AAU 16s: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More
The action on the first two days is what sets up the pools for Day 3. And it’s Day 3 when you can really start to see the tournament take shape and get an idea of what the path to gold is going to take. To give you an idea of how the first two days of 16 Open at AAU nationals played out let’s look at Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 National Rankings. Of the 79 teams entered in the age group, 19 are represented in the rankings. Only two did not advance to Day 3. They were No. 41 Academy 16 Yeti and No. 47 Tribe 16 Elite Navy. Academy fell to another ranked team – No. 46 Sunshine 16 LA – and finished third behind No. 39 SPVB 16 Elite and Sunshine. As for Tribe, it lost to No. 15 MN Select and unranked Northern Lights 16-1, which was on the cusp of making the Top 50. Northern Lights went on to upset MN Select to take first. Despite the lackluster first two days, the action is going to take a significant upswing on Day 3. Here’s why. Pool E features four nationally-ranked teams – No. 9 A5 16-1 Gabe, No. 39 SPVB, No. 38 Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and No. 24 WPVC 16 Armour Black. Only two can advance, making that a power pool of sorts. Pool B is another intriguing pool. It contains No. 6 Legacy 16-1 Adidas, No. 36 Academy 16 Diamond, No. 25 Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal and unranked Adidas KiVA 16 Red. Pool D opens with No. 4 Boiler Jrs 16 Gold facing No. 15 MN Select. Both teams are among those headed to USAV nationals in a couple of weeks. Also in the pool is No. 31 EC Power KOP 16 Empire and unranked OT 16 Will. Of course, there are opportunities to be had as well. Take Pool A for example. While it features national No. 1 Mintonette Sports m.61, the other three teams in Kokoro Volleyball 16-1, SynergyForce 16 James and FarOut 16 Black are unranked. That gives one of them the chance to make the gold bracket. It’s even better in Pool F, where all four teams are unranked, meaning two get to make the gold bracket. The quartet is made up of Ozark Jrs 16 Elite, Northern Lights, Jupiter Elite 16E and JJVA 16 Teal. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Below, we name our Day 2 Show Stoppers. These are the players we feel stood out to us the most during our time watching them. Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 16 Black: Haffner, a 4-star recruit, never rattles. She plays under control. She reads and reacts at a high level and is a spot-on passer. Sophia Gisslen S Team Pineapple 16 Black: Gisslen, a 3-star setter, does a good job incorporating all her hitters. She runs a diverse offense and with it keeps defenses on their toes. Briana Pagan OH Vaqueras 16-1: Pagan is slightly undersized on the pin. Yet, she jumps well and has a solid arm. She uses it to tool blocks effectively and find ways to beat bigger blocks. Valeria Nunez RS Vaqueras 16-1: Nunez has huge upside. She’s a 6-2 recruit from the Class of 2027. She can extend and hit a high contact point, hitting sharp angles along with it. Genevieve Harris S Academy 16 Diamond: A 5-star setter and recent Texas commit, Harris is just smooth. She does well getting to off passes and still getting her hitters looks with strong sets. Taylor Bruce RS Academy 16 Diamond: Touching over 10 feet and a recent Georgia commit, Bruce helps open up the offense with her scoring ability from the right side. She has a lively arm and combined with her jump, she can rip shots down in a hurry. Ella Thorson S Kokoro Volleyball 16-1: A 6-0 setter, Thorson was among the quarterbacks who stood out. She has a consistent, clean release and puts the ball in a hittable window. Madelynn Henry OH Kairos 16 Alpha: A 3-star recruit from the Class of 2027, is an explosive attacker. She has serious hops and a really fast arm. Together, she can let it fly at times and rip shots down. Kamryn Jackson RS OK Charge 16 UA: Jackson was doing her thing on the right side. She’s an athletic attacker who jumps well. She has a solid arm too. She was helping shoulder a fair share of the offense. Brooklynne Brass OH SPVB 16 Elite: Brass – a 3-star recruit – is another pin hitter who can get up. She touches well over 10 feet and has a lively arm. She too was lighting it up with a few impressive kills. *** Abbey Knight RS SPVB 16 Elite: A 3-star recruit, Knight is a force on the right side. She has a heavy arm and hits with lots of power. Kennedey Whitford L/DS Iowa Rockets 16R: Whitford is a scrappy defender who flies around the court. She brings a ton of energy to the lineup and passes consistent out of serve receive. Mia Kinney RS K2 16 Adidas: Kinney is part of the Class of 2027. She’s a bit undersized on the right but she does not get cheated on the attack. She takes aggressive swings and hits with lots of power. Gunny Brock OH K2 16 Adidas: A 3-star recruit, Brock is a wirey outside with a lively arm. She shoulders a load on offense and provides a punch to the attack. Madeline Dettling OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Dettling, a 3-star outside, is the key piece of the attack. She provides a lot of the offense with her ability to score in a variety of ways. Allie Davison S/RS Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Davison brings flexibility to the lineup with her ability to set and hit. She’s a solid setter who can move the ball side to side. Madison Mayo OH Alabama Perf 16 National: Mayo is an up-and-coming talent and
