Chris

The second weekend of the 18s qualifier season was a light one, with just the Lone Star Classic 18s on the schedule. The 20-team field produced three 18 Open bids, which went to tournament champion Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18-Marc and Skyline 18 Royal. They joined Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana, Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold as clubs holding 18 Open bids after two weeks of qualifying. With three 18s qualifiers set for this coming weekend the field will double in size by next week. With nationally-ranked No. 5 Drive Nation and No. 6 A5 gaining their bids this past weekend, half of our initial Top 10 from the 18s National Rankings have secured bids so far, including No. 3 Wave, No. 4 Premier Nebraska and No. 10 Sunshine. Skyline opened up at No. 25. Drive Nation dropped just one match over the three days, with No. 18 AJV 18 Adidas taking down the eventual champs in three during Day 2 pool play. It was part of three consecutive three-setters for Drive Nation, which had defeated SA Magic 18 Elite in three to end Day 1 and opened Day 2 with a three-set victory over No. 23 Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Drive Nation swept No. 13 Madfrog 18 Green to make the gold pools. Once there, Drive Nation beat No. 17 HJV 18 Elite in three before sweeping both Skyline and A5. A5 had an interesting path to a bid. The Georgia club came out hot, winning its first five matches. However, A5 lost three of its final four contests but still managed to get its bid. A5 was already guaranteed a spot in gold pools before losing to Skyline to end Day 2. Unranked Actyve 18 Black then delivered an upset in three to start Day 3. A5 recovered to sweep Hou Skyline. That created a three-way tie with A5, Actyve and Hou Skyline as all were 1-1. A5 was fortunate to gain the first-place slot based on the best set percentage. Actyve was second and Hou Skyline was third. Skyline opened its weekend with a setback against unranked AZ EVJ 18 Elite but was able to steady itself quickly. Skyline didn’t lose against until facing Drive Nation on Day 3. That loss pitted Skyline against upstart Actyve for the final bid. Skyline swept, 25-13, 25-11, to earn the last Open spot. Actyve was one of the stories of the weekend. The So Cal club didn’t figure to be in the mix for a bid on Day 3 and yet it was a victory short of pulling off the shocker. Actyve picked up key victories over No. 20 TAV 18 Black, No. 17 HJV and No. 6 A5. Actyve came close to winning its gold pool and clinching a bid outright, but fell to No. 23 Hou Skyline 15-13 in the third. You never know!

The opening 18s national qualifiers of the season this past weekend not only produced the first bids for Columbus, but it also tested our national rankings for the first time. In Chicago at the Windy City Qualifier, 16 of the 30 teams in the field appeared in our initial Top 50 Rankings, including five teams from the Top 10. It was a smaller field in Kansas City for the MLK Tournament, with just 13 clubs vying for two bids as a result. Despite the size, eight of the teams were nationally ranked, including four from the Top 12. In the end, it was No. 11 MAVC KC 18-1 and No. 4 Premier Nebraska 18 Gold securing 18 Open bids after finishing 1-2 in a four-team pool that also featured No. 12 MN Select 18-1 and No. 40 KC Power 18-1. As for the three 18 Open bids in Chicago, they went to tournament champion and national No. 10 Sunshine 18 LA, No. 3 Wave 18 Juliana and No. 35 Mintonette Sports m.81. The field there was loaded, featuring national No. 1 Coast 18 Ozhan, No. 9 Metro 18 Travel, No. 14 Club V 18 Ren Reed and No. 16 Circle City 18 Purple. Coast’s hopes at earning a bid in its first try ended when it was eliminated with Day 2 losses to Club V and Sunshine. Day 3 came down to two, four-team pools between Sunshine, Mintonette, Adversity 18 Adidas and No. 36 FC Elite 18 Elite in one and Wave, No. 33 Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite, Circle City and Club V. The top-two teams from each pool would advance, with the pool winners earning bids and the second-place teams playing off for the final bid. Sunshine and Wave both went 3-0, with Sunshine beating Wave, 28-26, 25-22, for the championship. Mintonette wound up facing Circle City for third and swept, 25-20, 25-21, for the final bid. Here’s how the final standings looked compared to our rankings: 1. Sunshine (10) 2. Wave (3) 3. Mintonette (35) 4. Circle City (16) 5. Club V (14) 5. FC Elite (36) 7. Adversity (n/r) 7. Rockwood Thunder (33) 9. Coast (1) 10. AVC Cle (27) 11. Metro (9) 11. Mich Elite (29) 13. NPJ Forefront (30) 14. Paramount (43) 15. Legacy (26) 15. Union (49) 17. Top Select (n/r) 18. VC United (n/r) 19. Rev 18-1 (37) 19. MKE Sting (24) 22. Absolute (38) The final day in Kansas City came down to the four-team pool of MN Select, Premier Nebraska, KC Power and MAVS KC. MAVS came out strong, sweeping both Premier Nebraska and MN Select. With KC Power going 0-2, MAVS had first place secured before facing KC Power in the 3 v 4 match and with it one of the two Open bids. The real drama came in the pool’s last match, a clash between Premier Nebraska and MN Select. Both were 1-1, with the final bid going to the winner. Both needed three to get past KC Power, so it was anyone’s guess what would happen. It turned out Premier Nebraska swept, 27-25, 25-22, to take second and join MAVS in bidding. Here’s how the standings there stack up with our national rankings: 1. MAVS (11) 2. Premier Nebraska (4) 3. MN Select (12) 4. KC Power (40) 5. Topeka Impact (42) 6. Dynasty (31) 7. OT John (8)

