Chris Tobolski

There is no tournament like the Triple Crown NIT. Most everybody can agree on that, with the collection of USAV and JVA teams coming all together in one respective age division plus the format making for a unique event. It’s different from the national championships, but the national championships still carry the highest stakes. Both tournaments are highly competitive, but what does make Triple Crown stand on its own is the format. I touched on it briefly in the preview, but after Day 1 it’s an elimination tournament for everybody involved. That doesn’t happen elsewhere and it’s why we saw such crazy results in the 17s Division, when the three top-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 all dropped out of contention before the quarterfinals. In a normal pool format, A5 17 Jing, Dynasty 17 Black and TAV 17 Black on losing on Day 2 would make headlines regardless, but all would likely still be in the tournament come Day 3 because they would still advance from pool. It would jumble up the seedings for the final day, but none would have been eliminated. That wasn’t the case on Day 2 in Kansas City, when all three were upset. I already wrote enough about that here. You can catch up on all the Triple Crown coverage here. I’ll start by checking in on the final results of the 17s. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami was definitely a surprise in taking home the gold medal, getting past one of the big three when it upset A5 in the Round of 16 on Day 2. I mean, NKYVC was a competitive bunch last year, winning the Show Me Qualifier and tying for fifth in 16 Open in Indy, so it’s never surprising to see this team competing with the top squads and finishing high in the standings. But considering NKYVC tied for fifth at Central Zone three weeks ago playing without Julia Hunt and losing to Academy 17 Tsunami and Rock City 17-1, it was hard gauging how NKYVC would fare with teams like A5, Dynasty and Premier Nebraska 17 Gold already qualified from Northern Lights plus other clubs who did well there too in the field in KC. With that, NKYVC started off in Power Pool C. Additionally, after its Central Zone performance, NKYVC fell from No. 12 to No. 28 in our Top 50 rankings. Meanwhile, OT 17 Aaron did start off in Power Pool A and was a huge surprise. I personally would not have place OT Aaron in Power Pool A but OT won a big match against Drive Nation 17 Red in the semis. OT Aaron went 0-3 on Day 1 with losses to TAV, A5 and Drive Nation but picked up solid victories over both Madfrog 17 Green and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite on Day 2 to stay alive. AZ Sky 17G tying for bronze with Drive Nation was out of the blue. Drive Nation sits at No. 13 in our Top 50, while AZ Sky is No. 35 nationally and didn’t even begin the tournament in one of the four power pools! That’s unbelievable. Here is a rundown of the Top 16 finishers, where they currently sit in our Top 50 and what power pool they began in: 1. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (28 – national ranking, C – power pool) 2. OT 17 Aaron (23, A) 3. Drive Nation 17 Red (13, A) 3. AZ Sky 17G (35, n/a) 5. Momentous 17 Dan (24, B) 5. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (6, B) 7. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (9, A) 7. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (10, C) 9. Triangle 17 Black (7, D) 10. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (48, n/a) 11. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (4, B) 11. A5 17 Jing (1, A) 13. Academy 17 Tsunami (34, B) 13. Madfrog 17 Green (11, C) 13. TAV 17 Black (3, A) 13. VCNebraska 17 Elite (27, C)   There were definitely intriguing results, with Momentous 17 Dan and Miami Hype 17 Emilio finishing highly. Academy 17 Tsunami went undefeated in 17 Open at Central Zone and backed that up with a strong outing in KC. Some teams I thought we might see in the Top 16 that weren’t is of course Dynasty, followed by clubs like HJV 17 Elite, Top Select 17 Elite, Wave 17 Juliana and Coast 17-1. The 16s division was calmer in terms of upsets, but if what we saw at Triple Crown in this division holds true for the rest of the season we are in for a treat. Surfside 16 PV Legends coming out ahead of the field would have been difficult to predict. Even though I was expecting Surfside to take a step forward this season with the roster changes it made, winning Triple Crown early on is a major development. Kaci Demari is a 5-star recruit who was the big