Bluegrass

Day 3 at the Adidas Bluegrass Volleyball Tournament was filled with excitement as Championship Sunday kicked off. The battle for the gold was fierce and electric which you can read about in the Bluegrass: Gold Medal rundown. But beyond the top prize buzz, athletes and spectators alike were revved up, ready to start the day with high energy and great expectations for the matches to come. Witnessing the 18’s compete on Sunday was a special highlight for me. Having tracked the progress of these young talents over the years, it was deeply gratifying to see them perform at the peak of their abilities. With the club season reaching its crescendo in these final months, their display of skill and determination was a testament to their growth and the bright future that lies ahead in their volleyball careers. While the majority of my attention was on the older age groups, I made sure to steal moments to watch the blossoming talent among the 12’s and 13’s divisions. These young athletes are the ones to watch; they’re the up-and-comers destined to shake up the volleyball scene. And bonus for me was being able to see teams that didn’t head to Triple Crown last month. Nationals are going to be intense once we get all the age group top dogs in one gym! Trust me. AND as these young athletes continue to compete and hone their skills, they are sure to add an exciting dimension to volleyball with their developing talents, enthusiasm, and potential to become the next big players in the scene. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 18 Black: Gaerte, a 5-star Notre Dame signee, makes attacking on the pins look easy. She hits over blocks with ease, making her a major offensive force for her squad. Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 18 Black: Ball, a 3-star Central Florida signee, is very aggressive and does a good job connecting with her hitters and moving the ball around to keep them involved. Laura Eichert OH WVBA 18 Adidas: Eichert, a 2026 3-star recruit, was bringing big-time offense and helping power the attack along. One she gets started it’s hard to slow her down. Lauren Harden  OH Academy 18E Rage: Harden, a 5-star Florida signee, brings the heat on the outside and overpower defenders from wherever she swings. Macy Hinshaw S Munciana 18 Samurai: Hinshaw, a 4-star Santa Clara signee, can spread the ball around and take advantage of the pieces the offense has to offer. She’s a competitor too and doesn’t back down. Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami: Hunt, a 4-star Washington signee, is a known presence in the middle blocker position but one thing she doesn’t get enough attention for is her smart net play. She sees the court incredibly well. Emilee Fuller S Adidas KIVA 17 Red: Fuller ran the show for her squad this weekend incredibly well. She has nice hands and can fling it from pin to pin with ease. Charlotte Glass S Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Glass, a 5-star recruit committed to Duke, is so fluid and a reliable setter with strong hands. She is also incredibly deceptive when setting in the front row. Zoey Matias L Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Matias, a 4-star recruit committed to Missouri, is fun to watch. She makes both precise and acrobatic moves defensively with ease. Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 161E Gold: Shondell, a 4-star recruit, is a bit undersized but don’t let that fool you. She is a top notch athlete who connects well with her hitters. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 161E Gold: Miles, a 4-star recruit, has a huge arm. She is an athlete who extends well and cranks with ease. Lily Bosworth MB Illini Elite 16 Cardinal:l Bosworth, a 4-star recruit, is  long and can put up a big block to slow down attackers with. She also hits at a  high contact point. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 15 Blue: Comer, a 5-star recruit, is a handful in the middle. She moves laterally quickly providing great defense and then can switch gears and crank on the ball offensively. Shania Rhamy OH Munciana 15 Blue: Rhamy is a threat front and back row. She jumps and swings well and can unleash impressive kills from everywhere on the court. Penelope Reisman S Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Reisman, a 2028 3-star recruit, does well distributing the ball and mixing up her sets. She has a nice touch and locates well. Jillian Forrest  MB Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Forrest is a middle to watch grow in the game. She owns the net defensively. Audrey Utterback OH Circle City 14 Purple: I have one word that describes Utterback, a 3-star recruit, which is explosive. And like her sister she can sky on the pins. Charlee Groninger S Circle City 14 Purple: Groninger, a 3-star recruit, sets with a high contact point and moves the ball with ease. Paislee Terry S Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Terry moves the ball well on the court. She is strong and has a great touch. Abbie Powell MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Powell, a 3 star recruit, just keeps getting better. She has a fast arm swing topped off with whip of an arm. Miranda Ludwick L Elevation 13 S J: Ludwick did a solid job patrolling the back row. She was passing consistently and helping keeps her squad in rallies by making digs. Abby Mccory OH Circle City 13 Purple: Mccory is a spitfire on the outside. She is scrappy and not afraid to swing. Story Nixon S Boiler Jrs 121E Gold: Nixon might be smaller than most on the court but she ran her team seamlessly in the setters role. She has great hands and dishes well to her hitters. Maggie Widmer OH Boiler Jrs 121E Gold: Widmer connected well on the outside. She has a heavy hand and is very consistent offensively. Natalie Bowman L Elevation 12 Berg: Bowman held it down in serve receive and defensively. She has great technique and is not scared to get “dirty”.

