June 18, 2024

What a day it was Tuesday as the second day of the second wave at AAU nationals played out. The results in 15 Open were all over the place, and with it comes an insane pool for Day 3. Let’s start there. Legacy 15-1 Adidas, the No. 2 overall seed and ranked No. 13 in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50, lost and finished second in its pool. Adidas KiVA 15 Red, the No. 11 overall seed and ranked No. 37 nationally, also lost. It forced both of them into Pool A for Day 3. That means top-seeded and national No. 5 OT 15 Randy along with No. 41 Mintonette Sports m.51 are all together. Only two of them can advance. It’s unusual for four nationally-ranked teams to wind up together in the same pool on Day 3. All four are good enough to all be in the 12-team gold bracket for Day 4. But as stated above, only two can make it that far now. That’s how quickly things can take shape and shake up the draw in the process. Mintonette was actually upset in its first outing, falling to MAVA Adidas 15-Select. Mintonette finished in a three-way tie at 2-1 and still wound up in first place, with Lex United 15 Blue. It might have been better for Mintonette to finish second, as Lex United is in a Day 3 pool with two ranked teams in No. 40 MN Select 15-1 and No. 49 Top Select 15 Elite. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue, the No. 6 overall seed and ranked No. 11 nationally, found itself in the same spot as Mintonette. Tri-State was upended in its first match, going down to Shockwave 15 Black. Tri-State and Shockwave ended in a three-way tie at 2-1, along with GP 15 Rox. Tri-State took first based on tiebreakers, followed by GP in second. Two other pools ended with three-way ties as well, with both of them featuring three teams all ending at 1-2. One of was Pool G. While Kairos 15 Alpha went 3-0, Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, Sky High Adidas 15 Elite and Academy 15 Diamond knotted at 1-2. Tribe had the best set percentage and managed to move on in second place. The other pool was Pool I, where Pitt Elite 15 Elite went 3-0. Behind Pitt Elite, FarOut 15 Black, IVBA 15 Open and L2 151 all went 1-2. It was FarOut having the best set percentage as well to take second and remain in the hunt. ***** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Below, we present our Day 2 Show Stoppers. These are the players who made us take note the most during our time in the gym. McKenzie Wilkie L/DS A5 15-1 Kelly: A 3-star defender, Wilkie brings a defensive edge to the court. She’s a sharp passer who covers a lot of ground and excels at keeping rallies alive. Mia Ray OH A5 15-1 Kelly: Ray – a 3-star outside – is a central piece in A5’s attack. She’s a strong, physical attacker who can boom balls down with lots of authority. Payton Scifres S Sky High Adidas 15 Elite: Scifres, at 6-1, has lots of upside. Her height allows her to be a factor at the net. On top of that, she has a clean, consistent release. Logan Georgy MB Sky High Adidas 15 Elite: A 6-2 middle, Georgy is another player who adds height to the front row for Sky High. She’s a real scoring threat and teams need to keep tabs on her because of it. Maizy Agnello OH Sky High Adidas 15 Elite: Agnello is a springy attacker. She adds a punch to Sky High’s offense. She swings very well and hits with lots of pace. Akshara Jay RS Sky High Adidas 15 Elite: Jay, a lefty right side, is another part of the attack. She’s a heady hitter who helps spread out the offense with her ability to score in a variety of ways. Sage Illian S/OH Shockwave 15 Black: Illian, a member of the Class of 2028, brings a lot to the lineup with her versatility. She’s a smooth setter with the ability to move the ball around with ease. She’s also a smart attacker who uses crafty and well-placed shots to beat the defense. Ruthie Robinson MB Kairos 15 Alpha: A 3-star, 6-0 middle, Robinson is a game-changer across the front row for Kairos. She adds a legit offensive dynamic. She can get out on the slide, extend and unload with force. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 15 Alpha: A 6-0 setter from the Class of 2028, Samuels is silky smooth. She sets at a high level and has firm command of the offense. She puts up a nearly perfect ball on almost every set. Makenna Meibers OH Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Meibers, a 3-star recruit, was bringing it on the outside. She caught a few where she unloaded in impressive fashion in sending balls down for emphatic kills. *** Ellie Osowski OH Northern Lights 15-1: Osowski was another outside who was proving her team a big lift offensively. She was finding ways to score, including swinging aggressively and firing shots past and off blockers for points. Candice Holloway MB OT 15 Randy: A 3-star, 6-2 middle, Holloway is a presence in the middle. Her length is disrupting at the net. It allows her to hit over blocks as well as slow down opponents coming at her. Ella Horvick L/DS OT 15 Randy: Horvick – a 3-star recruit – was among the defenders who were performing at a high level. She sees and reads the court well, putting herself in position to make the play. Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 15 Elite: A 6-1 right side, Glushakov gives Top Select a legit scoring option. She extends and hits from a high contact point and it makes her tough to slow. Jenna Brooks L/DS Top Select 15 Elite: Brooks, a 3-star defender, gives Top Select a defensive presence. She’s a solid passer out of serve