Premium Content

As teams transition from pool play to gold bracket, we like to call that moving day. That was what Day 3 represented in the 15s and 17s divisions at AAU in Orlando. There are 12 teams still in the hunt for the gold in 15 Open. In 17 Open, the field was reduced to eight teams still alive for the top spot on the podium. A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – ranked No. 3 in our National Rankings and the original No. 2 seed overall in 17 Open – is not one of them after an unexpected turn of events Tuesday. You can read more about that and more if you keep scrolling down. First, we want to bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers highlighting the players who caught our attention the most during our time walking from court to court. Jannelize Perez, L, OT 15 Meg – Perez was active and playing with high energy. She was making big digs to extend rallies, bringing a defensive edge to the lineup. KK Green, S/RS, OT 15 Meg – One of the key pieces with her role as a setter and hitter, Green delivers a consistent ball. Offensively, she has the ability to unload on the ball with her strong arm. Addison Tindall, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – It’s impossible to watch this 6-2 four-star recruit and not mention her as a Show Stopper. She never fails to hit at least one wow shot that leaves you shaking your head and asking yourself how did she do that? Maya Harris, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – A bit undersized at outside, Harris an aggressive and smart hitter who can challenge blocks or tip/roll into the open spaces. She’s also an option in the back row too. Bella Bullington, OH, SPVB 15 Elite – Bullington – who we mentioned on Day 1 – was at it again. She’s one to keep watch on with an arm that rips and generates lots of pace. Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite – A 6-2 four-star recruit, Coyne is a difference maker across the front row. She adds another dynamic to the attack with her length and forcing blockers to stay on her. Kennedy Cherry, L, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – A three-star recruit, Cherry was passing dimes in serve receive and helping to keep Boiler Jrs in system. She was also all over the court chasing down balls. Taylor Cripe, OH, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Another three-star recruit on the roster, Cripe is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s a hard worker who can hit front and back row, as well as pass and play defense. Charlotte Glass, S, Tribe 15 Elite – Glass – a five-star recruit – is a highly-sought after setter at the collegiate level. Her touch is soft and she can be aggressive across the front row going on two to keep defenses on guard. Tekoa Barnes, OH, Tribe 15 Elite – The more we catch Barnes, the more we like of her. She’s a high-flying outside who can absolutely pound down winners with her powerful arm. Addison Applegate, L, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Applegate – a three-star recruit – is just so smooth and steady at the position. She is lights-out in serve receive and covers the court with high IQ. Spencer Etzler, OH, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A bit undersized, Etzler doesn’t back down against bigger blockers. She keeps coming with an aggressive swing. She also takes care of business in the back row with her above average defending. Ava Hunter, S, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A three-star recruit, Hunter sets a clean ball that is rarely off the mark. She can set on the move as well and does a nice job of connecting with all her hitters. Isabelle Busignani, OH, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – A six-rotation outside and three-star recruit, Busignani has a fluid swing and nice upside. She gets set both front and back row and can carry the offense in spurts. Lindsey Mangelson, OH, Munciana Indy 15 Eagles – A lanky 6-2 outside, Mangelson is a name to follow as she moves up in age groups. She flashed lots of potential with the shots she was hitting. Connore Siler-Nixon, MB, OT 15 Randy – Siler-Nixon, though a bit undersized at the position, is a quick jumper with a strong arm. She’s difficult to lineup and time and was giving OT a great scoring presence when she was in. Amaiyah Long, RS, OT 15 Randy – Another undersized attacker for OT, Long also jumps and swings well. She delivered a few big kills that showed defenses cannot forget about her and must pay her respect. Maija Howse, OH, ID Crush 15 Bower – A three-star recruit with plenty of upside, Howse is a consistent contributor to the attack and a tough one to slow down with her extension that has her going over the block. Brooklyn Hardy, MB, ID Crush 15 Bower – Hardy, a member of the Class of 2026, was putting on a show as ID Crush upset KiVA in the morning match. She was making all types of plays, from scoring on 1s, to tips and putting down any overpasses that came her way. McKenna Garr, L, Northern Lights 15-1 – Garr can pass a large portion of the court in serve receive, where she was passing dimes. She was also covering well and makes up ground well. Sophia Randall, S, Kairos 15 Adidas – We were really impressed with Randall’s play. She sets a clean ball with soft hands and was hitting her spots on the regular. Chloe Karn, MB, A4 Volley 17 Joaco – Karn was another middle who when we caught her was making a big impact with her scoring. She was connecting on 1s well and was winning 50-50 balls, as well as tipping down a couple overpasses. Margo Hernandez, S, Rev 17-1 – Hernandez – three-star recruit – is a vital

