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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

March 30, 2023

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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PNQ 16-18s: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 23, 2023

One of the events on the schedule this coming weekend includes the opening act of the Pacific Northwest Qualifier on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Spokane. The older ages are up first, featuring the 16-18s. We check on the Open divisions and give our hunch on how things might go. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Absolute 18 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (3): 17. NPJ 18 Forefront 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 43. Excel 18 National Red   5-Star Athletes To Know Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU)   4-Star Athletes To Know Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Havannah Hoeft S Rage Westside 18 Michelle (LMU) Emma Donley OH Rage Westside 18 Michelle (Cal) Sophia Gregoire-Salagean OH OJVA 18 Gold (Oregon) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Fatimah Hall S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront (Washington, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: It’s the last 18s qualifier of the year and three teams still have an opportunity to clinch a bid outright. Unlike the past two weekends where we’ve seen fields packed with previously-qualified at Red Rock and MEQ lead to more at-larges, we are guaranteed to award all three bids at PNQ. In fact, with Absolute 18 Black the only team in the field with bids we are going to see high drama playing out. Teams are going to have to finish at least fourth or better because trickle down can’t extend past that. And that’s if Absolute play a factor in trickle down. If not, it’ll take a fourth or even third-place performance to qualify. The prediction is NPJ beating Long Beach for gold. Long Beach gets its bid, as does Excel 18 National Red. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 31 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Coast 17-1 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (9): 6. HJV 17 Elite 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 29. Madfrog 17 Green 34. AJV 17 Adidas 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 36. City 17 Gold 42. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar   5-Star Athletes To Know Charlie Fuerbringer S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (Wisconsin) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Kennedy Osunsanmi RS City 17 Gold Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold (Duke) Savannah Skopal S AJV 17 Adidas (Rice) Alice Volpe L/DS HJV 17 Elite (TCU) Zoe Humphrey MB HJV 17 Elite (UCLA) Abby Hoybjerg OH SynergyForce 17 Patrick (BYU) Lainee Pyles OH Madfrog 17 Green (LSU) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: Much like 18 Open, with Coast 17-1 the only team with a bid, there isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to qualifying. It’s going to take at least a top four finish if not better. Coast earned its bid at Red Rock and is certainly one of the top contenders. There’s a good chance Coast plays into qualifying through trickle down. But which teams the bids go to is up in the air. Vision 17 Gold, SCVC 17 Roxy and SG Elite 17 Rosh were all in the mix on the final day of Red Rock and figure to be in the same position at PNQ. HJV 17 Elite – at No. 6 – is the highest-ranked team in the field and will have a say. Two more Texas squads in AJV 17 Adidas and Madfrog 17 Green are also candidates to qualify. Like any qualifier, a lot is going to depend on how the gold pools break based on any upsets or surprises from the previous two days. The pick is SCVC beating Coast in the final. Taking home bids along with SCVC are HJV and SG Elite. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (6): 13. Coast 16-1 27. ID Crush 16 Bower 33. AJV 16 Adidas 35. Absolute 16 Black 37. NorCal 16-1 Black 48. Norco 16 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (2026)   4-Star Athletes To Know Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower Elizabeth Bower L/DS ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Brooklyn Hardy MB ID Crush Bower (2026)   Outlook/Prediction: The good news is there are only six teams of the 24 in attendance from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings competing this weekend. The bad news is with no previously-qualified teams in the field it’s going to take a top-three showing to get one of the three bids in play. Coast 16-1 and ID Crush 16 Bower were in the hunt on the last day of Red Rock are start here among the top favorites. Absolute 16 Black had a tough showing at Red Rock and was eliminated on Day 1. That’ll have Absolute hungry to make a deep run here and is a team to watch for. NorCal 16-1 Black hasn’t played on national stage since Triple Crown and is another team capable of qualifying. Unranked teams to follow are Oaks 16 Gold, Vision 16 Gold and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar. Any one of the three could surprise this weekend and qualify. The selection is Coast beating ID Crush in the final, while the final bid goes to NorCal over Vision.

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MEQ 14s: Preview And Prediction (FREE)

March 23, 2023

It’s a different MEQ schedule this year, with the older ages taking up the opening weekend before the attention shifts to half of the younger ages this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): OT 14 Laura; HPSTL 14 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 5. Skyline 14 Royal 7. OT 14 Laura 10. MAVS KC 14-1 12. Elevation 14 Molly 21. HPSTL 14 Royal 27. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal 30. Austin Skyline 14 Royal 33. HJV 14 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.41 36. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 45. KC Power 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite   4-Star Athletes To Know Bryn Meyer OH Mintonette Sports m.41 Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 14 Molly   Other Players To Know Maria Schulte S/RS NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lola Waleskowski OH NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lilly Tierney MB NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Marlee Steiner MB HPSTL 14 Royal Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal Peyton Heatherly S/RS Lions 14-1 Audrey Davis RS Circle City 14 Purple Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura (2026) Laven Blumoff L/DS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo S/RS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu OH Austin Skyline 14 Royal Ryan Spencer OH Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett OH Skyline 14 Royal Izabelle Buchholz MB Skyline 14 Royal Dakota Huynh L/DS Skyline 14 Royal Savanna Stacey OH Elevation 14 Molly Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 14 Molly Victoria Belfort OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal   Outlook/Prediction: A strong field is chasing three bids. With both OT 14 Laura and HPSTL 14 Royal coming in with prior bids it’ll be interesting to see if trickle down plays a role or not. It’s possible for trickle down to reach fifth place but teams can’t rely on that happening. Skyline 14 Royal, MAVS KC 14-1 and Elevation 14 Molly have been among the more consistent teams in the field but the 14s can improve in a hurry so anything is possible this weekend. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Austin Skyline 14 Royal and HJV 14 Elite are contenders to bid, as are Mintonette Sports m.41, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite. Or what about an unranked team like Lions 14-1 or MN Select 14-1? In the end, OT wins it all by beating Tribe in the final. Skyline and Elevation also earn bids.

