GJNC

The four days of action in the 13 Open division at USA Volleyball GJNC Dallas ended with A5 13-1 Karen earning the gold medal after defeating Skyline 13 Royal in the championship match. You can read all about how the final day played out here. We also released our Day 4 Show Stoppers from the last day of competition. Now, it’s time to present our 13 Open All Red Hat Team. It’s Vballrecruiter’s version of an all-tournament team. We determined our list from the teams which made the 13 Open bronze-gold brackets. 13 OPEN ALL RED HAT TEAM PIN HITTERS Kari Knotts A5 13-1 Karen Macurdy Harden A5 13-1 Karen Alexis Elsey  Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Julianna Godbey Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Lexi Coleman Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS Mary-Christine Crutcher EXCEL 13 National Red Skye Lincoln EXCEL 13 National Red Nariah Johnson COAST 13-1 Brylie Milo KC Power 13 Black Eva Bower ID Crush 13 Bower Madison Nolting MIZ LB 13 Rockstar Tyleani Allen MIZ LB 13 Rockstar *** MIDDLE BLOCKERS Madison Middleton A5 13-1 Karen Milan Tallman A5 13-1 Karen MacKenzie Carr Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Kendall Hill Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Lily Vandeweghe MIZ LB 13 Rockstar Liberty Badorek Tstreet 13-PJ Aubrey Coleman Axtell EXCEL 13 National Red Rhys Walker EXCEL 13 National Red Saniya Tucker MB Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS Maya Talley OT 13 T Tabitha Lucie Amonett OT 13 T Tabitha *** SETTERS Sophie Holt  A5 13-1 Karen Olivia Hayden A5 13-1 Karen Kennedy Jefferson Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Delaney Holder  MIZ LB 13 Rockstar Kaelyn Easton  Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS Alaina McGuire KC Power 13 Black Daria McLaughlin OT 13 T Tabitha *** LIBEROS Brooklyn Howard  A5 13-1 Karen Brynli Burgess  Dallas Skyline 13 Royal Olivia Karvelis COAST 13-1 Miranda Ludwick Elevation 13 S J Karla Medina Tstreet 13-PJ Kaelys Sanchez GP 13 Rox

The final day of the 16s and 17s age groups at USAV nationals were filled with fantastic competition and gut-wrenching moments. In the end, SCVC 16 Roxy captured the 16 Open gold medal while Arizona Storm 17 Thunder brought home the 17 Open championship. Below, we highlight the players who stood out to us the most with our Day 4 Show Stoppers. DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy: A 5-star outside and recent Wisconsin commit, Flanagan showed why she is among the top recruits in the country. She has a lightning quick arm and strikes in a hurry. She can beat defenses going over, through or around the block. Abby Zimmerman RS SCVC 16 Roxy: Zimmerman – a 4-star Cal commit – was clutch in helping SCVC to the 16 Open gold medal. Time and time again she came through in key moments with big swings or well-placed off-speed shots. Milly McGee S SCVC 16 Roxy: A 4-star USC commit, McGee guided the attack fluidly. Among her strengths is moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack as to not become too predictable. Kaitlyn Herweg L/DS SCVC 16 Roxy: Herweg – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – doesn’t blink in the face of adversity. She’s calm under pressure and holds firm against the biggest arms in the division. She was a steadying presence defensively. Lynney Tarnow MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold: Tarnow – a 4-star middle and recent Wisconsin commit – is a game-changer when she’s in. The way she can impact both sides of the ball always shifts the advantage to her side of the net and allows 1st Alliance to go on runs. Alaina Pollard MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold: While Tarnow gets all the attention, Pollard cannot be overlooked. She gave opponents fits as well. She times her block well and is a disrupter defensively. Offensively, she’s an effective scorer and someone 1st Alliance relies on to provide points. Nikolija Bulatovic S 1st Alliance 16 Gold: A 3-star Iowa commit, Bulatovic orchestrates it all. She’s a smart setter who connects well with both middles. Lucy Maloney L/DS 1st Alliance 16 Gold: Maloney is part of the reason why teams have to win the point two and three times. She’s part of the scrappiness that helped carry 1st Alliance to the silver medal. Simone Heard OH Skyline 16 Royal: Heard – a 3-star recruit – was once more the big arm on the outside for Skyline. Her athleticism is difficult to contain. She’s a wirey attacker who gets up and unloads. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 16 Royal: Williams – a 5-star middle and recent Nebraska commit – changes the whole dynamic when she’s across the front row. Her size and length gives her a presence on both sides of the ball. She puts up a massive block. Offensively she’s able to go over the block and hit down from high angles. *** Ella Florez S Pohaku 16-1: A 5-star Iowa State commit, Florez is a huge part of why Pohaku advanced to the semifinals and earned the bronze medal. She’s a quick setter who gets her feet to the ball and squares up well. She’s a smooth disher with great location. Grace Martin OH Pohaku 16-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – shoulders a load on the outside. She has a lively arm and can rip shots from corner to corner. Westley Matavao OH Forza1 North 16 One: Matavao, a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027, is the key cog for Forza North. She has a big-time arm and hits a really heavy ball. She also has a tough jump serve that can help Forza go on spurts. Gabby Divita OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas: A 5-star Nebraska commit, Divita has a whip for an arm. Her fast arm leads to impressive kills that fire up her teammates and excite the crowd. Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Nwabueze – a 5-star middle – was tough at the net against SCVC. She put up a strong block as well as found ways to put the ball down when called upon. Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: A 4-star outside, Sivak provided a big boost offensively. She takes big swings and rips down shots. Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 16 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star Penn State pledge – Whitmire is a two-way contributor. She’s a solid setter who can dish the ball from pin to pin with ease. She’s also a powerful hitter who can thunder balls down with authority. Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 5-star Nebraska commit, Sigler is a do-it-all outside and major reason Storm finished on top of 17 Open. She hits as hard as anyone in the division. She’s also a strong passer and defender as well as putting up a big block. Devyn Wiest OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Wiest – a 4-star Utah commit – gives Storm the best 1-2 punch on the outside in the country. Her length and arm speed causes problems for defenses as she is smart at finding holes and exploiting them. Kenna Cogill MB Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 4-star Oregon recruit, Cogill’s length in the middle is a big advantage for Storm. She puts up a big block. She’s also Storm’s best scoring threat at the position and defenses need to be ready for her. *** Izzy Mahaffey L/DS Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Mahaffey – a 4-star Long Beach commit – is a firecracker in the back row. She brings tons of energy and passion to the position and flies around the court going all out to make plays. Bayleigh Minor MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Minor – a 5-star recruit – is a force in the middle. She’s long and her presence is felt on both sides of the ball. She has a quick arm and can really connect at times. Mackenzie Collins MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal: A

Redemption is not the most accurate description of SCVC 16 Roxy’s accomplishments on Day 4 of USAV nationals in Las Vegas. While there was an element of it in play, the team’s performance was more a master class in winning, one that brought SCVC the 16 Open national championship after defeating 1st Alliance 16 Gold, 25-20, 27-25, in the gold-medal match. Entering the four-day competition ranked No. 7 in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 national rankings, it wasn’t that SCVC’s flawless effort was stunning. It’s just that it was the biggest storyline in a tournament full of them. While high seeds and top-ranked teams were falling like dominos, SCVC stood firm against all challenges in finishing a perfect 11-0. Top-seeded Mintonette Sports m.61 – which captured the AAU 16 Open gold medal and was ranked No. 1 in our Top 50 – was upset in challenge play on Day 3 and was not around for the gold bracket. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, ranked No. 4, and Austin Skyline 16 Royal, ranked No. 5, were also absent. Legacy 16-1 Adidas – ranked No. 6 – did reach the quarterfinals without a loss but found itself across the net from SCVC in one of the four quarterfinals. If SCVC’s run was going to end, it seemed like Legacy would be the one to make it happen. Instead, SCVC swept, 25-19, 27-25. As impressive as that victory was, it didn’t top what Pohaku 16-1 managed to do in upsetting national No. 2 TAV 16 Black in three, 23-25, 28-26, 15-11, in another quarterfinal. Pohaku trailed 19-14 in Game 2 before turning it around. It set up a showdown between SCVC and Pohaku in the semifinals. It was last year when Pohaku eliminated SCVC in the challenge round. SCVC went on to finish ninth, going 9-1 with its only loss to Pohaku. Saturday offered a measure of revenge, with SCVC sweeping, 25-17, 25-15, to reach the semifinals. The other semifinal featured eighth-ranked Skyline 16 Royal – last year’s 15 Open champions – and No. 13 1st Alliance. 1st Alliance squashed MKE Sting 16 Gold‘s dream of medaling with a sweep in the quarters. Skyline took care of upstart Forza1 North 16 One in the other quarterfinal, 25-23, 25-17. Skyline defeated 1st Alliance on Day 2 to win their respective pool. However, playing for a gold medal two years in a row wasn’t in the cards as 1st Alliance returned the favor and took the clash in three games, 25-22, 17-25, 15-9. SCVC and 1st Alliance met once previously at the Salt Lake City Showdown back in April. 1st Alliance swept that meeting. After losing the first set this time around, there would be no sweep for 1st Alliance. But 1st Alliance did give itself two looks to extend the match to a third set, leading 24-23 and 25-24. Yet, SCVC wasn’t deterred. Abby Zimmerman’s roll shot from the right side saved the second set point before Audrey Flanagan’s served clipped the top of the tape and fell in two points later to deliver the national championship to SCVC. It was the second year in a row the So Cal club stood on top at nationals as the club captured the 17 Open title last summer in Chicago.