arm on the 15s last year who has new faces surrounding her on the 16s. Middle Kalyssa Blackshear, L/DS Olivia Foye, outside Simone Roslon, right side Preslie Saunders and setter Isabella Jones all played key roles this weekend who weren’t on the roster a year ago. Beyond Surfside, many of the top contenders were in the mix on Day 3, setting up an intense conclusion to the 16s. It was a serious slugfest between national No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and top-ranked Arizona Storm 16 Thunder in the semifinals, with Hou Skyline getting the upper hand. Surfside held off A5 16 Gabe, which has had an up-and-down season but performed very well in KC, in the other semi. A5 turned in big victories over Hou Skyline 16 Royal and TAV 16 Black at the Tour of Texas but had tough losses to Team Pineapple 16 Black and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue at Central Zone. When A5 opened up Day 1 in KC losing to AZ Sky 16G it looked like it could be a long weekend for A5. Yet, that was before A5 reeled off six consecutive victories. A5 ruined

We told you all that there was going to be plenty of post-Triple Crown NIT coverage. It’s been a couple of days since the action stopped in Kansas City but we are still going strong! We are almost wrapped up with our Triple Crown articles. I still have a finishing write up to do, but below you can learn about our Day 3 Show Stoppers from the 15-18s divisions. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: Williams is a game-changing 5-star recruit who has helped elevate Skyline to national championship contenders with what she brings to the floor. Her length and size are almost impossible to deal with at this age group.   Layla Austin OH Skyline 15 Royal: Austin is another 5-star recruit who joined the roster this year and is making huge impacts. She’s an all-around gamer with the ability to rip the ball and help carry the offensive load. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke was huge all weekend, shining on the final day as Skyline captured the 15s division. The lefty gets up and lets loose, taking aggressive swings and giving Skyline an added dimension to the attack.   Skylar Jackson OH Skyline 15 Royal: Like the three above, Jackson is also new to the roster and clearly has helped Skyline to a step forward this season. She’s another outside who contributes in a variety of ways and does well when her number gets called. Christa Wilburn OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal: It could be a big season for Austin Skyline, which looks ready to be a contender in the 15s. Wilburn was that six-rotation steady outside that every successful team needs to rely on. Syndey Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal: A 4-star recruit, Lund is an incredible talent with lots of length and size at the net for a setter. She has a soft touch and puts her hitters in good spots to do damage. Raegan Ramirez L/DS Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Ramirez is a new addition to the roster and she has fit in nicely at the libero spot. She was playing sound defense and making plays on the regular to help out defensively. Taylor Boice MB SCVC 15 Roxy: Boice, a 3-star recruit, was a definite factor in the middle as SCVC left KC with the silver medal. She was a strong scoring presence, coming through often when set. She also was touching her share of balls while blocking. Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy: SCVC has pieces to be sure but can’t overpower opponents so it’s important to be able to take advantage of all the pieces and it can with McGee running the offense. She does well riding the hot hand but also mixing it up and keeping defenses guessing. Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy: Flanagan is a current 3-star recruit who showed up as a potential 5-star recruit in our next updates. She was simply lights out! She’s lengthy and has a whip of an arm. She was attacking front and back row and definitely proved she’s a name everyone needs to know. Jordyn Joppru MB AZ Sky 15G: AZ Sky surprised by tying for third place and one reason was the performance of Joppru. She makes herself known when she checks in. She makes plays on both sides of the ball as she brings her physicality to the net. Brooklyn Jenkins OH AZ Sky 15G: Jenkins, a 6-1 outside, was also key for AZ Sky. She was ripping balls and scoring clutch point after clutch point in helping lift Sky to the bronze.   