July 1, 2023

If a season of dominance was to turn into four days of vulnerability, TAV never let on as its time in Chicago was less a tournament and more of a coronation. There was never doubt surrounding TAV’s place in the 14 Open division, which it cemented with a sweep of national No. 2 Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, 25-19, 25-16, in Saturday’s championship match. The North Texas Region club dropped just two matches entering the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. One came to Drive Nation 14 Red in regional play. The other was to Tstreet 14 Carson in the final of the Salt Lake City Showdown qualifier in April. Other than that, TAV has been untouchable and was a heavy favorite to claim the gold medal. Yet, we’ve seen similar scenarios before when the fairytale ending disappears in a blink of an upset and leaves teams heartbroken and in despair. And that’s with a full roster available, a luxury TAV was not afforded as it chased the championship trophy in Chicago. Weeks ago TAV lost one half of its starting middle duo when Nyla Livings broke her hand and would not be able to participate. Even when TAV was most vulnerable this season it did not matter. The opening match provided the perfect opportunity for an upset and though Forza1 14 One was up for the challenge, TAV still found a way in winning in three, 21-25, 25-14, 15-11. TAV dropped just one more set the rest of the way, with it coming in a three-game victory over A5 14 Helen, 23-25, 25-16, 15-10, in the final outing of the first round of pool play. What TAV did during elimination matches was frightening, beginning with its dominant sweep of Rage 14 Garren, 25-10, 25-8, in challenge play. If the gold bracket was supposed to offer stiffer competition, it certainly didn’t play out that way on Day 4. Up first was Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar – ranked No. 4 in our Top 50. It proved to be a warm-up of sorts, as TAV cruised, 25-11, 25-14. Next up was Skyline 14 Royal – which checked in at No. 6 in our Top 50. It was over just as quickly, with TAV sweeping, 25-14, 25-21. The championship match was surely meant to be different. There TAV was to face Arizona Storm in a semifinal rematch from Triple Crown back in February. TAV took that meeting in three, 25-21, 17-25, 15-9, yet Saturday’s clash never materialized in the same manner. Arizona Storm reached the final in part because of its dramatic victory over No. 3 Tstreet 14 Carson in the quarterfinals. With Tstreet falling to at-large recipient Tejas 14 Black in the first round of pool play and taking second place, the two sides met a round earlier than the original seedings would have dictated. Tstreet came out on fire and Storm had no answers. But the break in action between sets offered time for Storm to regroup, which it did before squeaking out the victory in three, 15-25, 25-23, 15-12. With Arizona Storm taking it to Madfrog 14 Green, 25-10, 25-13, in the semis, the clash between the top two teams in the country was all set but there was no stopping TAV. Madfrog was also involved in a thrilling quarterfinal with upstart Club V 14 Ren Silver. Club V was the only quarterfinalist not ranked in the Top 10 of our national rankings. Club V checked in at No. 29 and was within points of medaling. However, Madfrog held firm and prevailed in three, 17-25, 25-18, 15-13, to clinch its spot on the podium with a bronze medal. Skyline earned its bronze by sweeping past No. 10 Drive Nation 14 Red, 25-15, 25-19, in its quarterfinal encounter. It was Drive Nation’s only setback of the tournament.

