March 14, 2024

The Mideast Qualifier (MEQ) is always one of the toughest of the season. That distinction won’t change this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the 16-18 Open divisions are set to go at it inside the Indianapolis Convention Center. What makes MEQ such a challenging event is the typical depth of the fields combined with the sheer number of teams. This qualifier most always features 48-team fields, though 18 Open is just shy of that. Toss in the fact that there is just one qualified team in each 16 and 17 Open means we are going to get a powerhouse weekend full of talented teams slugging it out. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 40 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (8): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; Mintonette Sports m.81; Academy 18 Rage; A5 18 Marc; MKE Sting 18 Gold; Wave 18 Brennan; Circle City 18 Purple; FC Elite 18 Elite Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (16): 4. 1st Alliance 18 Gold IL 6. Munciana 18 Samurai IN 8. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue OH 10. Team Pineapple 18 Black IN 14. Academy 18 Rage IN 16. Wave 18 Brennan CA 17. A5 18 Marc GA 25. Mintonette Sports m.81 28. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami KY 35. MKE Sting 18 Gold WI 39. FC Elite 18 Elite WI 40. OT 18 T Tony FL 46. Six Pack 18 IA 47. VC United 18 Elite IL 49. Circle City 18 Purple IN 50. Adidas KiVA 18 Red KY   5-Star Players to Know Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 18 Black (Notre Dame) Lola Schumacher L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Wisconsin) Lauren Harden OH Academy 18 Rage (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 18 Marc (Kentucky) Addison Tindall OH Munciana 18 Samurai (2025, Purdue)   4-Star Players to Know Ayen Nhial MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (James Madison) Payton Petersen OH Six Pack (Louisville) Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Kansas) Ellie White OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Michigan) Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Marquette) Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 18 Gold (Ball State) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 18 Brennan (Michigan) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami (Washington) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Claire Luoma L/DS MKE Sting 18 Gold (Clemson) Anna Bjork MB MKE Sting 18 Gold (Notre Dame) Lilly Wagner S MKE Sting 18 Gold (Maryland) Ella Demetrician OH FC Elite 18 Elite (Michigan) Charlotte Vinson OH/RS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025, Indiana) Addison Applegate L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025, Texas AM) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 18 Brennan (2025, Notre Dame) Peyton Carlson L/DS FC Elite 18 Elite (2026)   Outlook: With the 18s nearing the end of qualifying season, there are eight clubs with prior bids. While that is a big enough number to possibly ensure no bids go out – as trickle down doesn’t extend past eighth place – it’s actually not as sizable as recent years when we have seen a dozen qualified teams competing. There is plenty to watch for, starting with the inclusion of Munciana in this year’s event. The club hasn’t attended qualifiers in a long time but has its 18s here this weekend. With it there is a good chance we could see the club finish in a bid position. Another Indiana club that could join Munciana is Team Pineapple, which is coming off its strong finish at Triple Crown. Tri-State Elite also performed well at Triple Crown and certainly could be among the bid winners. That trio of teams are the highest-ranked in the field without bids but will be challenged by clubs like NKYVC, Six Pack, OT Tony, KiVA and VC United. Prediction: As for the winner, I’m picking Tri-State over Team Pineapple in a rematch from the semifinals of Central Zone. Wave and 1st Alliance tie for third place, with Munciana earning the final bid by tying for fifth place. ***** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): MKE Sting 17 Gold Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 1. MKE Sting 17 Gold WI 5. Adidas KiVA 17 Red KY 6. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno MI 9. Legacy 17-1 Adidas MI 13. Dynasty 17 Black KS 16. A5 17-1 Calvin GA 17. Circle City 17 Purple IN 19. Adrenaline 17 Ben IA 23. OT 17 T Aaron FL 24. Coast 17 Rodrigo CA 26. AVC Cle 17 Red OH 30. HPSTL 17 Royal MO 31. Wave 17 Juliana CA 34. CUVC 17 Open NC 49. Academy 17 Tsunami IN   5-Star Players to Know Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Wisconsin) Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 17 Gold (Wisconsin) Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Nebraska) Annabelle Groomes S AVC Cle 17 Red (San Diego) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (USC) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (USC)   4-Star Players to Know Gabriella Pitcel MB MKE Sting 17 Gold (Illinois) Olivia Durst L/DS MKE Sting 17 Gold (Michigan State) Emma Parks OH AVC Cle 17 Red (Marquette) Isabella Haggard S/RS Adidas KIVA 17 Red (Indiana) Rebecca Ring OH VC United 17 Elite (NC State) Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Xavier) Riley McCloskey RS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Memphis) Quinn Loper OH Wave 17 Juliana (USC) Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 17 Purple (Northwestern) Logan Bell OH Circle City 17 Purple (Oregon) Katie Gielas OH Elevation 17 Cabo (FGCU) Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 17 Mizuno (Cincinnati) Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin (Cal) Abigail Li S A5 17-1 Calvin (SMU) Izzy Mogridge S OT 17 Aaron (Oregon) Sydni Vice OH MJVA 17 Elite (2026) Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 17 Elite (2026) Outlook: It’s a bit hard to believe that top-ranked MKE Sting is the only team participating in 17 Open which already has a bid. Given that, trickle-down cannot extend past fourth place and with 15 teams from Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 playing earning a bid is going to be a brutal task. At Triple Crown, KiVA tied for third, Legacy tied for fifth and Mich Elite tied for seventh. Those three are going to