And finally!! The one drawback of the AAU format is unless there are big-time upsets in pool play, we have to wait until the fourth and final day for the top teams to actually be on the same court together. Of the 12 teams remaining in gold-medal contention in 15 Open, four are ranked in our Top 10 in No. 1 Skyline 15 Royal, No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51, No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold and No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. The quartet combined to go 12-0 without dropping a set Tuesday.
The highest-ranked team eliminated was No. 11 AP 15 Adidas, which fell to both Mintonette and Top Select 15 Elite to finish 1-2. Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, ranked No. 19, overcame an upset loss to MN Select 15-1 to still win its pool. Tribe downed WPVC 15 Armour Black head-to-head to win the pool outright.
There was a lot of drama behind top-seeded Skyline in Pool 1. NE Elite 15 Phoenix, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite ended in a three-way tie at 1-2. It was Tri-State catching the break and taking second. Tri-State Elite is ranked No. 25 in our Top 50 and avoided being the second-highest ranked team to not make the gold bracket. Instead, it was No. 30 Jupiter Elite 15E finishing in third in its pool and failing to advance.
Here’s how the modified 12-team gold bracket looks for Wednesday:
- Top Select v GP (winner v Skyline)
- Boiler Jrs v Tri-State Elite (winner v Tribe)
- A5 v Far Out (winner v Mintonette)
- Rev v WPVC (winner v Legacy)
The way the bracket is set up could lead to an epic chase for gold. If we could see the four teams ranked in the Top 10 all make the semifinals and go from there, that is the best-case scenario from a fan’s perspective.
***
DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Emmi Merhi MB Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Merhi fills her role well, providing offense when called upon and doing a fine job of getting her hands on balls. With the outside threat so dangerous, the is opportunity for Tribe to take advantage in the middle and that’s what they do with Merhi.
Ashlyn Cobb RS Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Cobb is another who helps spread out the Tribe attack or at the very least gives another threat to think about on the pin. She has a good arm and is an aggressive attacker who pressures the defense by not tipping too much.
Macy McAmis L/DS Jupiter Elite 15 E: McAmis goes all out in the back row and is all over the court in efforts to make plays and keep rallies going. She’s a steady passer who moves well.
Bre Morgan MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: We featured the middle duos from Legacy and Skyline on Day 2 and this go around it’s the pair from Boiler Jrs. They are similar in how the handle the position. Morgan is a strong hitter who hits with authority and puts up a solid block.
Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer assures the middle spot never slows, as she’s another force at the net with her attacking and blocking. She moves well and hits with nice extension. She has a whippy arm and crushes balls.
Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Shondell sets with such smarts and IQ is fun to watch. She has hitters all around her and when in system it is game on! She has a great hands and can locate any set she needs to deliver. She does a great job of getting her hitters one-on-one looks or even confusing defenders to the point no block is up.
Sofia Guerrero-Wilson MB A5 15 Bob: Middle is a position of strength in 15 Open and Guerrero-Wilson has to be included in the reason why. She has unbelievable potential. She’s tall at 6-2 and has a cannon for an arm.
Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – part of the Class of 2025 – is like a cheat code. She hits at such crazy angles and has so much range defenses can’t cover it all. She closed out Skyline’s first victory of the day with back-to-back aces as well.
Kiley Brooks L/DS Skyline 15 Royal: There is so much firepower on Skyline that the defensive side can get overlooked. But Brooks handles business in the back row with consistent passing.
Gabi DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Legacy rolled on Day 3 in part with the attacking of DiVita. She’s a wirey outside who gets off the ground and lets it go with her fluid swing. Combined with her range of shots, she’s one of the top offensive options in the division.
***
Brooklynne Brass OH SPVB 15 Elite: Sports Performance’s run ended but Brass did her part in trying to extend it. She’s a bit undersized but gets up and doesn’t hold back. She stays aggressive and doesn’t back down.
Elle Mottola S WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mottola is among the top setters here. She’s smooth and dishes a clean ball consistently. She locates well with her soft hands and does well getting her hitters different looks.
Sophia Stallworth MB WPVC 15 Armour Black: We featured Stallworth on Day 1 and could feature her every time we see her. She has a huge impact across the front row. She’s quick with a great arm and it makes her such a tough cover.
Isabella Umpierre RS WPVC 15 Armour Black: Umpierre is a little undersized on the right side but the lefty is fearless. She has a really nice arm and jumps well. It leads to big kills at times.
Amelia Mancino OH WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mancino is also a bit undersize but is a smart attacker who hits from various spots, including running combos.
Kaela Jenkins MB Black Swamp 151: Jenkins plays a valuable role for Black Swamp. She changes the dynamic of the attack when she checks in. She hits hard and is someone defenses need to be ready for when in system.
Alana Whitfield OH Illini Elite 15 Cardinal: Whitfield was another outside shouldering a load for her team. She’s also a hard-swinging outside who can bring the heat.
Lily Bosworth MB Illini Elite 15 Cardinal: We wrote about Bosworth on Day 1 as part of our All Red Hat Team. At 6-4, her height is a major advantage and when she gets out on the slide watch out. Defenses struggle to slow it.
Ella Jenkins OH Rev 15-1 Fuego: Jenkins is quick and springy. She plays with lots of energy as well and was holding it down with her consistent scoring.
A few of the outside duos in this division rival any in the country. Let’s take a look:
Gig Artiles OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: We mentioned Artiles on Day 1. She’s a 6-2 wrecking ball. It doesn’t matter if she’s front or back row, she can hammer the ball with the best of them.
Mia Gold OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Gold was part of Show Stoppers for Day 2 and she takes care of the other half. She has a loose arm and can rip balls all over the court front or back row as well.
Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: The Mintontte and Boiler Jrs outside combos are almost mirror images of one another. Foster is an all-around contributor, above average in all she doesn. She’s a sharp passer who jumps and swings with authority.
Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: We featured Miles on Day 2. She’s a wirey, lanky outside who can really extend and let it go like it’s coming out of a slingshot.
Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51: Hoying and Foster are similar. Hoying is above-average all the way around. She’s a physical hitter who brings the wood.
Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.51: Snowbarger, who we also wrote about on Day 2, is similar to Miles as she’s also long and can really extend. She too lets it fly with plenty of pace.
