Chris Tobolski

The 14s qualifying season wrapped last weekend with both Forza1 14 One and PVA 14 Elite securing Open bids at the Far Western qualifier in Reno. The results further helped shape the at-large picture for the division. There are eight spots still to be filled to complete the field of 36 for this summer in Chicago. Forza and PVA were certainly among the pack of at-large candidates and both had arguments to be selected. With both earning bids in Reno and neither needing an at-large, it opens the door for others who might not have gotten in had Forza and PVA needed at-larges. After updating a few results from last week’s look, we take another glance at the top candidates to receive at-larges based on qualifier results and head-to-head results against the Open field. — Northern Lights 14-1 (4-4) (6th Show Me; 17th NL) W: Academy Diamond (3x); MAVS L: Premier Nebraska (2x); Club V; PVA — GP 14 Rox (6-11) (14th NL; T5th Big South) W: AZ Sky; MAVS; Academy; Excel; A5; Absolute L: Hou Skyline; Top Select; A5 (2x); AP (2x); Drive Nation; AZ Sky; Vision; Wave; PVA — Forza1 14 One (7-15) (5th NL; T7th RRR; 9th Far Western) W: Wave (3x); Premier Nebraska; MAVS KC; Club V; PVA L: Tstreet (4x); Long Beach (3x); Hou Skyline; TAV; Madfrog; Wave; AZ Storm; Forza North; Vision; Absolute — VCNebraska 14 Elite (4-8) (4th NL; 4th Show Me) W: AP; Premier Nebraska (3x) L: Drive Nation (2x); TAV; Hou Skyline; Academy Diamond; MAVS (2x); PVA — AZ Rev 14 Premier (5-11) (13th RRR; 11th Far Western) W: AZ Sky (2x); Wave; Premier Nebraska; Vision L: AZ Storm (3x); Drive Nation (2x); TAV; Tstreet; Long Beach; Skyline; AZ Sky; Absolute — Legacy 14-1 Adidas (4-11) (5th Sunshine; 5th Windy City; 7th NL) W: A5; Elevation (2x); PVA L: Drive Nation; AP (2x); AZ Storm; Skyline; TAV; Tstreet; A5; HPSTL (2x); Lions — Mintonette Sports m.41 (4-9) (7th Windy City; 13th Sunshine; 5th MEQ) W: Premier Nebraska; Academy Diamond; Tribe; PVA L: AZ Sky; AP; Top Select; MAVS; OT Laura (2x); Skyline; Elevation; Tribe — Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (3-7) (11th NL; 11th Sunshine; 10th MEQ; 14th SLC) W: Academy; A5; PVA L: AP; TAV (2x); Elevation; OT Laura; Skyline; PVA — Austin Skyline 14 Royal (3-21) (17th Sunshine; 9th MEQ; 11th SLC; 9th Lone Star) W: Hou Skyline; Elevation; SA Jrs L: TAV (2x); Drive Nation (2x); Skyline; A5; AZ Sky; Wave (2x); Academy; Excel; HPSTL (2x); OT Laura; Top Select; Elevation; MAVS; AP; Hou Skyline; Madfrog; Absolute — NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (2-8) (4th Big South; 21st MEQ) W: Premier Nebraska; PVA L: AZ Sky; A5 (2x); Top Select; Long Beach; TAV; HPSTL; Lions — KC Power 14 Black (1-8) (3rd Show Me; 13th MEQ; 13th NL) W: MAVS L: Hou Skyline; TAV; Hou Skyline; OT Laura; SA Jrs; MAVS; Premier Nebraska (2x) — MKE Sting 14 Gold (1-9) (10th Windy City; 15th MEQ) W: Lions L: Premier Nebraska (2x); Skyline; Wave; HPSTL; MAVS; Lions; OT Laura; Drive Nation — HJV 14 Elite (1-12) (25th MEQ; 18th RRR) W: SA Jrs L: AP (2x); Premier Nebraska; Drive Nation; Hou Skyline; SA Jrs; AZ Storm (2x); Club V; Lions; MAVS; Long Beach

Of the 11 teams competing in the top pool of the SCVA Power League 3 event last Saturday at Momentous in Irvine, at least five are slated to participate in 17 Open come this summer in Chicago. Two more in City 17 Gold and Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar are headed to Far Western this coming weekend in Reno where they could add to the region’s total or if not there possibly earn one through the at-large process. Let’s take a look at the group with our Team Spotlights: MOMENTOUS 17 DAN: Momentous came out on top of the latest power league round after beating SCVC 17 Roxy, 25-18, 25-17. Momentous earned its bid at the beginning of the month at the Big South Qualifier