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Northern Lights 15-16s: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 22, 2023

The final weekend of the Northern Lights Qualifier is happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Minneapolis. We take a look at 15 and 16 Open and offer thoughts on how it might play out. 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Hou Skyline 16 Royal; Drive Nation 16 Red; MKE Sting 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (9): 2. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 3. Drive Nation 16 Red 4. 1st Alliance 16 Gold 5. Hou Skyline 16 Royal 14. MKE Sting 16 Gold 22. OT 16 Roberto 34. Excel 16 National 16 Red 36. Northern Lights 16-1 45. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 5-Star Athletes To Know Suli Davis OH Drive Nation 16 Red Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Drive Nation 16 Red Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 16 Royal Bayleigh Minor MB Hou Skyline 16 Royal Bailey Warren OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold 4-Star Athletes To Know Addison Horner S/RS 1st Alliance 16 Gold Rebekah Pfefferkorn MB Hou Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Porter OH/RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Morgan Madison L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Ella Lewis OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH/RS Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Alex Richter OH/RS Drive Nation 16 Red Taryn Morris RS Drive Nation 16 Red Sophia Thornburg OH Drive Nation 16 Red Sarah Mendoza L/DS Drive Nation 16 Red Outlook/Prediction: The field isn’t as large as recent qualifiers like Red Rock or MEQ, but the depth is strong. As we are getting later into qualifying season, trickle down is going to play more and more a factor. That should be the case this weekend with this division. A few of the top teams already have bids in No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and No. 14 MKE Sting 14 Gold, which qualified this past weekend in Indy and is going back-to-back. That trio having bids makes a big difference and opens the door for others instead of having to compete with them. The two top bid favorites are second-ranked Nebraska One 16 Synergy and No. 4 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Both are strong enough to qualify without the benefit of trickle down. It’s wide open after that for the final bid. And with trickle down possibly extending down to sixth place, there are many paths to qualifying and thus with it plenty of opportunity for drama. The pick to win it all is Hou Skyline, which beats 1st Alliance in the final. Joining 1st Alliance in qualifying are Nebraska One and Northern Lights 16-1.   *** 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 40 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 9. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 11. Pohaku 15-1 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 16. AP 15 Adidas 18. Dynasty 15 Black 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 26. Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal 28. A5 15 Bob 31. WPVC 15 Armour Black 40. MKE Sting 15 Gold 44. Michio 15 National 45. Triangle 15 Black 47. Excel 15 National Red 50. Northern Lights 15-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 15-1 Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Gabby Divita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas 4-Star Athletes To Know Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Mia Gold OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Nadi’ya Shelby MB Hou Skyline 15 Royal Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 15 Royal Madeline Kraft L/DS Northern Lights 15-1 Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 15 Gold Sofia Guerrero-Wilson MB A5 15 Bob Eva Swenson S/RS MN Select 15-1 Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1 Natalie Surges OH MKE Sting 15 Gold Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 15 Gold Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob Outlook/Prediction: With No. 26 Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal the only qualified team participating in 15 Open, it’s a much different scenario than 16 Open. For starters, trickle down can only go to fourth place at most, and that’s if Tribe finishes in the top three. It’s a much more likely scenario that in order to qualifying teams are going to have to finish in the top three. It’s also a much larger field than 16 Open, including eight teams ranked in the Top 30 of vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. Legacy 15-1 Adidas finished fourth at Sunshine in its first attempt to get its bid and is among the teams to the top of the list to watch for. Pohaku 15-1 hasn’t played on a national stage since Triple Crown, but enters as the No. 1 overall seed. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami – which at No. 8 is the highest-ranked team in our Top 50 – is coming off a victory at Bluegrass earlier this month and is also another bid favorite. Keep eyes on the Texas trio of Hou Skyline 15 Royal, AP 15 Adidas and Drive Nation 15 Red, as well as Dynasty 15 Black and A5 15 Bob. Yet, as we keep seeing the lower-ranked teams can’t be counted out. Last week, it was No. 42 Boiler Jrs 17 Gold coming through and earning a bid in 17 Open at MEQ. Either MKE Sting 15 Gold or Michio 15 National could be this week’s surprises. It comes down to Pohaku beating Legacy in the final as both earn bids. The final bid goes to NKYVC beating AP in the third-place contest.

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Northern Lights: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 16, 2023

The younger ages are a bit behind in their qualifying process but will quickly catch up in the coming weeks. On tap this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the Northern Lights national qualifier in Minneapolis. Part of the action there features 14 Open, which we take a look at below. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 28 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 1. TAV 14 Black 6. AP 14 Adidas 8. Drive Nation 14 Red 14. Forza1 14 One 17. Legacy 14-1 Adidas 24. GP 14 Rox 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal 34. Northern Lights 14-1 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold 41. Kairos 14 Alpha 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 46. Academy 14 Diamond 50. Triangle 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite Nyla Livings OH TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 14 Black   4-Star Athletes To Know Lexi Martin OH Drive Nation 14 Red Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 14 Black Gentry Barker OH TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 14 Black Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 14 Black Naomi Livings OH TAV 14 Black Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas Evie Pool MB Forza1 14 One Kiersten Moore S Forza1 14 One Ella Johnson OH Forza 14 One   Outlook/Prediction: There are no previously-qualified teams in the field, so it’s clear cut what has to happen to earn a bid. Teams must finish in the top three to qualify. Obviously, Triple Crown winner and top-ranked TAV 14 Black is a strong favorite to come out ahead of the pack. This will be the first national test since Triple Crown for many in attendance and no doubt some will be vastly improved even in the short amount of time. Over half the teams in the field are ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, so anything could happen given this age group. Both No. 6 AP 14 Adidas and No. 8 Drive Nation 14 Red are looking to back up their strong Triple Crown runs by qualifying in Minneapolis. A team like No. 14 Forza1 14 One is playing in its first national tournament and will look to catch up in a hurry with the rest. Legacy 14-1 Adidas, at No. 17, and No. 24 GP 14 Rox, are two more top contenders to get a bid. But as usual, there is likely to be a team from the lower-half of the rankings which breaks through. Northern Lights 14-1, Premier Nebraska 14 Gold and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite are all candidates for that, or will it be someone else? The final comes down to TAV beating GP. Both gets bids. The third-place match is AP topping Drive Nation for the final bid.

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MEQ: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 15, 2023