Marianne Garcia L/DS AZ Sky 15G: Garcia was strong as well, giving Sky a defensive presence and one who was frustrating opponents with the plays she was making keeping rallies alive. Eva Long S Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Long, a 3-star recruit, is a fun setter to watch. She plays with lots of energy and she does well working in all the pieces Legacy can throw at opponents. Meredith Martin L/DS 15-A Adidas: Martin is a wall in the back row and does a great job at keeping Legacy in system when the ball comes her way. She’s a sound passer and is rarely off target. Gabby DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas: A 5-star recruit, DiVita is the go-to left who can carry an offense and cause defenses headaches trying to slow her. She has a whippy arm and can hit to different spots on the court equally well. Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black: Whitmire is an all-around stud. The 5-star recruit has next level written all over her. She’s a strong setter with a nice release and with her height she can also score well across the front using her wide range of shots. Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black: Young is a physical, powerful middle and she’ll get the ball when the team is in system. She’s a tough attacker to slow because of her strength and ability to blow up blocks. Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black: Kleckner, speaking of blowing up blocks, was doing that well with her aggressive swinging. She was not holding back and if she wasn’t tooling blocks she was going around them and sending down loud kills. Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 16 PV Legends: Demaria, a recently-named 5-star recruit, proved herself among the top outsides in the division. Demaria has had the length but has added much more power to her attack this season and with it helped Surfside to the 16s gold medal. Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 16 PV Legends: Foye joined the team this year and stood out big time with her play in the back row. Even with Demaria, Surfside doesn’t have the overall offense as other teams and relies a lot on its passing and defense. Foye was great in the back row. Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 16 PV Legends: Blackshear is a 4-star recruit teetering on becoming 5-stars. She’s a presence in the middle with

The Triple Crown NIT once again delivered in a way only it knows how to. vballrecruiter.com spent this past weekend in Kansas City covering as much of the action as we could possibly get to and confidently put together our own All-Tournament selections. The picks below came from what we witnessed over the three days in the 12-17s divisions. With the endless amount of talent present in each division, settling on the final selections was a gut-wrenching task. Countless players deserve recognition and credit for their time at Triple Crown well beyond the 17 in each division mentioned below. 12s Outsides Brylie Milo OH KC Power 12 Black Kari Knotts OH A5 12-LA Skye Lincoln OH Excel 12 Red Mary-Christine (MC) Crutcher OH Excel 12 Red Macurdy Harden OH A5 12-LA Maveti Faumuina OH Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar Middles Lily Vandeweghe Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar Gia Stokes A5 12-LA Madison Middleton A5 12-LA Julianna Godbey Madfrog 12 Green Setters Kennedy Jefferson Madfrog 12 Green Delaney Holder Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar Anna Lukas Excel 12 Red Gabriella Fiori Excel 12 Red Olivia Hayden A5 12-LA L/DS Collins Alonzo Madfrog 12 Green Kris Yoo Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar *** 13s Outsides Maya Ogbogu Madfrog 13 Green Kayleigh Rogers  Adidas KIVA 13 Red Bethany Benjamin A5 13 Karen Caitlin Carrizales TAV 13 Black Cadence Talaga Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar Middles Lyla Crowder 1United 13N Bill Gracie White Madfrog 13 Green Hayden Thomas Madfrog 13 Green Olivia Maciel Dynasty 13 Black Setters Chloe Kim Madfrog 13 Green Sophia Sturdy Dynasty 13 Black S/RS Aleyna Bramschreiber Madfrog 13 Green Abby Moffett Tstreet 13-Bailey RS/OH Sarah Floyd TAV 13 Black L/DS Meredith Abney A5 13 Karen Brynli Burgess Madfrog 13 Green Haedyn Lynnes Dynasty 13 Black *** 14s Outsides Lexi Martin Drive Nation 14 Red Ella Olson Tstreet 14 Carson Gentry Barker TAV 14 Black Susan Hudgins AP 14 Adidas Leilani Lawrence OT 14 Laura  Middles Camille Presley AP 14 Adidas Kendall Omoruyi Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Nyla Livings