in intense fashion. First, Momentous pulled out a must-win match against highly-ranked and previously-qualified Triangle 17 Black on Day 2 to break pool then needed to take down highly-ranked and previously-qualified Wave 17 Juliana on Day 3 to break gold pool and keep its bid hopes alive. Momentous finally clinched after outlasting Alamo 17 Premier for the final bid. Momentous barely missed out on qualifying last season as a 16s group by one match, then lost out on the only at-large bid available. This year Momentous has proven it’s capable of finishing in the upper half of the field. The lineup is a strong offensively with outside Isabel Clark leading the way. Cymarah Gordon is another big arm on the right side, along with setter/right side Julia Kakkis. They are backed by outsides Camryn Hayek and Makayla Gates and middles Tatum Johnson, Megan Rice and Taylor Walsh. Helping fill the lineup out is setter Madeline Brown and liberos/DSs Annah Legaspi and Malyssa Cawa. SCVC 17 ROXY: After pool victories over Actyve 17 Black and Coast 17 Rafael, SCVC downed recently-qualified Seal Beach 17 Black before running into Momentous in the final. It kept up a string of strong performances for the club and featured similar lineups to what we’ve seen. Kendall Beshear and Malina Young were taking care of the outside with Rachel Moglia and Jade Dudley-Epps in the middle. Part of the 6-2 package SCVC was running were setters Hayden Lim and Althea Morris and right sides Kalia Debeer and Chloe Hynes. Defensively, Taylor Deckert was suited up at libero. The squad’s first shot at a bid came at the Red Rock Rave, where SCVC fell to Wave 17 Juliana on Day 3 and finished tied for fifth in one of the tougher fields of the season. SCVC punched its ticket at its next outing, coming in third at PNQ. There, SCVC pulled out a must-win contest over SG Elite 17 Rosh in the third-place match to seal the last remaining bid. It was a clutch victory as it was SCVC’s last qualifier.   SEAL BEACH 17 BLACK: Seal Beach opened the latest power league by taking down Wave then followed that by sweeping Actyve. Seal Beach’s day ended with a setback to SCVC as it went 2-1. Seal Beach can count itself among the Open teams thanks to its time in Salt Lake City recently. Seal Beach stayed alive with key victories over previously-qualified Club V 17 Ren Matthew and City 17 Gold on Day 2. Seal Beach took advantage of its situation and with victories against DaKine Warriors 17 Surf and Tx Performance 17s earned its bid. Seal Beach has a flexible roster that offers options. Kaia Herweg, Ashley Repetti and Chloe Pravednikov are options at outside. Seal Beach typically uses Sydney May as a setter/right side, with Delaney Hughes setting across the back row and Addison Collum coming in to hit across the front. Anna Sanzaro and Kylie Leopard are mainstays in the middle, as is Tessa Hurley at libero. WAVE 17 JULIANA: Wave was playing without standout middle Jenna Hanes, which obviously impacted its lineup options. Wave split its pool matches with Sunshine 17 Westside and Seal Beach before downing Coast 17-1 in a match for fourth place. Wave and Coast were the first of the So Cal clubs to clinch Open bids when both qualified at Red Rock. Wave defeated Seal Beach and previously-qualified Hou Skyline 17 Royal in gold pool action to reach the gold bracket. There, Wave fell to Drive Nation 17 Red before beating Arizona Storm 17 Thunder for the third place and last bid. Wave also finished tied for ninth at Big South. Wave, like most teams Saturday, was using lots of players. With Hanes out, Grace Flanagan and Camden Bolane were the lone middles. Wave also used both setters in Amanda Saeger and Kiki Remensperger, as well as two liberos in Maya Evens and Kiana Olalia. Fallyn Blotzer, Ayva Moi, Nikole