The conclusion to a season’s long journey in 17 Open didn’t bring about any real surprises. Rather it delivered affirmation. And with it, a repeat champion. The USAV nationals capped its four-day thrill fest with Arizona Storm 17 Thunder defeating Hou Skyline 17 Royal in three sets, 24-26, 27-25, 15-13, in an instant classic for the 17 Open gold medal in Las Vegas on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Storm backed up its 16 Open gold medal from a season ago, defeating last year’s finals opponent in 1st Alliance 17 Gold in the semifinals, 27-25, 23-25, 15-9. Though Storm proved itself as the best once more it certainly didn’t come without stiff challenges. In fact, Storm was a point away from being on the wrong end of a major upset after fighting off a match point when trailing 15-14 in Game 3 against Wave 17 Juliana in the quarterfinals. On the final day of the season, it was the best of the best in the mix. Hou Skyline entered nationals ranked No. 1 in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 National Rankings. Storm followed at No. 2, then 1st Alliance at No. 3. All three were in the semifinals, along with No. 6 Skyline 17 Royal. Six of the eight quarterfinalists resided in our Top 10 with No. 8 Circle City 17 Purple and No. 10 Surfside 17 Legends among the Top 8. Wave was right behind at No. 11. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno, at No. 15, was the lowest-ranked team in the quarters. It was a fitting ending soaked in drama. Five of the seven gold-bracket contests went the distance. Mich Elite pushed Hou Skyline to a third set before Hou Skyline prevailed, 22-25, 26-24, 15-9, in the quarters. That one saw Hou Skyline climb back from a 22-19 deficit in Game 2 to keep its hopes alive. While Storm and 1st Alliance were slugging in out in a rematch of last year’s 16 Open final, Hou Skyline and Skyline were going toe-to-toe in the other semifinal. Skyline trailed 15-11 in Game 2 before turning it around and forcing a third set but Hou Skyline survived, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13, to set up a showdown between the top-two ranked teams in the country and deliver a dream matchup to end the season. Hou Skyline captured four national qualifiers. Storm joined OT 17 Aaron as the only other teams to finish first at multiple qualifiers with both winning two. The championship clash was an offensive slugfest. Hou Skyline had the high-flying theatrics of outside Bailey Warren and middle Bayleigh Minor while Storm countered with the power of outside Teraya Sigler and the length of outside Devyn Wiest and middle Kenna Cogill. While there were moments of defensive brilliance, like when Storm libero Izzy Mahaffey went flying off the court and into the signage to keep the ball in play before Storm took the point to go ahead 26-25 in Game 2, offense carried the day for both sides. The scales tipped in Hou Skyline’s favor as libero Morgan Madison’s ace pushed the margin to 11-9 in Game 3. But Storm tied it at 11 and Hou Skyline never led again. Up 14-12, Storm missed on its first chance to celebrate but not on its second as Sigler crushed a hard-angle shot cross court to seal the repeat effort. Storm finished a perfect 11-0. Hou Skyline took home the silver in going 8-3. 1st Alliance went 9-1 and Skyline 6-4 in tying for the bronze. While Storm repeating and earning its second consecutive gold medal will be right at the top of the list of things that standout and will be remembered from this year’s nationals, there are a few other things that are noteworthy to me. One is Wave going 1-4 in pool play. Wave managed to advance in fourth place. Then caught fire in going 3-0 on Day 3 and pushing Storm to the brink of elimination to start Day 4. Skyline was in a similar position. Skyline went 2-3 in pool play but was within a couple of points of reaching the final. The first two days aren’t about playing well. It’s about finding a way to advance. Records mean nothing on Day 3. Everyone starts off 0-0 again. It’s about playing well on Day 3 then peaking on Day 4. Obviously the gold bracket dominated the storyline on the last day of competition. While it was an amazing conclusion and one that was highly anticipated given the teams participating in the final eight, there were still a few more things to recognize before wrapping up this write up. One is Dynasty 17 Black coming in 10th. Dynasty was one of three at-large recipients, along with Drive Nation 17 Red and AJV 17 Adidas. I for one was iffy as to if Dynasty should have received one of the at-larges. However, finishing in the Top 10 definitely proved Dynasty belonged and for a team that didn’t quite find its stride during qualifying season it sure ended on a high note. CUVC 17 Open is another club that deserves credit. CUVC came in seeded No. 26 overall and ranked No. 34 in our Top 50. Yet, CUVC upset No. 4 MKE Sting 17 Gold on Day 3 and wound up finishing No. 11 overall when it was all said and done. One more note involves regions. The SCVA had three clubs finish in the Top 9 in Surfside, Wave and Coast 17-1. If you toss in Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar, the region had four of the Top 15 teams. The Heart of America Region and Intermountain Region were the only other two regions with two teams in the Top 15. Club V 17 Ren Reed and Idaho Crush 17 Bower represented the Intermountain Region, while Dynasty and MAVS KC 17-1 held it down for the Heart of America Region. Lastly, no regions qualified more teams than both Lone Star and North Texas. Both had five each.