The 30th anniversary of the Adidas Bluegrass tournament did not disappoint! Here is a rundown of the Open finals from Sunday. While I didn’t get to watch this 18s final match I did get to see both of these squads in the Gold Bracket all day. Team Pineapple 18 Black ended up sweeping WVBA 18 Adidas (25-17,25-12). A 5-star Notre Dame signee, Morgan Gaerte was on fire. She was hitting over or around blocks with ease. Her setter Mya Ball, a 3-star Central Florida signee, did a great job quarterbacking on the court too. And on the WVBA side of the net 2026 3-star recruit Laura Eichert was terminating balls on the regular in each match. The 17 Open match up ended with Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal defeating Adidas KIVA 17 Red in three sets (25-16, 24-26, 18-16). In game one KIVA couldn’t find their normal groove and Tribe was happy to jump on the opportunity. The second game was a bit closer where KIVA started to play like they have all weekend. In the end Tribe took the title with a 18-16 win in the third set. A couple of tidbits from the match includes the fact that one of KIVA’s middle 5-star Louisville commit Addison Makun was on the sideline cheering on her squad with a boot on. Another tidbit about both of these squads is that both of them genuinely look like they love playing together and have this feeling of fun on the court which I so love to see. And there were so many shining stars on the court for this matchup. On the KIVA side of the net setter and 3-star recruit Emilee Fuller was dishing with ease consistently while Libero Kristen Simon, a 5-star Wisconsin commit, was holding the line in serve receive and defensively. On the Tribe side of the net, Charlotte Glass, a 5-star recruit committed to Duke, was shining both in the assists department and offensively (her dump is pretty lethal). Also the pins 5-star Minnesota commit Kelly Kinney, 3-star Oklahoma commit Tekoa Barnes, and 4-star UCLA commit Mija Bendziute were continuously cranking on the ball with a vengeance. Boiler Jrs 161E Gold ended up sweeping Illini Elite 16 Cardinal in 2 sets (25-15,25-20) for the 16s Final. Boiler Jrs all weekend looked incredibly strong offensively and completely tenacious on defense. A 4-star recruit setter, Lexi Shondell and 4-star libero Ellie Hepler are a duo that literally betters their teammates. On the Illini Elite side of the net 4-star Lily Bosworth was a wall defensively in every match. That being said Illini Elite was the team I loved watching get better and better as the tournament went on. Passionate is how I would describe Munciana 15 Blue. In the finals their chemistry helped them defeat Tri-State Elite 15 Blue in 2 sets (25-19,28-26). That being said, Tri-State Elite really pushed their opponent and was another squad I loved to see get better and better as the tournament went on. Impact players for this match included Munciana athletes 5-star middle blocker Carsyn Comer and outside hitter Shania Rhamy along with Tri-State Elite middle blocker Jillian Forrest and 2028 3-star setter Penelope Reisman. Circle City 14 Purple played well this weekend and defeated Munciana 14 Chipmunks in 3 sets (25-16, 19-25, 15-13) in the finals. Circle City was led by 3-star outside hitter Audrey Utterback and 3-star setter Charlee Groninger while Munciana was led by middle blocker 3-star Abbie Powell and setter Paislee Terry. The 13s final was well in the afternoon (and I had to catch a flight) BUT Elevation 13 S J swept Circle City 13 Purple 25-20, 25-18. I watched both of these squads leading up to the finals and both squads have a ton of upcoming talent! Elevation was anchored by libero Miranda Ludwick while Circle City had outside hitter Abby Mccory firing away consistently. The 12s Finals are always fun to watch. Yes, serving is a huge force in the end BUT watch out for both of these squads in June. Boiler Jrs 121E Gold defeated Elevation 12 Berg in 2 sets (25-22, 25-17) and was the team that not only capitalized on being consistent but attacking well at the net. One thing about the Boilers you don’t see everyday is no libero on the court. And watch out for setter Story Nixon. She might be small but she is cunning. On the Elevation side of the net the S/MB duo of Kennedy Mallory and Anna Richter are always going to be going after it hard!

