July 3, 2024

One thing about USAV nationals is you can take the national rankings and the tournament seedings and ignore them all. Everything is going to be settled on the court and if one thing was for certain on the opening day in Las Vegas was no one was safe. It’s not often the No. 1 seeds – which also happen to be the top-ranked clubs in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 national rankings – in 16 and 17 Open both lose on Day 1. However, that’s the type of competition teams are dealing with. Hou Skyline 17 Royal – winner of three national qualifiers – was taken down in three sets by Club V 17 Ren Reed. Club V ended the day 3-0, opening with another upset over TAV 17 Black and closing by sweeping Triangle. Club V benefitted from the addition of Taylor Harvey, a 6-4 Texas commit who spent the year playing up on the 18s. Though she was a middle blocker for the 18s, her presence as a six-rotation outside could make Club V a legit contender. While the other top seeds fared well, No. 6 overall seed Skyline 17 Royal was uprooted by Northern Lights 17-1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin, the No. 4 overall seed, went 0-3. In 16 Open, Mintonette Sports m.61, winner of two national qualifiers as well as taking home the gold medal at AAUs two weeks ago, was stunned by Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar in its opener. Austin Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 4 overall seed, was surprised by Coast 16-1 in three sets. Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 5 overall seed and runner-up to Mintonette at AAUs, fell to Elevation 16 Goller, which was an at-large recipient. It didn’t stop there, as No. 6 overall seed Arizona Storm 16 Thunder lost to both Vision 16 Gold and WPVC 16 Armour Black and sits at 1-2. As crazy of a day as it was for a few of the higher-seeded clubs, not all was lost. All have a chance to still break pool and advance, even Co Jrs. Co Jrs will need help, but first has to beat both AJV 17 Adidas and Circle City 17 Purple. Co Jrs also needs Long Beach to lose both of its contests. Hou Skyline is guaranteed of advancing by winning its first match of Day 2 against GP 17 Rox. Similarly, Skyline just needs to win one of its two matches Thursday to break pool. In 16 Open, Mintonette controls its fate. If Mintonette wins both matches, it’ll advance for sure. There’s also a chance Mintonette can advance by winning one of two, but that could get dicey with the potential tiebreak scenarios. Austin Skyline and Skyline will also advance by taking both matches on Day 2. As for Arizona Storm, it just needs to beat HJV 16 Elite in its opening match to be able to break pool. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS There was so much talent in the gym that it’s extremely difficult to narrow down the selection of our Day 1 Show Stoppers. The list could be 3-4 times as long but as it stands we went with those players we felt were playing at an exceptional level during the time we were watching them perform. Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 17 Royal: A 5-star Kentucky recruit, O’Brien runs a smooth offense. She connects with all her hitters and is tough to read. She helps makes Hou Skyline really dangerous in transition with her ability to get to the ball and dish it anywhere. Bailey Warren OH Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Warren – a 5-star Wake Forest recruit – was having a huge match against Club V. She had a sensational kill one more than one occasion. She is a high-flyer and was getting up and hammering down. Taylor Harvey OH Club V 17 Ren Reed: Harvey – a 5-star Texas recruit – spent the season playing up on the 18s in the middle. She was used a six-rotation pin here and it lead to Club upsetting both TAV and Hou Skyline in going 3-0. She’s tall and jumps out of the gym. With it, she extends way up and blasts swings over blocks with incredible ease. Taray Tela MB Club V 17 Ren Reed: Tela touches well over 10-feet and was a menace in the middle. She was nearly impossible to stop when Club V was in system. She also works hard to make herself available in transition and was hurting Hou Skyline repeatedly. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Flynn – a 5-star Nebraska recruit – is an incredible player. She’s not only a high IQ setter who spreads the ball around effortlessly, her size at the net makes her a real impact both blocking and being able to attack on two. Karli Molnau MB MKE Sting 17 Gold: A Loyola-Chicago recruit, Molnau is an undersized middle but she makes big contributions. She’s a heady attacker who finds ways to score and help give MKE Sting an offensive option across the front row. Lily Hayes L/DS OT 17 Aaron: A 3-star Florida recruit, Hayes was among an impressive defensive group we witnessed. She’s consistent in serve receive. She also reads and reacts well and did a great job picking off shots. Rya Borer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Borer – a 3-star North Dakota State recruit – was another back row player who caught our attention. She flies around the court and is a defensive sparkplug with her hustle and energy. Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 17 Legends: A 4-star Louisville recruit, Blackshear was a standout in the middle. At 6-4, her length and reach gives her a real presence. She can see the court well attacking and finds gaps in the defense. She also puts up a solid block in helping slow down opposing hitters. Kaelynn Sims MB Skyline 17 Royal: Sims had her moments to be sure. She was an unsung hero as we watched her in action against Nebraska