The Big South Qualifier is part of a busy weekend that also features three more qualifiers taking place. Like Windy City, Big South is contested over the course of one weekend, with all age groups competing. We take a glance below and offer a brief outlook, nationally-ranked teams, players to know plus make our predictions.
17 OPEN
Number of Teams: 40
Number of Bids: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (2): OT 17 Aaron; AZ Sky 17 Gold
Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (7):
- 9. OT 17 T Aaron FL
- 20. A5 17-1 Calvin GA
- 23. AZ Sky 17 Gold AZ
- 29. CUVC 17 Open NC
- 33. Triangle 17 Black NC
- 35. GP 17 Rox FL
- 39. OT 17 O Felix FL
5-Star Players to Know:
- Amina N’diaye OH OT 17 Felix (Miami)
4-Star Players to Know:
- Gabby Nichols MB Triangle 17 Black (Penn State)
- Elena Maynulet OH GP 17 Rox (Columbia)
- KK Green S/RS GP 17 Rox (Holy Cross)
- Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin (Cal)
- Abigail Li A5 17-1 Calvin (SMU)
- Izzy Mogridge S OT 17 Aaron (Oregon)
- Riley McCloskey RS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Memphis)
- Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Xavier)
- Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 17 Travel (Michigan)
- Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 17 Elite (2026)
Outlook: With four qualifiers taking place this coming weekend in 17 Open, the teams are spread around and that makes for a great chance for teams without a bid yet. OT Aaron and AZ Sky are safe, having already qualified. Looking at the rest of the ranked teams, this is the time to step up and make it happen by earning a bid. Three bids will be going out, so teams like A5, CUVC, Triangle, GP and OT Felix figure to be in the mix. The question is can any unranked teams breakthrough? This is definitely the weekend to surprise.
Prediction: OT Aaron has been playing well, tying for fifth at Sunshine and winning MEQ. We are calling for OT Aaron to go back-to-back and win Big South, beating CUVC in the final. A5 and GP tie for third and earn the remaining bids.
*****
16 OPEN
Number of Teams: 48
Number of Bids: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (2): GP 16 Rox; A5 16-1 Gabe
Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (10):
- 7. A5 16-1 Gabe GA
- 14. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami KY
- 17. Elevation 16 Goller OH
- 20. GP 16 Rox FL
- 25. Metro 16 Travel DC
- 26. WPVC 16 Armour Black FL
- 27. Academy 16 Diamond NC
- 36. TAV Houston 16 Adidas TX
- 39. EC Power KOP 16 Empire PA
- 47. Jupiter Elite 16E FL
5-Star Players to Know:
- Nadiya Johnson RS Metro 16 Travel
- Genevieve Harris S Academy 16 Diamond
4-Star Players to Know:
- Kendall Northern MB Elevation 16 Goller
- Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 16 Goller
- Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 16 Goller
- Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 16 Goller
- Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
- Morgan Williams OH Metro 16 Travel
- Ryan Sadler OH A5 16-1 Gabe
- Sofia Guerrero-Wilson A5 16-1 Gabe
- Kalyssa Taggart S A5 16-1 Gabe
- Leilani Lawrence OH OT 16 JP
- Elle Mottola S WPVC 16 Armour Black
Outlook: That only two teams are qualified and the field is maxed-out at 48, getting the job done this weekend in 16 Open is no small task. GP and A5 are the two teams who don’t need to sweat it, but the rest is up against it. The thing about the other ranked teams, they have been somewhat up-and-down this weekend and that makes for plenty of unpredictability. Any of them can get hot at the right time and pull through. NKYVC and Elevation might be slightly ahead of the pack, but there is no guarantees either will qualify. Metro is getting better after playing at Sunshine and MEQ. WPVC and Academy Diamond are both capable of earning bids as well.
Prediction: A5 showed well at Sunshine then qualified at MEQ. This is the weekend A5 wins a qualifier, beating Elevation in the final. NKYVC and TAV Houston tie for third and qualify as well.
*****
15 OPEN
Number of Teams: 38
Number of Bids: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (1): A5 15-1 Kelly
Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (6):
- 4. OT 15 Randy FL
- 6. A5 15-1 Kelly GA
- 16. Excel 15 National Red TX
- 43. GP 15 Rox FL
- 44. Elevation 15 Tony OH
- 48. AZ Sky 15G AZ
5-Star Players to Know:
- Marissa Jones S A5 15-1 Kelly
4-Star Players to Know:
- Kailey Leonard L/DS A5 15-1 Kelly
- Kylee Evans MB A5 15-1 Kelly
- Natalie Norton OH Excel 15 National Red
- Kamryn Mullican S/RS Excel 15 National Red
- Hailey Mueller OH Triangle 15 Black
- Sophie Puleo OH OT 15 Randy
- Mia Diouf RS GP 15 Rox
- Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 15 Tony
Outlook: The 15 Open race is wide open. A5 is the only team, surprisingly, with a bid. That means trickle-down can’t extend past fourth place. OT Randy is a top contender and a team to watch out for the most in terms of qualifying. Excel is another one to follow. After that, there is a big gap in the rankings but that only means it’s a great opportunity for another team or two to pull through. There’s always the chance of an unranked team getting a bid too. It’s really anyone’s game the way this division is set up.
Prediction: I’m going with OT Randy holding seed and winning it all. Excel finishes runner-up, while A5 and Elevation tie for third. AZ Sky beats out Academy Diamond for the final bid.
*****
14 OPEN
Number of Teams: 24
Number of Bids: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a
Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (6):
- 3. A5 14-1 Helen GA
- 5. OT 14 Laura FL
- 12. Elevation 14 Molly OH
- 13. AZ Sky 14G AZ
- 30. CJV 14 Mizuno NC
- 44. ARVC 14-1 Adidas NM
5-Star Players to Know:
- Leilani Lamar OH OT 14 Laura
4-Star Players to Know:
- Jamie Carnes MB CJV 14 Mizuno
- Molly Monday S/RS OT 14 Laura
- Izzie Penrose L/DS OT 14 Laura
- Bethany Benjamin L/DS A5 14-1 Helen
Outlook: Of the Open divisions, 14 is the smallest field. The interesting part is that there is no teams at Big South with a bid already. That’s very unusual for this event. It means finishing in the top three to earn a bid. There’s no question A5 and OT are the favorites to qualify. If it plays out that way, the real questions becomes which team joins them? At this age, anything can happen and it’s likely upsets on Days 1 and 2 is going to create mismatches on Day 3.
Prediction: The pick is Elevation upsetting OT in the final. A5 outlasts CJV for third and the final bid.
