With the top-two teams in each pool advancing and remaining in gold-medal contention, the top seeds managed to stay safe from elimination on the second day of 15 Open action at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. Safe in terms of moving on, but they were not all untouchable.
It was also a great day to be the No. 3 team in a pool as half finished in the top two to stay in the hunt, including NE Elite 15 Phoenix which went 3-0 and took first place after upsetting A5 15 Bob. The other No. 3 teams in Illini Elite 15 Cardinal, SPVB 15 Elite, MN Select 15-1, JJVA 15 Teal and NorCal 15-1 Black each went 2-1 and grabbed second in their respective pools as the field was cut from 48 to 24.
Only one No. 4 team – Munciana 15 Rise – finished in the top two. Muncie went 2-1, beating Kairos 15 Alpha and Elevate 15 Nike in the process.
As for the top teams in each pool, we already mentioned A5 falling to NE Elite. Other top teams in their pools to go down included High Tide 15 Elite and AP 15 Adidas. Meanwhile, the top seven seeds – Skyline 15 Royal, Legacy 15-1 Adidas, Mintonette Sports m.51, Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, GP 15 Rox and Far Out 15 Black – went a combined 21-0 with only Far Out and Mintonette dropping a set.
There are six, four-team pool set for Day 3. The top-two teams once again advance into Day 4’s 12-team gold bracket. With the field shrinking, it pushed GP and Far Out into the same pool, along with High Tide and VCNebraska 15 Elite. And with AP losing, AP faces Mintonette in the first match in that pool. Mintonette is ranked No. 2 in our current Top 50 National Rankings, while AP is No. 11. Top Select 15 Elite, at No. 33, is also in the pool.
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DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Legacy has a wicked middle attack, with Nwabueze one half of the riddle defenses struggle to solve. She’s an athletic middle who puts up a big block and is a tough cover offensively with the way she gets up and delivers.
Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Andrews is the other reason why defenses have headaches from this duo. She also puts up a huge block and is a physical attacker who pounds kills down to the floor.
Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Martin commands the back row in every way. She’s in total control. She’s a sharp passer and gets around the court making plays all over.
Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: Skyline is another team with a strong middle combo, anchored by Williams in the middle. The 6-4 middle is near an impossible cover with her size and reach. She just makes blocks disappear. On the flip side, she takes up a good stretch at teh net and makes it difficult on attackers who try challenging her.
Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas: vballrecruiter.com’s National HS Freshman Player of the Year recipient is arguably the top-rated outside in the Class of 2026. At 6-3, she’s long and has a high IQ. It’s a lethal combination as she simply tees off at times and leaves defenses helpless.
Grace Lee OH High Tide 15 Elite: Lee is a key part of the offense. She has nice length and a fluid arm. She was putting balls away off blocks and cross court on the regular.
Riley McCaughey S High Tide 15 Elite: We really liked the way McCaughey was doing her thing. She has a nice touch and was spotting the ball well.
Kennedy Hale L/DS Elevate 15 Nike: Hale was not afraid to hit the floor in hopes of keeping the ball alive. She was displaying lots of hustling and going all out in trying to keep her side in the rally.
Catherine Palmi OH GP 15 Rox: Palmi has a heavy arm. She can crush it no matter what, whether with her powerful jump serve or her hard-swinging on the outside. When she gets one, you can feel the thunder.
Ella Thorson S Kokoro 15-1: Thorson is among the setters in the division with nice size. She’s 5-10 and has a consistent release.
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Kailey Gieske L/DS Kokoro 15-1: Gieske was showing her scrappiness in the back row. She was covering and picking up balls well and passing soundly out of serve receive.
Courtney Peters OH Kokoro 15-1: Peters shoulders a load on offense. She’s someone who gets set front and back row. She has a strong arm and the size to make an impact.
Megan Ingersoll OH Alabama Performance 15 Toukon: Ingersoll doesn’t hold back. She has a big arm and swings with authority. She was powering balls through and around blocks as the go-to hitter.
Malia Baker MB VVA 15-1: Baker flies under the radar but she’s an effective middle on both sides of the ball. She has the height for the position and she moves and swings well. She also puts up a solid block and makes her share of plays at the net.
Caroline Tucker OH Carolina Rogue 15: Tucker is undersized compared to other outsides taking on a big role on offense. Yet, she gets off the ground well and has a good arm. She isn’t afraid of challenging bigger blocks.
Alexis Jodie S Carolina Rogue 15: Jodie is a gamer at the setting position. She’s a bit undersized too but she hustles out there and puts up a hittable ball consistently.
Ava Castro OH Jupiter Elite 15E: Castro is another outside who is a bit undersized but comes with it. She’s a springy, heady attacker who knows how to place her shots and frustrate blockers and defenders.
Emma Adkins OH Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Adkins is one of the more versatile players in the division. She was playing a hybrid role on Day 1 that had her setting at times. She was swinging away on the outside on Day 2 and doing it well. She has a solid arm and lots of upside.
Gabby Semona MB Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: It seems like this is a strong division in terms of middle and the 6-3 Semona fits that bill. She’s another with tremendous potential. Her swing is good enough to lineup on the outside and take shots from there as well.
Nattie Slusher OH Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Slusher was another standout for Tri-State. She was steady on the attack and blasting balls into the gaps.
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Morgan Heater S Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Heater was the one directing the attack. She did well spreading the ball around and showed a soft touch and release.
Ellie Eckman S VCNebraska 15 Elite: Eckman did well dishing and guiding the attack. She also has a consistent release and locates well.
Mia Gold OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Tribe has one of the top outside duos in the country and Gold makes up half of it. She’s a six-rotation mainstay. She also packs a lively arm capable of ripping balls cross court or down the line with equal effectiveness. She also had quite the service run in the first set of the day, reeling off 19 straight serves before the opponent sided out.
Destiny Wiggins L/DS Wildfire 15 Ore: Wiggins brings tons of energy and fire. She flies around the court and makes up ground quickly. She’s also a sound passer and defender and was super close to making our All Red Hat Team!
