June 29, 2023

The thought that the best is yet to come is crazy after considering the action that took place on Day 2 of 15 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. Teams were slugging it out in hopes of finishing in the top four of their respective pools and remaining in the fight for gold. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – which earned bronze in 15 Open at AAUs – started off 1-2 and began Day 2 in need of victories to ensure it made it out. The way Pool 6 ended up was wild, with a four-way tie at 3-2 between four teams. Boiler Jrs was in that mix, along with Forza1 North 15 One, Alamo 15 Premier and AVC Cle 15 Red. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami finished 2-3 and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold 1-4 and were not in the tiebreaker process. As it wound up, Forza North earned first place, with AVC taking second, Boiler Jrs third and Alamo fourth. It was an impressive performance from AVC to break pool, as AVC was the only No. 6 team in its pool to finish in the top four and move on. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to be a No. 5 team in a pool as three of the six in that position made it out, including Aspire 15 Premier. Aspire went 4-1 and took second. Team Pineapple 15 Black went 2-3 and grabbed third in Pool 1, while Club V 15 Ren Reed ended 2-3 and in fourth in Pool 2. Teams which finished 5-0 through pool play were Skyline 15 Royal, Mintonette Sports m.51, SCVC 15 Roxy and Arizona Storm 15 Thunder. Mintonette defeated Skyline in the 15 Open final at AAUs and had a thriller with Hou Skyline 15 Royal to win Pool 2. Arizona Storm had a great run, beating higher seeds in Elevation 15 Tony and Austin Skyline 15 Royal to finish in first. SCVC upset TAV in the 1 v 2 match in Pool 3 to go 5-0 there. In Pool 4, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – a bronze medalist at AAUs – wound up 4-1 after losing to Madfrog 15 Green in its final pool match. However, Legacy already had first place on lock based on tiebreakers so it didn’t matter for Legacy. But it did matter for Madfrog, which went 3-2 and avoided being in a three-way tie and possibly missing out with a loss. As for Madfrog, it is in Pool 2 on Day 3 with Mintonette and Boiler Jrs. That’s a ridiculous three-team pool. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy: McGee – a 4-star recruit – guided SCVC to a 5-0 record and big win over TAV. She sets a clean ball with consistent accuracy. She also does well moving it around and keeping defenses on their toes with her decisions. Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy: Flanagan – a 5-star recruit – is among the top outsides in the division and it’s easy to see why. She has a whip for an arm and can let it fly from corner to corner with plenty of pace. Claire McNeal RS AZ Sky 15G: McNeal was coming through on the right side and giving AZ Sky a reliable option. She was swinging well, tooling blocks high hands or going cross court to the floor for winners. Kalli Lipo L Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Arizona Storm handled its business in going 5-0, with Lipo patrolling the back row. She was covering well and passing on point while bringing a defensive edge. Madisyn Crnjac OH Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Crnjac was carrying her responsibilities well. She’s a free-swinging outside who can deliver in a variety of ways and scores a lot of points. Cassidy Cage MB Michio 15 National: While Michio didn’t make it out, Cage made us take note. She’s a presence for Michio in the middle. She brings a scoring option as well as putting up a solid block. Elle Vandeweghe MB Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: It’s really amazing that Vandeweghe – a 6-5 middle – started playing volleyball seven months ago. Given that, she’s an unbelievable prospect with tremendous upside. Jaycee Mack MB Wave 15 Brennan: Mack – part of the Class of 2027 – is an athletic middle with a strong arm. She can get out on the slide and crush balls. Alexa Telly MB Metro 15 Travel: Telly was another middle doing her thing who we had to note. She can get up and hit hard as defenses need to be aware of her. Caydence Doolan OH Metro 15 Travel: Doolan takes a lot of swings and is a mainstay in the offense. She’s lanky with a nice arm and contacts at a high point. Nadiya Shelby RS Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Shelby is a sensational athlete and a huge prospect. She flies on the right side and extends way up. Then she can let it rip. Aviya Russo OH Academy 15 HP Daniele: Academy had a tough time in pool play but Russo was shining on the outside. She’s a lanky outside with a lively arm and can rocket balls.

