Chris Tobolski

A two-day tournament, the Central Zone Invitational is not a national qualifier but features many teams which we’ll see down the road in their respective Open Divisions this summer in Chicago. It made for a great weekend taking in as much action as we could possibly catch. Below, is the vballrecruiter.com All-Tournament team from Central Zone. The picks are based on our observations from the weekend. 17s All-Tournament Team OH: Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami OH: Charlotte Moriarty Adidas KiVA 17 Red OH: Emma McCartney AVC Cle 17 Red OH: Lauren Harden Rev 17-1 Raptors MB: Ava Kanj Maverick 17 Elite MB: Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue MB: Riley Resmer Boiler Jrs 17 Gold RS: Sophia Adkins Tri-State Elite 17 Blue RS: Elise Marchal Elevation 17 Ulland RS: Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold S: Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami S: Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold L/DS: Alleigh Dutton Circle City 17 Purple L/DS: Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami *** 16s All-Tournament Team OH: Abby Vander Wal 1st Alliance 16 Gold OH: Izzy Busignani Mich Elite 16 Mizuno OH: Madison Quest MKE Sting 16 Gold OH: Addison Tindall Team Pineapple 16 Black MB: Tara Greenberry HPSTL 16 Royal MB: Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red MB: Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple RS: Gabriella Babinski Mich Elite 16 Mizuno RS: Jillian Tippmann Team Pineapple 16 Black S/RS: Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red S/RS: Addison Horner 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Campbell Flynn Legacy 16-1 Adidas S: Hannah Kenny 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple S: Ally Hughes Tri-State Elite 16 Blue L/DS: Francescu Popescu A5 16 Gabe L/DS: McKenna Payne Mich Elite 16 Mizuno L/DS: Olivia Durst MKE Sting 16 Gold L/DS: Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple *** 15s All-Tournament Team OH: Sidney Sprada Elevation 15 Tony OH: Natalie Surges MKE Sting 15 Gold OH: Gabi DiVita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH: Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 MB: Reese Resmer Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB: Kennedy Tisdale MKE Sting 15 Gold MB: Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB: Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas RS: Haley Wilson AVC Cle 15 Red RS: Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS: Brooke Baldwin MKE Sting 15 Gold S: Makenna Kirlin Elevation 15 Tony S: Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S: Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S: Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L/DS: Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ella Grimes Elevation 15 Tony L/DS: Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 *** 14s All-Tournament Team OH: Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly OH: Shaye Witherspoon Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite OH: Bryn Meyer Mintonette Sports m.41 OH: Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB: Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red MB: Cynthia Ockerman Legacy 14-1 Adidas MB: Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB/RS: Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RS: Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red RS: Audrey Davis Circle City 14 Purple S/RS: Peyton Heatherly Lions 14-1 S/RS: Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly S: Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen S: Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red L/DS: Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Tony L/DS: Leah Kille Mintonette Sports m.41 L/DS: Peyton Wollman MKE Sting 14 Gold

I said it about the JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago in Cleveland, and I’ll say it again about the Central Zone Invitational this past weekend in Indianapolis. These two-day tournaments go by fast! Almost too fast! The ink in the notebook barely is dry by the time a champion is named. But there’s no denying that the action happens quickly. If you missed our coverage from Day 1, you can catch up on it here. As for Day 2, it was a whirlwind day as trophies were handed out to the Open division winners. Below is a recap of the day’s events from the top division. The Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament Selections are set to come out in the next day or two. Here’s a quick list of the championship results: 18 Open: Circle City 18 Purple d Legacy 18-1 Adidas 25-22, 25-20 17O: Academy 17 Tsunami d Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 20-25, 25-21, 15-11 16O: 1st Alliance 16 Gold d Circle City 16 Purple 