Let’s take a look at the upcoming Mideast Qualifier this Fri-Sun in Indianapolis. It’s a bit different than past years in that the feature ages are just 16s and up. The 15s are no longer part of this weekend and have moved to their own weekend. As it stands, that leaves us seeing how 16-18 Open might play out in Indy as teams continue their qualifying schedule. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (14): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; AVC Cle 18 Red; Circle City 18 Purple; CUVC 18 Titan; EC Power 18 Royal; Metro 18 Travel; Mintonette Sports m.81; MKE Sting 18 Gold; MN Select 18-1; OT 18 John; Paramount 18 VBC; Skyline 18 Royal; Triangle 18 Black; VC United 18 Elite vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (21): 8. AVC Cle 18 Red 9. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 10. Mintonette Sports m.81 13. Skyline 18 Royal 14. A5 18 Marc 15. Circle City 18 Purple 16. Metro 18 Travel 19. Legacy 18-1 Adidas 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 22. OT 18 John 23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue 24. Paramount 18 VBC 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 31. MN Select 18-1 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 36. Topeka Impact 18-1 37. MKE Sting 18 Gold 39. FC Elite 18 Elite 40. Triangle 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 47. VC United 18-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Mizuno (LSU) Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1 (Clemson) Olivia Swenson OH MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Milan Rex S Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Laurece Abraham MB Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Yale) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Kate Thibault L/DS MN Select 18-1 (Oregon) Ceci Gooch RS Skyline 18 Royal (Georgia) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordan Dailey MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Erin Kline S Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Mississippi State) Harley Kreck S Skyline 18 Royal (Baylor) Becca Kelley OH Skyline 18 Royal (Oregon) Brooklyn DeLeye OH Topeka Impact 18-1 (Kentucky) Kaia Caffee MB MN Select 18-1 (2024)   Outlook/Prediction: These later qualifiers for the 18s are getting a bit ridiculous. With 16 qualifiers on the schedule and most already played, we see a whopping 14 teams in the field which have already qualified. It’s even more than the 11 we saw with bids last weekend at the Red Rock Rave. Trickle down only goes to eighth place so it’s possible we don’t see a single team qualify and three more at-large bids created. Legacy 18-1 Adidas, at No. 19, and No. 20 Adidas KiVA 18 Red are the two highest-ranked teams without bids. KiVA is interesting because it usually doesn’t play in qualifiers but has the past two seasons at MEQ. This KiVA group is good enough to finish in the Top 8 and qualify. Legacy has some big wins and a few questionable losses, so Legacy can go either way. At No. 23, Tri-State Elite 18 Blue is playing its lone qualifier this season but will be challenged to finish in the Top 8. Elevation 18 Spinney – ranked No. 30 nationally – is coming off its victory at Bluegrass and doesn’t have a bid. Elevation could possible sneak into the Top 8. In the end, A5 beats OT John for gold. KiVA finishes Top 8 and qualifies. Two at-large bids go back into the field. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Dynasty 17 Black; Metro 17 Travel; Triangle 17 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (17): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 5. Triangle 17 Black 7. 1st Alliance 17 Gold 8. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 11. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 17. KC Power 17 Black 19. Metro 17 Travel 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 25. Miami Hype 17 Emilio 27. Skyline 17 Royal 31. AVC Cle 17 Red 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 38. Circle City 17 Purple 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gol (Purdue) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black (Arizona) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Ellie White S/OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Michigan) Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Kansas) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot OH Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Norte Dame) Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1 (Cincinnati) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17

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Red Rock Rave Week 2: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 9, 2023

Last week was split between multiple qualifiers and Bluegrass but the main focus this week is centered on Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring 16s and up. There are no other qualifiers or major national tournaments. vballrecruiter.com is making the journey for the three-day event. This event usually takes place later on the calendar. With it getting moved up earlier, it’s going to change the trickle-down situation in 16 and 17 Open. There are usually multiple teams with bids in the field but since the tournament is early this season only one team across the two divisions is previously qualified in Hou Skyline 17 Royal. Let’s take a look at the Open divisions and how they might play out. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 34 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (11): A4 Volley 18 Joaco; A5 18 Marc; Arizona Storm 18 Thunder; AZ Rev 18 Premier; AZ EVJ 18 Elite; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; MAVS 18-1; Sunshine 18 LA; Tstreet 18 Chandler; Wave 18 Juliana vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (13): 2. Coast 18-1 4. MAVS 18-1 5. Sunshine 18-1 6. HJV 18 Elite 11. Wave 18 Juliana 12. Club V 18 Ren Reed 14. A5 18 Marc 18. AZ Rev 18 Premier 21. Hou Skyline 18 Royal 27. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 44. Legacy Girls 18 Elite 50. Tstreet 18 Chandler   5-Star Athletes To Know: Noemie Glover RS Coast 18-1 (Oregon) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Marc (LSU) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Brooklyn Briscoe MB Coast 18-1 (UCLA) Koko Kirsch L/DS Wave 18 Juliana (Stanford) Bianka Lulic MB Coast 18-1 (Miami) Claire Little OH Coast 18-1 (BYU) Ava Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Notre Dame) Tori Davis MB Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Baylor) Lois Hansen RS Tstreet 18 Chandler (UCSB) Eva Travis OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (UCSB) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Zoe Rachow S Coast 18-1 (Tulane) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Fatimah Hall S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Auburn Tomkinson RS Wave 18 Juliana (Yale) Arya Jue L/DS A5 18 Marc (Yale) Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana (Maryland) Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana (Colorado) Cindy Tchouangwa OH HJV 18 Elite Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor) Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Long Beach State, 2024) Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: The 18s are in a different spot with qualifying going on since January. That’s why there are 11 teams already qualified. Trickle down can only go to eighth place, so it’s possible that no bids go out at all. Of course, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are a couple highly-ranked teams in No. 2 Coast 18-1 and No. 6 HJV 18 Elite have yet to earn their bids and I’m going out on a limb to say both will place at least in the Top 8 to qualify. At No. 28, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar is the only other team from Vballrecrutier.com’s Top 50 in the field without a bid. Considering the depth of field, it’s going to take work for Long Beach to crack the Top 8. Coast gets its bid by winning it all, downing MAVS 18-1 in the final. HJV also bids with the third going into the at-large pool. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 13. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 14. AZ Sky 17G 15. Momentous 17 Dan 16. Wave 17 Juliana 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 32. Club V 17 Ren Matthew 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 46. AZ Rev 17 Premier 49. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder   5-Star Athletes To Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (BYU) Lillian Croshaw MB Drive Nation 17 Red Levani Key-Powell OH Club V 17 Ren Reed (Utah) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Camden Bolane MB Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Shelby Burris MB Drive Nation 17 Red (2025) Lauren Lynch L/DS SG Elite 17 Rosh (2025) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: By all indications, this division is going to be a wild ride. Hou Skyline 17 Royal, having qualified last weekend at NEQ, is safe from the chaos but could definitely factor into the final outcomes by creating trickle down to fourth place. Drive Nation 17 Red enters has the highest-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 yet is anything but a lock. While Drive Nation finished tied for third at Triple Crown, it has been vulnerable at times. It’s a tournament where I see nine of the ranked teams having a legit shot at earning bids, down to No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh. The final two Top-50 teams in No. 46 AZ Rev 16 Premier and

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Red Rock Rave: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 2, 2023