It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways. Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack. Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along. Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor. Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively. Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect. Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing. Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role. Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend. Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back. Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC. Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space. Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well. Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to

With the seedings tossed in the air on a wild Day 1, who knew what the conclusion of 17 Open was going to look like as the JVA Rock’N Rumble wrapped up in Cleveland on Sunday? As for 16 Open, a mild Day 1 quickly gave way to a big upset to open Day 2. A couple of thoughts I walked away from Saturday with was Metro 16 Travel was a true No. 1 seed in 16 Open and should be able to hold it all the way through. Another centered around Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Despite being the No. 15 seed overall, Pitt Elite looked like a dark horse or sleeper team which could rise up and surprise. As the draw happened to break in 16 Open, it was Metro and Pitt Elite matched up against each other in one of the eight challenge matches Sunday morning, with the winner getting a spot in the gold bracket quarterfinals. Something had to give though, either Metro knocking out a potential sleeper or Pitt Elite delivering the upset and looking to keep it rolling. After a true thriller with Pitt Elite escaping, 21-25, 25-17, 23-21, we had part of our answer. Now, could Pitt Elite finish the deal? Pitt kept it going by downing Defensa 16 Purple, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10, and Southwest 16 Ashley, 27-25, 25-18, to reach the final, where another surprise team was waiting in AVC Cle 16 White. AVC opened as the No. 12 overall seed, going 2-1 on Day 1 with a loss to Pakmen 16U Gold. Yet, AVC got hot on Day 2 and was playing very well, taking out Rock City 16-1 in challenge play then upsetting both EliteVBTC 16 Black, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8, and OPVC 16 Robinson, 28-26, 25-19, to set up the unexpected clash for the title. It was Pitt Elite hoisting the trophy after outlasting AVC in three, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11. Last year, Pitt Elite took 33rd in 15 National in Indy and with most everyone back will look to jump up the charts this season. Winning Rock’N Rumble is a great start, especially beating an Open hopeful like Metro on the way to the championship. In 17 Open, it was No. 6 overall seed Rock City 17-1 sweeping its way to the championship, including taking down HRVC Hurricanes 17, 25-13, 25-22, in the final. Rock City scored a solid victory in the semifinals, sweeping original top seed Legacy 17-1 Adidas in the semifinals. Legacy was upset by AVC Cle 17 White on Day 1, part of an afternoon full of them. However, AVC was unable to make it past Sunday morning’s challenge bracket, falling to Maverick 17 Elite, 25-22, 25-21. Meanwhile, Legacy fended off EliteVBTC 17 Black, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12, while Rock City swept NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, 25-20, 25-15, as both advanced. In 18 Open, Pakmen 18 Gold swept EliteVBTC 18 Black, 26-24, 29-27, in the championship match. Pakmen went 6-0 on the weekend. CVC 18 Black and Premier Academy 18 Onitsuka finished tied for third. We’ll have our tournament Show Stoppers from Rock’N Rumble out this week as well, so check back for that.

