Chris Tobolski

With both previously-qualified OT 15 Randy and HPSTL 15 Royal making the four-team gold bracket in 15 Open, it not only awarded bids to Mich Elite 15 Mizuno and Top Select 15 Elite but also set up a dramatic finish for the final bid. OT went on to defeat HPSTL in the final and Mich Elite and Top Select earned bids by virtue of making the gold bracket. However, the four-team silver bracket was a winner-take-all affair for the lone remaining bid. AZ Sky 15 Gold came through in the clutch, defeating A5 Mizuno 15 Bob in what amounted to the fifth-place match to join the Open qualified field for Indy. Here’s how their weekends played out. OT 15 RANDY (FIRST, 9-0) Day 1: d EliteVBTC 15 Black 25-21, 18-25, 17-15; d LUV 15 Adidas 22-25, 25-17, 15-8; d Waves 15 Elite Rox 25-21, 25-6 Day 2: d Triangle 15 Black 25-17, 25-15; d Top Select 15 Elite 18-25, 25-20, 15-10 Day 3: d AZ Sky 15 Gold 26-28, 25-13, 15-9; d BVA 15 Mizuno 25-6, 25-16; d Top Select 15 Elite 25-13, 25-22; d HPSTL 15 Royal 25-22, 14-25, 15-12   Seeded No. 1 overall to begin with, OT held its spot throughout the weekend and finished on top at 9-0 after outlasting HPSTL in three games in the final. It was one of five times OT went the distance at Big South, including losing the first set in three of those contests. There were early signs that OT was going to have to grind its way through the field if it was going to hold seed and capture the division. It started Day 1 by winning in three in its first two outings. It finished off Day 2 with another three-set victory. “It was a spectacular team effort,” OT coach Randy Thomas said. “We grinded out those hard, high-pressure scenarios. The fight, the grit, the togetherness they put it all together. It was awesome.” OT also needed to rally past AZ Sky in its first gold pool matchup before sweeping BVA 15 Mizuno to reach the gold bracket. There, OT swept Top Select in the semis after needing three sets to beat Top Select on Day 2. For all of its work though, OT was pushed by HPSTL in the title match and was in danger of not closing its weekend out on top and undefeated. But OT held firm and walked away with the Big South crown. “We’ve seen a lot of improvement with execution and not playing high-error volleyball,” Thomas said. “We’ve cleaned up our game a lot. We’ve seen smarter, higher IQ, and consistent play. Also, there’s been a genuine togetherness with the players. They are really helping each other out and making it happen.” Setters Izzy Mogridge – a four-star recruit – and Josephine Hensley are part of a 6-2 package for OT. Hensley can stay and hit across the front row, while Amalyah Long or Charley Goberville can also play on the right. OT has a balanced attack that also features outsides Isabella Pereira and Maggie Dostic plus middles Connore Siler-Nixon and Kaylee Peper – another three-star recruit. The back row was anchored by libero Lily Hayes and DS Aaliyah Harlow. “Winning a qualifier is an amazing accomplishment in itself,” Thomas said. “I’m proud of the team coming together and getting it done. It’s what you want to see as a coach.” *** HPSTL 15 ROYAL (SECOND, 7-2) Day 1: d IVBA 15 Open 25-14, 25-18; d CUVC 15 Premier 27-25, 25-19; d GP 15 Rox 25-17, 25-16 Day 2: d Jax Skyline 15 Royal 25-18, 25-15; l Mich Elite 15 Mizuno 23-25, 25-21, 19-17 Day 3: d Academy 15 Diamond 25-20, 25-11; d Waves 15 Elite Rox 25-14, 25-18; d Mich Elite 15 Mizuno 21-25, 25-22, 15-8; l OT 15 Randy 25-22, 14-25, 15-12   It figured HPSTL’s time in Atlanta was going to go one of two ways. Either the Gateway Region club would continue on with the way it played the prior weekend when it earned its bid at Show Me or there would be a letdown coming off the high of qualifying. The ride carried on as HPSTL kept at it and posted a second-place finish after falling to OT in the 15 Open championship match. HPSTL earned its bid at Show Me in dramatic fashion by beating Mich Elite in the final gold pool match to capture the last qualifying position. As fate would have it, the two sides ran into each other twice more at Big South, though neither carried the significance of the meeting in Kansas City. The first encounter came on Day 2, when Mich Elite pulled out a thrilling victory in three sets to win the pool. The second clash came after both finished on top of their gold pools and met