It didn’t take long for the first major upset to hit 17 Open, which kicked off with the third wave of the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. Top-seeded A5 17 Jing, was playing short-handed and was dealt an early blow by Summit 17 Blue Elite, which prevailed and three and went on to finish 3-0 and take over the No. 1 seed for Day 2.
Coming off 15 Open where none of the top seeds lost until the quarterfinals, that was a huge shift in play. A5 was hardly alone, however, as many respective No. 1 teams in their pools lost on opening day.
Miami Hype 17 Emilio, Far Out 17 Black, Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Circle City 17 Purple, K2 17 Adidas and Northern Lights 17-1 all dropped contests. However, Far Out, Circle City and Northern Lights still managed to win their pools while the others finished in second place. Academy 17 Diamond went 1-2 as the No. 1 team in Pool M but still advanced as the third-place finisher.
With only one team per pool being eliminated, it’s a great day for No. 4 teams to try and take advantage. A4 Volley 17 Tyler did exactly that, going 2-1 and taking second place. MAVA Adidas 17 Select also went 2-1, but took third as part of a three-way tie with Northern Lights and TI Elite 17.1.
Kairos 17 Alpha joined Summit as a No. 3 team to win its pool. Kaiors topped K2 in its opening match on its way to going 3-0. MN Select 17-1 and TVA 17 Megan both went 3-0 as No. 2 teams in their respective pools.
The action does start to pick up on Day 2, when only two of the four teams from each pool move on. With A5 losing, Pool H is especially perilous territory as it contains A5, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Far Out. That means one of those clubs is out on Friday.
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DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS
Chloe Smith OH Adidas KiVA 17 Red: Smith is a wirey outside with a fluid swing who lets it fly. She extends well and can hit a high contact point.
Emma Closurdo RS Adidas KiVA 17 Red: Closurdo is a bit undersized but she has a heavy arm and can absolutely pound balls.
Rella Binney L/DS Ku’Ikahi 17 RSB: Binney was holding down the back row with both her passing and defending. She covers and moves well and did well making a couple highlight saves.
Mckayla Theleus OH WIZARD 17: Theleus, an undersized hitter, got up and blasted off on balls every time we walked by her court.
Anae Asuncion S Maunalani 17-808Hui: Asuncion, a 5-1 setter, is smooth with nice hands and puts the ball in a hittable window for her hitters.
Addie Waller S Elevation 17 Peak: Waller, a Northern Colorado commit, is a competitor with a strong ability to dish the ball around to her hitters.
Rachel Ogunleye MB Illini Elite 17 Cardinal: Ogunleye, a 3-star recruit committed to Vanderbilt, is a leaper with a great vertical and fluid swing in the middle.
Mia Radeff OH Encore 17 DTB: Radeff, a Notre Dame commit, is a six-rotation outside who packs a punch and can really bring it.
Stevie Henderson RS OVA 17 Black: Henderson had moments where she was ripping the ball and providing key production from the right side.
Mia Schaefer L/DS Maverick 17 Elite: Schaefer held her own, playing under control and passing well out of serve receive.
Kelsey Niesen L/DS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Niesen was another standout defender. She’s a scrappy libero who hustles around the court making plays.
Madison Loiselle RS OT 17 Aaron: Loiselle was among the hardest hitters we saw on Day 1. She can just flat-out hammer the ball down. OT will line up at different spots across the net to try and utilize her.
Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 17 Black: Pickard, part of the Class of 2025 who spent this season playing on the 18s, is part of the 17s for AAUs and did a great job running a 5-1. She has a smooth hands and her location is consistent.
Kendall Hopewell MB Far Out 17 Black: Hopewell was making an impact in the middle. She can get out and run the slide very well, booming down balls and being a real offensive threat.
Marlee Ervin OH Nebraska Jrs 17 Black – Ervin is someone to keep an eye out for. She was a middle moved to the outside. She was swinging away and showed her smarts by mixing up her shots.