It’s an earlier trip to Las Vegas than usual for those making their way to the Red Rock Rave taking place Saturday-Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The qualifier usually falls in April but is among the first to be held this season. This coming weekend is the first of back-to-back weekends and it features the younger ages vying for their bids. Below, we run through the 14 and 15 Open divisions to see how they might play out. 15 Open Number of Teams: 38 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (22): 1. Skyline 15 Royal 4. Madfrog 15 Green 5. TAV 15 Black 7. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder 10. SCVC 15 Roxy 12. Alamo 15 Premier 13. AZ Sky 15G 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 15. Wave 15 Brennan 18. Dynasty 15 Black 19. Forza1 North 15 One 21. HJV 15 Elite 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 29. SG Elite 15 Rosh 32. Actyve 15 Black 33. GP 15 Rox 34. Tstreet 15 Curtis 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier 39. Coast 15-1 41. Aspire 15 Premier 42. Club V 15 Ren Reed 46. MAVS 816 15-1   5-star Athletes To Watch Layla Austin OH Skyline 15 Royal Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black Brooke Harwood RS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 15 Brennan Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy   4-star Athletes To Watch Erin Clark L/DS/S Aspire 15 Premier Anna Flores S TAV 15 Black Ava McBride S/RS Actyve 15 Black Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier Emmerson Champagne MB/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Caroline Huseman OH TAV 15 Black Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black   Outlook/Prediction: With 20 teams in the field featured in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 it makes for a loaded field. With the only path to qualifying coming with a top-three finish, there are going to be plenty of unhappy teams heading home. On the flip side, for the fortunate few who are able to secure bids there is no doubt it will be well deserved. Skyline 15 Royal enters fresh off of winning Triple Crown and looking to keep the momentum going. Triple Crown runner-up SCVC 15 Roxy is also searching for a bid and will carry the confidence of its performance in KC with them to Vegas. Madfrog 15 Green, TAV 15 Black, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder, Alamo 15 Premier and AZ Sky 15G all fared well at Triple Crown too and any of them could walk away with a bid. A team like SG Elite 15 Rosh is ranked No. 29 but can’t be overlooked. SG was close to knocking off Boiler Jrs 15 Gold at Triple Crown. It’s that type of field where the one thing for sure is plenty of unexpected results are going to take place. The final comes down to Alamo knocking off Wave. Skyline takes the final bid.   *** 14 Open Number of Teams: 26 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder 3. Tstreet 14 Carson 4. Madfrog 14 Green 5. Skyline 14 Royal 10. MAVS KC 14-1 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 14. Forza1 14 One 15. Wave 14 Tammy 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier 19. Forza1 North 14 One 22. AZ Sky 14G 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver 33. HJV 14 Elite 47. Coast 14-1   Outlook/Prediction: Much like 15 Open, it’s going to take a special effort to come through with one of the three bids in play. There is no trickle down, so teams must place in the top three. That leaves very little if any wiggle room. Lots of eyes will be on the favorites like Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson, Madfrog 14 Green and Skyline 15 Royal. All showed strong at Triple Crown and it’s hard envisioning not one in the group earning a bid. It’s possible three of the four get bids. Still, it’s volleyball. Wave 14 Tammy was close to upsetting Arizona Storm in KC and could surprise. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is likely hungry to finish higher than it did at Triple Crown and get its bid out of the way. MAVS 14-1 can’t be forgotten about and certainly has what it takes to get the bid. It’s a tough field to predict, but the call goes to Tstreet beating Storm in the final. MAVS takes the third bid.

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Bluegrass Tournament: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 2, 2023

When the club schedule reaches March, it’s qualifying season to be sure. Still, not every tournament in March and April is centered on earning a bid for Junior Nationals. Take the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament for example. The two-day event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Louisville and is hosted by KiVA. That’s where I’m headed this weekend and will be on hand providing coverage. Given that, let’s take a look at what we might expect. Below, is a preview and prediction for the 14-18 Open age groups. 18 Open Number of Teams: 31 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Munciana 18 Samurai 15. Circle City 18 Purple 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 23. Tri-State 18 Elite 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 41. Far Out 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA   5-star Athletes To Watch Ramsey Gary L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Indiana) Lola Schumacher L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Wisconsin, 2024) Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 18 Black (2025)   4-star Athletes To Watch Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Charlotte Vinson OH/RS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025) Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 18 Black (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: Munciana 18 Samurai is the team to beat after taking bronze at Triple Crown. Munciana should run into familiar opponents in Tri-State Elite 18 Blue and Adidas KiVA 18 Red. All three are part of the Mideast Power League. Thrown into the mix in this tournament is SPVB 18 Elite, which will be seeing its stiffest competition of the season to date. Circle City 18 Purple just recently punched its ticket to 18 Open in Columbus after qualifying at Music City and is going to be among the top contenders. When the dust settles, look for Munciana lifting the trophy over SPVB. *** 17 Open Number of Teams: 38 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (7): 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 23. Tri-State 17 Blue 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-star Athletes To Watch Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (Purdue)   4-star Athletes To Watch Kiana Dinn S/RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (Pitt) Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alec Rothe OH/MB EliteVBTC 17 Black (Florida)   Outlook/Prediction: Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami is the highlight of the field but is not the top seed. That honor goes to Academy 17 Tsunami followed by NKYVC at No. 2. Academy defeated NKYVC at Central Zone when NKYVC was playing shorthanded. No doubt NKYVC would like pay back and is going to be seeking that this weekend. We’ll see if anyone can turn it on and surprise, but the contenders should be the usual suspects. In addition to Academy and NKYVC, Tri-State Elite 17 Blue, Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are factors as well. We are sticking with the collision course, with NKYVC downing Academy in the final. *** 16 Open Number of Teams: 40 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 11. Circle City 16 Purple 19. AVC Cle 16 Red 23. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 25. Munciana 16 Blaze 29. Team Pineapple 16 Black 40. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 50. Pitt Elite 16-1   5-star Athletes To Watch Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red   4-star Athletes To Watch Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Katie Gielas RS Elevation 16 Goller Julia Grace NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Lauren Coyne RS SPVB 16 Elite Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black   Outlook/Prediction: The 16s division might be the most competitive of the bunch. Circle City 16 Purple is playing its toughest tournament since Central Zone, when it finished runner-up to 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Circle City might be the team to beat here but is hardly a lock. AVC Cle 16 Red showed solidly in Kansas City. AVC has shown to be competitive against other top teams and hasn’t had a bad loss yet. The MEPL group of Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and Munciana 16 Blaze are going to be in the mix. I think Munciana gained a lot of confidence from its time at Triple Crown and could be on the rise. The pick comes down to Circle City beating Tri-State Elite for gold. *** 15 Open Number of Teams: vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 17. Elevation 15 Tony 20. Far Out 15 Black 22. AVC Cle 15 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 35. Team Pineapple 15 Black 48. TVC 15 Black   5-star Athlete To Watch Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-star Athletes To Watch Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sienna Fry RS Summit 15 Blue Elite Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: On paper, this division looks to be all Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. The question is can anyone stop Boiler Jrs from taking gold? It’s not the deepest 15s field and that means it is a great opportunity for an unexpected club to grad the spotlight. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami having success wouldn’t

