15 Premier climbing up as well, moving to No. 24 from No. 41. (18s Top 50 March 27) (17s Top 50 March 28) (16s Top 50 March 29) vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 (OH) (2) 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (IN) (3) 4. Madfrog 15 Green (TX) (4) 5. TAV 15 Black (TX) (5) 6. AZ Sky 15G (AZ) (13) 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (6) 8. Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) (9) 9. SCVC 15 Roxy (CA) (10) 10. Alamo 15 Premier (TX) (12) *** 11. AP 15 Adidas (TX) (16) 12. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami (KY) (8) 13. Hou Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (14) 14. Wave 15 Brennan (CA) (15) 15. Forza1 North 15 One (CA) (19) 16. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder (AZ) (7) 17. Far Out 15 Black (MI) (20) 18. Dynasty 15 Black (KS) (18) 19. HJV 15 Elite (TX) (21) 20. Pohaku 15-1 (KS) (11) *** 21. Elevation 15 Tony (OH) (17) 22. AVC Cle 15 Red (OH) (22) 23. Top Select 15 Elite (FL) (25) 24. Aspire 15 Premier (AZ) (41) 25. Drive Nation 15 Red (TX) (23) 26. Tribe 15 Elite (FL) (26) 27. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) (24) 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas (TX) (27) 29. A5 Mizuno 15 Bob (GA) (28) 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh (CA) (29) *** 31. Academy 15 Diamond (NC) (30) 32. GP 15 Rox (FL) (33) 33. Triangle 15 Black (NC) (45) 34. Michio 15 National (IL) (44) 35. Tstreet 15 Curtis (CA) (34) 36. WPVC 15 Armour Black (FL) (31) 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black (IN) (35) 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier (AZ) (38) 39. Coast 15 Luis (CA) (39) 40. Club V 15 Ren Reed (UT) (42) *** 41. Actyve 15 Black (CA) (32) 42. Sunshine 15 Westside (CA) (36) 43. Jupiter Elite 15E (FL) (37) 44. MKE Sting 15 Gold (WI) 40) 45. High Tide 15 Elite (FL) (43) 46. MAVS 816 15-1 (KS) (46) 47. MN Select 15-1 (MN) (n/r) 48. TVC 15 Black (OH) (48) 49. Northern Lights 15-1 (MN) (50) 50. HPSTL 15 Royal (MO) (49) ON THE CUSP Excel 15 National Red (TX) Co Jrs 15 Sherri (CO) Iowa Rockets 15R (IO) Rev 15-1 Fuego (IN) Circle City 15 Purple (IN) Metro 15 Travel (DC) 1st Alliance 15 Gold (IL) Wildfire 15 Ore (FL) NorCal 15-1 Black (CA) Illini Elite 15 Cardinal (IL) NE Elite 15 Phoenix (NE) Kairos 15 Alpha (SD) SynergyForce 15 Lisa (CA) Club One AZ 15 Platinum (AZ)

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Show Me: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

It’s a busy, busy weekend with multiple qualifiers happening at literally almost every corner of the country. There’s bid competition in Spokane, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philly. And of course, Kansas City! The Show Me Qualifier is where I’ll be spending this weekend and providing coverage of the three-day event. Below, we take a look at the 15-17 Open divisions and take a guess as to what might happen. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3   Previously-Qualified Teams (5): Dynasty 17 Black; Drive Nation 17 Red; Premier Nebraska 17 Gold; OT 17 Felix; Rev 17-1 Raptors vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 4. TAV 17 Black 12. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 13. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold 16. Pohaku 17-1 19. KC Power 17 Black 20. OT 17 Felix 30. Skyline 17 Royal 31. VCNebraska 17 Elite 42. Iowa Power Plex 17U 47. Rev 17-1 Raptors 48. Shockwave 17 Black 49. Northern Lights 17-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (South Dakota) Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Cincinnati) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors (Florida) Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black (USC) Jadyn Livings OH TAV 17 Black (USC) Camille Edwards S TAV 17 Black (Michigan) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black (2025) Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black (2025) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite (Marquette) Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite (USC) Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix (Cincinnati) Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Oregon) Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black (Cincinnati) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black (Tennessee) Gracie Morrow OH Shockwave 17 Black (Wichita State) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Carson Eickenloff S Drive Nation 17 Red (Ole Miss) Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Lauren Salata OH Adversity 17 Adidas Ava Pratt OH Adversity 17 Adidas (Northwestern) Mikala Young OH TAV 17 Black (TCU) Anna Boatner MB TAV 17 Black Jade Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Mak Miller MB Pohaku 17-1 (2025) Jordan Smith OH/RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Outlook/Prediction: This division is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not quite as packed as the Big South 17 Open field, but it’s pretty close. The second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation from our Top 50 are here, as are eight from the Top 20. With five qualified teams, we know all three bids are going out. There’s sure to be trickle down, but could it go all the way to eighth-place? With this field, it’s definitely possible that all five qualified teams could finish in the top eight. But where do the bids go? TAV 17 Black is the front-runner. TAV lost once at Sunshine and finished in fifth to miss out on a bid. It would be a huge upset to see TAV not finish in a spot to qualify here. TAV is a gold-medal favorite, right with Dynasty 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red. Dynasty has two second-place showings at Northern Lights and MEQ and would love to actually add a gold at Show Me. Drive Nation took first at Red Rock and is looking to add another gold to its collection. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, OT 17 Felix and Rev 17-1 Raptors are the other teams with bids and could factor into trickle down. Rev qualified at NEQ and will have to up its game to get into contention in KC. Premier Nebraska qualified back at Northern Lights and should finish in the top eight. As should OT Felix. It still leaves the bids. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, KC Power 17-1 and Pohaku 17-1 are all contenders along with TAV. Pohaku beat KC Power at MEQ in a must-win fifth-place bracket match but fell a victory short of a bid when it lost to Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and took sixth. Rockwood Thunder is looking to create some of its own luck. Rockwood Thunder finished fourth at Northern Lights, tied for fifth at NEQ and in a tough-break lost just once at MEQ – to Pohaku – and finished 13th. Ultimately, I like Drive Nation topping TAV in the final, while Dynasty beats Pohaku for third. Rockwood Thunder outlasts VCNebraska for fifth place, joining TAV and Pohaku in qualifying. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Nebraska One 16 Synergy; Premier Nebraska 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (10): 6. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 9. TAV 16 Black 26. Northern Lights 16-1 27. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 30. Dynasty 16 Black 31. Skyline 16 Royal 35. AJV 16 Adidas 38. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite 41. NE Elite 16 Maverick 44. MAVS KC 16-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Logan Parks S/RS MAVS 16-1 Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Ella Florez S/RS Dynasty 16 Black (2026) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Chichi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Cook S Skyline 16 Royal Bella Ocampo OH Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black Madison Winkler L/DS TAV 16 Black Audrey Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black Sydnee Peterson RS TAV 16 Black Reese Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1 (2026) Outlook/Prediction: I’m excited to see which teams punch their tickets in this division. With Nebraska One 16 Synergy qualifying at Northern Lights, that’s one big bid

