The final wave of AAU features 17 Open. It’s typically 16 Open that closes out the two weeks. The 17 Open division features five teams – OT Aaron, Mich Elite, Northern Lights, OT Felix and GP – which we’ll also see at USAV nationals in July. Below, we take a brief look at the division, nationally-ranked teams, players to know and our predictions.
Number of Teams: 71
Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (10):
- 7. OT 17 Aaron FL
- 12. Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal
- 14. Adidas KiVA 17 Red KY
- 15. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno MI
- 21. Northern Lights 17-1 MN
- 22. A5 17-1 Calvin GA
- 31. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue OH
- 32. OT 17 Felix FL
- 36. GP 17 Rox FL
- 43. NorCal 17-1 Black CA
5-Star Players to Know:
- Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (Minnesota)
- Charlotte Glass S Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (Duke)
- Amina N’diaye OH OT 17 Felix (Miami)
- Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Wisconsin)
- Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Louisville)
- Lydia Chinchar RS No Name 17 Sarah (2027)
4-Star Players to Know:
- Olivia Guzman MB Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal
- Zoey Matias L/DS Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (Missouri)
- Mija Bendziute RS Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (UCLA)
- Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Indiana)
- Manaia Ogbechie MB SAVC Jen 17 Premier (Nebraska)
- Elena Maynulet OH GP 17 Rox (Columbia)
- KK Green S/RS GP 17 Rox (Holy Cross)
- Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 17-1 (Iowa State)
- Sakura Codling L/DS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (UCLA)
- Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 17-1 Black (Cal Poly SLO)
- Isabelle Busignani OH Mich Elite 17 Mizuno (Cincinnati)
- Camryn Jeffery OH A5 17-1 Calvin
- Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin (Cal)
- Ashlyn Paymal NE Elite 17 Mamba (Creighton)
- Izzy Mogridge S OT 17 Aaron (Oregon)
- Natalie Carr OH Pitt 17 Elite (2026)
Outlook: With 71 teams, 17 Open is a large field. However, it features just 10 teams from Vballrecruiter’s Top 50. OT Aaron is the lone team in the Top 10, with Tribe, KiVA and Mich Elite residing in the Top 20. Northern Lights and A5 are both in the Top 25. It would be a surprise to see any of the 10 ranked teams being knocked from contention before Day 3. Based on the season’s results, it’s really looking like OT Aaron, Tribe, KiVA or Mich Elite should walk away with the gold medal. OT Aaron has put together the most consistent season of the group. Tribe certainly has the firepower to get it done. KiVA too, while Mich Elite has the savvy to win it all. With just 10 ranked teams participating, there is bound to be teams outside our Top 50 which make noise. A couple leading candidates could be No Name and Wildfire, two Florida clubs. Ku’Ikahi, from Hawaii, is another. As are Tulsa Power and Academy Tsunami. As is the case at AAUs, only the fourth-place finisher in pool play on Day 1 is eliminated from contention, so it’s a slow start before picking up steam as we head into Days 3 and 4. For teams still in contention, Day 3 breaks down into seven, four-team pools. Therefore, we are bound to get ranked teams going against one another by then, if they make it that far. Day 4 features a 14-team gold bracket, with the first and second-place finishers from Day 3 pool play advancing that far.
Prediction: The pick is OT Aaron winning it all. OT beats Mich Elite in the final. Tribe and Northern Lights tie for third.
