For the third national championship in a row in their relative age group, Mintonette Sports m.61 and Skyline 16 Royal shared the same court vying for the same coveted prize. We’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to see if a repeat storyline plays out once more. But we are halfway there after Mintonette clipped Skyline, 25-22, 26-24, in the AAU 16 Open championship Monday at the Orange County Convention Center.
Going back to Mintonette capturing the USAV 14 Open gold medal in 2022, it was the club’s fourth consecutive national championship appearance for its relative age group. It was last summer when Mintonette outlasted Skyline in three sets in the AAU 15 Open final. The two sides then met in the 15 Open final at USAV nationals, with Skyline sweeping Mintonette.
What are the odds of it happening again in back-to-back years? Given what both had to endure during the gold bracket on Day 4, extremely improbable is a good starting point.
Three times Mintonette was a point away from being beaten by MN Select 16-1 in the semis. Mintonette overcame third-set deficits of 14-13, 15-14 and 16-15 before prevailing, 20-25, 25-17, 18-16. It was the second time Mintonette survived in three sets, the first coming with Mintonette downing Academy 16 Diamond, 19-25, 25-17, 15-10, in the Round of 16.
Skyline, meanwhile, had its hands full with Boiler Jrs 16 Gold in the Round of 16. Boiler Jrs took the first set and was ahead 15-10 and 18-14 in Game 2 before Skyline awoke and began to find its stride. Skyline eventually completed the rally, winning in three, 19-25, 25-20, 15-10. Skyline swept its next two matches over Northern Lights 16-1 in the quarterfinals and GP 16 Rox in the semis.
GP came through with the day’s biggest upset, surprising previously undefeated Legacy 16-1 Adidas in three sets, 19-25, 25-17, 15-9, in the quarterfinals.
In the final, Skyline was on the opposite end of a comeback. Skyline was in control of the opening set, leading 15-9 before Mintonette turned it around. In Game 2, Skyline built a 23-21 margin and was up 24-23 before Kaela Jenkins’ stuff block eventually sealed the title for Mintonette, which finished a perfect 12-0.
The 16 Open standings looked vastly different from what we saw last wave in 15 Open. There, champion Legacy 15-1 Adidas lost three times en route to the gold medal. Silver medalist Top Select 15 Elite lost twice. Just two teams lost once – Munciana 15 Blue and Pitt Elite 15 Elite.
The 16 Open standings featured Mintonette going undefeated. Skyline, GP, Legacy and A5 16-1 Gabe all lost just once. A5 fell in the Round of 16 to Rev 16-1 Fury.
Mintonette, Skyline, GP, MN Select, Legacy, A5, Academy Diamond, Boiler Jrs and Jupiter Elite 16E, which also reached the gold bracket on Day 4, are among the 36 teams in 16 Open at USAV nationals next month in Las Vegas. Two more teams from AAUs are also included in WPVC 16 Armour Back and Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal. WPVC ended in 18th here, while Tribe took 25th.