A trilogy anyone? If there’s any possible way imaginable to get a third national championship showdown between the top two teams in the country we have to go all in toward making it happen! For the second time in less than two weeks top-ranked Skyline 15 Royal and No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51 stared across the net at each other with a gold medal in the balance. Mintonette outlasted Skyline 11 days ago in Orlando and with the three-set victory captured the AAU 15 Open championship. Arriving in Chicago, Mintonette was seeking a double-double of sorts. As last year’s 14 Open champions, Mintonette was looking to go back-to-back in winning USAV national championships, plus adding to the its national championship toll in 2023 by claiming another gold medal and establishing itself as the undisputed best squad in the nation. That we as fans were lucky and fortunate enough to see the two best teams in the country work their way through four days of competition to earn a championship rematch was remarkable in itself. Other than the location, not much changed in terms of the matchup between the two sides. Mintonette desperately needed to win the serve and pass battle as it did in Orlando. But Skyline played much cleaner volleyball, which allowed Skyline to run its offense more effectively and put more pressure on Mintonette. It led to a tight sweep, 26-24, 25-21, as Skyline evened the national championship series. It’s a shame we won’t get a third clash. And though Mintonette did win the AAU championship, given the depth and strength of field in Chicago, we fully expect Skyline to end the season as the No. 1 team in our Top 50 National Rankings. Joining Skyline and Mintonette on the podium were bronze medalists Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Arizona Storm 15 Thunder. Hou Skyline entered the four-day event ranked No. 4 in our Top 50 and performed accordingly. Hou Skyline gave Skyline a major fight in the semifinals before Skyline narrowly pulled out the sweep, 26-24, 25-23. Hou Skyline positioned itself to play for a spot in the final after holding back Legacy 15-1 Adidas in the quarterfinals, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12. It prevented Legacy from adding another medal to its haul after earning bronze in Orlando. The other semifinal was close too, with Mintonette fending off Arizona Storm, 26-24, 25-22. Storm capped a late-season surge with an impressive run culminating with a bronze medal. Storm was a late Open qualifier, earning its bid at the very competitive Lone Star Classic qualifier in April. That was a sign that Storm was on the rise and the squad kept it going on the biggest stage. Storm held off upstart Pohaku 15-1 in the quarterfinals, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11. Pohaku handed SCVC 15 Roxy – which finished 9-1 and in ninth place overall – its only loss of the tournament with a dramatic three-set victory during challenge play on Day 3. Skyline had no issues in its quarterfinal, topping AVC Cle 15 Red in two, 25-14, 25-12. AVC was the biggest surprise of the gold bracket. The club came in ranked No. 31 in our Top 50 and received the No. 34 overall seed before coming out and playing its way to the top eight. Meanwhile, Mintonette had its hands full against Wave 15 Brennan in its quarterfinal contest. Wave pulled off a big upset in challenge play, taking down TAV 15 Black and reaching the top eight for the second year in a row. It just so happened that Wave also lost to Mintonette in three sets in the 14 Open quarterfinals a year ago. This go around, Mintonette prevailed, 25-12, 22-25, 15-9. When we wrote the 15 Open Preview and Predictions we speculated how amazing would it be for Skyline and Mintonette to meet again for a national championship. While it seemed like a possibility, it was hardly guaranteed or assured. We know the fickle nature of the sport, especially at the younger age groups and how crazy upsets happen all the time. We only have to look as far as last year in 15 Open when the lone at-large recipient in Alamo 15 Premier upset top-ranked Arizona Storm 15 Thunder for the gold medal. That both Skyline and Mintonette navigated the minefield that is the 15 Open division and set up a rematch is nothing short of incredible. Skyline winning a gold medal keeps an impressive run going for a trio of players in Madison Victoriano, Georgia Whann and Keoni Williams. They were part of Flyers 13 APX Bill’s gold medal effort in 13 Open at the 2021 USAV GJNC. The three were also on Flyers 14 APX Anthony last year when the club captured silver in 14 Open after falling to Mintonette. Also on the team a year ago were Skylar Jackson and Taylor Clarke. What’s impressive beyond that is the fact this is Victoriano’s fourth Open medal and she just wrapped up competing in 15 Open!! They all moved over from Flyers to Skyline this season. Skyline had just two holdovers from its 14s team a season ago in Megan Nguyen and Armie Hall. Layla Austin, Kiley Brooks, LeVariya Pinder and Reese Poerner were all newcomers who helped make up the redesigned roster. A roster that ends the season on top of the volleyball world.