When it comes to the 14 Open seedings at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago, they are holding up fairly well considering the topsy-turviness of the age group in general. Of course, there are exceptions and one of them continues to be at-large recipient Tejas 14 Black. After upsetting No. 2 overall seed Tstreet 14 Carson on Day 1, Tejas went 2-0 on Day 2 and finished 4-1. Tstreet also finished 4-1 but based on the head-to-head result Tejas took first place as the No. 6 team in Pool 2. In terms of seeding, there were 12 teams which made up either the No. 5 or 6 team in their respective pools. Tejas is one of three which managed to advance to the second round of pool play, which features eight, three-team pools with the top-two advancing to challenge play. The other two joining Tejas are Club V 14 Ren Silver and Rage 14 Garren. Club V went 4-1 in Pool 3 to finish in second place behind Arizona Storm 14 Thunder. Obviously, Club V’s lone loss came to Storm with victories over Madfrog 14 Green, MAVS 14-1, Forza1 One 14 North and VCNebraska 14 Elite. Rage advanced as the No. 3 team with a 3-2 mark. Rage actually started off 0-2 and was in serious danger of not moving on. However, Rage came out ahead on in its final three outings, beating Legacy 14-1 Adidas to end Day 1 and then taking care of Excel 14 National Red and Mintonette Sports m.41 on Day 2. Teams heading into Day 3 pool play without a loss still include TAV 14 Black, Storm, Skyline 14 Royal, Drive Nation 14 Red and AP 14 Adidas. With Tstreet losing, it creates an interesting Pool 6 for Day 3 featuring AP, Tstreet and Forza North. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura: Puleo was showing off her power. She’s a physical hitter who can drop the hammer down. She’s strong enough to go right through blocks and gives OT a dynamic 1-2 punch. Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura: Lawrence has a lively arm and can rip balls corner to corner. She gets up and has great range, hitting wrist-away shots for sharp-angled winners. Ella Horvick L/DS OT 14 Laura: We saw lots of Horvick in Orlando recently at AAUs and she brought her defensive tenacity to Chicago. She’s a steady defender and passer who plays under control. Mckennah Iamaleava OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar: Iamaleava was solid in her role. She especially stood out with a few big-time defensive plays at middle back in keeping balls that were absolutely crushed in play. Rubi Silva S Absolute 14 Black: Absolute has a pair of strong setters. Silva is a bit undersized, yet she is quick and has a nice release. She sets behind her well too. Blake Cussen RS Absolute 14 Black: Cussen, a lefty, is a six-rotation right side who Absolute likes to get involved as much as possible. She swings from the left, from the right, from the back and is able to rip balls. Jaedyn Riley S Rage 14 Garren: Riley is part of why Rage managed to make it out of the pool as the No. 6 team. She does well connecting with her hitters and has a nice release. McKenna McIntosh OH Rage 14 Garren: McIntosh is a strong, physical attacker who hits a heavy ball. She’s a featured part of the attack and is the go-to hitter Rage relies on to carry the offense. Peyton Heatherly S/RS Lions 14-1: Heatherly is a name to know. She has a bright future with her ability to set and hit. She’s a wirey attacker with a loose arm who can hit with plenty of pace. Tessa Larkin OH Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Larkin is an all-around talent who gets up and delivers. She has a great swing and snap and provides plenty of offense. Marissa Jones S A5 14 Helen: Jones – a 5-star athlete – is a next-level star who is in total control setting. She pulls off sets others in the division simply aren’t capable of making. She’s a tremendous athlete with great hands. Samantha Chavis OH Academy 14 Diamond: Chavis was coming with it on the attack. She can get up, takes aggressive swings and was delivering for her team. Kherynton Chinnis MB Drive Nation 14 Red: Chinnis was impressive in the middle. She’s athletic, gets up well and can crush balls down when the opportunity presents itself.