Hello Bluegrass! Not only is it my first time to this tournament, BUT it’s also the debut of the three-day tournament for 15-18 Open. That being said, since we started in the PM I took the opportunity to walk from court to court to watch as many matches as possible. Tons of top notch talent were on the courts and it will make the next two days fun to watch. This afternoon I saw two pairs of defensive gems who both stood out to me on their respective squads. Liberos Yana Tuioti and Sidney Ginter on NPJ Salem 16 National both were balling out respectively on their court. TPV 18-Maverick libero Julianna Santiago, a Tennessee signee, and defensive specialist Layla Haritatos, a North Dakota State signee, were fun to watch work in tandem on the court. Their energy was contagious also. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Addison Tindall OH Munciana 18 Samurai:  Tindall, a 5-star Purdue commit, was literally ripping on the outside. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 18 Elite: Bullington, a 4-star Northwestern commit, always brings the heat anywhere she is on the court. Julianna Santiago L TPV 18-Maverick: Santiago, a Tennessee signee, is a gamer. She’s quick and covers ground in a hurry. She can be seen flying all over the court in pursuit of the ball. Natalie Carr OH Pgh Elite 17 Elite: Carr, a 4-star recruit, is a steadying six-rotation player who does just about everything for her squad. She’s very strong and powerful when she goes on the attack. Abbey Emch OH/MB Infinity 17 Green: Emch, a 4-star Pitt commit, is a six-rotation outside/middle blocker who can terminate everywhere on the court. Malia Romes MB Athlete HQ 17-Burger: Romes, a 2026 athlete playing up, can make an impact across the front row. She has a quick arm and adds an offensive dimension to the attack. Maya Harris OH Munciana 17 Pandas: Harris, another 2026 playing up, has an unassuming demeanor about her but she shouldn’t be underestimated. She can really lay into kills with her lively swing. Reese Lowe OH FaR Out 17 Black: Lowe is an outside with a knack for scoring. She’s a physical, hard swinger and plays with lots of fight. Daisy Oatsvall OH Alliance 17 REN: While Oatsvall is technically an undersized outside, she can literally fly. So much fun to watch! Victoria Otter MB Ozark Juniors 17 Elite: Otter ran one of the prettiest slide attacks I have seen in a while. She always provides a great first layer of defense. Madison Hooper OH Ozark Juniors 17 Elite: Hooper, 3-star recruit, has a great swing and really gets after it attacking the block and hitting with pace. Clara Hoegh S Kairos 17 Alpha: Hoegh, a Augustana commit, was running the show for her squad. She’s a competitor with a strong ability to dish the ball around to her hitters. Delaney Steers OH Academy 17E Tsunami: Steers, a 3-star recruit, is an effective scorer on the court. She also brings great energy to the floor. Abigail Knight OH/RS SPVB 16 Elite: Knight, a 3-star recruit, does well on both pins offensively and defensively. Brooklynne Brass OH SPVB 16 Elite: Brass, a 3-star recruit, is a firecracker on the outside. She has an incredibly fast swing to boot. Kendall Bosse MB Tri-State Elite 16 Blue: Bosse, 3-star recruit, might not be the tallest middle in the gym but she can attack incredibly fast and beats the block on the regular. Finley Arp OH FaR Out 16 Black: Arp is a six-rotation player who is a smart attacker with a fluid swing who can score in multiple ways. Lily Bosworth Illini Elite 16 Cardinal: Bosworth, 4-star recruit, is a literal wall at the net defensively. She moves well laterally quickly and efficiently. Cassidy Monahan MB Illini Elite 16 Cardinal: Monahan brings good energy, has a solid arm and was showing a knack for making timely blocks. Jada Johnson OH/RS NPJ Salem 16 National: Johnson is an undersized pin who not only jumps well but brings a lot of athleticism and fire to the court. Lily Mae Buerkle S NPJ Salem 16 National: Buerkle does a great job quarterbacking her squad. She dishes the ball with ease. Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami: Dyas, a 4-star recruit, has the ability to make impacts on both side of the ball. She has a quick jump, which helps her be both a reliable scorer and effective blocker. Macie Smith OH Academy 16E Yeti: Smith, 3-star recruit, might not be the flashiest outside but she knows how to both terminate and play smoothly. Piper Batie S Ozark Juniors 16 Elite: Batie moves the ball around well to get her various hitters involved. She shows consistent accuracy with a consistent release. Mia Gold OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Gold, a 4-star recruit, is a combination of a calm and smooth outside who has no fear swinging and likes to bring the heat. Kendall Hubbard S Elevation 15 Tony: Hubbard, a 3-star recruit, dishes the ball from pin to pin with ease. She is also a force at the net. Kinley Sandager RS TPV 15-Maverick: Sandager is a lefty with a whip of an armswing who when she connects she can crush.