We are half way through the 15s and 17s divisions at AAU in Orlando. There was no doubt the tension and excitement began ramping up on Day 2 as we turned the corner and start heading down the home stretch. Before we get to the headlines of the day down below, we first want to bring attention to the day’s standout players. They are who we call our Show Stoppers and there were plenty to highlight from Monday’s action. Sarah Shaw, MB, Oaks 15 Gold – With her height, Shaw is a weapon for Oaks. She has a big arm and can over blocks, making her a difficult cover. She also has the ability to play all the way around and is part of serve receive. Anna Cathcart, OH, OVA 15 Black – This 6-2 outside has a bright future. She has a lively arm that helps her hit with plenty of pace. She’ll carry the offensive load whether she’s front or back row. Francesca Popescu, L, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – A three-star recruit, Popescu can pass half the court in serve receive along with DS Alexa Flowers. She also has the confidence to step in and take balls overhead. Addison Applegate, L, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Another three-star recruit, Applegate has solid command of the back row. She too can pass half the court in serve receive and has a great ball control. Charlotte Vinson, RS, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A 6-1, three-star recruit, Vinson is a terrific option on the right side. She can go over blocks with her length. Jaya Rimm, OH, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – A bit undersized at 5-9, Rimm gets off the ground well. She has a nice extension and snap and is the go-to outside for Tornados. Jaeda Rawls-Fletcher, MB, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – Rawls-Fletcher is springy. She’s 5-10 and with her jump plays longer than that. She’s tough for blockers to time up and Tornados will definitely set her the ball when the option is there. Campbell Flynn, S, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – A 6-1, four-star recruit, Flynn owns the position. She has a great touch and consistently sets a clean ball. With her height, she can also go over on two, giving defenses another thing to worry about. Addison Newblatt, L, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – Newblatt was not getting challenge very much in serve receive as teams focused on keeping the ball away from her. Eva Swenson, S/RS, MN Select 15-1 – Swenson has a high ceiling. She’s already 6-3 and able to set and hit. She’s a valuable piece of the puzzle for Select because of that. Lily Hayes, L, OT 15 Randy – Teams do not come at Hayes in serve receive very often. When they do, she’s usually on target with sound passing. She’s also a hard worker on defense and isn’t afraid to hit the floor. Jordyn Gray, OH, CJV 15 Anna – Gray is definitely someone to keep tabs on as she moves through the ranks as she has great potential. She jumps and swings well and is the main scoring threat for CJV be it front or back row. Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite – A 6-2, four-star recruit, Coyne is an offensive force. The lefty is lanky with a strong arm who can overpower blockers and defenders. Lilliana Montes, MB, Temecula Viper 15-1 – The saying goes you can’t teach height and Montes, at 6-4, certainly has plenty of it. It makes her a prospect to be aware of in the coming years. Right now, she’s trouble at the net, winning 50-50 balls and easily get her shots and swings over smaller blockers. Makenna Grimes, RS, Elite VBTC 15 Black – Grimes is a gamer. She’s a bit undersized at 5-9 but she’s fun to watch go on the attack. She has a lively arm and let’s loose with it time and time again. Fatimah Hall, S, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A three-star recruit committed to San Diego State, Hall is a physically-strong setter with a nice release and consistent location. She can run tempo when needed to and can get all her hitters involved. Mele Corral-Blagojevich, OH, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A four-star recruit who recently committed to Oklahoma, Corral-Blagojevich was part of the 18s roster this season and has since moved down to play with her age group. She’s a physical attacker who can impact the match from the service line as well.                                                                  Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – Murray – a five-star recruit headed to Nebraska – can be written about at length. What stood out the most was her ability to generate kills on out of system plays and off balls by using her smarts to tool or tip the ball of blocks. She was key in helping Legacy close out Mich Elite 17 Mizuno down the stretch in Game 3. Sydney Robinson, OH, Asics Munciana 17 Pandas – An undersized outside at 5-8, attacks with passion. She jumps very well, takes aggressive swings and doesn’t back down if she gets blocked. Kamden Schrand, L, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – A Louisville commit, Schrand’s passing out of serve receive was sharp and on point. She was also picking up touches and tips well too. Ivey Stocks, MB, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – Stocks is a little undersized in the middle but she’s athletic and springy and that helps make up for it. She gets up in the air fast and defenses need to stay close because she’s a definite threat when she’s front row. Lauren Purnell, MB, Tribe 17 Elite – Another middle who is a bit undersized at 5-10, Purnell has similar attributes as Stocks. She’s also a quick jumper who takes aggressive cuts and gives Tribe an option in the middle. Ariana Brown, OH, Asics Willowbrook 17 Gold – A three-star recruit committed to Louisiana Monroe, Brown is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s a terrific

We spent four days watching the 14 Open field contesting for the AAU National Championship and accompanying gold medal. We brought you our Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 Show Stoppers, as well as a recap of Boiler Jrs 14 Gold finishing on top of the podium. Below, we release our 14-player All-Tournament Team. OH – Cali Foster, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold OH – Chalei Reid, Mauloa 14 Green OH – Catherine Palmi, GP 14 Rox OH – Ella Jenkins, Rev 14-1 MB – Reese Resmer, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold MB – Kayla Nwabueze, Legacy 14-1 Adidas MB – Sofia Guerrero-Wilson, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen MB – Gabby Semona, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue RS – Caroline Ward, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold S/RS – Rayna Christianson, Northern Lights 14-1 S/RS – Kalyssa Taggart, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen S – Lexi Shondell, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold L – Madeline Kraft, Northern Lights 14-1 L – Meredith Martin, Legacy 14-1 Adidas

Number of Teams: 72 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (15): 3. A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe 8. OT 16 Jason 10. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 11. Munciana 16 Moana 24. OT 16 Roberto 27. Top Select 16 Elite 32. Pohaku 16-1 33. Momentous 16 Dan 35. NE Elite 16 Lokahi 37. City Volleyball 16 Gold 39. SCVC 16 Roxy 42. OT 16 Will 48. Tribe 16 Elite 49. Rev Fury 16-1 50. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com 5-star recruits (5): Lola Schumacher, L, Munciana 16 Moana Lauren Harden, OH, Rev Fury 16-1 Allie Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Makenzie Miller, MB, Pohaku 16-1 (2025) Amina N’diaye, OH, OT 16 Roberto (2025) vballrecruiter.com 4-star recruits (6): Mia Hood, MB, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Logan Wiley, MB, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Alex Rothe, MB/OH, EliteVBTC 16 Black Abby Hoybjerg, OH, SynergyForce 16 James Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Amanda Mack, OH, K2 16 Adidas Outlook: The top four seeded teams match up with the top four teams in our national rankings in A5, OT Jason, Tri-State Elite and Munciana. The first variation comes with Momentous, which is the No. 6 seed overall and ranked No. 33 in our rankings. Rounding out the top eight seeds are No. 5 Capitanas, No. 7 OT Roberto and No. 8 City. Also seeded are No. 9 Pohaku, No. 10 Boiler Jrs and No. 11 Top Select. Of the top 11 seeds all appear in our Top 50 with the exception of Capitanas, which is not ranked being a club from Puerto Rico. Five of the teams playing here are also in 16 Open in Indy. They are A5, OT Jason, OT Roberto, Top Select and OT Will. The field might not be as deep as 16 Open will be in Indy but it’s still going to be really competitive. Teams like K2, OT Will and SCVC are ranked No. 28, 29 and 30 respectively. All are capable of pulling upsets and creating havoc with higher seeds. It’ll take a bit for the tournament to gain steam. On Day 1, only teams finishing in last place will be eliminated. That means going from 72 down to 54. Day 3 is when it’s going to really ramp up and get tight. That day will start with 28 teams and get cut in half to 14 for the gold bracket. The final day will be as much about attrition as it will be competition. It’s possible the finalists could be playing their fourth match of the day on the fourth day of a tournament. Prediction: We already saw the top two seeds go at it in 14 Open for gold. Why not in 16 Open? A5 beats out OT Jason for the top spot. Momentous and Munciana grab the bronze medals.