Regardless of how the 15 Open division plays out at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships, one thing we already know for sure. The division is deep and overflowing with next-level athletes who were given center stage to showcase their skills on the second day of competition. vballrecruiter.com was on hand watching it go down and it led us to creating our Day 2 All Red Hat Team featuring our favorite players of the day. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 15 Brennan: Wave as a whole is undersized compared to other squads. Krystkowiak, a 6-3 5-star recruit, brings real size to the lineup and is the go-to hitter who Wave relies on to score in the clutch. She hits at a high contact point and can create sharp angles cross court. It makes her a tough cover because teams have to defend more court than usual. Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier: Pavliska is a competitive outside who does just about everything at an above-average level. She’s a bit undersized but she’s a smart attacker who knows how to use both pace and off-speed to score on a regular basis. Like Krystkowiak, Pavliska is leaned on in the clutch to come through and score points. Nina Hemsley MB Forza1 North 15 One: Hemsley plays with so much fire and energy in the middle. She’s slightly undersized but an effective scorer who changes Forza’s dynamic when she checks in. She’s also a smart hitter who sees the court and knows when to unload and when to tip. Brooke Harwood MB Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Harwood – a 5-star recruit – was starring in the middle. At 6-3, she’s long and extends very well. She can get out and run the slide effectively and give defenses yet another concern. She was also scoring points with her serve. Abby Zimmerman RS SCVC 15 Roxy: Zimmerman is listed at 6-1 but looks more like 6-4. Or at least she plays like it. She’s an up-and-coming talent who the community will get to know in the coming years as she continues to blossom. She has a big arm, puts up a big block and can hammer balls down to the floor. Lauren Garcia RS Alamo 15 Premier: What stands out about Garcia is her versatility. She’s multi-talented and does them all well. She’s able to set, hit and pass and there is not many players like that in the division. She has a nice, fluid swing and can hit with pace. She’s a sound passer. We didn’t see her setting on Day 2, but we did see her dishing on Day 1 and she has nice hands and locates well. Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star recruit – is a stud. She has a big, booming arm that produces highlight kills. Combined with her height and ability to hit high, defenses really struggle to contain her. She’s also a smooth setter with nice hands and spot-on accuracy. Vivian Hickman S AZ Sky 15G: Hickman was running the show and was doing it at a high level. She’s a bit undersized but she has a bright future as she continues to develop and improve. She’s already smooth in her delivery. She gets to the ball well and has a clean, consistent release. She does well going behind her and connecting with all her hitters. Kaitlyn Herweg L SCVC 15 Roxy: SCVC had a great day, taking down TAV and ending pool play 5-0. It’s hard to win at this level without defense and Herweg was supplying plenty of it. She’s a lights-out passer and defender with a sound platform. She’s rarely off with her plays and holds up against the biggest of hitters. Raegan Ramirez L Austin Skyline 15 Royal: With Austin Skyline, it’s easy to get wrapped up on the offensive side with the setters and weapons they have. Yet, Ramirez gets the job done and she does so without much flare or flash. She’s good enough to make plays without the extra and does well out of serve receive and patrolling the back row.