The 2023 edition of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament has come and gone. vballrecruiter.com highlighted our Day 1 and 2 Show Stoppers, as well as a gold medal rundown. Lastly, we bring you are All-Tournament selections from the two-day event in Louisville. 17 OPEN OUTSIDES Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami Alivia Skidmore NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Morgan Gaerte Team Pineapple 17 Black Chloe Smith Adidas KiVA 17 Red MIDDLES Julia Hunt NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue Abbie Cresse Empowered 17 Elite Black RIGHT SIDES Emma Closurdo Adidas KiVA 17 Red Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Ella Holloway Memphis VBA 17 Red SETTERS Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Leah Richmond Academy 17 Tsunami SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Kiana Dinn Tri-State Elite 17 Blue LIBEROS/DS Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Mackenzie Cogan Elevation 17 Ulland *** 16 OPEN OUTSIDES Bella Bullington SPVB 16 Elite Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red Anna Powell Adidas KiVA 16 Red Bridget Egan Adidas KiVA 16 Red MIDDLES Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple Kayla Channell AVC Cle 16 Red Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red RIGHT SIDES Lauren Coyne SPVB 16 Elite Bailey Blair Adidas KiVA 16 Red Caroline Moore Tri-State Elite 16 Blue SETTERS Audrey Asleson SPVB 16 Elite Melina Schrader Munciana 16 Blaze Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Isabela Haggard Adidas KiVA 16 Red LIBEROS/DS Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon Adidas KiVA 16 RED *** 15 OPEN OUTSIDES Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Karis Chatfield Far Out 15 Black MaryKate Scheumann Team Pineapple 15 Black MIDDLES Josie Noble Far Out 15 Black Audrey Dyas NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami D’Aira Whitner AVC Cle 15 Red RIGHT SIDES Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Addison Buckner AVC Cle 15 Red SETTERS Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Addyson Bianchini NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black Mallory Johnson Far Out 15 Black Emma Frietch NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami *** 14 OPEN OUTSIDES Maisie Jones Tri-State Elite 14 Blue Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red Jentelle McNairl Alliance 14 Ren MIDDLES Carsyn Comer Munciana 14 Chipmunks Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RIGHT SIDES Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTERS Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Maria Schulte NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Lucy Moriarty HPSTL 14 Royal Kendyl Strack Munciana 14 Chipmunks Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Molly

It’s always a matter of who is going to step up and who is going to star on the final day of any tournament. It was no different as the conclusion of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament played out Sunday in Louisville. You can see which teams ended up on top here. Below, you can read about the Day 2 Show Stoppers featuring the players who caught our attention the most. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Annabelle Groomes OH AVC Cle 16 Red: Groomes, a 5-star recruit, is showing there is very little she can’t do on the court. We’ve seen Groomes three times this season already and the first two she was setting and hitting in playing a vital role. In Louisville, the lefty was playing six-rotations on the outside and doing it very well. What value her versatility has! Mallory Johnson L/DS Far Out 15 Black: Part of the Class of 2027, Johnson is playing up and playing well. She plays under control and is a sound passer and defender. Josie Noble MB Far Out 15 Black: Noble was a big factor. She brought offense to the lineup with her ability to thud balls to the floor. She also puts up a strong block. Alana Bailey MB Far Out 15 Black: Bailey is a bit undersized in the middle but she’s quick and gets off the ground very well. She gives Far Out another scoring option. Karis Chatfield OH Far Out 15 Black: Chatfield is the six-rotation mainstay for Far Out and she brings a lot of fire and competitiveness to the lineup. Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: NKYVC isn’t going to be anyone based on size alone, but Dyas does bring a much-needed presence to the front row. She’s a strong hitter and blocker and she can swing the match to NKYVC’s favor when she checks in. Addyson Bianchini S/RS NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Bianchini is an upbeat two-way player who sets and hits. She has a nice release and locates well and can also help out providing offense. Kirsten Kemper S NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Kemper sets across the back row and she also has a nice delivery and consistent location. Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: The 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 is must-watch volleyball! That Ward is still in eighth-grade and is as smooth as she is makes for a fun time. She gets up effortlessly and can simply unload on balls. Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 4-star recruit, Hepler owns the back row. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive and you can tell opponents work on keeping the ball away from her as she’s not one to target. Sophia Gisslen S Team Pineapple 15 Black: A 3-star recruit, Gisslen knows how to get the job done. She’s an even-keeled setter who does a great job leading and guiding the offense. Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black: Haffner, a 4-star recruit, is another defender who anchors the back row and can make all the plays needed. She’s rarely off the mark with her passing. MaryKate Scheumann OH Team Pineapple 15 Black: Team Pineapple was certainly benefitting from Scheumann and her aggressiveness on the attack. Scheumann wasn’t holding back and was taking big-time swings on the left and scoring consistently. D’Aira Whitner MB AVC Cle 15 Red: Whitner, a 3-star recruit, is a quick middle and that causes trouble for opponents. She can get up and swing before the block is formed. Brooke Codey OH Adidas KiVA 14 Red: A seventh-grader, Codey is the six-rotation anchor KiVA relies a lot on. She’s asked to take the big swings on the left and deliver in the clutch moments and she does a great job of it. Emily Poteraj MB Adidas KiVA 14 Red: Opponents know KiVA is going to set Poteraj the ball and they still struggle to slow her down. She has a nice arm and can generate pace. Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal: Sands is an active middle and someone HPSTL will look to get the ball to. Kendall Hubbard S Elevation 14 Molly: Hubbard usually runs a 6-2, hitting across the front. But Elevation was short-handed on Day 2 and thus Hubbard was running a 5-1. She did well in trying to incorporate all her hitters and looking to keep the defense guessing. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer was once again bringing her passion and play to the court and shining. She’s a big-time factor for Munciana when she’s on the floor and she gives them much-needed height across the front as well. Caroline Hanchar OH Munciana 14 Chipmunks: A bit undersized on the pin, Hanchar isn’t afraid to attack bigger blocks. She was taking aggressive cuts time and time again and helping deliver points to her side. Kendyl Strack L/DS Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Strack was holding it down in the back row and doing well helping keep Munciana in system. Jentelle McNairl OH Alliance 14 Ren: McNairl is an athletic outside and one to keep tabs on. She’s spring with a lively arm and she’s only going to get better and she gains more control and experience. Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red: A 4-star recruit, Makun can overwhelm opponents at time. She’s long and can hit straight down and it puts tons of pressure on opponents to try and defend her. Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: We wrote about Asleson on Day 1 and she was back doing her thing on Day 2. That’s not surprising. She’s a smooth disher who knows how to run an offense. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: A 4-star recruit, there was no one in the division with a bigger arm. Bullington was a force to be reckoned with.