The 14s and 18s divisions are behind us. In case you missed any of our coverage from those divisions, you can read about Munciana 18 Samurai bringing home the 18 Open gold and Boiler Jrs 14 Gold owning the 14 Open division. Also, we highlighted our Show Stoppers from the gold brackets as well. We are now onto the 15s and 17s divisions, which got underway Sunday at AAUs in Orlando. With 75 teams in 17 Open and another 59 in 15 Open, there was an insane amount of volleyball to attempt to take in on Day 1 of those divisions. We did our best to get to as many courts as possible. Fortunately, there is still three days of action to come. Also, keep scrolling on down for recaps on what took place but first here are 35 Day 1 Show Stoppers from those divisions. Abigail Li, S, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – A four-star recruit, Li is a stoic setter who doesn’t get too high or low. She has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Addison Makun, MB, Adidas KiVA 15 Red –Makun – a three-star recruit – is a name you’ll be hearing plenty of in the coming years. She’s a great prospect with a bright future with her size and arm. She opens up the offense as opponents must focus in on her. Jenna Vande Weerd, MB, Kairos 15 Adidas – Vande Weerd proved to be a strong presence. She was hitting deep winners and was getting touches to help slow down attacks. Maggie Meister, L, Kairos 15 Adidas – A three-star recruit, was getting low to get balls up. It was part of the package as she was making saves on a regular basis. Shylah Swope, S/RS, VA Elite 15 – Swope is a bit undersized but plays a valuable role by setting and hitting. She can hang in the air a split-second longer than expected, which can make her tough to time up blocking. Evelyn Jurden, S/RS, VA Elite 15 – Jurden is the other half of the 6-2. She has a big arm and when in a pinch she can hit out the back row in out of system plays. Sakura Codling, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue – A three-star recruit, we saw Codling a few weeks ago at the JVA SummerFest. She impressed then and she impressed again this time. She’s steady out of serve receive and does a solid job covering touches. Charlotte Glass, S, Tribe 15 Elite Dean – A five-star recruit, Glass has a great touch and sets a consistently clean ball. She’s on the mark regularly and is a huge prospect. Caroline Noonan, RS, CUVC 15 Premier – Noonan provides a boost on offense with her scoring capabilities on the right side. Her big arm combined with a big swing equals big kills. Jasmine Glenn, MB, Team Indiana 15.1 – Glenn – a three-star recruit – is an undersized middle who we absolutely love. She’s fearless and doesn’t hold back. She jumps well and can provide an offensive punch when she’s in. Addison Tindall, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – Tindall is a four-star recruit but it wouldn’t be surprising to see her end up as a five-star recruit by the time she reaches the next level. She’s listed at 6-2 but seems to play even longer than that. She can go straight over blocks and can hammer balls at times. Navea Gauthier, OH, Far Out 15 Black – A four-star recruit, Gauthier is one of the best scoring outsides in the Class of 2025. She’s a force anywhere she’s at on the floor and Far Out definitely relies on her to score a lot. Abbigail Pickard, S, Far Out 15 Black – A four-star recruit, Pickard is someone we’ve mentioned before. She’s consistent, rarely missing her mark and she possesses a nice release. Kennedy Johnson, S/RS, Neb Jrs 15 Black – A bit undersized, Johnson fills two roles by setting and hitting. She’s a fun setter with her ability to run tempo and she goes behind her well too. Elena Hoecke, MB, MN Select 15-1 – A 6-2 middle, Hoecke spices up the lineup when she checks in. She can make an impact on both sides with her scoring and blocking. Ava Hunter, S, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Hunter is a fluid, smooth setter who can run tempo on any set. This three-star recruit also moves the ball around well and gets her hitters involved. Lauren Buchanan, OH, Alabama Perf 15 Red – Buchanan is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s the team’s go-to hitter and provides stability and steadiness on the outside. Bella Bullington, OH, SPVB 15 Elite – Bullington has a cannon for an arm. She’s smooth and fluid and is a huge threat on the outside. She