TAV 14 Black Megan Hodges Tstreet 14 Carson Right Sides Mia Diouf GP 14 Rox Olivia Greenwood Wave 14 Tammy S/RS Brynn Stephens TAV 14 Black Sophee Peterson TAV 14 Black Setters Fara Bronson Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen L/DS Dakota Huynh Skyline 14 Royal Pulelehua Laikona Arizona Storm 14 Thunder *** 15s Outsides Audrey Flanagan SCVC 15 Roxy Reese Wilburn Austin Skyline 15 Royal Gabby Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas Layla Austin Skyline 15 Royal Middles Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal Jordyn Joppru AZ Sky 15G Kinsley Young TAV 15 Black Reese Resmer Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Right Sides Taylor Clarke Skyline 15 Royal Willow Weninger Pohaku 15-1 S/RS Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black Setters Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal Olivia Siskin A5 15 Bob Millie McGee SCVC 15 Roxy L/DS Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold *** 16s Outsides Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends Abby Vander Wal 1st Alliance 16 Gold Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red Asia Harvey A5 16 Gabe Tereya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Bailey Warren Hou Skyline 16 Royal Middles Natalie Wardlow Nebraska One 16 Synergy Bayleigh Minor Hou Skyline 16 Royal Kalyssa Blackshear Surfside 16 PV Legends Rebekah Pfefferkorn Hou Skyline 16 Royal Right Sides Taylor Porter Hou Skyline 16 Royal Setter/Right Side Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red Setters Kassidy O’Brien Hou Skyline 16 Royal Campbell Flynn Legacy 16-1 Adidas L/DS Francesca Popescu A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mahaffey Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Olivia Foye Surfside 16 PV Legends *** 17s Outsides Lauren Medeck Premier Nebraska 17 Gold Hannah Benjamin A5 17 Jing Cari Spears TAV 17 Black Claire Morrissey Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite Sydney Barrett NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Middles Julia Hunt NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Ayden Ames Drive Nation 17 Red Favor Anyanwu TAV 17 Black Mia Tvrdy Premier Nebraska 17 Gold Right Sides Sarah Schnell Miami Hype 17 Emilio Ryan Hunter Triangle 17 Black Setter/Right Sides Izzy Starck Co Jrs 17 Kevin Julia Kakkis Momentous 17 Dan Setters Taylor Parks OT 17 Aaron Malayah Long VCNebraska 17 Elite Emily Bobbitt Triangle 17 Black L/DS Faith Frame Premier Nebraska 17 Gold Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami

Just wow! Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow! The more you know, the more you really realize you know nothing at all. Or at least that’s how I feel after what transpired on Day 2 of the Triple Crown NIT on Sunday in Kansas City. What happened was impossible – I mean IMPOSSIBLE – to predict. Not in a million years! How in the world are we entering Day 3 of the most prestigious non-national championship tournament of the season and the top three teams in the country in the 17s division did not make the Top 8?!? In the latest vballrecruiter.com 17s Top 50 National Rankings released earlier this month, A5 17 Jing topped the list, followed by Dynasty 17 Black at No. 2 and TAV 17 Black at No. 3. Yet, inexplicably, none have a shot at winning the 17s here, not after all three bowed out Sunday evening. It seemed like a very safe pick to guess one of the big three (if that term still even applies?) would leave Kansas City with the title. But it is mind-boggling the quarterfinals will take place Monday morning and none are going to be involved. The good news is you can still catch two of them playing each other on Day 3. In fact, TAV faces A5 in the 9th-place Elite Division bracket. Meanwhile, you have to scroll down to the 17th-place Elite Division bracket to find Dynasty. The biggest shock – and it’s so big it might hold up throughout the entire season as the biggest shock (at least in the 17s) – came when Miami Hype 17 Emilio upset Dynasty in three, 25-21, 16-25, 16-14. Look at Dynasty’s season last year. It doesn’t lose to anyone but other top contenders, so this was something I never saw coming. No one did. As for A5, it ran into a buzzsaw called NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami in the Round of 16. NKYVC took it to A5, sweeping, 25-22, 25-19. At least TAV was taken down by arguably the best opponent that the big three faced, as national No. 6 Co Jrs 17 Kevin outlasted TAV in three, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10. Obviously, this development totally throws a wrench into the 17s division and opens it wide up for someone to take advantage. I don’t even want to begin thinking about – although I already have – what impact this is going to have on the next set of updated Top 50 National Rankings for that age group. Let the chaos begin! Something similar happened in 15s, but the 15s division is where you expect unexpected results because of the age. Still, I was surprised to see top-ranked Mintonette Sports m.51 and No. 2 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold shown the exit before reaching the Top 8. Austin Skyline 15 Royal showed up strong, sweeping Mintonette in the Round of 16 before reaching the Top 8. Boiler Jrs was taken down by AZ Sky 15G, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14. Boiler Jrs barely survived SG Elite 15 Rosh the round before, winning in three, 26-24, 28-30, 16-14. It leaves No. 3 Skyline 15 Royal as the highest-ranked team still alive. Madfrog 15 Green, at No. 5, and TAV 15 Black, at No. 7, are the only other teams from the Top 10 still in the hunt. But No. 12 Legacy 15-1 Adidas and No. 13 Austin Skyline 15 Royal are just outside of the Top 10 and still in it. In the 16s, our top-ranked team in Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is still in the mix. As is No. 3 1st Alliance 16 Gold, No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and No. 8 Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. One result that did surprise was national No. 16 A5 16 Gabe upsetting fourth-ranked Drive Nation 16 Red. Here’s how the quarterfinals for the 15-18s and semis for 14s stack up for Day 3: 18s   17s   16s   15s   14s *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS DRIVE NATION 14 RED: With TAV 14 Black and Arizona Storm 14 Thunder squaring off in one semifinal, it’s a great chance for Drive Nation to reach the final and take its shot at an upset. Drive Nation rolled through Day 2 action, sweeping Munciana 14 Chipmunks, SASVBC 14-1 and GP 14 Rox without allowing more than 19 points in any set. Outsides Lexi Martin and Landri Trice carry a load, as does libero Callie Gardner. AZ SKY 15G: Without question, AZ Sky deserves a ton of credit for still being one of the eight teams that can still win gold in the 15s division. AZ Sky escaped GP 15 Rox, winning in three, 17-25, 25-20, 17-15, before delivering a big upset over Boiler Jrs. One strength of this group comes in the middle with Jordyn Joppru and Leylah Duran. Libero Marianne Garcia is quick and gets around the court making plays as well, while Brooklyn Jenkins is a promising outside. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks, a 5-star recruit, is super fun to watch with everything she brings to the court. She’s a smooth disher and does well getting under the ball. She’s also a sharp attacker capable of punishing defenses. Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 16-1 Black: A 3-star middle, Kelly was a force at the net! She was hurting opponents off the slide as well as blasting balls down from the right side. She’s also puts up a huge block and is a game-changer across the front row for NorCal. Macey Hughes RS Alamo 16 Premier: Hughes – a 3-star lefty right side – flew under the radar this past high school season playing for Cornerstone Christian, which finished No. 2 in the nation. However, she seems poised for a breakout club campaign. She times her blocks well and she’s also a capable scorer who really can help balance out the attack. Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront: A 4-star setter from the Class of 2024 who is committed to Washington, Haury’s play helped keep

If you have never experienced Day 1 of the Triple Crown NIT before until the start of this year’s three-day tournament on Saturday in Kansas City, then welcome! I’m guessing your head hasn’t stopped spinning and you were completely and totally blown away by the amazing competition witnessed on Day 1? You are also probably asking yourself why can’t every tournament be like this? I’m going to digress there because there is already enough to get to without adding any sidebars. Stuff like a daily rundown, Team Spotlights and of course our Day 1 Show Stoppers. First, if you have been to Triple Crown before then you get it. Someone like myself could write thousands and thousands of words about one Power Pool A in one age division. Let’s factor in there was action from the 14-18s I was trying to