Egan and Sofia Williams were holding down the pins. COAST 17-1: Coast finished 1-2 with losses to City and Wave and a victory against Vegas Aces 17 UA. Like Wave and SCVC, Coast attended just two qualifiers. After qualifying in Vegas with a second-place showing, Coast tied for seventh at PNQ. That’s been it for Coast, which was relying on familiar faces in outsides Jaidyn Jager and Madison Triplett and middle Mackenzie Parsons. Tiana Owens was taking care of the right side with Sophia Meyer at libero. CITY 17 GOLD: The next two squads were using last weekend to prep for Far Western, where both City and Long Beach are attempting to bid for the last time before needing to rely on at-large luck. City and Beach happened to be paired together to open play Saturday, with Beach prevailing in three. City bounced back to beat Coast then downed Actyve to close out its day. City tied for seventh recently in Salt Lake City, where it competed without outside Danica Rach, who remains out. City has been using Kimi Watanabe-Mayhew and Mila Mijailovic to pair with Jenna Garner on the outside. Havyn Rolle and Maggie Lima were solid in the middle, with Kennedy Osunsanmi getting more and more comfortable on the right

The 17 Open at-large race is shaping up to be a fascinating conclusion to the qualifying year. The last chance to qualify outright is this coming weekend at Far Western in Reno, where all three available bids are set to go out. There are four teams accepted in 17 Open with bids in Club V 17 Matthew, Co Jrs 17 Kevin, NorCal 17-1 Black and Vision 17 Gold, so one way or another all three bids will be awarded and the at-large pool will remain at two. There are 28 teams from vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings and three unranked ones with bids already. Here’s the full list: *unranked There are six more teams from the Top 50 without bids which are participating in Reno. That list includes: The at-large race is very tight, so this coming weekend is huge for those teams still chasing bids. Pohaku 17-1, City 17 Gold and Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar are in the top pack of at-large candidates. There’s a chance that if none qualify in Reno, two of the three would receive the at-larges. Of course, if all three were to qualify in Reno, that totally changes the at-large picture. Madfrog 17 Green and Arizona Storm 17 Thunder are also teams playing in Reno. Their at-large cases aren’t as strong as Pohaku, Long Beach and City’s, so this weekend is big for them. Qualifying is their best shot obviously, but if teams like Pohaku, Beach and City get bids, it helps a team like Madfrog. Here’s a rundown of ranked teams that would have to rely on an at-large bid: As you’ll see below, it’s critical for teams in Reno to clinch bids this weekend. It’s a packed bunch of teams that will be seeking one of the two at-larges. City, Long Beach and Pohaku are positioned well, but so too are clubs like Elevation 17 Ulland, VCNebraska 17 Elite and MKE Sting 17 Gold. That trio is right in the mix as well. One way or another, there are tough, tough decisions to be made! — City 17 Gold (6-11) (5th PNQ; 5th Salt Lake) W: Coast (2x); NorCal; SCVC; OT Felix; Club V L: SG Elite (2x); SCVC; Wave (2x); AJV; Dynasty; TAV; NorCal; Seal Beach; Vision — Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (6-12) (21st PNQ; 8th NEQ; 7th Salt Lake) W: Coast; MAVS; AVC; Rev; Vision (2x) L: Momentous (2x); Wave (2x); Coast; SCVC; Seal Beach; Vision; 1st Alliance; AVC; Metro; NorCal — Elevation 17 Ulland (5-10) (14th Windy City; 7th MEQ)W: Rev; Triangle; Metro; Skyline; MAVS L: AVC Cle; Vision (2x); SG Elite; KC Power; Boiler Jrs (2x); Co Jrs; Dynasty; NKYVC — Madfrog 17 Green (5-13) (5th PNQ; 9th Lone Star) W: Drive Nation; Skyline; Hou