Desperation was already seeking in for clubs on the cut line in 14 Open on Day 2 of the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. With the field being trimmed from 36 to 24, it brought a sense of urgency to the gym and the teams and athletes reacted accordingly. It produced tremendous, high-level action and we made sure to note our favorite players of the day with our Day 2 All Red Hat Team. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Jordan Morrow OH Hou Skyline 14 Royal: Morrow is a workhorse on the left side. She’s high-intensity, high-energy and brings it on the attack. She’s a six-rotation outside who swings from the back row. She’s a strong hitter and was showing off her powerful arm.   Aubrey Martinez OH Lions 14-1: Martinez fits the description of outsides we love. She’s a bit undersized but she is flat-out a baller! She too comes with it on the attack, not backing down from bigger blockers and taking aggressive, hard swings in challenging the defense. She hits with lots of pace too. Jazzlyn Hepburn MB AP 14 Adidas: With her speed and athleticism, Hepburn is difficult to time when it comes to blocking. She gets off the ground quick and has a lively arm. She was ripping balls down and being an effective point scorer. She also takes swings at different spots across the front row. Sitoafa Tausinga MB Club V 14 Ren Silver: Tausinga is a rising prospect to be sure. She’s an athletic middle who gets up and hits with plenty of pop. She’s another middle who’ll line up on the outside when she first checks in and take swings from there. She was scoring at a high rate for Club V. Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 14 Black: Peterson is one half of the setting/right side duo and she was shining in that role. She’s an effortless setter who can fling the ball pin to pin with accuracy. As a hitter, she has an above-average arm and hits with strength. She also is a strong defender who does well picking off balls coming her way. Kamryn Mullican S/RS Excel 14 National Red: Mullican has a great on-court demeanor. She plays under control and fills a valuable role as a two-way player. She does a sound job setting and connecting with her hitters. As an attacker, the lefty has a whippy swing and hits with lots of speed. Kiersten Moore S Forza1 14 One: Moore is slightly undersized but does a great job getting to the ball and using her hands. She’s an athletic setter who moves very well and also has a nice, soft touch with consistent location. She’s one to keep an eye on in the coming years as she continues to improve. Emmeline Sandgren S Absolute 14 Black: Sandgren was another setter who we totally loved. She’s outgoing on the court and plays with lots of passion. She has a smooth release and does well setting against the flow. Ali Strange L NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami: Strange is a scrappy libero who plays with lots of energy and grit. She’s quick, so she can cover ground in a hurry and does well covering tips. She’s also steady out of serve receive and was laying out for saves. Cedra Talaga L Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar: Talaga is a joy to watch play defense. She is super-fiery and defends the back row with all-out hustle and effort. It’s tough to get a ball down on her as she’s capable of making highlight digs.

When it came to 15 Open at AAUs, it was a slow grind toward the gold bracket where we had to wait four days for the top teams to get together. That’s not the case with the pool-play format at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships here in Chicago. One of the first matches of the day saw top-seeded Skyline 15 Royal – a silver medalist in 15 Open at AAU – going toe-to-toe with AP 15 Adidas. It was no cakewalk to Skyline’s start, going three before prevailing and finishing its day 3-0. Mintonette Sports m.51 – the AAU gold medalist – Hou Skyline 15 Royal, TAV 15 Black, SCVC 15 Roxy, Legacy 15-1 Adidas, Aspire 15 Premier and Arizona Storm 15 Thunder all joined Skyline in going 3-0. While those teams positioned themselves nicely, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold has work to do. After earning the bronze medal in Orlando, the crew faces the possibility of not breaking the first round of pool play. Boiler Jrs – the No. 6 overall seed – is 1-2 after falling to both AVC Cle 15 Red and Forza1 North 15 One. Boiler Jrs defeated Alamo 15 Premier in three in its opener, so Boiler Jrs narrowly avoided going 0-3. Boiler Jrs would advance with victories over Premier Nebraska 15 Gold and NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami on Day 2. Another top seed to taste defeat on Day 1 was Austin Skyline 15 Royal. The No. 5 overall seed is 2-1 after being upended by Arizona Storm in its last outing of the day. Austin Skyline barely edged Top Select 15 Elite in its opener, winning the third set 16-14 to avoid sitting at 1-2 as well. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Teagan Cooling MB Vision 15 Gold: It was a tough day for Vision, which went 0-3. However, Cooling caught our eye with her offensive play. Vision likes to give her the ball and she was rewarding her team with big, big kills. Natalie Monroe OH Vision 15 Gold: Monroe was another bright spot with her swinging on the outside. She’s a lanky hitter who extends and connects well. Kendall Northern MB/RS Elevation 15 Tony: Northern has tremendous upside with her length and athleticism. She can get up high with her long arms and press over the net. She also showed her versatility playing on both the right and in the middle. Taylor Stanley RS Dynasty 15 Black: Dynasty was another team who had a rough opening day at 0-3. Stanley was a featured part of the attack both front and back row. She’s long and can bring the heat. Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: West was carrying her share of the offensive responsibilities. She’s a lanky hitter with an easy swing that can deliver plenty of pace. Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Thompson was an absolute beast on the outside. She was unstoppable at times. She’s a high-flying, hard-swinging attacker who can bring the thunder. Blair Thiebaud S Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Thiebaud was another standout for Hou Skyline on Day 1. She’s a smooth disher who connects well with her hitters. Sydney Borowy OH AVC Cle 15 Red: It was a strong start for AVC and Borowy was part of the reason. She’s the go-to on the outside and was taking a lot of swings and delivering in key moments. D’Aira Whitner MB AVC Cle 15 Red: Whitner is a bit undersized but is very quick. She gets off the ground in a hurry and has a lively arm to rip balls with. Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas: AP isn’t where it expected to be at 0-3 but Anderson was showcasing her next-level skills. She’s very long, swings really high and can rocket kills. Bella Lopez RS Madfrog 15 Green: Lopez was getting up and smashing balls at times. She’s an athletic, wirey hitter who helps open the attack. Addyson Bianchini S/RS NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Bianchini was excelling in her two-way role. She’s a steady, consistent setter who can move the ball around. She’s also an effective hitter with a strong arm.