The first step at USAV nationals is to survive. For the teams which were able to do so and are still in contention, it’s not about playing well on Days 1 and 2. It’s about simply giving yourself a shot and the only way to do that is to make it to Day 3. In 16 and 17 Open, 24 clubs were able to do just that. It doesn’t matter the results of the first two days. When Day 3 begins, everyone’s record resets to 0-0, as the three-team pools lead into challenge play. There are two aspects to the second day of competition. The first is how the opening round of pool play ultimately played out. The second is how those results set the stage for Day 3. Let’s get to it. Staring with 17 Open, it was Club V 17 Ren Reed remaining the hot topic. The No. 6 team in Pool 1 wrapped up 5-0, followed by Hou Skyline 17 Royal (4-1) and TAV 17 Black (3-2). Wave 17 Juliana, Triangle 17 Black and GP 17 Rox all finished 1-4, with Wave earning the fourth-place tiebreaker. Wave made it tough on itself losing to Triangle to close pool play. Wave opened the day with an epic clash against Club V, which took the third set, 23-21. Wave needed to beat Triangle to ensure itself of moving on without the aid of tiebreakers, but Triangle rallied in three to create the tiebreakers scenario. Pool 2 was a tight one. While Arizona Storm 17 Thunder went 5-0, Legacy 17-1 Adidas and Coast 17-1 tied at 3-2. Legacy took second based on the the head-to-head result. CUVC 17 Open and Alamo 17 Premier also tied at 2-3, with CUVC taking fourth and moving on based on their head-to-head result. 1st Alliance 17 Gold took care of business in Pool 3, going 5-0. The real surprise wasn’t that, but Norco 17 Black going 4-1 as the No. 6 team. This was one of the biggest surprises because Norco was the only unranked team in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 national rankings in 17 Open. However, not only did Norco advance, it beat four ranked teams to finish second. After that, Drive Nation 17 Red and ID Crush 17 Bower also advanced. They finished tied at 2-3, but it was Drive Nation taking third with the head-to-head result. Drive Nation was one of three at-large recipients, along with Dynasty 17 Black and AJV 17 Adidas. Dynasty showed up strong and left no doubt it deserved one of them after going 4-1 and winning Pool 4. Dynasty tied with Circle City 17 Purple but took first based on the head-to-head outcome. Excel 17 National Red and Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar tied at 3-2, with Excel taking third. Co Jrs 17 Kevin, the No. 4 overall seed, ended 1-4 and in fifth place. Pool 5 saw OT 17 Aaron go 5-0 and MKE Sting 17 Gold go 4-1. There was no surprise here. Both are highly-ranked teams. Behind them there was a three-way tie with Mich Elite 17 Mizuno, MAVS KC 17-1 and Austin Skyline 17 Royal. MAVS took third, Mich Elite fourth and Austin Skyline fifth. Mich Elite and MAVS squared off in the last outing of the day, with Mich Elite winning in three to hang on and advance over Austin Skyline. Skyline 17 Royal, the No. 6 overall seed, advanced but not the way I expected. It was a rough go for Skyline, which went 2-3 and took third place. It was Surfside 17 Legends going 5-0 and Northern Lights 17-1 finishing 4-1. Nebraska One 17 Synergy also moved on at 2-3. If you recall, Surfside came in last year with high hopes but didn’t break pool play in the biggest shock of the opening round. Going 5-0 this go around was certainly redemption and also a sign Surfside could be poised to make a deep run. Let’s get to how the results played out in 16 Open as the first round of pool play concluded. Top-ranked and No. 1 overall seed Mintonette Sports m.61 was upset by Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar to open pool play on Day 1. Yet, Mintonette still managed to take first place after finishing tied with Madfrog 16 Green at 4-1. Academy 16 National – one of the at-larges – went 3-2 to take third. Long Beach hung on and finished fourth after going 2-3. Pool 2 is a great example of why every result counts. Pohaku 16-1 beat AZ Sky 16G in the opening match on Day 1. It turns out they tied at 2-3, with Pohaku taking fourth and moving on based on that result. Meanwhile, TAV 16 Black owned the pool by going 5-0 and dropping just one set. Wave 16 Scott and GP 16 Rox tied at 3-2, with Wave taking second and GP third. Pool 3 was one of the toughest pools with Legacy 16-1 Adidas, Boiler Jrs 16 Gold and Hou Skyline 16 Royal all in it. Legacy held firm, going 5-0, followed by Hou Skyline at 4-1. But it was Boiler Jrs in third. Instead it was Club V 16 Ren Matt going 3-2 and taking third. Boiler Jrs finished fourth at 2-3. Austin Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 4 overall seed, was upset by Coast 16-1 to end Day 1. However, Austin Skyline still ended in first place after going 4-1. Coast tied with Premier Nebraska 16 Gold at 3-2, taking second with the head-to-head outcome. A5 16-1 Gabe and Academy 16 Diamond both went 2-3, but A5 survived because of the head-to-head outcome. Pool 5 demonstrated just how little sense this tournament can make. Elevation 16 Goller, one of the at-larges, beat Skyline 16 Royal on Day 1. Skyline, the No. 5 overall seed, rebounded to beat 1st Alliance 16 Gold to end pool play and take first place after they tied at 4-1. Elevation, meanwhile, ended in a three-way tie at 2-3 with Forza1 North