Skyline; NorCal; Coast L: A5 (2x); Hou Skyline; HJV; Skyline; TAV (2x); NKYVC; OT Aaron; Drive Nation; Vision; SCVC; AVC — Pohaku 17-1 (4-7) (6th MEQ; 11th Show Me; 14th Northern Lights) W: KC Power; Metro; NKYVC; Rockwood Thunder L: Club V; SCVC; 1st Alliance (2x); Boiler Jrs; Drive Nation; KC Power — VCNebraska 17 Elite (4-13) (8th Northern Lights; 5th Show Me; 9th Lone Star) W: Boiler Jrs; Premier Nebraska (2x); Metro L: Rockwood Thunder; Premier Nebraska; 1st Alliance; Drive Nation; SCVC; Skyline (2x); KC Power (2x); Dynasty; Hou Skyline; TAV; Triangle — MKE Sting 17 Gold (4-12) (9th Northern Lights; 9th Sunshine; 9th Windy City; 9th Lone Star) W: Hou Skyline; Dynasty; HJV; AVC Cle L: 1st Alliance; A5; Premier Nebraska; Co Jrs; OT Aaron (2x); Skyline (3x); Triangle; Boiler Jrs; MAVS — Academy 17 Tsunami (6-10) (9th MEQ) W: Boiler Jrs (4x); NKYVC; SCVC L: Boiler Jrs (2x); OT Aaron; Co Jrs; Hou Skyline; Momentous; Triangle (2x); Rockwood Thunder; NKYVC — AZ Sky 17G (3-4) (15th Red Rock) W: Club V; Momentous; Wave L: Drive Nation; Hou Skyline; Club V; NKYVC — Top Select 17 Elite (3-9) (14th Big South; 9th Sunshine) W: Club V; AJV; Boiler Jrs L: Co Jrs; AVC Cle; OT Aaron; Drive Nation; KC Power; Vision; A5; OT Felix; TAV — Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (2-7) (4th Red Rock; 15th Lone Star) W: Hou Skyline; Vision L: SG Elite; Coast; Wave; AJV; Dynasty; A5; Skyline

vballrecruiter.com continues looking at the at-larges pictures, moving on with the 16s division. There are two at-large bids available and with all three bids set to go out at Far Western this coming weekend, that’s all there will be. That narrows it down significantly compared to having eight in 14s and four in 15s. Currently, 27 teams from vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings have qualified in Open. Another four unranked teams also have secured bids. Here’s the full qualified list: *unranked What’s interesting is a handful of ranked teams which are at Far Western still in search of their bids. That includes: Madfrog 16 Green was playing well recently at Lone Star and could be one of the three teams leaving town qualified. NorCal 16-1 Black has been close at both PNQ and Salt Lake, while Skyline 16 Royal and AVA TX 16 Adidas have also been in the mix elsewhere. Once you factor in the other teams in Reno also chasing bids like ARVC 16-1 Adidas, AZ Rev 16 Premier, Absolute 16 Black, Forza1 North 16 One, Norco 16-1 Black, Vision 16 Gold and SAS 16-1 it should make for an exciting conclusion to qualifying season. Here’s the full list of remaining ranked teams without a bid who will have to enter the at-large pool: Below, we take a look at the top contenders. With only two bids available, it’s a short list. That’s why Far Western this coming weekend is important if a team like Skyline or Madfrog or both could earn their spots. Legacy 16-1 Adidas and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno appear to be front runners in the at-large scenario. Madfrog is in the hunt but like anyone else in Reno would likely need to get it done this weekend to make the field. — Legacy 16-1 Adidas (11-12) (5th Sunshine; 5th MEQ; 9th Windy City; 17th Lone Star) W: AVC; Drive Nation; ID Crush; Long Beach; OT JP; Wave; OT Roberto; Triangle; Tribe (2x); GP L: KiVA (2x); Circle City; 1st Alliance (2x); OT JP; TAV; Austin Skyline (2x); MKE Sting; HJV; Hou Skyline — Mich Elite 16 Mizuno (7-9) (9th Big South; 9th NEQ; 13th Sunshine; 5th MEQ) W: Triangle; Coast; Wave; A5; KiVA; Alamo; Surfside L: Circle City (2x); OT JP (3x); 1st Alliance; AZ Storm; MKE Sting; Triangle — Madfrog 16 Green (4-9) (9th Lone Star; 13th Red Rock) W: TAV; Alamo; Circle City; Oaks L: Drive Nation (3x); Austin Skyline; HJV; KiVA; ID Crush; TAV; AZ Storm — AVA TX 16 Adidas (4-9) (9th Red