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.”
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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.
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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 with its bid.
In Atlanta, Mich Elite once more found itself a victory away from qualifying. Even though there was a safety net in play called the silver bracket, Mich Elite left nothing to chance and rallied past A5 to win its gold pool and make the final four. That guaranteed Mich Elite a spot in 15 Open later this summer in Indy.
A loss to CJV 15 Anna on Day 1 placed Mich Elite in the same Day 2 pool as HPSTL. Mich Elite extracted a tiny bit of revenge in winning in three, but it was HPSTL that kept Mich Elite from reaching the final when they met again in the semifinals.
Outsides Isabelle Busignani – a three-star recruit – and Chloe Giehtbrock were key targets for setter Ella Craggs – also a three-star recruit. Craggs also incorporated three-star recruit Jessica Costlow and Tina Barnekova into the mix, as well as right side Gabriella Babinski. McKenna Payne – one more three-star recruit on the roster – was solid in the back row at libero.
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TOP SELECT 15 ELITE (T-THIRD, 4-4)
- Day 1: d Academy 15 Diamond 22-25, 25-14, 15-12; l Jupiter 15 Elite 25-22, 25-22; d OT 15 Will 25-16, 25-18
- Day 2: d Triangle 15 Black 25-22, 25-17; l OT 15 Randy 18-25, 25-20, 15-10
- Day 3: l GP 15 Rox 25-10, 25-10; d Next Level 15-1 25-16, 25-23; d GP 15 Rox 25-20; d Next Level 26-24; l OT 15 Randy 25-13, 25-22
Given a second chance to clinch its Open bid outright, Top Select jumped on the opportunity. Sunday morning brought a rough start to Top Select’s bid hopes, as Game Point swept Top Select to open their gold pool. Top Select bounced right back though, beating Next Level 15-1 to even its mark at 1-1. With GP and Next Level still play, Top Select was preparing for the silver bracket and playing off for the final bid.
However, Next Level handled business against GP to create a three-way tie in the pool at 1-1. With all three teams tied at set percentages it meant one-game playoffs were necessary to determine the pecking order. That gave Top Select another chance to win the pool and qualify.
It was a tough task, as Top Select needed to beat both GP and Next Level in consecutive one-game playoffs to make it happen but that’s exactly what Top Select accomplished to make the final four and wrap up its Open bid.
“We didn’t know what we were doing,” Top Select coach Charles Wolsonovich said. “We had parents looking at it and someone said there’s a chance still. We thought it would come down to points.”
None of that would have mattered if Top Select didn’t come through during a must-win situation on Day 1. It faced OT 15 Will in a crossover match and swept that to remain in contention. It allowed Top Select to avoid the same fate it suffered at the Sunshine Classic when it didn’t make it past Day 1 to stay in the bid hunt.
“I was proud of them,” Wolsonovich said. “We had a bad Sunshine Classic in our home state. We played poorly on Day 1 and were out. We just kept battling. We wanted to be in a position to get it and we got it.”
Top Select had to overcome a lineup change to make it happen. The team lost the services of setter and three-star recruit Alison Bierwagen who was part of a 6-2 with Sydney Mitchell. Mitchell was forced into running a 5-1. Top Select’s hitters included outsides Ella Pringle and Anika Groom, right side Erynn Gotsch and middles Kennedi Underwood and Ayana Solan. At libero was Savannah Sotto with Andrea Bravo playing DS.
“It was hustle and effort,” Wolsonovich said. “It’s the small stuff we do well. We attack well, we pass well and we serve well. We were hustling around for touches and digs. We played well to get the bid.”
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AZ SKY 15 GOLD (FIFTH, 7-2)
- Day 1: d EC Power 15 True 25-11, 25-15; d Atlanta Extreme 25-7, 25-13; d Jax Skyline 15 Royal 25-21, 25-22
- Day 2: l GP 15 Rox 18-25, 25-22, 15-10; d CJV 15 Anna 25-13, 25-11
- Day 3: l OT 15 Randy 26-28, 25-13, 15-9; d BVA 15 Mizuno 25-22, 25-13; d Next Level 15-1 21-25, 25-21, 15-12; d A5 Mizuno 15 Bob 25-20, 25-19
Gold play opened with a loss to OT, but after beating Boomers to take second AZ Sky knew it still had a chance at a bid. What it didn’t know was whether or not it had to win one match or two in the four-team silver bracket as it waited for the theater of Pool 4 to play out. With Game Point having a bid and possibly creating trickle down, AZ Sky didn’t know where it stood exactly until GP was eliminated altogether. That left the four teams in the silver bracket needing to win out to claim the last remaining bid.
Up first was Next Level, a club from Puerto Rico which wasn’t backing down from anybody and played with lots of fight and energy. Next Level struck first, taking the opening set and putting AZ Sky’s back to the wall. AZ Sky adjusted though and was able to rally to victory.
That created a showdown with A5 for the final bid after A5 defeated Waves 15 Elite Rox in the other silver semifinal.
AZ Sky deserves as much credit for beating A5 and qualifying as it does for dealing with the drama and tension of the day. The start of the silver bracket was scheduled for 1:30 pm but was delayed about 90 minutes before starting. Given there was still a match after that for the bid, it was a mental fight as much as it was a physical one. Setters Yiame Dsamou and Addison France were connecting with pin hitters Georgi Stein, Laney Wilson, SaMya Dorsey and Gabriella Kucinski plus middles Shelby Schoenbeck and Elle McCreery while Jordyn Dugi dug in defensively at libero.