in the semifinals. HPSTL prevailed in that one in three games. HPSTL also managed to gain a victory over previously-qualified GP 15 Rox on Day 1 to win its pool. HPSTL was still playing without outside hitter Zoe Baliva and used much of the same lineup it did at Show Me. Hannah Leftridge and Hannah Taylor were on the left, with Tara Greenbury and Lainey Waser in the middle. Setters Ella Keeven and Katelyn Diani were running a 6-2, while Harper Highfill and Ally Fuchs played dual liberos. *** MICH ELITE 15 MIZUNO (T-THIRD, 5-2) Day 1: d NVA 15 Black 25-18, 25-18, 25-21; l CJV 15 Anna 25-23, 22-25, 25-16 Day 2: d Jax Skyline 15 Royal 25-17, 20-25, 15-12; d HPSTL 15 Royal 23-25, 25-21, 19-17 Day 3: d No Name 15-1 25-11, 25-16; d A5 Mizuno 15 Bob 18-25, 28-26, 15-9; l HPSTL 15 Royal 21-25, 25-22, 15-8   Big South represented Mich Elite’s last chance at qualifying for Open. It was only the weekend before Mich Elite put itself in position to do so but lost a must-win contest against HPSTL which would have awarded Mich Elite

As we wrote in our Day 3 recap, even though the bids were known in 16 Open before gold pool action began Saturday evening at Big South, the division still managed to produce an exciting conclusion in which Triangle 16 Black capped an undefeated weekend by beating Wave 16 Brennan in the championship match. Both Triangle and Wave needed three sets to close out respective pools and meet up in the final. Triangle rallied against A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe while Wave fought back to top OT 16 Jason. All four of those teams already had bids, as did Top Select 16 Elite. When those five squads made the gold pools it helped award bids to Gainesville 16 Black, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite and OT 16 Will, as they were also in the gold pools and were guaranteed qualifying spots based on any possible trickle down scenarios. Below, we breakdown Triangle’s weekend, plus the three bid winners as well. TRIANGLE 16 BLACK (FIRST, 10-0)   Did Triangle announce itself as a 16 Open title contender after its performance this past weekend at Big South? It’s a legitimate question after seeing Triangle defeating Red Rock Rave champion Wave in the final and finishing its three days in Atlanta with a perfect 10-0 mark. That came after Triangle downed A5 in three sets in the semifinals. Anyone capable of topping two teams of that caliber in back-to-back outings is certainly worthy of being in the conversation of top candidates to win it all later this summer. “The girls have been working hard for six months,” Triangle coach Michael Frank said. “They have worked harder than any team I’ve had work. That’s why they do it was for that.” Triangle already had its bid when it qualified at the Sunshine Classic earlier this month. The Carolina Region club finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 with Metro 16 Travel and OT 16 Jason in gold pools there and wound up taking third place based on tiebreakers. That put Triangle in the top six and through trickle down Triangle earned its bid. “We had a bid so a lot of the pressure was off,” Frank said. “We had to have a goal and they wanted to medal. Now they have a gold one.” It’s a redesigned roster from a season ago. Setter Emily Bobbitt, middle Ashlyn Philpot, outside Asia Thigpen and libero/DS Sophia Grace Stevens are the only returning members. Among the newcomers include L/DS Coley Shiflet, outside Kiarrah Horne and right side Alayna Smith. Others include S/DS Avery Scoggins, OH/DS Avery Booker and middle Lillian Slaymaker. To see the group qualify during its first try then come out and win a qualifier like Big South has been incredible. “I think the mental toughness came together,” Frank said. “Up or down it doesn’t matter. We can be up five points or down five points and they just keep going.” *** GAINESVILLE 16 BLACK (T-FIFTH, 6-3)   Gainesville had been on the cusp of working its way into qualifying position with top-10 showings at both the Salt Lake City Showdown and Sunshine Classic. The Florida club ran into some bad luck at those qualifiers but finally broke through at Big South to secure its Open bid. Gainesville benefitted from trickle down and knew it had qualified before even playing a gold pool match in Atlanta. It won its Day 1 pool and finished second to A5 on