scores lots of points as SPVB surely feeds her. Sydney Davis, MB, GP 15 Rox – Davis is someone to keep watch on. She can get up quickly and has a good arm. We saw her absolutely crush one ball that showed exactly what she’s able to bring on the attack. Ava Antonaros, OH, Infinity 15 Open – Every time we saw Antonaros pass in serve receive she was rarely off target. Allie Grossenbach, RS, Club GSL 15 Andrew – GSL likes to get Grossenbach the ball as much as possible. The lefty has the capability to score in bunches. Charlotte Bell, MB, Academy 15 Diamond – Bell is a difference maker across the front row. She provides high-level offense with her height and ability to put the ball down. Hazel Alevok, MB, Wildfire Corey 15 – We like to identify future prospects and that’s exactly what Alevok is. It’s our first time seeing the 6-4 freshman and she’s much more than a tall body. She can score and has huge upside when it comes to the next level. Reagan Jansen, OH, Kairos 17 Adidas – Jansen has

AAU 14s Day 4 2022 The 18s and 14s divisions wrapped up play at AAUs in Orlando. It was podium day as teams competed in the gold bracket in hopes of medaling and reaching it. vballrecruiter.com was on hand taking it all in and scribbling notes on which players were standing out the most. Below, we present our Day 4 Show Stoppers. Sofia Guerrero-Wilson, MB, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – A 6-1 middle with amazing upside and potential, Guerrero-Wilson can rip it when it’s lined up for her. She was also winning 50-50 balls at the net with her size and scoring that way too. Kalyssa Taggart, S/RS, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – Taggart is a valuable piece to the puzzle, as she can run a 5-1 or set in the back and hit across the front as she was doing for most of the tournament. She has a great touch as a setter and doesn’t miss her spots too often. Ruby McDermott, L, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – McDermott is the type of player the more you see of her the more you appreciate what she does. She holds down the back row well and shows plenty of range when it comes to keeping plays alive. Emily Keiran, L, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Like many of the players featured on Day 4, we’ve written about Keiran before during the tournament. She again displayed her back row prowess and ability to chase down balls and anchor serve receive. Rayna Christianson, S/RS, Northern Lights 14-1 –A 6-2 high-level prospect, Christianson is part of the backbone of Northern Lights. She does a lot setting and hitting. When she’s front row, she’s a featured part of the attack and for good reason. With her length, smaller blockers have virtually no chance of slowing her down. Madeline Kraft, L, Northern Lights 14-1 – Attackers need to bring real heat if they are going to score on Kraft going cross court when she’s at left back. Anything short of that and she’ll get it up. She also showed her willingness to hit the floor to extend rallies. Romi Chlebecek, OH, Northern Lights 14-1 – A bit undersized on the left, Chlebecek is a gamer and a smart hitter. If it’s there, she’ll go for it but if it’s not she doesn’t overdo things and looks to keep the ball in play and not make an error. Kaleigh Langmo, OH, Top Select 14 Elite – Langmo brings physicality to the attack. She takes strong cuts and hits a heavy ball that can be tough on defenders to get up. Isabella Johnson, RS, Top Select 14 Elite – Another strong hitter for Top Select to utilize, Johnson put down a few powerful hits. She was also able to block a few balls for points as well. Caroline Vargas, MB, Top Select 14 Elite – Vargas is a capable scorer and somebody Top Select will go to when the pass allows. She also makes a mark blocking, getting in the way and helping to slow down attacks. Catherine Palmi, OH, GP 14 Rox – Palmi powers GP along, literally. She’s a strong hitter and server who uses her strength and jumping ability to her advantage. She can absolutely unload on shots to all parts of the court. Madison Wehr, S, GP 14 Rox – Wehr is on the stoic and unassuming side and doesn’t get too high or low. She’s a steady setter who puts up a clean ball in good locations for her hitters to score. Jenness Orcutt, RS, GP 14 Rox – Orcutt might be the tallest member of GP and it’s her height that helps her score consistently on the right side. She swings with nice