March 31, 2024

While there were no dramatic upsets eliminating any of Vballrecruiter’s nationally-ranked teams from any of the Open divisions on Day 1 of the SCVA Red Rock Rave, the opening day of competition didn’t pass without a major shake-up. It left the biggest storyline emerging from 16 Open, where top-seeded SCVC 16 Roxy – ranked No. 6 in the country – was uprooted by unranked AZ Rev 16 Premier and finished in second place in Pool 1. Though SCVC still advanced, it’s these type of surprises that not only throw seedings into flux but have ramifications for Day 2 and 3 as well. Case in point is SCVC becoming the No. 4 team in Pool 2 on Sunday. That just happens to be the pool with Hou Skyline 16 Royal, which is the second-highest ranked team in the field from our Top 50 at No. 10. The sides played an epic match at Triple Crown in February, with SCVC surviving in three sets. Both are going to be favored to break pool on Day 2, but it’s the other two teams that figure to get the short-end of the stick as STVA 16 Mizuno and Club V 16 Ren Kris will be forced to pull off a gigantic upset in order to advance. AZ Rev wasn’t the only Arizona club to cause havoc Saturday. Aspire 16 Premier upended Club V 16 Ren Matt – the overall No. 4 seed and ranked No. 16 in the country – in Pool 4 to take first place. Other than that, the other top seeds had no issues as Hou Skyline, AZ Sky 16G, Wave 16 Scott, STVA 16 Mizuno and 1United 16 Blue all went undefeated in their respective pools. There were no big surprises in 15 Open as the division played out drama-free. The top seeds in Club V 15 Ren Kalee, Tstreet 15 Asics, Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Wave 15 Brennan didn’t drop a match. It was much of the same in 17 Open save for one outcome. It came out of Pool 5, where No. 5 overall seed and national No. 24 Excel 17 National Red was taken down by unranked TAV Houston 17 Adidas. It did throw a wrench into the seedings for Day 2, as now Surfside 17 Legends Loriann – ranked No. 16 nationally – and Excel are set to meet in the first match Sunday morning. As for 18 Open, there are eight teams in the field with bids and 11 in total ranked in our Top 50. All remain in the hunt heading into Sunday’s action. One note of interest is three qualified teams – Coast 18 Ozhan, A5 18 Marc and Hou Skyline 18 Royal – are in Pool 2 together on Day 2. Only two can advance, and that means at least one bid is guaranteed to go out this weekend in 18 Open. ***** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Aspen Brown RS Hou Skyline 15 Royal: A 4-star lefty right side, Brown was in takeover mode the times I caught her in action. She was taking big rips and hammering balls down against overmatched defenders. Tinsley Welker-Brown S Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Welker-Brown – a 3-star recruit – is a solid setter who does well running the show. She incorporates all of her hitters and does well keeping defenses guessing. Lauren Forelli OH AZ Rev 15 Premier: Forelli – a 4-star recruit – has a big-time arm and can absolutely crush winners when the opportunity arises. Kristen Sheehy MB AZ Rev 15 Premier: A 3-star recruit, Sheehy is a presence in the middle. With her size brings advantages. She’s a strong blocker and attacker who changes the dynamic of the lineup when she’s front row. Berkleigh Minnick MB Club V 15 Ren Kalee: Minnick can catch defenses off guard with her ability to let loose at moments. When in system, she’s definitely an option for Club V and defenses need to be ready. Evie Pool MB Forza1 15 One: Pool – a 4-star recruit and a recent Player of the Week featured athlete – was a menace on the slide attack. She does well hitting off one foot and causing real problems for defenses to deal with. Kiersten Moore S Forza1 15 One: Moore – another 4-star recruit – is a quick setter who moves very well and does a nice job getting her feet to the ball. She also has nice hands and moves the ball around. Reese Meier RS ID Crush 15 Bower: Meier is a lefty right side who is a big part of the offense. She hits hard and was taking plenty of swings during the times I saw her playing. Chloe Lin L/DS ID Crush 15 Bower: Lin is a feisty defender who brings a lot of energy and hustle to the defensive side. Lerin Rosenthal S SCVC 15 Roxy: Rosenthal controls the offense and knows how to involve her various hitters. She also displays strong leadership qualities. *** Anaiya Thornton OH SCVC 15 Roxy: Thornton has lots of upside. She’s an athletic outside who jumps and swings well. She can really connect and let loose at times. Brooke Jadon OH Sunshine 15 LA: Jadon is a heady attacker who showed she knows when to take big swings and when to take something off and focus on placement. Micah Rusher MB TAV Houston 15 Adidas: Rusher is a quick middle. She gets off the ground well and was making plays at the net on both sides of the ball. Katherine Nowak MB Tstreet 15 Asics: A 3-star recruit, Nowak has been thrusted into the middle and showed up well. She stayed in for six-rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. Olivia Greenwood RS Wave 15 Brennan: Greenwood – a 3-star recruit – is a lefty right side with a knack for scoring. In system, she’s a threat as Wave looks to get her swings. Brianna Mitchell OH Aspire 15 Premier: Mitchell was getting after