25-22, 22-25, 15-8 15O: Mintonette Sports m.51 d Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 25-12, 25-20 14O: Elevation 14 Molly d Adidas KiVA 14 Red 25-23, 25-19 Whipping around, Elevation started as the No. 4 overall seed in 14 Open and finished as the champion, sweeping KiVA in the final. The victory avenged Elevation’s only loss, which came when KiVA swept Elevation in Saturday evening’s start to the Round 2 Power Pools. Those were the only sets Elevation dropped on the weekend, as the Ohio Valley Region club turned in a flawless gold bracket run Sunday. Elevation opened by sweeping Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite, then beat A5 14 Helen in the quarterfinals and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue in the semis. The 14s were fun to catch this weekend, with lots of competitive matches taking place and learning of the next round of studs and standouts. Legacy 14-1 Adidas and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue tied for third, both losing just once. Tying for fifth was A5 14-Helen, Mintonette Sports m.41, MKE Sting 14 Gold and NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami.   Moving to 15 Open, Mintonette showed why it’s a threat to repeat after winning the USAV 14 Open gold last summer. Back in Indy, Mintonette had a rocky Day 1, dropping both matches in its power bracket. But that didn’t prevent Mintonette from making the gold bracket and once play kicked off Sunday it was all business. Mintontte didn’t drop a set on Day 2, opening with a sweep over Rev 15-1 Fuego. That was followed by straight-set victories over NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and Elevation 15 Tony before downing Boiler Jrs. It was Boiler Jrs’ only loss on the weekend. Elevation tied for third with upstart Team Pineapple 15 Black. MKE Sting 15 Gold, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami, TVC 15 Black and AVC Cle 15 Red tied for fifth. It was an impressive performance turned in by 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which went 8-0 and only dropped just one set. It came in the final victory against Circle City, which suffered its only loss. 1st Alliance looked impressed, as it was hardly touched until Circle City took the eventual champs to three. Tying for third with strong efforts were Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting 16 Gold. Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Legacy 16-1 Adidas, Team Pineapple 16 Black and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue tied for fifth. In 17 Open, Academy 17 Tsunami  lapped the field, going 8-0 after getting past Boiler Jrs in the final. Academy beat Rock City 17-1 on Day 1 in pool play. Rock City was the other semifinalist, losing to Boilers. Academy topped Elevation 17 Ulland in the other semi. Adidas KiVA 17 Red, Circle City 17 Purple, NKYVC and Rev 17-1 Raptors finished tied for fifth. Circle City 18 Purple put together a perfect weekend in 18 Open, going 8-0 without dropping a set. Circle City took down Lex United 87 Adidas, Elevation 18 Spinney and Tri-State Elite 18 Blue to reach the final.

On a day like this, when there is competitive volleyball being played by nationally-ranked teams across many age groups, it’s impossible to pick a starting point. There’s only so much to get to, but rest assured one item below is the Day 1 Show Stoppers from Saturday’s action at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. However, first let’s take a look at teams and where the stand and how they may factor into Sunday’s conclusion. 14 OPEN A5 14 HELEN: The top seed was upended by Legacy 14-1 Adidas in its last outing Saturday evening. A5 won its three-team pool during the day, then beat NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami in a bracket-match Saturday evening. Yet, Legacy swept the seeding match for Sunday’s gold bracket, taking the contest, 25-11, 25-12. A5 has a wide array of options and one key piece is setter Marissa Jones. She has her pick of options, including outsides McKenzie Wilkie and Laila Amos, as well as middles Kylee Evans and Layla Dunn and right side Megan McLarty. LEGACY 14-1 ADIDAS: The Lakeshore Region club took over the top seed by going 4-0 on Saturday, beating Lex United 14-1 Adidas, AVC Cle 14 Red, Mintonette Sports m.41 and A5. One strength was the play of outsides Calli LeFevre and Kate Kalczynski, as well as setters Avery Thompson-Stepp and Marlie Smith. Libero Addison Thompson-Stepp was strong defensively while Isabelle Lawhorn and Cynthia Ockerman took care of the middle. Lions 14-1: Lions, the No. 9 seed, beat No. 8 Circle City 14 Purple to close out pool play and is still in the hunt. Outsides Francesca Lorenzo and Kalia Kroth teamed with setter/right side Peyton Heatherly, setter Natalie Bochantin and libero Ellie Kowalski to advance.   