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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

March 30, 2023

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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PNQ 16-18s: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 23, 2023

One of the events on the schedule this coming weekend includes the opening act of the Pacific Northwest Qualifier on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Spokane. The older ages are up first, featuring the 16-18s. We check on the Open divisions and give our hunch on how things might go. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Absolute 18 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (3): 17. NPJ 18 Forefront 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 43. Excel 18 National Red   5-Star Athletes To Know Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU)   4-Star Athletes To Know Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Havannah Hoeft S Rage Westside 18 Michelle (LMU) Emma Donley OH Rage Westside 18 Michelle (Cal) Sophia Gregoire-Salagean OH OJVA 18 Gold (Oregon) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Fatimah Hall S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront (Washington, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: It’s the last 18s qualifier of the year and three teams still have an opportunity to clinch a bid outright. Unlike the past two weekends where we’ve seen fields packed with previously-qualified at Red Rock and MEQ lead to more at-larges, we are guaranteed to award all three bids at PNQ. In fact, with Absolute 18 Black the only team in the field with bids we are going to see high drama playing out. Teams are going to have to finish at least fourth or better because trickle down can’t extend past that. And that’s if Absolute play a factor in trickle down. If not, it’ll take a fourth or even third-place performance to qualify. The prediction is NPJ beating Long Beach for gold. Long Beach gets its bid, as does Excel 18 National Red. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 31 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Coast 17-1 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (9): 6. HJV 17 Elite 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 29. Madfrog 17 Green 34. AJV 17 Adidas 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 36. City 17 Gold 42. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar   5-Star Athletes To Know Charlie Fuerbringer S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (Wisconsin) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Kennedy Osunsanmi RS City 17 Gold Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold (Duke) Savannah Skopal S AJV 17 Adidas (Rice) Alice Volpe L/DS HJV 17 Elite (TCU) Zoe Humphrey MB HJV 17 Elite (UCLA) Abby Hoybjerg OH SynergyForce 17 Patrick (BYU) Lainee Pyles OH Madfrog 17 Green (LSU) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: Much like 18 Open, with Coast 17-1 the only team with a bid, there isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to qualifying. It’s going to take at least a top four finish if not better. Coast earned its bid at Red Rock and is certainly one of the top contenders. There’s a good chance Coast plays into qualifying through trickle down. But which teams the bids go to is up in the air. Vision 17 Gold, SCVC 17 Roxy and SG Elite 17 Rosh were all in the mix on the final day of Red Rock and figure to be in the same position at PNQ. HJV 17 Elite – at No. 6 – is the highest-ranked team in the field and will have a say. Two more Texas squads in AJV 17 Adidas and Madfrog 17 Green are also candidates to qualify. Like any qualifier, a lot is going to depend on how the gold pools break based on any upsets or surprises from the previous two days. The pick is SCVC beating Coast in the final. Taking home bids along with SCVC are HJV and SG Elite. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (6): 13. Coast 16-1 27. ID Crush 16 Bower 33. AJV 16 Adidas 35. Absolute 16 Black 37. NorCal 16-1 Black 48. Norco 16 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (2026)   4-Star Athletes To Know Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower Elizabeth Bower L/DS ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Brooklyn Hardy MB ID Crush Bower (2026)   Outlook/Prediction: The good news is there are only six teams of the 24 in attendance from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings competing this weekend. The bad news is with no previously-qualified teams in the field it’s going to take a top-three showing to get one of the three bids in play. Coast 16-1 and ID Crush 16 Bower were in the hunt on the last day of Red Rock are start here among the top favorites. Absolute 16 Black had a tough showing at Red Rock and was eliminated on Day 1. That’ll have Absolute hungry to make a deep run here and is a team to watch for. NorCal 16-1 Black hasn’t played on national stage since Triple Crown and is another team capable of qualifying. Unranked teams to follow are Oaks 16 Gold, Vision 16 Gold and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar. Any one of the three could surprise this weekend and qualify. The selection is Coast beating ID Crush in the final, while the final bid goes to NorCal over Vision.

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MEQ 14s: Preview And Prediction (FREE)

March 23, 2023

It’s a different MEQ schedule this year, with the older ages taking up the opening weekend before the attention shifts to half of the younger ages this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): OT 14 Laura; HPSTL 14 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 5. Skyline 14 Royal 7. OT 14 Laura 10. MAVS KC 14-1 12. Elevation 14 Molly 21. HPSTL 14 Royal 27. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal 30. Austin Skyline 14 Royal 33. HJV 14 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.41 36. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 45. KC Power 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite   4-Star Athletes To Know Bryn Meyer OH Mintonette Sports m.41 Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 14 Molly   Other Players To Know Maria Schulte S/RS NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lola Waleskowski OH NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lilly Tierney MB NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Marlee Steiner MB HPSTL 14 Royal Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal Peyton Heatherly S/RS Lions 14-1 Audrey Davis RS Circle City 14 Purple Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura (2026) Laven Blumoff L/DS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo S/RS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu OH Austin Skyline 14 Royal Ryan Spencer OH Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett OH Skyline 14 Royal Izabelle Buchholz MB Skyline 14 Royal Dakota Huynh L/DS Skyline 14 Royal Savanna Stacey OH Elevation 14 Molly Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 14 Molly Victoria Belfort OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal   Outlook/Prediction: A strong field is chasing three bids. With both OT 14 Laura and HPSTL 14 Royal coming in with prior bids it’ll be interesting to see if trickle down plays a role or not. It’s possible for trickle down to reach fifth place but teams can’t rely on that happening. Skyline 14 Royal, MAVS KC 14-1 and Elevation 14 Molly have been among the more consistent teams in the field but the 14s can improve in a hurry so anything is possible this weekend. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Austin Skyline 14 Royal and HJV 14 Elite are contenders to bid, as are Mintonette Sports m.41, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite. Or what about an unranked team like Lions 14-1 or MN Select 14-1? In the end, OT wins it all by beating Tribe in the final. Skyline and Elevation also earn bids.