One thing about USAV nationals is you can take the national rankings and the tournament seedings and ignore them all. Everything is going to be settled on the court and if one thing was for certain on the opening day in Las Vegas was no one was safe. It’s not often the No. 1 seeds – which also happen to be the top-ranked clubs in Vballrecruiter’s Top 50 national rankings – in 16 and 17 Open both lose on Day 1. However, that’s the type of competition teams are dealing with. Hou Skyline 17 Royal – winner of three national qualifiers – was taken down in three sets by Club V 17 Ren Reed. Club V ended the day 3-0, opening with another upset over TAV 17 Black and closing by sweeping Triangle. Club V benefitted from the addition of Taylor Harvey, a 6-4 Texas commit who spent the year playing up on the 18s. Though she was a middle blocker for the 18s, her presence as a six-rotation outside could make Club V a legit contender. While the other top seeds fared well, No. 6 overall seed Skyline 17 Royal was uprooted by Northern Lights 17-1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin, the No. 4 overall seed, went 0-3. In 16 Open, Mintonette Sports m.61, winner of two national qualifiers as well as taking home the gold medal at AAUs two weeks ago, was stunned by Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar in its opener. Austin Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 4 overall seed, was surprised by Coast 16-1 in three sets. Skyline 16 Royal, the No. 5 overall seed and runner-up to Mintonette at AAUs, fell to Elevation 16 Goller, which was an at-large recipient. It didn’t stop there, as No. 6 overall seed Arizona Storm 16 Thunder lost to both Vision 16 Gold and WPVC 16 Armour Black and sits at 1-2. As crazy of a day as it was for a few of the higher-seeded clubs, not all was lost. All have a chance to still break pool and advance, even Co Jrs. Co Jrs will need help, but first has to beat both AJV 17 Adidas and Circle City 17 Purple. Co Jrs also needs Long Beach to lose both of its contests. Hou Skyline is guaranteed of advancing by winning its first match of Day 2 against GP 17 Rox. Similarly, Skyline just needs to win one of its two matches Thursday to break pool. In 16 Open, Mintonette controls its fate. If Mintonette wins both matches, it’ll advance for sure. There’s also a chance Mintonette can advance by winning one of two, but that could get dicey with the potential tiebreak scenarios. Austin Skyline and Skyline will also advance by taking both matches on Day 2. As for Arizona Storm, it just needs to beat HJV 16 Elite in its opening match to be able to break pool. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS There was so much talent in the gym that it’s extremely difficult to narrow down the selection of our Day 1 Show Stoppers. The list could be 3-4 times as long but as it stands we went with those players we felt were playing at an exceptional level during the time we were watching them perform. Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 17 Royal: A 5-star Kentucky recruit, O’Brien runs a smooth offense. She connects with all her hitters and is tough to read. She helps makes Hou Skyline really dangerous in transition with her ability to get to the ball and dish it anywhere. Bailey Warren OH Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Warren – a 5-star Wake Forest recruit – was having a huge match against Club V. She had a sensational kill one more than one occasion. She is a high-flyer and was getting up and hammering down. Taylor Harvey OH Club V 17 Ren Reed: Harvey – a 5-star Texas recruit – spent the season playing up on the 18s in the middle. She was used a six-rotation pin here and it lead to Club upsetting both TAV and Hou Skyline in going 3-0. She’s tall and jumps out of the gym. With it, she extends way up and blasts swings over blocks with incredible ease. Taray Tela MB Club V 17 Ren Reed: Tela touches well over 10-feet and was a menace in the middle. She was nearly impossible to stop when Club V was in system. She also works hard to make herself available in transition and was hurting Hou Skyline repeatedly. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Flynn – a 5-star Nebraska recruit – is an incredible player. She’s not only a high IQ setter who spreads the ball around effortlessly, her size at the net makes her a real impact both blocking and being able to attack on two. Karli Molnau MB MKE Sting 17 Gold: A Loyola-Chicago recruit, Molnau is an undersized middle but she makes big contributions. She’s a heady attacker who finds ways to score and help give MKE Sting an offensive option across the front row. Lily Hayes L/DS OT 17 Aaron: A 3-star Florida recruit, Hayes was among an impressive defensive group we witnessed. She’s consistent in serve receive. She also reads and reacts well and did a great job picking off shots. Rya Borer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Borer – a 3-star North Dakota State recruit – was another back row player who caught our attention. She flies around the court and is a defensive sparkplug with her hustle and energy. Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 17 Legends: A 4-star Louisville recruit, Blackshear was a standout in the middle. At 6-4, her length and reach gives her a real presence. She can see the court well attacking and finds gaps in the defense. She also puts up a solid block in helping slow down opposing hitters. Kaelynn Sims MB Skyline 17 Royal: Sims had her moments to be sure. She was an unsung hero as we watched her in action against Nebraska