extension and can go over smaller blocks regularly. Lexi Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Que the broken record, like we said on Day 3 we could write about Shondell every time she plays. She has great leadership skills and is in total control of running the offense. Reese Resmer, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – We’ve yet to see a team stop or slow Resmer down with any consistency. The best hope is getting Boiler Jrs out of system, because if Shondell can run the full offense Resmer is going to make her presence known over and over. Arielle Hepler, L, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Hepler is one of those players who you see smiling a lot. She’s a steady passer and defender and is always uplifting her teammates. Caroline Ward, RS, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – The way Ward has it going already, she’s a future Top 10 recruit. She’s 6-0 and only a seventh grader. She’s long with a whippy swing that can generate serious heat be it down the line or cross court. Cali Foster, OH, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – One of the best all-around players in the age group, Foster is fun to watch because of her smoothness. She’s a really smart hitter who can tool blocks, go through them or around them. She’s also a back row treasure with her defending and passing skills. Bre Morgan, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Another point scorer out of the middle for Boiler Jrs, Morgan can get up and put it down. Madison Miles, OH, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – There’s a reason it comes from everywhere with Boiler Jrs. Miles is a point-scoring machine on the outside with her fluid swing and ability to generate plenty of pace with it. Kayla Nwabueze, MB, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – As we keep saying, this is a name you’ll get to know well in the coming years. At 6-0, Nwabueze has nice size and can hit from anywhere across the front row with great extension and power. Meredith Martin, L, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – A sound libero, Martin doesn’t make many errors. She’s sturdy in serve receive and is capable of making some big-time saves. Marlie Smith, S/OH, Legacy 14-1 Adidas –

Road signs are accurate. Volleyball ones can be misleading. Just because all the signs were pointing to a showdown between top-seeded Boiler Jrs 14 Gold and No. 2 Game Point 14 Rox in the 14 Open division at AAUs in Orlando, it hardly meant that was the championship match that was going to happen. Yet, the two highest-ranked clubs in our National Rankings – Boilers Jrs at No. 8 and GP at No. 11 – squared off for the gold medal Saturday afternoon at the ESPN Zone. On paper, it was the perfect final. On the court, Boiler Jrs was nearly perfect. The Indiana club turned in a no-doubt performance in sweeping GP, 25-18, 25-14, and claiming the gold medal. The sides had been on a collision course since the tournament started four days ago. In some regard, it was a case of who would blink first. Neither lost a set through the first two days. Game Point remained flawless after Day 3, when Boiler Jrs finally flinched and gave up a set in a three-game victory over Tribe 14 Elite. That was as close to losing as Boiler Jrs faced in Orlando, winning the third set 15-13. Perhaps that meant Boiler Jrs was vulnerable entering the gold bracket. Then again, perhaps the Florida humidity won’t be here when we gather in Orlando next summer. Opponents could only dream, as can we. Boiler Jrs’ finishing touch was on display, coming out firing against Northern Lights 14-1 in the quarterfinals and sweeping, 25-19, 25-7. The match was actually close midway through the first set. Coming off three days of PM pools before the schedule switched to AM matches, Boiler Jrs woke up, found its rhythm and just like that was onto the semifinals. A5 Mizuno 14 Helen offered more resistance, but not enough to push to force a third after Boiler Jrs pulled out a close second set and finished its sweep, 25-18, 25-22. Game Point, on the other hand, was tested out of the gate Saturday in its quarterfinal. Outside hitter Jordin Southall went down in the second set with an ankle injury and spent the rest of the match on the sidelines with ice on it. That seemed to rattle GP at first before the Florida club settled down, regrouped and pulled out the