Day 2 to advance to the top eight. In gold pool, Gainesville fell to OT and Wave before closing out its weekend by sweeping Rockwood Thunder. It was welcomed relief as Gainesville was able to catch a break for once. At Salt Lake City to open qualifying season, Gainesville lost on Day 2 to both Co Jrs 16 Sherri and Club V 16 Ren Wayne. Those two squads just happened to go on and meet in the final the following day. At Sunshine, Gainesville made it all the way to gold pools, but landed in the same pool with previously-qualified 1st Alliance 16 Gold, as well as Top Select and Flyers 16 Dylan. Gainesville pushed all three opponents to three sets but finished 0-3 and out of the running for a bid. Meanwhile, both Top Select and Flyers went on to clinch bids. Gainesville has one of the best outside hitters and a go-to on the left in three-star recruit Brooklyn Tealer. Libero Ro’Miya Thomas was another standout. *** OT 16 WILL (T-SEVENTH, 4-5)   OT opened its qualifying season in strong fashion by making the gold pools at the Salt Lake City Showdown. An 0-3 showing though kept OT from be able to qualify. Then at its next qualifier – the Sunshine Classic – a 1-2 effort on Day 2 kept OT from making the gold pools altogether. It came to Big South with one last shot at punching its ticket to Nationals. Even though OT lost on Day 1 to eventual champion Triangle it was still through to Round 2. There, OT had to put in some work to get out and into gold pools. It opened with a victory against HPSTL 16 Royal before going down to OT Jason. That set up a meeting with Tribe 16 Elite. OT wasn’t necessarily in a must-win position, but a loss would’ve created a three-way tie at 1-2. Whereas a victory put OT into the gold pools for sure. OT swept and with it claimed its bid based on the trickle-down situation in 16 Open. *** ROCKWOOD THUNDER 16 ELITE (T-SEVENTH, 4-5)   The first goal at Big South for Rockwood Thunder was surviving Day 1. That hadn’t been the case at the team’s first two qualifiers in Salt Lake City and at MEQ, where both times RT was knocked from contention after the first round of pool play. When RT opened up Big South winning its first two matches, at the very least it guaranteed itself meaningful matches on Day 2. It was Saturday that really proved

Watching 17 Open play out at Big South was the latest reminder of why predicting results can be so difficult. Who would have guessed that Wave 17 Juliana would have gone on a perfect streak and left Atlanta without a set loss after sweeping past A5 Mizuno 17 Jing in the final? While a team like OT 17 John – which finished third – was expected to do well, all the eventual Open qualifiers surprised in their own way too. Neither CUVC 17 Premier nor Mich Elite 17 Mizuno had reached a gold pool yet in any previous qualifier but busted through at Big South. Then there was CHAVC 17 Black, which is perhaps the smallest team to qualify for Open so far this season, coming up clutch and getting the job done. Below, we tell the tales of the weekend from the top six finishers. WAVE 17 JULIANA (FIRST, 10-0) Day 1: d Triangle 17 Black 25-14, 25-20; d GP 17 Rox 25-19, 25-9; d High Tide 17 Elite 25-23, 25-16 Day 2: d TCVA 17 HKH 25-14, 25-7; d OT 17 Aaron 25-13, 25-13; d OT 17 John 25-22, 30-28; d CUVC 17 Premier 25-12, 27-25 Day 3: d Mich Elite 17 Mizuno 25-23, 25-17; d No Name 17-1 25-21, 25-22; d A5 Mizuno 17 Jing 25-17, 25-16   Earlier this month Wave was rolling through its competition at the Red Rock Rave in Las Vegas, producing all sweeps – including in the first round of gold pool play. Yet, its tournament ended with consecutive losses to Coast 17-1 and Club V 17 Ren Reed. Wave finished with its bid through an unusual process when Legacy Girls 17 Pyramid declined its Open bid and it wound up trickling down to Wave. At Big South this past weekend, Wave once more was on a roll. It delivered nothing but sweeps through the first two days, once again winning its opening round of gold pool play. As Day 3 kicked off Wave was seeking a stronger finish to close out its second and final qualifier of the season. After securing victories over Mich Elite and No Name 17-1, Wave was flawless in sweeping A5 in the final and completing a perfect weekend in which it went 10-0 and 20-0 in sets. “We hadn’t seen A5 but we didn’t want to change anything,” Wave coach