June 27, 2024

The last day of 17 Open pool play gave shape to the 14-team gold bracket scheduled to play out on the final day of competition – Friday – as AAU nationals nears its conclusion. The third day of 17 Open started with all 10 teams appearing in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 national rankings still in the mix. However, not all made it through Thursday’s action as two teams were eliminated in No. 31 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue and No. 43 NorCal 17-1 Black. Tri-State finished in a three-way tie with No. 32 OT 17 Felix and No. 36 GP 17 Rox at 2-1. But Tri-State was on the short end of the tiebreaker as OT Felix and GP had better set percentages. Tri-State had a chance to move on, but needed to sweep GP in the last outing of the pool to make it happen. Instead, Tri-State wound up winning in three and thus took third place. NorCal also fell victim to a three-way tie and having the worst set percentage of the trio. NorCal went 2-1, along with No. 15 Mich Elite 17 Mizuno and unranked SAVC 17 Premier. NorCal upset Mich Elite earlier in the pool, leaving Mich Elite needing to beat SAVC to advance. There was no way for NorCal to advance unless SAVC could beat Mich Elite, which just needed to beat SAVC to have a better set percentage than NorCal. There was also lots of drama in Pool B. While No. 14 Adidas KiVA 17 Red finished 3-0, A5 Chattanooga 17-1 Nancy, Pitt Elite 17 Elite and Top Select 17 Elite all went 1-2. It was Pitt Elite taking second based on set percentage. Even though Pitt Elite ended up losing to Top Select in three sets, that Pitt Elite was able to take one set off Top Select it positioned Pitt Elite well. A5 Chattanooga needed to upset KiVA to move on or if not watch Pitt Elite move on. OT 17 Aaron, Northern Lights 17-1, Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal and SPVB 17 Elite joined KiVA in going 3-0 and winning their respective pools. *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS With teams fighting for a spot in the gold bracket, it brought out big-time individual efforts. Below, we highlight the players who grabbed our attention the most on Thursday. Kahealani Moriwaki L/DS Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB: A Hawaii commit, Moriwaki helped Ku’Ikahi reached the gold bracket in 17 Open. She was everywhere in the back court, making saves and keeping her side in the point. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 17 Elite: Carr – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2026 – powered the offense along. She’s the focal point of the attack. She’s a threat front and back row and does well finding holes in the defense. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 17 Elite: Nictora came up with timely kills. She was taking aggressive swings and hitting shots off the block well. Lily Long OH MOD Elite 17 Blue: A 6-0 pin, Long is a heady attacker who finds ways to score consistently. She also showed well in serve receive, passing on point and getting the point started with a strong first touch. Addison Pollock L/DS Wildfire 17 Open: A 3-star Penn commit, Pollock was among the defenders bringing it in the back row. She moves well, covers a lot of ground and did a well picking up hard-driven shots in her area. Mariyana Cardwell RS Wildfire 17 Open: Cardwell is a springy right side. She gets off the ground in a hurry and can rip it at times. Alexa Haley L/DS PVA 17-B: A FGCU commit, Haley is an energetic defender with lots of hustle. She goes all out and never gives up on a play. She was also passing steadying out of serve receive. Samantha Soderlund OH PVA 17-B: Soderlund, a Georgetown commit, was a key piece in the PVA attack. She has a solid arm and can swing it front and back row. Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 17 Mamba: A 4-star Creighton commit, Paymal is a handful. She has a big arm and hits with power. She’s one of the go-to hitters when she’s in across the front. Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 17-1 Black: Kelly – a 4-star Cal Poly commit – is a real factor in the middle. She’s a solid blocker who gets her hands on a lot of swings. She can also finish points when called upon as she’s an effective attacker. *** Lucy Chertock OH NorCal 17-1 Black: A New Hampshire commit, Chertock is a glue piece as a six-rotation outside. She hits well and has a variety of shots she can toss at the defense. Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin: Popescu – a 4-star Cal commit – is a high IQ libero who commands the defensive side of the game. She’s a spot on passer. She also reads and reacts well and is often in position to make the play. Camryn Jeffery OH L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin: A 4-star LSU commit, Jeffery has a powerful arm and hits a heavy ball. A5 sets her front and back row and runs plenty of plays in order to get her swings. Paige Tode RS Illini Elite 17 Cardinal: A 6-3 Southeast Missouri State commit, Tode is a presence on the right side. She puts up a big block. She also gives Illini Elite an option to help open up the offense and keep defenses honest. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 17 Elite: Bullington – a 4-star Northwestern commit – has a lively arm and can rip it. She’s a scoring machine and can take over matches at times. Sakura Codling L/DS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: A 4-star UCLA commit, Codling brings a defensive edge. She’s a vocal leader. She can make impressive digs and she is a lights-out passer. Ava Jo Berry S NCWVBC 17-1 Gold: Berry is a next-level setter who excels at jump setting and running a fast-paced offense. Her agility and dynamism on