victory over Top Select 14 Elite in three games, 25-18, 16-25, 15-10. With Southall back in the lineup for the semis, GP was back to its usual self. Legacy 14-1 Adidas was taken care of quickly as GP swept, 25-13, 25-14, to set up the showdown with Boiler Jrs. The teams are similar in that both have strong outsides. For GP, it’s Southall and Catherine Palmi. For Boiler Jrs, it’s Cali Foster and Madison Miles. Both also have reliable options on the right in Jenness Orcutt (GP) and Caroline Ward (Boiler Jrs). The setting positions are ones of strengths with Lexi Shondell (Boiler Jrs) and Madison Wehr (GP). Where Boiler Jrs had the edge was in the middle with Reese Resmer and Bre Morgan, as well as at libero with Elle Hepler. It’s the strength of Boiler Jrs in that there isn’t a clear weakness anywhere. The team passes and defends and doesn’t have a rotation it gets stuck in because of the offensive firepower it can keep throwing at opponents. Game Point found that out first hand in the final. Boiler Jrs finished the four days going 11-0 overall and 22-1 in sets. It posted an impressive 1.5134 points ratio and now turns its sights on another national championship in its home state. The seedings for 14 Open at the USAV GJNC weren’t released as of Saturday. Regardless, Boiler Jrs will head to Indy as one of the favorites. Game Point is also part of that tournament as well. With a much deeper field there, the winner of that event will most assuredly take the No. 1 spot in our final 14s National Rankings. *** Before getting to what happened in 14 Premier, here are some final thoughts on 14 Open. Here’s the point where we can say our National Rankings held up well. We already mentioned that the two top-ranked teams met in the final. Boiler Jrs was the only team from our Top 10 in the field. The two bronze medalists in A5 and Legacy were among the top five teams from our rankings, coming in at No. 24 and No. 30 respectively. Dynasty 14 Black, at No. 19, was the highest-ranked team to miss the gold bracket. Top Select, at No. 34, No. 39 WPVC 14 Armour Black, and unranked Northern Lights and Mauloa 14 Green all made the quarterfinals. Rev 14-1 Fuego, at No. 31, was the next-highest ranked team to miss the quarterfinals. Some of that could be attributed to tough luck. Rev had a crossover match on Day 3 that was scheduled for 8pm. Rev fought off Vaqueras Freddy, rallying in Games 2 and 3 and winning 16-14 in the third. It was late night by that point and Rev had to turn around and play at 8am. Rev lost to Top Select 25-13, 26-24. Rev was up 23-20 in Game 2 but a 6-1 run from Top Select closed the door. Of the teams to reach the Top 10, six will be competing in 14 Open in Indy in Boiler Jrs, GP, A5, Top Select, WPVC and Rev. Legacy is not in 14 Open after getting passed by for an Open bid. The feeling here was Legacy should have earned one considering it has seven victories against the Open field. WPVC did get one of the eight at-larges with a 2-9 mark against the field. Of course, WPVC did beat Legacy head-to-head at the Sunshine Classic and maybe that played a part in WPVC getting one and Legacy not. It just so happened Legacy and WPVC met in the quarterfinals Saturday. Legacy moved on in three, 17-25, 25-22, 15-9, but of course it’s too late for

It’s confession time. Being a media site which is supposed to remain unbiased, neutral and fair at vballrecruiter.com, we were secretly rooting for any team other than Munciana 18 Samurai to bring home the 18 Open gold medal at AAUs in Orlando. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that the newly-crowned 18 Open gold medalist – a title Muncie earned after sweeping rival Sports Performance 18 Elite in the championship match Saturday at the ESPN Zone – made life very difficult on us. Why? In winning the national championship, Munciana opened up a debate and we are the ones who must settle it. See, way back in February Muncie won this tournament. You might have heard of it. It’s called Triple Crown and most all the top teams in the country were there. Muncie won the 18s championship, defeating Sunshine 18 LA in the final. It was Sunshine, of course, which took home the USAV 18s GJNC gold medal in April. When we released our 18s National Rankings in May it was Sunshine taking the No. 1 spot. But we did leave the door open for Muncie to reclaim it should Muncie take home gold here in Orlando. Now that that