What a total contrast 17 Open has been compared to 15 Open last week here at the AAUs Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. With the 15s, we didn’t see any of the top six seeds lose until the third day. And even then, one of which lost still won its respective pool, while the other was the No. 6 seed which lost to the No. 7 seed in the 1 v 2 match in their pool.
However, for the third consecutive day we watched the No. 1 overall seed go down, and for the second day in a row be eliminated altogether. First it was A5 17 Jing falling on Day 1, but A5 still managed to find its way to Sunday’s 12-team gold bracket and remains alive for a medal. Next, it was Summit 17 Blue Elite bowing out on Day 2 with a 1-2 showing. Following the unfortunate trend was Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal, which dropped contests to Northern Lights 17-1 and Kairos 17 Alpha in Pool A in going 1-2 and missing the gold bracket. If there’s one safe pick for the final day, it is that Kairos taking over the No. 1 seed is almost destined to lose, right?
It’s been that type of unpredictable ride to this point and while a few teams are no doubt feeling fortunate to have survived Day 3, others who did not were surprising.
Both VCNebraska 17 Elite and Boiler Jrs 17 Gold were knocked out of contention. Why was that surprising? They were the fifth and seventh highest-ranked teams competing from out Top 50 National Rankings. VCNebraska checks in at No. 25, while Boiler is just behind at No. 27.
The other top-ranked teams pulled through in No. 5 A5, No. 9 OT 17 Aaron, No. 22 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue and No. 23 OT 17 Felix, as well as No. 26 Academy 17 Tsunami. Of the 13 ranked teams to begin, nine made the 12-team gold bracket. Others include No. 39 Top Select 17 Elite, No. 46 Miami Hype 17 Emilio, No. 48 Northern Lights 17-1 and No. 49 Mintonette Sports m.71.
The ranked teams joining VCNebraska and Boiler Jrs outside the gold bracket are No. 38 Ku’Ikahi 17 RSB Wahine and No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red. Both Ku’Ikahi and KiVA were eliminated on Day 2.
As for Saturday’s third round of pool play, Tri-State Elite caught a bit of a break in finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Legacy 17-1 Adidas and Boiler Jrs. Tri-State lost to Boiler, which had just lost to Legacy, and needed to beat Legacy to advance.
Meanwhile, VCNebraska lost to Mintonette and OT Aaron to go 1-2. Top Select and NE Elite 17 Top Gun were both 1-1 heading into their 1 v 2 contest in Pool F, with only the winner advancing. Top Select prevailed, taking first ahead of Far Out 17 Black.
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17 OPEN DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS
Natalie De Paula S/RS Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: With her two-way role, De Paula shoulders lots of responsibility and is a key part of the lineup. She’s a steady, quick setter who does well moving the ball around. As a hitter, she’s a springy lefty who takes a lot of swings in helping drive the attack.
Elizabeth Havlicek MB Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Havlicek did her part in giving Tribe a middle presence. She puts up a solid block and can turn around and send it down with power.
Amelia Wass de Czege MB TVA 17 Smack Megan: TVA did well making it to the third round. Wass de Czege was a force in the middle for her team. She has a huge arm and hits with tons of power.
Amelia Haggins OH TVA 17 Smack Megan: Haggins, a Tulane commit, is an athletic outside who gets set a lot when she’s front row. She jumps well and can bring the heat on the outside.
Sophia Adkins RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Adkins, a Providence commit, holds down the right side with her strength and power. She opens the attack across the front row with her big arm capable of producing pounding kills.
Audrey Kocon S/RS Northern Lights 17-1: Kocon was a big reason why Northern Lights remains in contention. She starred in her two-way role. She did a nice job running the attack and going against the flow. When hitting, she can bring the thunder with her heavy left-arm attack.
Nora Wurtz MB NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Wurtz, a 4-star Creighton commit, is a 6-4 middle/right side who puts up a huge block. She’s also difficult to slow offensively with her ability to go over blocks and send balls down with authority.