Of the eight 15 Open quarterfinalists at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago, seven hail from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 20. The lone exception? It is AVC Cle 15 Red, which continued its march from No. 34 overall seed to the top eight!! AVC sits at No. 31 in our current Top 50, so it’s not like AVC was under-seeded. The club has simply performed when it matters most and that’s what this time of season is all about. AVC split pool matches, losing to TAV 15 Black but beating Club V 15 Ren Reed to advance to the challenge rounds. There, AVC seemed to run into the end of its road when it bumped up against Austin Skyline 15 Royal. Austin Skyline is a Top-10 team, coming into the tourey ranked No. 9 in our Top 50. Yet, AVC pulled off the surprise in winning in three, 15-25, 25-23, 15-13. The quarterfinals are set and look like this:   Though Wave 15 Brennan is ranked No. 15 in the country, it pulled a shocking upset when it swept past No. 7 TAV 15 Black in challenge play. Wave struggled a bit in the first round of pool play, then lost its first match on Day 3 to Austin Skyline. Wave bounced back to beat Aspire 15 Premier and eventually advance to the challenge rounds, where it took advantage of its opportunity and sent TAV packing. Another mini-upset took place with No. 18 Pohaku 15-1 outlasting No. 14 SCVC 15 Roxy in three in their challenge rounds. SCVC hadn’t lost in its first seven contests and it’s always tough when your first defeat keeps you from contending for a medal. However, Pohaku was resilient and now is one victory away from medaling. With Pokahu taking on No. 12 Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – which narrowly swept No. 13 Forza1 North 15 One in challenge play – in the quarterfinals, one of them is guaranteed to reach the podium. Outside that, the top contenders are still in the mix in top-ranked Skyline 15 Royal, No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51, No. 4 Hou Skyline 14 Royal and No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. It’s going to take a monumental upset from Wave, Storm, Pohaku or AVC to keep one of those four clubs from hoisting the championship trophy. *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Lyla Stewart RS Mintonette Sports m.51: Stewart continues to impress on the right side. She’s made large strides from last season and has helped open the attack with her scoring ability. She has a very fast arm and can generate a ton of pace. Christa Wilburn OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Wilburn is a six-rotation contributor with a lively arm. She’s a threat front and back row and can blast balls from corner to corner. Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Malloy is half of the outside duo that makes Austin Skyline so tough to deal with. She’s very, very long and can extend way up and hit at ridiculous angles. She too is also a threat front or back row. Abigail Lesagonicz RS Wave 15 Brennan: Lesagonicz had a helping hand in Wave reaching the quarterfinals. She brings much-needed size to the front row. She puts up a big block and she’s is able to score when called upon. Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Ward – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – is in a class of her own. She’s a next-level talent who presses well over the net on her block and gets way up on the attack and rockets winners. Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Foster is a six-rotation mainstay who does it all at an above-average level, from her passing to her defending to her attacking. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – part of the Class of 2025 – is such a force at the net and game changer when she checks in. She skies and can absolutely crush balls. Skylar Jackson RS Skyline 15 Royal: Jackson was moved to the right side and was performing at a high level. She has a great arm and was hitting hard angled-shots consistently. Natalie Langston OH Academy 15 Diamond: Langston shoulders the offensive load and carries it well. She has a powerful arm capable of blasting straight through blocks. Avery Poulton OH Club V 15 Ren Reed: Poulton has a very bright future. She’s very lanky and is still figuring some things out, but watch out for her was she continues to develop as she flashed serious potential. *** Brooke Christoffersen RS Club V 15 Ren Reed: Christoffersen is another one to keep tabs on. She’s similar to Christoffersen in that she too is lanky and was showing plenty of upside. Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Nwabueze was owning the net on both sides of the ball in helping Legacy reach the quarterfinals. She was getting up on quick sets and hammering balls down. She then would turn around and deliver a solo emphatic stuff block to lift her team in that manner. Bella Lopez RS Madfrog 15 Green: Lopez is a rising star with insane athleticism and endless upside. She is a huge leaper with a lively arm and get up and send down impressive kill after impressive kill. Simone Heard RS Madfrog 15 Green: Heard is another athletic right side who keeps the attack going across the front row. She too gets up and smacks balls down with ease. Brooklyn Jenkins OH AZ Sky 15G: Jenkins is a physical attacker who brings the hammer down on the attack. She can simply overpower blockers at times. Grace Martin OH Pohaku 15-1: Martin had a huge role in Pohaku’s run to the quarterfinals and downing SCVC. She has a whippy arm and can send balls flying from sideline to sideline. She’s relentless too. She keeps coming and stays aggressive. Julia Anisimova L Pohaku 15-1: Anisimova was sensational in Pohaku’s victory over SCVC. She made huge digs