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Northern Lights 15-16s: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 22, 2023

The final weekend of the Northern Lights Qualifier is happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Minneapolis. We take a look at 15 and 16 Open and offer thoughts on how it might play out. 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Hou Skyline 16 Royal; Drive Nation 16 Red; MKE Sting 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (9): 2. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 3. Drive Nation 16 Red 4. 1st Alliance 16 Gold 5. Hou Skyline 16 Royal 14. MKE Sting 16 Gold 22. OT 16 Roberto 34. Excel 16 National 16 Red 36. Northern Lights 16-1 45. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 5-Star Athletes To Know Suli Davis OH Drive Nation 16 Red Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Drive Nation 16 Red Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 16 Royal Bayleigh Minor MB Hou Skyline 16 Royal Bailey Warren OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold 4-Star Athletes To Know Addison Horner S/RS 1st Alliance 16 Gold Rebekah Pfefferkorn MB Hou Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Porter OH/RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Morgan Madison L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Ella Lewis OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH/RS Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Alex Richter OH/RS Drive Nation 16 Red Taryn Morris RS Drive Nation 16 Red Sophia Thornburg OH Drive Nation 16 Red Sarah Mendoza L/DS Drive Nation 16 Red Outlook/Prediction: The field isn’t as large as recent qualifiers like Red Rock or MEQ, but the depth is strong. As we are getting later into qualifying season, trickle down is going to play more and more a factor. That should be the case this weekend with this division. A few of the top teams already have bids in No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and No. 14 MKE Sting 14 Gold, which qualified this past weekend in Indy and is going back-to-back. That trio having bids makes a big difference and opens the door for others instead of having to compete with them. The two top bid favorites are second-ranked Nebraska One 16 Synergy and No. 4 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Both are strong enough to qualify without the benefit of trickle down. It’s wide open after that for the final bid. And with trickle down possibly extending down to sixth place, there are many paths to qualifying and thus with it plenty of opportunity for drama. The pick to win it all is Hou Skyline, which beats 1st Alliance in the final. Joining 1st Alliance in qualifying are Nebraska One and Northern Lights 16-1.   *** 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 40 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 9. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 11. Pohaku 15-1 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 16. AP 15 Adidas 18. Dynasty 15 Black 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 26. Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal 28. A5 15 Bob 31. WPVC 15 Armour Black 40. MKE Sting 15 Gold 44. Michio 15 National 45. Triangle 15 Black 47. Excel 15 National Red 50. Northern Lights 15-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 15-1 Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Gabby Divita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas 4-Star Athletes To Know Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Mia Gold OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Nadi’ya Shelby MB Hou Skyline 15 Royal Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 15 Royal Madeline Kraft L/DS Northern Lights 15-1 Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 15 Gold Sofia Guerrero-Wilson MB A5 15 Bob Eva Swenson S/RS MN Select 15-1 Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1 Natalie Surges OH MKE Sting 15 Gold Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 15 Gold Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob Outlook/Prediction: With No. 26 Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal the only qualified team participating in 15 Open, it’s a much different scenario than 16 Open. For starters, trickle down can only go to fourth place at most, and that’s if Tribe finishes in the top three. It’s a much more likely scenario that in order to qualifying teams are going to have to finish in the top three. It’s also a much larger field than 16 Open, including eight teams ranked in the Top 30 of vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. Legacy 15-1 Adidas finished fourth at Sunshine in its first attempt to get its bid and is among the teams to the top of the list to watch for. Pohaku 15-1 hasn’t played on a national stage since Triple Crown, but enters as the No. 1 overall seed. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami – which at No. 8 is the highest-ranked team in our Top 50 – is coming off a victory at Bluegrass earlier this month and is also another bid favorite. Keep eyes on the Texas trio of Hou Skyline 15 Royal, AP 15 Adidas and Drive Nation 15 Red, as well as Dynasty 15 Black and A5 15 Bob. Yet, as we keep seeing the lower-ranked teams can’t be counted out. Last week, it was No. 42 Boiler Jrs 17 Gold coming through and earning a bid in 17 Open at MEQ. Either MKE Sting 15 Gold or Michio 15 National could be this week’s surprises. It comes down to Pohaku beating Legacy in the final as both earn bids. The final bid goes to NKYVC beating AP in the third-place contest.

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Northern Lights: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 16, 2023

The younger ages are a bit behind in their qualifying process but will quickly catch up in the coming weeks. On tap this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the Northern Lights national qualifier in Minneapolis. Part of the action there features 14 Open, which we take a look at below. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 28 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 1. TAV 14 Black 6. AP 14 Adidas 8. Drive Nation 14 Red 14. Forza1 14 One 17. Legacy 14-1 Adidas 24. GP 14 Rox 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal 34. Northern Lights 14-1 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold 41. Kairos 14 Alpha 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 46. Academy 14 Diamond 50. Triangle 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite Nyla Livings OH TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 14 Black   4-Star Athletes To Know Lexi Martin OH Drive Nation 14 Red Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 14 Black Gentry Barker OH TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 14 Black Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 14 Black Naomi Livings OH TAV 14 Black Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas Evie Pool MB Forza1 14 One Kiersten Moore S Forza1 14 One Ella Johnson OH Forza 14 One   Outlook/Prediction: There are no previously-qualified teams in the field, so it’s clear cut what has to happen to earn a bid. Teams must finish in the top three to qualify. Obviously, Triple Crown winner and top-ranked TAV 14 Black is a strong favorite to come out ahead of the pack. This will be the first national test since Triple Crown for many in attendance and no doubt some will be vastly improved even in the short amount of time. Over half the teams in the field are ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, so anything could happen given this age group. Both No. 6 AP 14 Adidas and No. 8 Drive Nation 14 Red are looking to back up their strong Triple Crown runs by qualifying in Minneapolis. A team like No. 14 Forza1 14 One is playing in its first national tournament and will look to catch up in a hurry with the rest. Legacy 14-1 Adidas, at No. 17, and No. 24 GP 14 Rox, are two more top contenders to get a bid. But as usual, there is likely to be a team from the lower-half of the rankings which breaks through. Northern Lights 14-1, Premier Nebraska 14 Gold and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite are all candidates for that, or will it be someone else? The final comes down to TAV beating GP. Both gets bids. The third-place match is AP topping Drive Nation for the final bid.

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MEQ: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 15, 2023