As we near the end of the club season, the 14s division is part of the second wave at USAV nationals. The age group is scheduled to compete July 8-11 in Las Vegas. It’s typically the most unpredictable of the age groups because of the youth and inexperience and makes for an incredibly fun time. Below, we check in on 14 Open. You can see how the teams stack up in our national rankings, see players to know, as well as check out our brief outlook plus our predictions for how it’ll go down. Number of Teams: 36 Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (35): 1. Madfrog 14 Green TX 2. HPSTL 14 Royal MO 3. Hou Skyline 14 Royal TX 4. A5 14 Helen GA 5. Alamo 14 Premier TX 6. TAV 14 Black TX 7. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal FL 8. Dynasty 14 Black KS 9. Coast 14-1 Luis CA 10. Circle City 14 Purple IN 11. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami KY 13. Legacy 14-1 Adidas MI 14. ARVC 14-1 Adidas NM 15. Elevation 14 Molly OH 16. AVC Cle 14 Red OH 17. MAVS KC 14-1 KS 18. Boss Cle 14-1 OH 20. Club Sand 14 Nina UT 21. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar CA 22. OT 14 Laura FL 23. Skyline 14 Royal TX 24. Tstreet 14 Tara CA 25. AZ Sky 14G AZ 26. Vision 14 Gold CA 27. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder AZ 28. SG Elite 14 Rosh CA 29. Metro 14 Travel DC 30. Ozark Jrs 14 Elite AR 31. KC Power 14 Black KS 32. HJV 14 Elite TX 33. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold NE 34. Mintonette Sports m.41 OH 37. OP2 14-1 Elite OK 39. Absolute 14 Black CA 47. AJV 14 Adidas TX PVA 14 Elite KS (unranked)   5-Star Players to Know: Leilani Lamar OH OT 14 Laura Sarah Albers RS HPSTL 14 Royal Maya Ogbogu OH Madfrog 14 Green Sarah Floyd RS TAV 14 Black   4-Star Players to Know: Janneh Lee RS AJV 14 Adidas Molly Monday S/RS OT 14 Laura Izzie Penrose L/DS OT 14 Laura Milan Hendrickson OH Absolute 14 Black Gracie White MB Madfrog 14 Green Olivia Kitur OH Madfrog 14 Green Hayden Thomas MB Madfrog 14 Green Aleyna Bramschreiber S Madfrog 14 Green Lia Ray OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal Jaelyn Jordan S MAVS KC 14-1 Nora Goodenow MB MAVS KC 14-1 Carsyn Chitty L/DS Mintonette Sports m.41 Piper Coady OH Tstreet 14 Tara Bella Turcios L/DS Tstreet 14 Tara Sade Bello OH HJV 14 Elite McKenzie Andrews MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas Bethany Benjamin L/DS A5 14-1 Helen Caitlin Carrizales L/DS TAV 14 Black   Outlook: Madfrog and HPSTL have been the two most consistent teams all season and as expected they open as the top two seeds respectively. HPSTL defeated Madfrog back in January at the Tour of Texas. Madfrog returned the favor in the final of Triple crown in February. They have not faced off since. The question is will they square off in Vegas? And if so, will it be in the championship match or perhaps prior? And if not either one of them winning it all, then who? Dynasty is coming off its 14 Open gold medal at AAUs and could be the one to disrupt it all. As for the pools, Madfrog is in Pool 1 with NKYVC, Coast, MAVS, Ozark Jrs and AJV. NKYVC, Coast and MAVS have performed steady all season, so it’s going to be very difficult for Ozark Jrs or AJV to breakthrough. HPSTL is in Pool 2 with SG Elite, Legacy, AZ Sky, Mintonette and PVA. While SG Elite and Legacy should move on with HPSTL, the fourth spot is up for grabs between the final three teams. Dynasty is joined by Hou Skyline, Club Sand, ARVC, Tstreet and Absolute in Pool 3. Though Tstreet is the No. 5 team, I like Tstreet to advance with Dynasty and Hou Skyline, while the fourth spot is up in the air. Pool 4 is a challenging pool. It consists of A5, AVC Cle, OT Laura, HJV, Long Beach and Arizona Storm. A5 and AVC Cle should be safe so to speak, but the other two spots could go in any combination. Pool 5 is another interesting pool. Circle City has been consistent all season. Tribe, after a slow start, has been playing very well the second half of the season. Skyline, Elevation, Vision and Metro have been up-and-down at times, so who knows how that plays out? As for Pool 6, it’s Alamo, TAV, Boss Cle, KC Power, OP2 and Premier Nebraska. TAV and Alamo should finish 1-2 in some order, but again after that it’s a very tough call. Predictions: ROUND 1 POOL 1 (predicted finish) Madfrog 5-0 Coast 4-1 NKYVC 3-2 MAVS KC 2-3 AJV 1-4 Ozark Jrs 0-5 *** POOL 2 HPSTL 5-0 Legacy 4-1 SG Elite 3-2 AZ Sky 2-3 Mintonette 1-4 PVA 0-5 *** POOL 3 Dynasty 5-0 Hou Skyline 4-1 Tstreet 3-2 Club Sand 2-3 Absolute 1-4 ARVC 0-5 *** POOL 4 A5 5-0 AVC Cle 4-1 OT Laura 3-2 Long Beach 2-3 HJV 1-4 AZ Storm 0-5 *** POOL 5 Circle City 5-0 Elevation 3-2 Tribe 3-2 Skyline 3-2 Vision 1-4 Metro 0-5 *** POOL 6 TAV 5-0 Alamo 4-1 KC Power 2-3 Boss 2-3 Premier Nebraska 1-4 OP2 1-4 ***** ROUND 2 POOL 1 (predicted finish) Madfrog 2-0 Tstreet 1-1 KC Power 0-2 *** POOL 2 HPSTL 2-0 Tribe 1-1 OT Laura 0-2 *** POOL 3 Dynasty 2-0 NKYVC 1-1 Boss 0-2 *** POOL 4 A5 2-0 Skyline 1-1 SG Elite 0-2 *** POOL 5 Coast 2-0 Circle City 1-1 Long Beach 0-2 *** POOL 6 TAV 2-0 Legacy 1-1 Club Sand 0-2 *** POOL 7 Hou Skyline 2-0 Alamo 1-1 AZ Sky 0-2 *** POOL 8 AVC Cle 1-1 Elevation 1-1 MAVS KC 1-1 ***** CHALLENGE Madfrog d Tribe HPSTL d Tstreet Dynasty d Skyline A5 d NKYVC Coast d Legacy Circle City d TAV Hou Skyline d Elevation