get through and I’m not going to spend too much time running through all the results. I started by covering the 14s this morning. I saw a lot of Power Pool A, which saw Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson and TAV 14 Black all go 3-0. Storm and TAV looked especially strong. I touch on Legacy 15-1 Adidas and Boiler Jrs 15 Gold both going 3-0 in Power Pool A below. As for the 16s, I was a bit surprised not to see a team make it through at 3-0 in Power Pool A. Then again, considering the strength of competition, maybe that was asking too much of any team? As it turned out Drive Nation 16 Red, Arizona Storm 16 Thunder, 1st Alliance 16 Gold, Coast 16-1 and Surfside 16 PV Legends all finished up at 2-1. I’m not even going to attempt to sort that mess out. Let’s just see how the 16s continues to play out and go from there. Power Pool A from the 17s division produced ridiculous matches but Dynasty 17 Black was the only one to go 3-0. Wave 17 Juliana, TAV 17 Black, A5 17 Jing and Drive Nation 17 Red all went 2-1 in Power Pool A. Lastly, Drive Nation 18 Red continued to establish itself as the team to beat after going 3-0 in its Power Pool A. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS SKYLINE 14 ROYAL: Skyline had a day in Power Pool B, going 3-0 and not allowing an opponent to score more than 19 points in any of the six sets. Skyline was the only club to go 3-0 in the pool Saturday. We know what a performance like that has the Skyline faithful thinking. Why weren’t we in Power Pool A?!? It’s okay, Skyline still has time to show where it belongs, as the North Texas Region club turns its attention to bracket play starting Day 2. Skyline swept past WPVC 14 Armour Black, Munciana 14 Chipmunks and A5 14 Helen and posted a 1.5 points ratio in the process. Ryan Spencer and Kate Cuppett did a great job at outside, while Izabelle Buchholz showed what type of threat she can be in the middle. Defensively, Dakota Huynh showed up strong at libero, making several nice hustle plays and showing her grit and determination in keeping balls alive. AP 14 ADIDAS: Like Skyline, AP was the only squad to post a 3-0 mark in its pool, owning Power Pool C with a solid outing. AP seemed to get stronger as the day wore on as it finished with sweeps over City 14 Gold, Wave 14 Tammy and GP 14 Rox. Logan Sanders and Emerson Butler were tasked with running the offense and both did well delivering the ball to their hitters. The middles were doing their thing as well, with Camille Presley getting up and ripping balls down and Jazzlyn Hepburn showing her agility and quickness at the net. AP also has Susan Hudgins on the left. She’s a tall outside with lots of upside as she put down a few impressive kills as well. LEGACY 15-1 ADIDAS: Legacy had a tough result at Central Zone a few weeks back, where it was upset by TVC 15 Black and knocked out of contention. Legacy was one of our teams to watch for this season, with some of the roster moves it made. A 3-0 showing in Power Pool A could be a sign that this group is beginning to figure it out. Legacy had no issues sweeping Madfrog 15 Green before narrowly getting past Wave 15 Brennan in three, 15-13 in the third. Legacy then closed out by hammering Tstreet 15 Curtis. Gabby DiVita played up on the 15s last year but stayed with her age group this go around and she’s a force on the left. Legacy is also really strong in the middle with Kayla Nwabueze and Ella Andrews. Legacy is also in a good spot in the back row with Meredith Martin at libero. BOILER JRS 15 GOLD: Like Legacy, Boiler Jrs went 3-0 in Power Pool A. We figured Boiler Jrs was going to be a real contender here and that’s how the team looked on Day 1. Boiler Jrs downed Tstreet, Madfrog and Skyline 15 Royal. It was the usual suspects for Boiler Jrs, with Lexi Shondell standing out at setter and Ellie Hepler taking care of the back end. Caroline Ward continues to put up a huge block on the right side and give attackers problems. NKYVC 15-1 TSUNAMI: The standout from Power Pool B was NKYVC, which defeated AZ Sky 15G, SCVC 15 Roxy and Forza1 North 15. Callie Combs and Grace Portwood once again took care of business on the left, while Audrey Dyas was a strong presence in the middle, while setter/right side Addyson Bianchini played a vital role. AP 15 ADIDAS: AP went 3-0 in Power Pool C but just as easily could have finished 1-2. AP swept Far Out 15 Black before getting past both HPSTL 15 Royal (15-13 Game 3) and AVC Cle 15 Red (16-14 Game 3) in three. Of course, this team