Rock; 13th Big South; 7th Salt Lake; 14th Lone Star) W: HJV; Alamo; KiVA; GP L: AZ Storm; Drive Nation (2x); HJV; Skyline; TAV; OT Roberto; Vegas Aces; MAVS — Dynasty 16 Black (3-9) (9th Sunshine; 15th MEQ; 9th Show Me; 13th Lone Star) W: Alamo; HJV; Austin Skyline L: TAV; A5; GP; OT JP; Nebraska One (2x); MAVS; AZ Storm; HJV — AJV 16 Mizuno (3-12) (7th PNQ; 7th Show Me; 17th Lone Star) W: Austin Skyline; Premier Nebraska (2x) L: Austin Skyline (3x); A5; HJV; 1st Alliance; MAVS (2x); Northern Lights; Circle City; Oaks; Coast — Skyline 16 Royal (1-10) (15th Sunshine; 5th Show Me; 15th Lone Star) W: Alamo L: Austin Skyline (2x); Drive Nation; MKE Sting; Nebraska One (2x); Surfside; A5; TAV (2x)

The final stage of the 15 Open qualifying process is set up to be the most exciting because there is an added element of wondering if more at-large bids will become available at Far Western or not when the older ages convene in Reno the last weekend of the month? Currently, there are four at-large bids available in the division. There are three bids in play in 15 Open next weekend, but as of now there are nine teams entered with bids. We’ll see if any of the nine pull out considering they are already qualified. That would change things obviously, but the field would need to get down to five qualified teams in order to guarantee all three bids are awarded. Even if a few don’t come and there ends up being six qualified teams, there’s still a chance not all three bids go out. If all nine come, it’s possible no bids go out. There are plenty of interested parties. At the top includes highly-ranked teams in No. 6 AZ Sky 15G, No. 10 Alamo 15 Premier and No. 19 HJV 15 Elite. None of the three have secured bids and won’t be in Reno, so the more at-larges the better their chances of making the Open field this summer. With the way things sit, 25 teams from vballrecruiter.com’s 15s Top 50 National Rankings have qualified to date. There are four more unranked teams which have also earned their bids, with the remaining seven to be decided in the coming weeks. Here’s the full list of qualified teams (with where they qualified): *unranked There are not many remaining ranked teams without a bid attending Far Western. As of now, the short list includes: As for the remaining ranked teams that will need to rely on an at-large, that list features: We know not all can be selected. The team that’s going to play a big role in qualifying looks to be Forza1 North 15 One. Forza North, at 10-10, owns one of the better records against the Open field and would be among the favorites to receive an at-large from this perspective. That’s why Forza North’s time in Reno is important, because if Forza North qualifies outright it takes one of the top at-large contenders out of the picture and opens the door for another presumably. Among the favorites along with Forza North for an at-large – based on qualifier finishes and record against the field – include AZ Sky, Alamo, HJV and Top Select 15 Elite. AZ Rev 15 Premier is another at-large candidate but doesn’t have as strong as a case, so AZ Rev could really help itself by qualifying in Reno next weekend. Below, we look at some of the at-large candidates and where they might stack up. — AZ SKY 15G (11-5) (5th Red Rock; 21st Lone Star) W: SG Elite; Madfrog (2x); Club V; AZ Storm (2x); Aspire; Boiler Jrs; GP; Hou Skyline; TAV L: TAV; Aspire; SCVC; NKYVC; Hou Skyline — Forza1 North 15 One (10-10) (5th Red Rock; 5th Salt Lake) W: Long Beach (2x); SG Elite (2x); SCVC (2x); Wave (2x); Dynasty; Team Pineapple L: Wave (2x); GP; Skyline; Aspire; AP; Dynasty; Hou Skyline; NKYVC; TAV — Alamo 15 Premier (10-15) (4th Big South; 9th Lone Star; 9th Red Rock) W: AP; Madfrog (2x); TAV; Hou Skyline; AZ Storm (2x); AZ Sky; Metro; GP L: Hou Skyline; Madfrog (2x); AP; Skyline; Boiler Jrs; Pohaku; SCVC (2x); AZ Storm; Legacy; Austin Skyline; NKYVC; Wave; TAV — HJV 15 Elite (9-13) (15th Windy City; 9th Lone Star; 23rd Red Rock) W: AP (3x); TAV (2x); AVC Cle; GP; Team Pineapple; Pohaku L: Austin Skyline (2x); Hou Skyline (2x); AP; Dynasty (2x); Boiler Jrs; Madfrog; Pohaku; Wave; GP; SG Elite — Top Select 15 Elite (7-5) (7th Sunshine; 5th Big South) W: Tribe (2x); Pohaku; SG Elite; GP; Legacy; Academy L: Austin Skyline (2x); Dynasty; AVC Cle; Mintonette — AZ Rev 15 Premier (2-4) (29th Lone Star; 15th Red Rock) W: AZ Storm; SG Elite L: Mintonette; Austin Skyline; SCVC; Hou Skyline — Triangle 15 Black (2-5) (27th Lone Star; 5th Sunshine; 5th Big South) W: Metro; AVC Cle L: Legacy; Mintonette; Tribe; Hou Skyline; GP — TAV Houston 15 Adidas (2-6) (14th MEQ; 17th Lone Star) W: Austin Skyline; AVC Cle L: Austin Skyline; Mintonette; NKYVC; Team Pineapple; Skyline; TAV — A5 Mizuno 15 Bob (3-12) (15th NL; 9th Big South; 13th Sunshine; 13th SLC) W: Elevation; SG Elite; Long Beach L: Hou Skyline; Pohaku; NKYVC; Austin Skyline (2x); Skyline; AVC (2x); Michio; AZ Storm; TAV; Vision — Drive Nation 15 Red (0-14) (17th Red Rock; 13th NL; 25th Lone Star) W: n/a L: Wave; Madfrog; AZ Sky; AZ Storm; Legacy; AP (2x); Hou Skyline; Austin Skyline (2x); Skyline; TAV (2x); Aspire

The final 14s national qualifier is upon us, taking place Saturday-Monday in Reno. The Far Western weekends always take on added significance for those participating because they are the last opportunity for clubs to earn outright Open bids before needing to rely on at-large luck. Of course, there are teams already in the position of needing at-large help because they have already competed in their final qualifiers. With two 14 Open bids on the line and not three this coming weekend, it’ll bring the total number of at-larges in the division to eight. What happens this weekend is obviously going to frame the at-large picture. So far, 22 teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 14s National Rankings have secured Open bids. Another four unranked teams also have bids. Here’s the full list (with the qualifier the bid was earned): *unranked Of the remaining teams from the Top 50, six are in action this coming weekend at Far Western. That list features: Going off the national rankings, there’s a big gap between the six clubs, with three inside the Top 20 and three ranked near the bottom. There are five qualified teams playing in 14 Open – No. 1 Arizona Storm 14 Elite; No. 8 Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar; No. 9 Drive Nation 14 Red; Absolute 14 Black; and Vision 14 Gold – so trickle down can reach seventh. However, it’s more likely it won’t extend past fifth place. Either way, two bids are going out for sure. If they go to the higher-ranked teams then that is going to help others when it comes to the at-large picture. If not, teams like Forza1 14 One, AZ Rev 14 Premier and Forza1 14 One still figure to sit well when it comes to the at-large scenario. Here is the list of remaining teams from the Top 50 without bids: Below is a breakdown of the top at-large candidates in our estimation. The list is based on qualifier finishes plus record against the Open field. There are 15 teams total, so clearly not all are going to be selected. It’ll be interesting to see how the results of this weekend’s qualifier impacts the list below and what updates will be needed next week. There is a handful of teams which stick out but getting to eight is going to have its challenges, as they are a number of teams which seem evenly bunched together. — Northern Lights 14-1 (4-3) (6th Show Me; 17th NL) W: Academy Diamond (3x); MAVS L: Premier Nebraska (2x); Club V — PVA 14 Elite (2-4) (5th Show Me; 14th MEQ; 9th NL) W: Tribe; Academy