Let’s take a look at the upcoming Mideast Qualifier this Fri-Sun in Indianapolis. It’s a bit different than past years in that the feature ages are just 16s and up. The 15s are no longer part of this weekend and have moved to their own weekend. As it stands, that leaves us seeing how 16-18 Open might play out in Indy as teams continue their qualifying schedule. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (14): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; AVC Cle 18 Red; Circle City 18 Purple; CUVC 18 Titan; EC Power 18 Royal; Metro 18 Travel; Mintonette Sports m.81; MKE Sting 18 Gold; MN Select 18-1; OT 18 John; Paramount 18 VBC; Skyline 18 Royal; Triangle 18 Black; VC United 18 Elite vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (21): 8. AVC Cle 18 Red 9. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 10. Mintonette Sports m.81 13. Skyline 18 Royal 14. A5 18 Marc 15. Circle City 18 Purple 16. Metro 18 Travel 19. Legacy 18-1 Adidas 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 22. OT 18 John 23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue 24. Paramount 18 VBC 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 31. MN Select 18-1 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 36. Topeka Impact 18-1 37. MKE Sting 18 Gold 39. FC Elite 18 Elite 40. Triangle 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 47. VC United 18-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Mizuno (LSU) Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1 (Clemson) Olivia Swenson OH MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Milan Rex S Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Laurece Abraham MB Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Yale) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Kate Thibault L/DS MN Select 18-1 (Oregon) Ceci Gooch RS Skyline 18 Royal (Georgia) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordan Dailey MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Erin Kline S Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Mississippi State) Harley Kreck S Skyline 18 Royal (Baylor) Becca Kelley OH Skyline 18 Royal (Oregon) Brooklyn DeLeye OH Topeka Impact 18-1 (Kentucky) Kaia Caffee MB MN Select 18-1 (2024)   Outlook/Prediction: These later qualifiers for the 18s are getting a bit ridiculous. With 16 qualifiers on the schedule and most already played, we see a whopping 14 teams in the field which have already qualified. It’s even more than the 11 we saw with bids last weekend at the Red Rock Rave. Trickle down only goes to eighth place so it’s possible we don’t see a single team qualify and three more at-large bids created. Legacy 18-1 Adidas, at No. 19, and No. 20 Adidas KiVA 18 Red are the two highest-ranked teams without bids. KiVA is interesting because it usually doesn’t play in qualifiers but has the past two seasons at MEQ. This KiVA group is good enough to finish in the Top 8 and qualify. Legacy has some big wins and a few questionable losses, so Legacy can go either way. At No. 23, Tri-State Elite 18 Blue is playing its lone qualifier this season but will be challenged to finish in the Top 8. Elevation 18 Spinney – ranked No. 30 nationally – is coming off its victory at Bluegrass and doesn’t have a bid. Elevation could possible sneak into the Top 8. In the end, A5 beats OT John for gold. KiVA finishes Top 8 and qualifies. Two at-large bids go back into the field. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Dynasty 17 Black; Metro 17 Travel; Triangle 17 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (17): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 5. Triangle 17 Black 7. 1st Alliance 17 Gold 8. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 11. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 17. KC Power 17 Black 19. Metro 17 Travel 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 25. Miami Hype 17 Emilio 27. Skyline 17 Royal 31. AVC Cle 17 Red 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 38. Circle City 17 Purple 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gol (Purdue) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black (Arizona) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Ellie White S/OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Michigan) Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Kansas) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot OH Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Norte Dame) Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1 (Cincinnati) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17

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Red Rock Rave Week 2: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 9, 2023

Last week was split between multiple qualifiers and Bluegrass but the main focus this week is centered on Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring 16s and up. There are no other qualifiers or major national tournaments. vballrecruiter.com is making the journey for the three-day event. This event usually takes place later on the calendar. With it getting moved up earlier, it’s going to change the trickle-down situation in 16 and 17 Open. There are usually multiple teams with bids in the field but since the tournament is early this season only one team across the two divisions is previously qualified in Hou Skyline 17 Royal. Let’s take a look at the Open divisions and how they might play out. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 34 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (11): A4 Volley 18 Joaco; A5 18 Marc; Arizona Storm 18 Thunder; AZ Rev 18 Premier; AZ EVJ 18 Elite; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; MAVS 18-1; Sunshine 18 LA; Tstreet 18 Chandler; Wave 18 Juliana vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (13): 2. Coast 18-1 4. MAVS 18-1 5. Sunshine 18-1 6. HJV 18 Elite 11. Wave 18 Juliana 12. Club V 18 Ren Reed 14. A5 18 Marc 18. AZ Rev 18 Premier 21. Hou Skyline 18 Royal 27. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 44. Legacy Girls 18 Elite 50. Tstreet 18 Chandler   5-Star Athletes To Know: Noemie Glover RS Coast 18-1 (Oregon) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Marc (LSU) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Brooklyn Briscoe MB Coast 18-1 (UCLA) Koko Kirsch L/DS Wave 18 Juliana (Stanford) Bianka Lulic MB Coast 18-1 (Miami) Claire Little OH Coast 18-1 (BYU) Ava Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Notre Dame) Tori Davis MB Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Baylor) Lois Hansen RS Tstreet 18 Chandler (UCSB) Eva Travis OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (UCSB) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Zoe Rachow S Coast 18-1 (Tulane) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Fatimah Hall S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Auburn Tomkinson RS Wave 18 Juliana (Yale) Arya Jue L/DS A5 18 Marc (Yale) Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana (Maryland) Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana (Colorado) Cindy Tchouangwa OH HJV 18 Elite Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor) Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Long Beach State, 2024) Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: The 18s are in a different spot with qualifying going on since January. That’s why there are 11 teams already qualified. Trickle down can only go to eighth place, so it’s possible that no bids go out at all. Of course, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are a couple highly-ranked teams in No. 2 Coast 18-1 and No. 6 HJV 18 Elite have yet to earn their bids and I’m going out on a limb to say both will place at least in the Top 8 to qualify. At No. 28, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar is the only other team from Vballrecrutier.com’s Top 50 in the field without a bid. Considering the depth of field, it’s going to take work for Long Beach to crack the Top 8. Coast gets its bid by winning it all, downing MAVS 18-1 in the final. HJV also bids with the third going into the at-large pool. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 13. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 14. AZ Sky 17G 15. Momentous 17 Dan 16. Wave 17 Juliana 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 32. Club V 17 Ren Matthew 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 46. AZ Rev 17 Premier 49. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder   5-Star Athletes To Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (BYU) Lillian Croshaw MB Drive Nation 17 Red Levani Key-Powell OH Club V 17 Ren Reed (Utah) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Camden Bolane MB Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Shelby Burris MB Drive Nation 17 Red (2025) Lauren Lynch L/DS SG Elite 17 Rosh (2025) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: By all indications, this division is going to be a wild ride. Hou Skyline 17 Royal, having qualified last weekend at NEQ, is safe from the chaos but could definitely factor into the final outcomes by creating trickle down to fourth place. Drive Nation 17 Red enters has the highest-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 yet is anything but a lock. While Drive Nation finished tied for third at Triple Crown, it has been vulnerable at times. It’s a tournament where I see nine of the ranked teams having a legit shot at earning bids, down to No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh. The final two Top-50 teams in No. 46 AZ Rev 16 Premier and

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Red Rock Rave: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 2, 2023