At-large magic? A year ago in Indianapolis it was Alamo 15 Premier capturing the 15 Open gold medal after receiving an at-large bid. We still have three days to go here in Chicago at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships but could we be in for a repeat performance of sorts? TAV 14 Black, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson have been the class of the division all season and received the top three seeds. They are also heavy favorites in our preview and predictions we put out, where we said it would take a monumental upset to keep one of the three from hoisting the championship trophy. However, one of the big three lost on Day 1. Can you guess which team? It was Tstreet falling at the hands of Tejas 14 Black, which received one of the seven at-larges into Open. Tejas, the last seed in Pool 2, also took care of Top Select 14 Elite, which earned a bronze medal in 14 Open at AAUs. Tejas lost its last outing to Lions 14-1 and sits at 2-1. Of course, Tstreet’s loss doesn’t mean Tstreet is out of contention. Hardly. The top-four teams in each pool advance, so it would take the most unexpected of results for Tstreet not to break the first round of pool. Skyline 14 Royal, Drive Nation 14 Red, Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar, AP 14 Adidas and A5 14 Helen – the silver medalist in 14 Open at AAU – joined TAV and Arizona Storm as squads to post a 3-0 mark on the opening day. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Camille Presley MB AP 14 Adidas: Presley is a presence in the middle with size and ability to impact the rally on both sides of the ball. She puts up a strong block. She also is a legit threat on offense with the way she can score and put balls away. Allie Hudgins OH AP 14 Adidas: Hudgins is such a force and weapon for AP. Watch the heck out when she goes on the attack. She’s long, has a booming arm and can drill the ball as hard as anyone in the age group. Ryah Brock OH Forza1 North 14 One: Brock jumps and moves well with a really nice arm. She’s a smart hitter who knows how to attack blocks and takes a lot of swings. Lyric Judson MB Premier Nebraska 14 Gold: Judson was getting it done in her role. She’s a quick middle and moves side-to-side well and she was putting balls away when set. Emily Redwine L/DS Tejas 14 Black: Redwine is a scrappy libero who gives all-out effort in keeping plays alive. She was covering well and bringing tons of energy. Ava Burgess OH Club V 14 Ren Silver: Burgess is one of the rising stars in the division. She’s a taller outside with a fluid arm and can really connect at times. Simrin Adams RS Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar: Adams was crushing it from the right side. She was a difficult cover for defenses as she was scoring at a high rate. She’s a wirey attacker who swings well. Nailah Randle OH SA Jrs 14 Adidas: Randle is yet another future star. She’s an athletic outside with plenty of length and the ability to get in the air and deliver loud winners. Naomi Livings OH TAV 14 Black: Talking about loud winners, Livings had a few of the loudest. She has a great arm and can blast balls corner to corner. Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Omoruyi – who is our featured Player of the Week – is a wrecking ball in the middle. She’s very tall and takes up a lot of space blocking with her long arms. She’s also tough to slow on offense with her ability to hit so high and go straight over the block. Reagan Wallraff MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Wallraff keeps the middle attack going when she checks in. She’s a quick middle with a whippy arm and can rip balls down.