Juliana Conn said. “It was another good team we were playing. It was super fun to watch. We blocked and served them really well. We served well the whole weekend. Teams have served us well but we hadn’t been able to turn it around and do it back to other teams. Everything was clicking.” Even though Wave had its bid prior to Big South, it did appear the So Cal club came to Atlanta with an edge. In Vegas, Wave received a fortunate break but wanted to take matters into its own hands this time around. “We didn’t get the bid the way we wanted to in Vegas,” Conn said. “It wasn’t just luck. There were a lot of good teams there and it’s really hard to get a bid. We put ourselves in a good position and it trickled down. I told the girls they earned it. Every team had a shot at it. Knowing the girls though they wanted to get it themselves.” When on, Wave can come at opponents from all over. Of course, there is five-star recruit Julia Blyashov and her talents that Wave can always rely on on the outside. Lily Dwinell is another lanky outside who has the smarts to score on a regular basis. Wave also has another long hitter in right side Auburn Tomkinson. Still, Wave doesn’t get to unleash its full potential without its middles getting involved. Setter Shanelle Puetz has a trio to work with in Cayla Payne, Eva Rohrbach and Ryleigh Patterson. Then there’s the strong defensive play of a back row featuring libero Koko Kirsch and Katerina Lutz. “Every tournament in the 17s is good,” Conn said. “We went there knowing we would find really good competition and that was the case. Every day we faced really good teams. We couldn’t really take a break. Our mindset was just to go hard and just play hard every time.” *** A5 MIZUNO 17 JING (SECOND, 9-1) Day 1: d Emerald Coast 17 National 25-20, 25-21; d Wizard 17-1 25-14, 25-15; d TCVA 17 HKH 25-10, 25-18 Day 2: d Mich Elite 17 Mizuno 25-13, 25-21; d IVBA 17 Open 25-17, 25-15; d High Tide 17 Elite 25-16, 25-22; d Top Select 17 Elite 25-14, 25-20 Day 3: d OT 17 John 25-18, 26-24; d CHAVC 17 Black 25-15, 25-9; l Wave 25-17, 25-16   Something had to give when A5 and Wave clashed in the 17 Open final. Neither had dropped a set let alone a match and it had all the makings of a classic encounter. Yet, Wave came out hot and A5 was never able to cool the So Cal club off and therefore settled for second at its home qualifier. There were some moments of gratitude though. A5 was able to defeat OT and Top Select, clubs that had beat A5 at previous qualifiers. A5 has certainly faced some challenges since putting a target on its back by going undefeated at Triple Crown in February. Earning an Open bid seemed like a mere formality after that but A5 actually came up short during its first attempt at NEQ where it finished tied for fifth. There, A5 fell to Dynasty 17 Black on Day 2 and then OT in gold pool to miss out on the bid. A5 did wrap up its bid at its next qualifier – the Sunshine Classic earlier this month. But it was not without some bumps along the way. A5 was upset by PVA 17 Elite on Day 2, then lost its opening gold pool match to Top Select. A5 still managed to make the final, where

Another year, another Big South Qualifier in the books. What a time it was in Atlanta.  vballrecruiter.com was on hand throughout the three-day weekend watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the outside hitters who caught our eyes the most. (Top Right Sides) (Top Setters) (Top Liberos) (Top Middle Blockers) 15 Open Victoria Hill, GP 15 Rox – The biggest threat in the GP offense is Hill. They look for her a bunch and for a good reason. She’s a 5-9 outside who jumps high and hits hard. She pounded down a fair share of swings. Georgi Stein, AZ Sky 15 Gold – Wilson was a consistent scoring option for AZ Sky, which was able to wrap up its Open bid. She has a strong arm and is able to challenge blocks. Kelly Kinney, BVA 15 Mizuno – What a talent Kinney is! She’s a 6-1 five-star recruit who jumps very well and carries a powerful arm. You’ll be hearing a lot about her for years to come. Asia Harvey, A5 15 Mizuno Bob – There’s so much potential with Harvey it’s scary. She’s a 6-0 five-star recruit is who almost touching 10-0. She can get up and let it loose. It’ll be fun watching her progress through the ranks. Elena Maynulet, Next Level 15-1 – Though Next Level is out