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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

March 30, 2023

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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15s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 30)

March 30, 2023

The question posed during the last 15s Top 50 National Rankings update is could Skyline 15 Royal hold onto the No. 1 spot? Skyline took over the top spot in our rankings after winning Triple Crown and hasn’t slowed down since, winning the Red Rock Rave national qualifier. It helped Skyline retain the No. 1 position in our newest Top 50. In fact, the Top 5 teams remained the same. It’s after that when the shuffling begins, starting with AZ Sky 15G climbing into the Top 10 for the first time this season. More ranking news from the state of Arizona includes Aspire 15 Premier climbing up as well, moving to No. 24 from No. 41. (18s Top 50 March 27) (17s Top 50 March 28) (16s Top 50 March 29) vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 (OH) (2) 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (IN) (3) 4. Madfrog 15 Green (TX) (4) 5. TAV 15 Black (TX) (5) 6. AZ Sky 15G (AZ) (13) 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (6) 8. Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) (9) 9. SCVC 15 Roxy (CA) (10) 10. Alamo 15 Premier (TX) (12) *** 11. AP 15 Adidas (TX) (16) 12. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami (KY) (8) 13. Hou Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (14) 14. Wave 15 Brennan (CA) (15) 15. Forza1 North 15 One (CA) (19) 16. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder (AZ) (7) 17. Far Out 15 Black (MI) (20) 18. Dynasty 15 Black (KS) (18) 19. HJV 15 Elite (TX) (21) 20. Pohaku 15-1 (KS) (11) *** 21. Elevation 15 Tony (OH) (17) 22. AVC Cle 15 Red (OH) (22) 23. Top Select 15 Elite (FL) (25) 24. Aspire 15 Premier (AZ) (41) 25. Drive Nation 15 Red (TX) (23) 26. Tribe 15 Elite (FL) (26) 27. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) (24) 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas (TX) (27) 29. A5 Mizuno 15 Bob (GA) (28) 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh (CA) (29) *** 31. Academy 15 Diamond (NC) (30) 32. GP 15 Rox (FL) (33) 33. Triangle 15 Black (NC) (45) 34. Michio 15 National (IL) (44) 35. Tstreet 15 Curtis (CA) (34) 36. WPVC 15 Armour Black (FL) (31) 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black (IN) (35) 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier (AZ) (38) 39. Coast 15 Luis (CA) (39) 40. Club V 15 Ren Reed (UT) (42) *** 41. Actyve 15 Black (CA) (32) 42. Sunshine 15 Westside (CA) (36) 43. Jupiter Elite 15E (FL) (37) 44. MKE Sting 15 Gold (WI) 40) 45. High Tide 15 Elite (FL) (43) 46. MAVS 816 15-1 (KS) (46) 47. MN Select 15-1 (MN) (n/r) 48. TVC 15 Black (OH) (48) 49. Northern Lights 15-1 (MN) (50) 50. HPSTL 15 Royal (MO) (49) ON THE CUSP Excel 15 National Red (TX) Co Jrs 15 Sherri (CO) Iowa Rockets 15R (IO) Rev 15-1 Fuego (IN) Circle City 15 Purple (IN) Metro 15 Travel (DC) 1st Alliance 15 Gold (IL) Wildfire 15 Ore (FL) NorCal 15-1 Black (CA) Illini Elite 15 Cardinal (IL) NE Elite 15 Phoenix (NE) Kairos 15 Alpha (SD) SynergyForce 15 Lisa (CA) Club One AZ 15 Platinum (AZ)

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