One of the best parts of covering volleyball tournaments is seeing how they play out and then getting to make sense of the results. Bluegrass had plenty to sift through and tales to tell. The 14 Open gold medal went to host Adidas KiVA 14 Red. If you read the Preview and Predictions out last Thursday you would have seen KiVA picked to win it all in 14 Open. KiVA entered ranked No. 13 in our latest 14s Top 50 National Rankings. That was one spot behind No. 12 Elevation 14 Molly, which opened as the top seed having won Central Zone in January. I called for a KiVA-Elevation final, but that matchup came in the semifinals with KiVA sweeping, 25-19, 25-19. Instead, it was KiVA getting past a streaking HPSTL 14 Royal in the final, winning in three, 25-15, 25-27, 15-8. I say streaking in regards to HPSTL because HPSTL didn’t start off very strong but has come on as of late. Three weeks ago HPSTL fell twice to Mintonette Sports m.42 at the President Day’s Classic in St. Louis. However, just a week later HPSTL took second in 14 Open at the Sunshine Classic to earn its Open bid. There was no letdown either, as HPSTL navigated its way to the final in Louisville after clipping a sound Munciana 14 Chipmunks squad in the semis, 25-21, 10-25, 15-13. Munciana is ranked No. 18 nationally while HPSTL currently sits at No. 21. KiVA, meanwhile, lost just one match over the two days, falling to Munciana in Power Pool 2 action on Day 1. Another predicted result happened in 17 Open, where No. 9 and Triple Crown winner NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami downed No. 21 and Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami in the final, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12. In the preview I wrote, I speculated that NKYVC would avenge its Central Zone loss to Academy by beating Academy in the final in Louisville. Beating Academy in three was the only set NKYVC lost at Bluegrass, including beating No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red and No. 41 Boiler Jrs 17 Gold in Power Pool 2 as well as No. 23 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue in the semifinals. The 15 Open final came down to the two highest nationally-ranked clubs in the field in No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold and No. 8 NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami. NKYVC pulled off the modest upset, downing Boiler Jrs in straight sets, 25-19, 25-23. NKYVC struggled on Day 1 during Power Pool 2, losing to both No. 48 TVC 15 Black and No. 35 Team Pineapple 15 Black before coming on during Day 2. It proved to be another hometown victory in 16 Open, as host Adidas KiVA 16 Red outlasted SPVB 16 Elite in the final, 18-25, 25-21, 15-9. KiVA entered as the third-highest ranked team in the field, sitting at No. 23 behind No. 11 Circle City 16 Purple and No. 19 AVC Cle 16 Red. Sports Performance entered unranked as it hadn’t played a travel tournament yet but certainly will be ranked in the Top 20 come the next update. KiVA, which lost a tough three-setter in Power Pool 2 to No. 24 Tri-State Elite 16 Blue on Day 1, was the only club to top SPVB in Louisville. There was a surprise in 18 Open when No. 30 Elevation 18 Spinney upset No. 3 Munciana 18 Samurai in the final, 25-23, 26-24. Elevation lost its first match of the weekend to No. 15 Circle City 18 Purple in Power Pool 2 play before winning six matches in a row and winning gold. Stay tuned for more coverage from Bluegrass as we still have the Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament teams to announce.