of Puerto Rico it would not be surprising in the least to see Maynulet land at D1 school for college. She’s lanky and budding star. She has a very nice arm and can hit a wide variety of shots. Isabella Pereira, OT 15 Randy – An undersized outside with strong passing and ball control skills, Pereira could be a libero at the next level. But she’s an aggressive attacker with smarts and knows how to score against bigger blocks. Allison Barrick, Elevation 15 Crofton – Barrick is a 5-11 three-star recruit. She explodes off the ground and gets in the air quickly. She has a fluid swing and can rip the ball. Amaria King, Jax Skyline 15 Royal – King was definitely one of the most impressive outsides in the division. She’s a bit of a freaky athlete, as she’s 5-10 and touches 10-2. She can absolutely blast balls and hits as hard as anyone we saw in the division all weekend! Isabelle Busignani, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – This lanky 6-1 outside is a three-star recruit who will be able to add more and more power as she gets stronger. She already has a nice swing and can hit with pace. *** 16 Open Alec Rothe, Elite VBTC 16 Black – Rothe is listed as middle but is learning to play the outside position. Her ceiling is really high. She’s 6-2 and a five-star recruit. She has a lively arm and high contact point and it makes her a very difficult hitter to block. Allison Risley, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – A 5-10 three-star recruit, Risley played a key role in RT getting its Open bid. She has a loose arm and is a reliable and consistent scorer on the left. Lameen Mambu, Paramount 16-1 – If Mambu played for a bigger club like say A5, everyone would know about her. But she’s definitely going to make an impact at the next level and everyone will know about her soon enough. She’s 6-0 and touches 10-3 and hammers the ball like few do. She’s a five-star recruit. Connor Rahn, OT 16 Will – Rahn is a three-star recruit who plays a nice role in the OT attack. She’s 6-0 outside who finds ways to score and comes up with some clutch kills. Samantha Blackett, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – At 6-0 and touching 10-1, Blackett can be electric at times. This three-star recruit is quick and has a very lively arm that can produces some eye-opening winners. Brooklyn Tealer, Gainesville 16 Black – A three-star recruit, Tealer is one of the more entertaining outsides in the division. She’s 6-0 and can crush balls front or back row and is almost impossible to stop when she gets on a roll. Dionna Mitchell, Top Select 16 Elite – Mitchell is a three-star recruit and part of an excellent outside duo for Top Select. She’s 5-10 and touching 10-1, so she gets up well and with her swing generates plenty of pace. Samantha Bowron, Top Select 16 Elite – Bowron and Mitchell are stunningly similar. Bowron – a three-star recruit – is 6-0 and also touches 10-1. She’s an easy and free swinger with the ability to put the ball on defenses in a hurry. Hannah Benjamin, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – This 6-1 outside touches 10-3 and has shown tremendous improvement since last season when she was on A5 2s team. She’s steady and consistent, passes well and can attack with the best of them. She’s a five-star recruit. Sofia Williams, Wave 16 Brennan – A 5-10 six-rotation player who is strong in serve receive, Williams is an integral part of what Wave does. She’s a smart attacker with a fluid swing who can score in multiple ways from tools to tips. Kiarrah Horne, Triangle 16 Black – Horne is an incredible athlete that screams next level. She’s 6-1 and touching 10-5. She has a very strong arm that can power through blocks. *** 17 Open Sarah Gooch, Top Select 17 Elite – Gooch carries a load on offense for Top Select. She’s 6-1 with a nice swing who’s asked to score in the clutch. Madelyn Peterson, OT 17 John – At 6-0, Peterson is a physical attacker. She hits a heavy ball and takes powerful swings. Lakin Laurendine, Infinity VBA 17 Open – Laurendine is 6-2 and a three-star recruit committed to Auburn. She’s another hard-hitting outside who can get up and over blocks. Jurnee Robinson, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – Robinson is on another level athletically. She’s 6-0 and five-star recruit committed to LSU. She has pogo sticks for