TRI-STATE ELITE 14 BLUE: The No. 2 overall seed held its position Saturday by defeating Academy 14 Fuego, Maverick 14 Elite, Lions 14-1 and Adidas KiVA 14 Red. Middles Alexandra Morris and Jillian Forrest stood out, as did outsides Makenna Meibers and Maisie Jones. 15 OPEN TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE: It was a strong opening day for Tri-State Elite. Seeded No. 11 overall, Tri-State upset No. 5 seed HPSTL 15 Royal in morning action then pushed No. 3 seed Boiler Jrs 15 Gold to three in afternoon bracket play. Tri-State then closed out by downing original No. 1 seed Mintonette Sports m.51. Helping the team taking over the No. 5 seed was outsides Nattie Slusher and Emma Adkins, as well as setter/right sides Morgan Heater and Milyn Minor and libero Grace Jones. AVC CLE 15 RED: The No. 9 seed to start, AVC upset top-seeded Mintonette in afternoon bracket play, sweeping 25-21, 25-23. AVC fell to Boiler Jrs in the next round but still advanced to Sunday’s gold bracket. Pins Sydney Borowy and Haley Wilson performed solidly. They were backed by middles Nizhoni Clement and D’Aira Whitner, libero Kailey Snow and setter Grace Daniels. VC United 15 Elite: VC United reached the gold bracket after starting play as the No. 26 seed. In a three-team pool, VC United took a three-way tie at 1-1 with HPSTL 15 Royal and Illini Elite 15 Cardinal to advance. Outside Madison Anspaugh played a big role, as did libero Natalie Leach. 16 OPEN MKE STING 16 GOLD: The gold bracket in 16 Open is loaded, with MKE Sting part of the mix. Sting went 3-1 Saturday, losing to No. 2 seed Circle City 16 Purple in straight sets before holding off Team Pineapple 16 Black in three. Sting has plenty of offense to throw at opponents. Setter Billie Reiter has a strong outside duo in Madison Quest and Emma Koceja, as wells as middles Gabriella Pitcel and Karli Molnau. TEAM PINEAPPLE 16 BLACK: Even though Team Pineapple faces an uphill fight in gold bracket, the team did well advancing and could be a border Open team this spring. Team Pineapple pushed both Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting to three sets, losing by a combined six points. Those are both top contenders here. Addison Tindall is a 5-star recruit on the outside. Maya Harris was holding down the other outside spot while Jillian Tippmann was contributing from the right side as setter Ava Harris was dishing to all. OPVC 16 Robinson: I caught this team at JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago and OPVC reached the gold bracket here in Indy. OPVC went 3-1 on Saturday, only losing to top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Outsides Mariah Gaines and Kaylie McIntosh were key, as was middle Raegan Waller. 17 OPEN AVC CLE 17 RED: AVC retained the No. 4 overall seed. It took three to defeat Summit 17 Blue Elite but AVC finished 4-0 nonetheless. Outsides Emma McCartney and Samantha Young were helping lead the charges, as was right side Sydney Waller. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony: A three-star recruit, Grimes spent her high school hitting for Ursuline Academy but is back in her normal defensive spot for Elevation and no doubt the team is thankful for that. Her play was outstanding, from her steady and consistent passing to her ripping jump serves for points. Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51: The defending USAV 14 Open champions were in action Saturday, helped by the strong effort of Cugino, a three-star recruit. She was on point with her passing and was flying around the court extending rallies. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 6-0, 3-star recruit, Miles was showcasing her arm as she delivered plenty of offense for her team. She was finding gaps in the block and exploiting them, sending balls down to the ground in impressive fashion. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer, a 4-star middle, was booming balls on the slide and was very active at the net. She draws lots of attention because teams know she’s getting the ball but still struggle slowing her. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: For now, Andrews is a 3-star recruit, mostly because she was hurt last year and