The highest-seeded clubs spent the opening day of the Bluegrass Tournament in power pools, their spots in Sunday’s challenge rounds guaranteed. For the rest, it was business as usual, aiming to break pool to remain in contention. Those that managed to stay in the hunt will get their shot at pulling off upsets of the power pool participants on Day 2 when the gold medals will be awarded. In 14 Open, Elevation 14 Molly – the top seed and winner of Central Zone – looked good in going 3-0 by sweeping Far Out 14 Black, HPSTL 14 Royal – which has already qualified for 14 Open – and Munciana Indy 14 Otters. Munciana 14 Chipmunks was the only other power-pool squad to go 3-0 in the 14s as Muncie took care of Adidas KiVA 14 Red, AVC Cle 14 Red and Lex United 14 Adidas all in straight sets. For seeding purposes, it was NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami gaining first place in Power Pool 3 after finishing tied with Tri-State Elite 14 Blue at 2-1. NKYVC swept the head-to-head against Tri-State to get first. Of the non-power pool teams, Alliance 14 Ren, Maverick 14 Elite and Circle City 14 Purple all went 3-0 in winning their pools. However, it was EliteVBTC 14 Black which arguably had the best day of any 14 Open team. Elite went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in Pool 5 to drastically improve its seeding. Another age group going off in the morning was 16 Open, which featured two power pools. SPVB 16 Elite shined in one of them while the other pool featured mixed results. SPVB took down a solid group of teams in Circle City 16 Purple, Munciana 16 Blaze and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami. In the other pool, AVC Cle 16 Red, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue all finished at 2-1 overall and 5-3 in sets. KiVA took first based on points percentage, followed by AVC and Tri-State. OPVC 16 Robinson was the fourth team in the pool and went 3-0 against the stiff competition. It started with AVC outlasting Tri-State in three games. Tri-State then clipped KiVA in three before KiVA closed out the pool by edging AVC in three. The top teams in 17 Open all finished 3-0 in their respective pools. Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami fared the best of the trio. NKYVC was the only one not to lose a set, sweeping Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Hurricanes Category 7 in Power Pool 2. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue was part of a perfect Power Pool 3. And by perfect I mean every match in the pool went to three sets! That’s a long day for everyone involved, but it was Tri-State prevailing in all three it played. Union 17-1 UA finished 2-1 followed by Elevation 17 Ulland at 1-2 and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal at 0-3. The same thing was close to happening in Power Pool 1. Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami sweeping Team Pineapple 17 Black in the opening match was the only one of the six not to go the distance. Academy eventually took the pool by fending off Memphis Academy 17 Red and Maverick 17 Elite. The biggest result in 15 Open came with AVC Cle 15 Red knocking off top-seeded Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in Power Pool A. That’ll shake up the seedings for Sunday’s challenge pools and beyond. AVC finished on top at 3-0, having also downed Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite. Both second-seeded NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and third-seeded Elevation 15 Tony lost as well in their pools. That’s only going to shake up the seedings further. In Power Pool B, it was Team Pineapple 15 Black at 3-0 which wound up in first place. TVC 15 Black also picked up a big victory over NKYVC to finish at 2-1, ahead of NKYVC at 1-2. Far Out 15 Black topped Elevation in the last match of Power Pool C to finish 3-0. Elevation came in second at 2-1. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze: Schrader does a great job moving the ball around and mixing it up for an undersized offensive group overall. She has precise location and puts the ball in a hittable window very consistently. Shanese Williams MB/RS Munciana 16 Blaze: I’m glad I caught Williams again. There was simply too many players to write about from Triple Crown and Williams certainly could have been mentioned for her play on Day 2 against Drive Nation 16 Red. Williams was doing her thing again, banging away from the right side and adding pop to the Munciana attack. Lilly Howell MB Munciana 16 Blaze: Howell is the tallest player for Munciana and she made an impact across the front row. She has a big arm and Munciana likes to take advantage of that, setting her as often as they can when she’s lined up on the left. Aubrey Anders MB AVC Cle 16 Red: Anders is a quick jumper. She gets up quick and is tough for defenses to time. She also showed off a nice arm putting balls down to the ground. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: There’s no questioning that Bullington – a 4-star recruit – has a massive arm. She was blasting balls repeatedly. She’s another quick jumper who just gets off the floor and lets it rip! Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: Asleson is currently a 3-star recruit who’ll be moving up to 4 stars in the next update. She’s a smoother disher with a clean, consistent release and she locates well. Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: If I was handing out a personal pick for Day 1 MVP, it would go to Haggard. She was a key ingredient to KiVA’s lineup. She was playing with lots of energy and spirit, was setting well and was swinging with a purpose in helping her team in many ways. Bailey Blair