Two-day tournaments come and go so fast! By the time the first day is over we are already in championship mode by the start of Day 2. That’s the case at the JVA Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland, where part of the vballrecruiter.com team is this weekend to witness the action on the chilly shores of Lake Erie. The big headline from Saturday came from 17 Open, where AVC Cle 17 White upset top-seeded Legacy 17-1 Adidas in three, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7, to win Pool 1 and take over the top spot. Right behind was EliteVBTC 17 Black. As the No. 3 team in Pool 2, Elite upset No. 2 overall seed Maverick 17 Elite, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16, to move up as well. In fact, it was a trend on Day 1 in 17 Open. Rock City 17-1 was the only No. 1 team out of six pools to win its pool. Rock City went 3-0 to hold seed. But in Pool 3, No. 2 VolleyFX 17 Rapture took first and No. 3 Legacy 16-1 Adidas – playing up – grabbed second as both advanced to Sunday morning’s challenge matches for a spot in the gold bracket. The madness continued in Pool 4 as OPVC 17 Day, Summit 17 Blue Elite and HRVC Hurricanes all finished 2-1. However, OPVC – the No. 1 team in the pool – took third based on tiebreakers as HRVC finished first and Summit second. As for Pool 5, it was Preds 17U Strive, the No. 2 team, and NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, the No. 4 team, finishing 1-2 and advancing. The chaos was mainly reserved for 17 Open, as 16 Open was much calmer. L2 16-1 was the only No. 1 team not to advance after finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Defensa 16 Purple and Nexus United 16 Gold. In Pool 3, the No. 1 team in Southwest 16 Ashley went 2-1 and finished second behind 3-0 EliteVBTC 16 Black, the No. 2 team, but still advanced. Before getting to the Day 1 Show Stoppers, let’s shine the light on a few contenders. METRO 16 TRAVEL: After taking fifth in 15 American last summer one goal of this Metro group this year is to qualify into Open. I’m curious if Metro can make it happen and it’s something to follow as qualifying season plays out. Metro definitely looks improved from a year ago. One key piece is Isabelle Bardin. She’s a stalwart on the court, setting in the back and hitting across the front. Metro was using Ryan Hicks to set in the back row when Bardin came across the front. Metro is plenty offensive with Jada Aksu on the right when she’s front row and Bardin setting back row. Aksu gets up quickly and can really rip it. Another area of strength comes on the outside with Madison Smith and Leni Stanton-Parker. Stanton-Parker is new to the roster this year and certainly adds more firepower with her lively arm and ability to blast balls down. Smith is a hard-hitter as well, bringing some physicality to the attack with it. In the middle it was Kristen Moore and Caitlin Johnson holding it down while Evie Huang was steady at libero. Metro, the top seed in 16 Open, had a light day Saturday, going 2-0 in a three-team pool where they played three sets no matter what. Metro went 5-1 in sets, sweeping Dead Frog 16 Black and going 2-1 against HRVC Hurricanes. OPVC 16 ROBINSON: Seeded No. 2 behind Metro, OPVC wrapped up its day going 3-0 overall and 6-1 in sets as OPVC needed three to down Pitt Elite 16 Elite. I’m not sure OPVC can crack Open this spring but I can see this team having a high finish in National or USA. There are definitely pieces to work with. Two of the best are on the left in 6-2 Kaylie McIntosh and 5-10 Mariah Gaines. McIntosh is tall with a solid arm. Gaines has a good arm too and hits with power. They are nice 1-2 punch on the outside. Zari Gillispie adds excitement across the front row as a middle. She’s springy and quick. Another option in the middle is 6-1 Reagan Waller. Tori Cravens was setting and hitting while Lilliana Gentes was setting in the back row. PITT ELITE 16 ELITE: While Metro and OPVC looked appropriately seeded and are favorites to meet for gold on Sunday, how about a sleeper team? Why not Pitt Elite? The group took OPVC to three sets in the 1 v 2 contest to end Pool 2 Saturday, dropping the third 15-10. Helping Pitt Elite challenge OPVC for first in the pool was the duo of Natalie Carr (2026) and Ella Koziara on the outside, as well as Isabelle Hoppe (2026) setting and Cassidy Trahan defending at libero. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active