Carly Ries OH NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Reis, a 6-3 South Dakota commit, is another lengthy attacker defenses must be concerned about with the NE Elite attack. She can hit at a high contact point and has a fluid swing to match.
Emerson Lionberger MB VCNebraska 17 Elite: Lionberger did well in her role in the middle, providing timely offense. She was taking advantage of her opportunities and giving VCNebraska a reliable option in the middle.
Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Douglas, a USC commit, is a speedy libero who does well covering and picking off shots. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive as well.
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Delaney Lawson OH Munciana 17 Pandas: A Utah State commit, Lawson carries a big offensive load swinging front and back row. She can unload at times and bounce balls straight down.
Hattie Welker MB Mintonette Sports m.71: Welker is a lanky middle who helped Mintonette reach the gold bracket with her attacking and blocking. She did well getting her hands on balls and slowing down the attack.
Taylor Bahnub OH Mintonette Sports m.71: Bahnub doesn’t back down, coming with aggressive swings and challenging blocks. She hits a hard ball and was taking care of business.
Sarah Schnell RS Miami Hype 17 Emilio: Schnell is a tall lefty and a featured part of the attack. She’s a game-changer across the front row with her length and ability to tool blocks or go around them.
Taylor Byl MB Kairos 17 Alpha: Byl, a South Dakota State commit, fills a valuable role for Kairos. She’s the one player who brings height to the front row and helps change the dynamic of the attack because she can score well.
Maggie Meister L/DS Kairos 17 Alpha: We featured Meister on Day 2 and she was back showcasing her skills once more. She’s a lights-out defender who sees plays ahead of time and is often in the right spot.
Zoie Husman OH Kairos 17 Alpha: Husman is a feisty outside who plays without fear. She did well tooling blocks and staying aggressive with her swings.
Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Shondell, a 5-star Purdue commit, is a smooth disher with accurate location. She also is a deceptive setter who does a nice job of getting her hitters winnable matchups.
Taylor Lewis OH Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Lewis, a Villanova commit, is a long outside who is an all-around threat with her ability to hit well front and back row. She extends well and has a lively arm to rip it with.
Lucy Mott S Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Mott, a 3-star Boston College commit, has Legacy in a position to medal on the final day with a couple more victories. She’s a solid setter who does well mixing up and going against the flow.
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Audrey Geer OH Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Geer, a Marshall commit, was taking care of her role on the outside by bringing it at the net. She’s a bit undersized but is smart and fearless.
Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix: A 4-star Cincinnati recruit, Stewart is long and plays a vital role in the offense. She can power balls from sideline to sideline as she hits high and over the block.
Juleigh Urbina S OT 17 Felix: Urbina – a 4-star Georgetown commit – can run a 5-1 or be part of 6-2. She has a clean, consistent delivery and puts the ball in a nice window for her hitters.
Isa Camacho L/DS Excel 17 National Red: Camacho is a high-energy libero who plays with lots of determination. She was hustling around the court keeping balls in play.
Catherine Young OH Excel 17 National Red: Young is a solid six-rotation outside who packs a punch on the attacks. She’s a hard, aggressive hitter in helping take care of the offense.
Danielle Caligiuri S Renaissance 17 Black: Caligiuri is an energetic setter who is steady and consistent. She does a nice job of connecting with her hitters and getting them involved.
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By Christine Phillips
Day 3 at the AAU National Championships showcased some thrilling matchups across both the 12 and 13 Open divisions. The courts were packed with talented players who left it all on the court, showcased big swings and tenacious defense. In the 13s division I saw remarkable levels of skill and talent taking the level of play to new heights.
The 12s division showcased serious offensive firepower, with several teams delivering thunderous swings all across the court. Yet it wasn’t just about the offensive display, but many athletes demonstrated a remarkable level of scrappy defense, taking hard hits and bouncing back time and again.