Diamond L: Drive Nation; Hou Skyline; Skyline; MAVS — GP 14 Rox (6-10) (14th NL; T5th Big South) W: AZ Sky; MAVS; Academy; Excel; A5; Absolute L: Hou Skyline; Top Select; A5 (2x); AP (2x); Drive Nation; AZ Sky; Vision; Wave — Forza1 14 One (6-11) (5th NL; T7th RRR) W: Wave (3x); Premier Nebraska; MAVS KC; Club V L: Tstreet (4x); Long Beach (2x); Hou Skyline; TAV; Madfrog; Wave; AZ Storm — VCNebraska 14 Elite (4-7) (4th NL; 4th Show Me) W: AP; Premier Nebraska (3x) L: Drive Nation (2x); TAV; Hou Skyline; Academy Diamond; MAVS (2x) — AZ Rev 14 Premier (4-8) (13th RRR) W: AZ Sky (2x); Wave; Premier Nebraska; L: AZ Storm (2x); Drive Nation; TAV; Tstreet; Long Beach; Skyline; AZ Sky — Legacy 14-1 Adidas (3-11) (5th Sunshine; 5th Windy City; 7th NL) W: A5; Elevation (2x) L: Drive Nation; AP (2x); AZ Storm; Skyline; TAV; Tstreet; A5; HPSTL (2x); Lions — Forza1 North 14 One (4-10) (T7th RRR) W: Long Beach; Wave (2x); Club V L: Wave; Long Beach; Tstreet (4x); Madfrog (2x); AZ Storm; Skyline — Mintonette Sports m.41 (3-9) (7th Windy City; 13th Sunshine; 5th MEQ) W: Premier Nebraska; Academy Diamond; Tribe L: AZ Sky; AP; Top Select; MAVS; OT Laura (2x); Skyline; Elevation; Tribe — NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (1-8) (4th Big South; 21st MEQ) W: Premier Nebraska L: AZ Sky; A5 (2x); Top Select; Long Beach; TAV; HPSTL; Lions — WPVC 14 Armour Black (1-9) (7th Sunshine) W: Top Select L: AP; AZ Sky; Elevation; Premier Nebraska; Skyline; Academy Diamond; Excel; HPSTL; OT Laura — KC Power 14 Black (1-8) (3rd Show Me; 13th MEQ; 13th NL) W: MAVS L: Hou Skyline; TAV; Hou Skyline; OT Laura; SA Jrs; MAVS; Premier Nebraska (2x) — HJV 14 Elite (1-12) (25th MEQ; 18th RRR) W: SA Jrs L: AP (2x); Premier Nebraska; Drive Nation; Hou Skyline; SA Jrs; AZ Storm (2x); Club V; Lions; MAVS; Long Beach — Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (2-6) (11th NL; 11th Sunshine; 10th MEQ; 14th SLC) W: Academy; A5 L: AP; TAV (2x); Elevation; OT Laura; Skyline — MKE Sting 14 Gold (1-9) (10th Windy City; 15th MEQ; 11th NL) W: Lions L: Premier Nebraska (2x); Skyline; Wave; HPSTL; MAVS; Lions; OT Laura; Drive Nation

Not all, but most of the drama on the opening day of the Lone Star Classic in Dallas didn’t come from pool play action but rather from the competition that followed afterward. Between 15, 16 and 17 Open, there were third-place challenge brackets as well as crossover matches in order to stay in the hunt. The third-place challenge matches went down in 15 Open, where four teams which finished in third-place had an opportunity to play themselves back into contention after being unable to break pool. Kairos 15 Alpha and 1United 15 Dylan were two teams which capitalized. Kairos beat Triangle 15 Black, 25-20, while 1United ousted Drive Nation 15 Red, 25-22. At No. 25 in our Top 50, Drive Nation was the highest-ranked team eliminated on Day 1. Triangle wasn’t far behind at No. 33. Joining Kairos and 1United were TAV Houston 15 Adidas and 1st Alliance 15 Gold. 1st Alliance actually had the toughest road having to win not one but two challenge brackets to 25. 1st Alliance beat High Tide 15 Elite then downed Coqui VBC 15U. TAV Houston defeated Arete 15 Navy Telos in its game to 25 to remain in the mix. The other big news in 15 Open came out of Pool 2 when Dynasty 15 Black upset national No. 4 Madfrog 15 Green to win the pool. That result did little to impact anything on Day 1, as both were guaranteed to move on. However, it does shake up the seedings for Day 2 as now Madfrog becomes the No. 4 team in Pool 6. That pool features No. 6 AZ Sky 15G and No. 13 Hou Skyline 15 Royal. Madfrog and Hou Skyline have bids, but AZ Sky does not. And now Sky’s path to breaking pool Saturday just became that more challenging. Northern Lights 15-1 did well in upsetting