Part of the vballrecruiter.com team is headed to the Central Zone Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Indianapolis. Over the years this tournament has really grown in strength and once again boasts a loaded, loaded field, especially for the younger age groups. I’m personally super excited, because in my years of covering club volleyball I’ve never attended this event! That’s about to change and I’m eager to get to see these teams playing in the new year. Below are rundowns on the 15-18 Open divisions as we look at nationally-ranked teams in the field, top recruits and offer thoughts and predictions on those age groups. 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (14): 1. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 3. Mintonette Sports m.51 7. Elevation 15 Tony 11. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 12. HPSTL 15 Royal 13. MKE Sting 15 Gold 16. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 21. A5 15 Bob 29. AVC Cle 15 Red 34. Rev 15-1 Fuego 43. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 44. Circle City 15 Purple 45. TVC 15 Black 49. Team Pineapple 15 Black *** 5-Star Athletes Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Gabi DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal   4-Star Athletes Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 15 Gold Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob   Outlook/Prediction: There is no way this division can disappoint, can it? I don’t believe it can, not with 14 of the 32 teams ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. It includes top-ranked Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, one of three Top-10 clubs in the field, and one of seven Top-20 teams vying for the championship. Also in the field is No. 3 Mintonette Sports m.51 – the defending 14 Open gold medalist from Indy last summer – and No. 7 Elevation 15 Tony, which earned bronze last summer in 14 Open. Another team to follow is No. 11 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. Legacy captured the 15 Open title at the JVA Rock’N Rumble earlier this month, where it defeated No. 29 AVC Cle 15 Red in the finals. Given the youth and depth of the division, anything can and probably will happen. Certainly, I’m expecting the higher-ranked teams in the field to excel, but it’s likely someone else is going to rise up and surprise by making a deep run. In the end though, the pick is Boiler Jrs beating Legacy in the final. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (13): 4. A5 16 Gabe 9. Circle City 16 Purple 10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. HPSTL 16 Royal 15. Legacy 16-1 Adidas 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold 33. Mintonette Sports m.61 39. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 41. AVC Cle 16 Red 42. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 49. Elevation 16 Goller 50. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue *** 5-Star Athletes Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold   4-Star Athletes Ava Tilden OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Riley McCloskey OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black   Outlook/Prediction: With 13 of the 32 teams appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings, the 16 Open Division figures to be very competitive as well. Part of that is the field features seven teams ranked in our Top 15, including No. 4 A5 16 Gabe, No. 9 Circle City 15 Purple and No. 10 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which starts off as the top seed. I really expect the depth of this division to show up over the two days, with some unexpected results and upsets taking place throughout. A lot of the teams are bunched together in the rankings and there isn’t much separating many of them. It should produce a lot of close, three-setters as this is going to be the most competitive tournament teams have played in so far as they begin gearing up for qualifying season. When the dust settles, the pick is 1st Alliance over Mich Elite 16 Mizuno for the gold. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 27 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8): 12. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 16. Circle City 17 Purple 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue 33. HPSTL 17 Royal 37. Rev 17-1 Raptors 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold *** 5-Star Athletes Ava Utterback OH Circle City 17 Purple Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors   4-Star Athletes Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Though no clubs from our Top 10 is in attendance, there is still eight clubs from the Top 50. Our rankings follow the top three seeds, as No. 12 NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, No. 16 Circle City 17 Purple and No. 18 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue open as the top three seeds respectively. While those teams figure to make it deep into Sunday’s action, there’s a great chance for someone else to come on and surprise. One could be HPSTL 17 Royal, which is looking to make the jump to Open this season. Rev 17-1 Raptors and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are two more who could get hot and pull off upsets. Two teams we don’t