Sidenote: As the AAU National Championships continue to heat up, I want to shine a light on the 11 Open division. Some of the most talented up-and-coming young athletes in the sport were battling it out on the courts. Fans who were lucky enough to catch the action were treated to an exciting show of skill and tenacity, with teams showcasing scrappy defense and no-fear swinging. Of course, at this age anything goes, but when things click on the court they CLICK.
That being said, the gold brackets are set for Sunday! Anyone else excited?!
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12-13 OPEN DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS
Elianiz Rodriguez OH OT 13 O Felix: Rodriquez was literally cranking on balls when she connected. She brings fire to the court.
Caira Tasi MB SF Elite 13 Nono: This is my first chance to see this squad and Tasi was a huge presence on the court in the middle. She was a wall defensively.
Madison Smith OH Mintonette Sports – m.31: Smith is a go-to outside for her squad. She was coming through with some great swings and kills.
Kealananea Stephens OH Mauloa 13’s Green: Stephens is another kid that I am finally getting a chance to watch and she is definitely an athlete who has no fear and swings well.
Abbie Powell MB Munciana 13 Stingrays: Powell is a huge presence on the court for the Stingrays. She brings the heat on quicks in the middle consistently.
Brooke Neale L Munciana 13 Stingrays: Neale has great reactions and was impressive defensively in the backcourt.
Olivia Lewis S Adidas KIVA 13 Red: Lewis is a 5-1 setter who has impressive court awareness and a sassy quarterback style leadership style that spearheads their offense.
Lexi Coleman Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: I was able to watch Coleman in Minnesota last week and she will be one to watch as she grows in this game. She has no fear swinging on the pins and when she connects its impressive.
Hannah VanZwieten S/RS Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal: VanZwieten is a dual role athlete for her squad. She dishes the ball well from the back and in the front isn’t afraid to swing.
Makaia Mohammed MB OT 13 T Tabitha: Mohammed is a big wall defensively for her squad. She also is a great offensive weapon.
Decelise Champion Opp VAQUERAS 13-1: I wrote about Champion on Day 2 and she is a six-rotation game changer kind of pin. She is so much fun to watch on the court.
Bethany Benjamin OH A5 13-Karen: Benjamin is your no-fear six rotation outside who continues to grow in this game. She hits a high ball but isn’t afraid to throw in a shot here and there.
Charlotte Patton MB Tri-State Elite 13 Blue: Patton is a offensive threat in the middle blocking position. She was cranking on balls continuously.
Brooke Brohm S Adidas KIVA 12 Red: Brohm was fun to watch quide her squad. She has a great touch on the ball.
Kari Knotts OH A5 12-LA: I have seen Knotts a ton this season and she just keeps getting better and better. She was crushing balls on the outside.
Gia Stokes MB A5 12-LA: Stokes is another one who was crushing balls but from the middle. And her block, well, it’s a wall, literally.
Moseka Downey MB ID Crush 12 Seward: Downey has really progressed nicely this season. Her athleticism helps her defensively at the net.
Brooklyn Hess S ID Crush 12 Seward: Hess did a great job moving the ball around for her squad. Defensively she wasn’t afraid to get “dirty” and be scrappy.
Addison VanNess S DYNASTY 12 Black: VanNess has a great touch, is strong and can push the ball with ease to the pins.
Tessa Redmond OH DYNASTY 12 Black: Redmond is an offensive threat on the outside for her squad.
Lola Mogridge L OT 12 T Kesha: Mogridge is smooth and steady in the back court. She has great court awareness.
Jordan Molnar S Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Molnar is a 5-1 setter who moves well on the court and has a great touch on the ball.
Alanys Vazquez Benejam OH BORINQUEN COQUI 12-1F: Vazquez Benejam was literally bombing away from both front and back row continuously.
Adianis Mejia OH Wildfire 12N Ore: Meijia is another six-rotation outside who swings wherever and whenever given the opportunity. She has no fear.
Raelynn Perdue S OT 12 O Gibby: Perdue was doing a great job distributing the ball to her hitters.
Arianna Pantojas MB VAQUERAS 12-1: Pantojas hits a heavy ball anywhere she is given the opportunity.