Drive Nation in pool play. That not only knocked Drive Nation to the challenge bracket but it allowed Northern Lights to finish 2-1 and move on as the No. 3 team in the pool. You know the Lone Star qualifier is different based on what went down in 16 Open on Day 1. That’s because there was a must-win clash between No. 31 Skyline 16 Royal and No. 39 Alamo 16 Premier in crossover action. We haven’t seen that elsewhere. Skyline went 0-2 in pool while Alamo went 1-1 and that left them squaring off in a contest in which the winner advanced and the loser was eliminated. It was lights out for Alamo as Skyline swept to keep its bid chances alive. Alamo already had a bid and becomes the first qualified team out of contention. So now there are nine teams with bids in 16 Open. Other must-win crossovers saw AJV 16 Adidas sneak past TAV 16 Platinum, 25-20, 20-25, 15-11, and Excel 16 National Red clip Flyers 16 APX Ed, 27-25, 25-23, as both stayed in the upper pools. None of the top seeds lost on Day 1 in 16 Open, except in crossover play for seeding purposes. One example was Arizona Storm 16 Thunder beating Austin Skyline 16 Royal after both won their three-team pools. Rancho Valley 16 Premier had the best day for the lowest seed, as Rancho Valley advanced as the No. 4 team in Pool 6. Rancho Valley beat both Tulsa Power 16-1 and MuscleVB 16 Black to advance. FRBVC 16-1 Black, Arete 16 Navy Telos and 915 16 Gilbert all advanced as No. 3 teams after going 2-1. In 17 Open, there was a big-time upset when CHAVC 17 Black took down Drive Nation 17 Red. Drive Nation now becomes the No. 4 team in Pool 4, with Triangle 17 Black, AJV 17 Adidas and Northern Lights 17-1. While Drive Nation, Triangle and AJV all have bids, it does mean one won’t advance to the top 12 for gold pools and that could ultimately impact trickle down. As it stands, CHAVC takes over the No. 2 seed and is in Pool 2 with HJV 17 Elite, Madfrog 17 Black and Arete 17 Navy Telos. That pool would look drastically different with Drive Nation on top instead of in another pool altogether. But like 15 and 16 Open, most of the drama came late. Northern Lights was pushed to the brink before prevailing against Supernova 17 All-Stars, 24-26, 25-8, 16-14, to keep its bid chances in tact. Alamo 17 Premier had a chance to win its pool but fell to HJV in three sets and was forced to a crossover to remain in contention. Alamo edged KC Power 17 Red, 24-26, 25-19, 16-14, to move on. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Grace Lee OH High Tide 15 Elite: It was a tough day overall for High Tide, which was knocked out after dropping a challenge match but Lee did well in her role as a six-rotation outside. She was carrying the offense in stretches and was also defending well in the back. Kaylee Maikranz L/DS High Tide 15 Elite: Maikranz had her hands full against strong hitters and was scrappy keeping rallies going and keeping her team in points. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Andrews – a 4-star recruit – and her Legacy teammates had a solid day finishing 3-0 and holding seed. Andrews was making plays on both sides of the ball, disrupting attackers while giving Legacy a reliable point scorer in the middle.   Eva Long S Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Long – a 3-star recruit – is an under-control setter who moves well. She’s consistent with her accuracy and has nice hands. Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier: Pavliska – a 4-star recruit – is relentless on the outside and a very high IQ attacker. She can let it fly and rip balls or frustrate defenders with her off speed and roll shots. Addison Polivka OH 1United 15 Dylan: Polivka is the go-hitter for 1United and she does well in that capacity. She has a nice swing and she extends well. She