It’s an earlier trip to Las Vegas than usual for those making their way to the Red Rock Rave taking place Saturday-Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The qualifier usually falls in April but is among the first to be held this season. This coming weekend is the first of back-to-back weekends and it features the younger ages vying for their bids. Below, we run through the 14 and 15 Open divisions to see how they might play out. 15 Open Number of Teams: 38 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (22): 1. Skyline 15 Royal 4. Madfrog 15 Green 5. TAV 15 Black 7. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder 10. SCVC 15 Roxy 12. Alamo 15 Premier 13. AZ Sky 15G 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 15. Wave 15 Brennan 18. Dynasty 15 Black 19. Forza1 North 15 One 21. HJV 15 Elite 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 29. SG Elite 15 Rosh 32. Actyve 15 Black 33. GP 15 Rox 34. Tstreet 15 Curtis 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier 39. Coast 15-1 41. Aspire 15 Premier 42. Club V 15 Ren Reed 46. MAVS 816 15-1   5-star Athletes To Watch Layla Austin OH Skyline 15 Royal Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black Brooke Harwood RS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 15 Brennan Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy   4-star Athletes To Watch Erin Clark L/DS/S Aspire 15 Premier Anna Flores S TAV 15 Black Ava McBride S/RS Actyve 15 Black Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier Emmerson Champagne MB/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Caroline Huseman OH TAV 15 Black Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black   Outlook/Prediction: With 20 teams in the field featured in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 it makes for a loaded field. With the only path to qualifying coming with a top-three finish, there are going to be plenty of unhappy teams heading home. On the flip side, for the fortunate few who are able to secure bids there is no doubt it will be well deserved. Skyline 15 Royal enters fresh off of winning Triple Crown and looking to keep the momentum going. Triple Crown runner-up SCVC 15 Roxy is also searching for a bid and will carry the confidence of its performance in KC with them to Vegas. Madfrog 15 Green, TAV 15 Black, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder, Alamo 15 Premier and AZ Sky 15G all fared well at Triple Crown too and any of them could walk away with a bid. A team like SG Elite 15 Rosh is ranked No. 29 but can’t be overlooked. SG was close to knocking off Boiler Jrs 15 Gold at Triple Crown. It’s that type of field where the one thing for sure is plenty of unexpected results are going to take place. The final comes down to Alamo knocking off Wave. Skyline takes the final bid.   *** 14 Open Number of Teams: 26 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder 3. Tstreet 14 Carson 4. Madfrog 14 Green 5. Skyline 14 Royal 10. MAVS KC 14-1 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 14. Forza1 14 One 15. Wave 14 Tammy 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier 19. Forza1 North 14 One 22. AZ Sky 14G 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver 33. HJV 14 Elite 47. Coast 14-1   Outlook/Prediction: Much like 15 Open, it’s going to take a special effort to come through with one of the three bids in play. There is no trickle down, so teams must place in the top three. That leaves very little if any wiggle room. Lots of eyes will be on the favorites like Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson, Madfrog 14 Green and Skyline 15 Royal. All showed strong at Triple Crown and it’s hard envisioning not one in the group earning a bid. It’s possible three of the four get bids. Still, it’s volleyball. Wave 14 Tammy was close to upsetting Arizona Storm in KC and could surprise. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is likely hungry to finish higher than it did at Triple Crown and get its bid out of the way. MAVS 14-1 can’t be forgotten about and certainly has what it takes to get the bid. It’s a tough field to predict, but the call goes to Tstreet beating Storm in the final. MAVS takes the third bid.

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Bluegrass Tournament: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 2, 2023

When the club schedule reaches March, it’s qualifying season to be sure. Still, not every tournament in March and April is centered on earning a bid for Junior Nationals. Take the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament for example. The two-day event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Louisville and is hosted by KiVA. That’s where I’m headed this weekend and will be on hand providing coverage. Given that, let’s take a look at what we might expect. Below, is a preview and prediction for the 14-18 Open age groups. 18 Open Number of Teams: 31 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Munciana 18 Samurai 15. Circle City 18 Purple 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 23. Tri-State 18 Elite 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 41. Far Out 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA   5-star Athletes To Watch Ramsey Gary L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Indiana) Lola Schumacher L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Wisconsin, 2024) Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 18 Black (2025)   4-star Athletes To Watch Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Charlotte Vinson OH/RS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025) Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 18 Black (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: Munciana 18 Samurai is the team to beat after taking bronze at Triple Crown. Munciana should run into familiar opponents in Tri-State Elite 18 Blue and Adidas KiVA 18 Red. All three are part of the Mideast Power League. Thrown into the mix in this tournament is SPVB 18 Elite, which will be seeing its stiffest competition of the season to date. Circle City 18 Purple just recently punched its ticket to 18 Open in Columbus after qualifying at Music City and is going to be among the top contenders. When the dust settles, look for Munciana lifting the trophy over SPVB. *** 17 Open Number of Teams: 38 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (7): 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 23. Tri-State 17 Blue 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-star Athletes To Watch Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (Purdue)   4-star Athletes To Watch Kiana Dinn S/RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (Pitt) Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alec Rothe OH/MB EliteVBTC 17 Black (Florida)   Outlook/Prediction: Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami is the highlight of the field but is not the top seed. That honor goes to Academy 17 Tsunami followed by NKYVC at No. 2. Academy defeated NKYVC at Central Zone when NKYVC was playing shorthanded. No doubt NKYVC would like pay back and is going to be seeking that this weekend. We’ll see if anyone can turn it on and surprise, but the contenders should be the usual suspects. In addition to Academy and NKYVC, Tri-State Elite 17 Blue, Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are factors as well. We are sticking with the collision course, with NKYVC downing Academy in the final. *** 16 Open Number of Teams: 40 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 11. Circle City 16 Purple 19. AVC Cle 16 Red 23. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 25. Munciana 16 Blaze 29. Team Pineapple 16 Black 40. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 50. Pitt Elite 16-1   5-star Athletes To Watch Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red   4-star Athletes To Watch Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Katie Gielas RS Elevation 16 Goller Julia Grace NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Lauren Coyne RS SPVB 16 Elite Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black   Outlook/Prediction: The 16s division might be the most competitive of the bunch. Circle City 16 Purple is playing its toughest tournament since Central Zone, when it finished runner-up to 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Circle City might be the team to beat here but is hardly a lock. AVC Cle 16 Red showed solidly in Kansas City. AVC has shown to be competitive against other top teams and hasn’t had a bad loss yet. The MEPL group of Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and Munciana 16 Blaze are going to be in the mix. I think Munciana gained a lot of confidence from its time at Triple Crown and could be on the rise. The pick comes down to Circle City beating Tri-State Elite for gold. *** 15 Open Number of Teams: vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 17. Elevation 15 Tony 20. Far Out 15 Black 22. AVC Cle 15 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 35. Team Pineapple 15 Black 48. TVC 15 Black   5-star Athlete To Watch Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-star Athletes To Watch Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sienna Fry RS Summit 15 Blue Elite Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: On paper, this division looks to be all Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. The question is can anyone stop Boiler Jrs from taking gold? It’s not the deepest 15s field and that means it is a great opportunity for an unexpected club to grad the spotlight. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami having success wouldn’t

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