The buildup is over. We’ve been hurtling toward the season-ending national championships since the start of the new club year. And here we are, at the start of AAUs in Orlando! The vballrecruiter.com team is fired up for all the action coming our way. We’ll be all over the competition in both Orlando and Chicago as teams look to complete their season in dream fashion – with a gold medal.
Kicking off all the fun and excitement is 14 Open, which got underway Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center. If you aren’t familiar with the AAU format, it’s a bit of a slow build toward the gold bracket. Only fourth-place teams are eliminated from contention on the opening day. That meant only nine teams were bumped from Group 1 for Day 2. So of the 39 teams to start competition, 30 still remain. It changes the next two days, because on Days 2 and 3 only the top-two teams in each pool advance. It’ll ultimately set up the eight-team gold bracket set for Saturday.
As for the first day of action, it was not quite the coronation for top seeds as it was last year. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal – seeded No. 3 overall – was upended by Mauloa 14 Green in the 1 v 2 match. Tribe finished 2-1 while Mauloa fought off the time change from Hawaii to go 3-0. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – seeded No. 6 overall – went down as well. Vaqueras 14-1 beat Tri-State in the 1 v 2 match to finish in first ahead of Tri-State. GP 14 Rox was a third No. 1 team in its pool to fall. The No. 10 overall seed was swept by Northern Lights 14-1 and finished 2-1 behind 3-0 Northern Lights.
Pool 1 was a three-team pool, where all three teams advanced. Out of the remaining nine pools, seven of the No. 4 teams were knocked out after going 0-3. The two exceptions were Elevate Athletics 14 Nike and Panda 14-1 Simo. Both went 1-2 and remain in the hunt. The highest-seeded team to be eliminated was Club V 14 Ren Stef. Club V was the No. 2 team in Pool 5 and was the No. 16 overall seed.
***
DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS
Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: A lanky right side, Glushakov has tremendous upside. She stayed in for six rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. She showed nice extension and was hitting at a high contact point.
Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: A bit undersized, Bowron is quick and gets around well on the court. She’s a smooth disher who is on target on the regular.
Haley Higgins MB Top Select 14 Elite: Higgins was providing consistent scoring as Top Select was utilizing her effectiveness. She has a nice arm and was putting balls away with pace.
Calli LeFevre OH Legacy 14-1 Adidas: A 5-10 outside, LeFevre helps anchor the offense. She has a really good arm and takes big swings to pressure defenses.
Kampbell Niepagaen OH SPVB 14 Elite: Niepagaen was another outside who was carrying a big load offensively. Sports Performance was looking for her a lot and she was up for the task.
Madeline Bryant S SPVB 14 Elite: Bryant displayed a nice touch and consistent location. She also sets a clean ball regularly.
Isabel Incinelli MB WPVC 14 Armour Black: At 6-2, Incinelli stands out. She also has tremendous potential. She was impacting both sides of the net. She also uses her length to her advantage, going over the block. And she also gets sets on the pin as Winter Park moves her around.
Ellie Enger OH WPVC 14 Armour Black: Enger was among the better outsides we saw on Day 1. She has a lively arm and was bringing it time and time again.
Liliana Tripi S Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Tripi was among the taller setters in the division. She has a consistent release and nice touch. She also did a good job trying to get her hitters involved.
Sophia Farah MB Rev 14-1 Bulldogs: Farah flashed her potential. She’s a strong middle who takes up space and can be tough for defenses to slow.
Sophia Azevedo S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Count Azevedo among the players to keep tabs on. She’s a 6-0 setter/right side who was mostly setting on Day 1. With her height, she can be impactful at the net. She puts up a nice block and has unbelievable upside.
***
Caitlin Crino S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Crino was also taking on the setting duties. She’s a bit undersized but she moves well and has a clean release.
Sage Mattson OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Mattson is a 6-0 pin who was playing on the outside. She has a big arm and can bash balls down in style.
Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: Otto is another prospect who caught our eye. The lefty is 6-0 and a featured part of the attack when she’s front row. They run her in different spots to get her the ball and keep the defense on its toes.
Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights 14-1: Cotton is a setter on the taller side, especially for the age group. She came in to set in the back row and did well locating and keeping her hitters involved.
Zaley Madkin OH IVBA 14 Open: Madkin is a bit undersized but has no problem making up for it with her jump. She gets up well and can bring it at times. She unleashed a couple of head-turning kills that showed what her potential could be.
Aubrie Wirkkala OH Kokoro 14-1: Wirkkala is a bit undersized at the position but she jumps very well. It helps her unload on the ball and rocket a few big winners.
Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro 14-1: Jameson is a taller middle with tons of potential. She’s lanky, moves well and does a good job of getting her hands up blocking. She was tough to slow down when she was getting set.
Marlie Smith S Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Smith is a heady setter with good range who moves well. She did well getting her various hitters involved and spreading the attack around.
Brianna Napoles S/RS Miami Hype 14 Nekane: Napoles is a hustler who plays with lots of energy. She’s a solid two-way player who did well providing offense when called upon and also was putting up a nice ball when setting.
Isabella Borgia OH Mintonette Sports m.41: Borgia was bringing it at times, delivering big kills and exciting her teammates.
Kacie Schulte OH MN Select 14-1: Schulte was part of the offensive punch for MN Select. She’s a hard-hitting outside who was sending balls down and punishing defenses.