Part of the second wave at USAV nationals is the 15s division. We’ve waited a long time to get to this point. After six plus months it’s time to decide a national champion. Below, we check in on 15 Open. You can see how the teams stack up in our national rankings, see players to know, as well as check out our brief outlook plus our predictions for how it’ll go down. Number of Teams: 36 Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (35): 1. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder AZ 2. TAV 15 Black TX 3. Skyline 15 Royal TX 4. Tstreet 15 Asics CA 5. OT 15 Randy FL 6. Wave 15 Brennan CA 7. AZ Rev 15 Premier AZ 8. Hou Skyline 15 Royal TX 9. Club V 15 Ren Kalee UT 10. Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar CA 12. A5 15-1 Kelly GA 13. Legacy 15-1 Adidas MI 14. Excel National 15 Red TX 15. Madfrog 15 Green TX 17. VCNebraska 15 Elite NE 18. PVA 15 Elite KS 19. Premier Nebraska 15 Gold NE 20. Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite MO 21. TAV 15 Fifer TX 23. Vision 15 Gold CA 24. Forza1 North 15 One CA 25. Forza 15 One CA 26. KC Power 15 Black KS 27. HPSTL 15 Royal MO 28. Madfrog 15 Black TX 29. AZ Sky 15G AZ 30. 1United 15 Blue TX 31. City 15 Gold CA 33. Peak 15 Black TX 34. Dynasty 15 Black KS 35. Nebraska Elite 15 Revolution NE 36. 1st Alliance 15 Gold IL 39. OK Charge 15 UA 44. Paramount 15 Nick VA 48. GP 15 Rox FL Circle City 15 Purple IN (unranked)   5-Star Players to Know: Peyton Kubik OH Dynasty 15 Black Taylor Harrington MB Paramount 15 Nick Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite Naomi Livings OH TAV 15 Black Nyla Livings MB/RS TAV 15 Black Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 15 Black Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Marissa Jones S A5 15-1 Kelly Megan Hodges MB Tstreet 15-1 Asics (2028) Janiah Burrage OH Forza1 15 One (2028)   4-Star Players to Know: McKinely Moser S VCNebraska 15 Elite Kailey Leonard L/DS A5 15-1 Kelly Kylee Evans MB A5 15-1 Kelly Ireland Real OH Wave 15 Brennan Jaycee Mack OH Wave 15 Brennan Aspen Brown RS Hou Skyline 15 Royal Natalie Norton OH Excel National 15 Red Kamryn Mullican S Excel 15 National 15 Red Lauren Forelli OH AZ Rev 15 Premier Kristen Sheehy MB AZ Rev 15 Premier Ryah Brock OH Forza1 North 15 One Peyton Heatherly S 1st Alliance 15 Gold Sophia Puleo OH OT 15 Randy Evie Pool MB Forza1 15 One Kiersten Moore S Forza1 15 One Ella Johnson OH Forza1 15 One Ava Burgess OH Club V 15 Ren Kalee Zamari Christensen S Club V 15 Ren Kalee Landri Trice OH TAV 15 Fifer Lexi Martin OH TAV 15 Black Gentry Barker OH TAV 15 Black Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 15 Black Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 15 Black Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 15 Black Ella Olson OH Tstreet 15 Asics Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar Cedra Talaga L/DS Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar Reagan Wallraff OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold Tessa Larkin OH Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Pulelehua Laikona L/DS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Mia Diouf RS GP 15 Rox Kate Kalcyznski OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Ryan Spencer OH Skyline 15 Royal Bo Bronson OH KC Power 15 Black   Outlook: Arguably the biggest storyline with 15 Open is are we set to see a repeat of last summer or can someone stop it before it happens? A season ago, TAV and Arizona Storm had established themselves as the two top teams in the division. Given that, it was hardly a shock to see the two sides go at for the 14 Open gold medal. Here we are once more, with TAV and Arizona Storm having proven thus far they are the two top teams in the division and they enter as the top two seeds respectively. TAV opens in Pool 1 with OT Randy, Club V, City, KC Power and OK Charge. What stands out to me about this pool is the fact that OT Randy and Club V made the semifinals at Triple Crown, where TAV captured the title. That makes for three of the four semifinalists in the same pool. On top of that, KC Power finished tied for fifth in KC back in February. KC Power is a very dangerous No. 5 team in any pool. That’s not to say KC Power is under-seeded. KC Power starts as the No. 25 overall seed and is currently ranked No. 26 in our Top 50 national rankings. It’s just more evidence to show how deep and competitive nationals really is. Storm is in Pool 2 with Excel, HPSTL, Forza1 North, Madfrog Black and NE Elite. You never know, but by the looks of it I would much rather be in Pool 2 than Pool 1. Pool 3 is going to be a wild ride. While I fully expect Skyline to own the pool, the remaining teams in Premier Nebraska, Rockwood Thunder, Forza1, Paramount and AZ Sky can all beat up on each other. So who knows which other three teams to advance with Skyline will be? In Pool 4 it’s Tstreet, Vision, AZ Rev, PVA, Circle City and 1United. AZ Rev and PVA are tough teams to beat and can upset anyone. And though 1United is an at-large recipient I think it’s a team that can spring an upset or two. Pool 5 is another really tough one. It features Wave, VCNebraska, Hou Skyline, Madfrog, Peak and 1st Alliance. Again, it has nothing to do with the seedings being off. I just think the chips fell with they fell and it makes for a difficult pool. Wave, VCNebraska, Hou Skyline and Madfrog can all beat each other, so I’m interested to see how the standings play out

It’s the best time of the year. That’s what happens when we’re all set and ready to go for USAV nationals. The 16s age group is set to go at it July 3-6 in Las Vegas so we won’t have to wait long to see how the conclusion of the 2024 club season plays out. Below, we check in on 16 Open. You can see how the teams stack up in our national rankings, see players to know, as well as check out our brief outlook plus our predictions for how it’ll go down. Number of Teams: 36 Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (34): 1. Mintonette Sports m.61 OH 2. TAV 16 Black TX 3. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder AZ 4. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold IN 5. Austin Skyline 16 Royal TX 6. Legacy 16-1 Adidas MI 7. SCVC 16 Roxy CA 8. Skyline 16 Royal TX 9. A5 16-1 Gabe GA 10. Madfrog 16 Green TX 11. Wave 16 Scott CA 12. Hou Skyline 16 Royal TX 13. 1st Alliance 16 Gold IL 14. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami KY 15. MN Select 16-1 MN 17. Elevation 16 Goller OH 18. Club V 16 Ren Reed UT 19. Pohaku 16-1 KS 20. Forza1 North 16 One CA 21. AZ Sky 16G AZ 22. HJV 16 Elite TX 23. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold NE 24. WPVC 16 Armour Black FL 25. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal FL 26. OP2 16-1 Elite OK 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold WI 28. Metro 16 Travel DC 29. GP 16 Rox FL 30. Vision 16 Gold CA 32. Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar CA 33. Coast 16-1 Luis CA 34. Academy 16 National CA 35. Co Jrs 16 Kaleena CO 36. Academy 16 Diamond NC Vital 16-1 MN (unranked) Jupiter Elite 16E FL (unranked)   5-Star Players to Know: Nadiya Johnson RS Metro 16 Travel (Baylor) Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal (Georgia) Brooke Harwood MB Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (UCLA) Nadi’ya Shelby RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal (Florida) Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal (Wisconsin) Henley Anderson OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal (Texas) Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal (USC) Genevieve Harris S Academy 16 Diamond (Texas) Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1 (Minnesota) Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas Gabi Divita OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas (Nebraska) Ella Andrews MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.61 (Texas) Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 16 Goller Ella Florez S Pohaku 16-1 (Iowa State) Kinsley Young MB TAV 16 Black Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 16 Black (Penn State) Layla Austin OH TAV 16 Black Keoni Williams MB Skyline 16 Royal (Nebraska) Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy (Wisconsin) Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 16 Scott (Penn State) Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (2027)   4-Star Players to Know: Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 16 Royal (2025, Princeton) Millie Bauer MB MAVS KC 16-1 Kylie Buttars OH Club V 16 Ren Reed (BYU) Brooke Christoffersen RS Club V 16 Ren Reed Avery Poulton OH Club V 16 Ren Reed (Oregon) Ava Wilkerson MB Academy 16 Diamond Elle Vandeweghe MB Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar Bella Lopez RS Madfrog 16 Green Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 16 Green (Texas AM) Henlee Moszkowicz L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Lacy Tinnell MB Hou Skyline 16 Royal (Baylor) Jayden Robinson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal (Nebraska) Blair Thiebaud S Hou Skyline 16 Royal (Louisville) Sara Bowcutt OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (Texas AM) Erin Clark L/DS Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (Alabama) Kendall Northern MB Elevation 16 Goller Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 16 Goller (Dayton) Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 16 Goller Makenna Crosson OH Vision 16 Gold Morgan Williams OH Metro 16 Travel Levariya Pinder MB Skyline 16 Royal Ryan Sadler OH A5 16-1 Gabe (Kansas) Sofia Guerrero-Wilson RS A5 16-1 Gabe Kalyssa Taggart S A5 16-1 Gabe Anna Flores S/RS TAV 16 Black (Cal) Julianna Hernandez L/DS TAV 16 Black (Baylor) Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 16 Black (Washington) Sarah Hickman RS HJV 16 Elite Lynney Tarnow MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold (Wisconsin) Natalie Surges OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold Eva Long S Legacy 16-1 Adidas (NC State) Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 16-1 Adidas (Michigan) Ella Mottola S WPVC 16 Armour Black Cassidy Bruns L/DS MKE Sting 16 Gold Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 16 Gold Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 16-1 Mallory Matheny S Mintonette Sports m.61 (Indiana) Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.61 (Indiana) Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.61 (Ohio State) Abby Zimmerman RS SCVC 16 Roxy (Cal) Milly McGee S SCVC 16 Roxy (USC) Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (Indiana) Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (Illinois) Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (Kansas State) Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Eva Swenson S/RS MN Select 16-1 Presley Thompson L/DS Wave 16 Scott (UCLA) Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Mia Gold OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal Westley Matavao OH Forza1 North 16 One (2027)   Outlook A fun storyline to follow with this division is whether or not we’ll see a repeat from last year with how AAU and USAV nationals played out. Last summer, Mintonette defeated Skyline in the finals of AAUs before Skyline downed Mintonette in the gold medal match at USAV. With Mintonette beating Skyline in the final of AAUs recently for 16 Open, we are halfway to another repeat. While I think it’s too improbable to happen once more, it would be a great topic should it happen again. Moving on, I think the overall seedings were relatively strong. With it, there was one pool that really stood out to me and that was Pool 3. It contains three teams that I feel like could win the whole thing in Legacy, Boiler Jrs and Hou Skyline. That’s a deep pool. It also features MN Select, Club V and Metro. MN Select reached the semifinals at AAU and held two match points against eventual champion Mintonette.