has happened, let the debate begin! There’s no arguing which of the two clubs played the harder schedule. Sunshine not only took home gold in Phoenix, it won national qualifiers in Chicago and So Cal. The only other team outside of Muncie to defeat Sunshine on a national stage was A5 Mizuno 18 Marc, also at Triple Crown. As for Muncie, it played a very limited schedule. The Indiana club hit up Triple Crown, Bluegrass in Louisville and AAUs. Muncie lost at Bluegrass to SPVB. Muncie also lost to Hou Skyline 18 Royal at Triple Crown. The biggest argument for Muncie is of course owning the head-to-head victory over Sunshine. You have two national championships, two winners, with one winner having beaten the other winner. That’s how the two stack up. We aren’t ready to make any proclamations yet. You’ll have to wait until July when we release our final national rankings. We’ll definitely be weighing both sides of the argument until then. As for the final day of the season for Muncie, it played out exactly like what we have become accustomed to seeing with the 18s from this club. Muncie rarely is going to beat itself. To get over on Muncie, opponents need to bring it and simply outplay Muncie because they won’t be handed anything. No team we saw in the 18s this season plays with as much fire and heart as Muncie does. That’s not necessarily to say Muncie is the best team, simply it’s refreshing to see the pure joy and excitement this group exudes on the court. In defeating SPVB in yesterday’s challenge match for seedings, Muncie took over the top spot and eventually met up with Coast 17-1 again in the semis. Muncie downed Kokoro 18-1 in straight sets in the quarters, while Coast held off Kairos 18 Adidas, 19-25, 25-13, 18-16, in its quarterfinal. Coast snuck past Muncie on Day 2, taking Game 3 in strong fashion, 15-9. No doubt that didn’t sit well with Muncie. After all, this is an 18 Open national championship and losing to a 17s team is going to sting. Coast came out hot in the rematch, taking the first set 25-16 before Muncie fought back and won the next two, 25-21, 15-13, to reach the final. The rematch with SPVB was not on the level of Friday’s contest, which Muncie won, 25-21, 28-30, 15-13. Saturday’s final was a more one-sided affair with Muncie prevailing, 25-23, 25-19. Muncie’s style is on its own level. The team trains and focuses on fast transition from offense to defense. That means playing great defense first, because without a dig there is no offense to transition to. It’s that speed and quickness from defense to offense that opponents have a hard time keeping up with and reacting to. At times, teams think they have a kill only to see the ball picked up and before opponents know it it’s coming right back at them. This is not a big team. Outside Eva Hudson is one of the two tallest players, along with middle Lovie Wallace. Along with Avery Ross, the outsides keep coming at opponents with aggression and putting lots of pressure on defenses. Setter Ella Bostic does well mixing in her middles with Wallace and Breanna Gross to keep teams honest. Then there is libero Ramsey Gary, who is one of the best in the Class of 2023 and a stalwart defensively. In an ideal world, we would get the rematch we all want to see between Sunshine and Munciana instead of having to decide which team deserves our final No. 1 ranking the most.

Any time teams are playing to make a gold bracket is a big deal. When it’s at a national championship, it’s an even bigger one. That’s what Day 3 for the 14s and 18s at AAUs in Orlando had in store for us. You can read about the day’s developments below if you keep scrolling. First, we want to showcase our Day 3 Show Stoppers. These are the players who stood out to us the most while going from court to court. Ruby McDermott, L, A5 Mizuno 14-1 Helen – McDermott showed her ability to get low and pick balls up off the floor. She was passing on target out of serve receive and was holding down the back row with confidence. Jordin Southall, OH, GP 14 Rox – A high-flying outside, Southall is someone to keep tabs on as she moves up in age groups. She can unleash on balls at times and is a definite scoring threat when she checks in front row. Jenness Orcutt, RS, GP 14 Rox – Orcutt brings her much-needed height to the front row. She has a good extension on her attacks and gave GP a reliable option on the right side. She was also touching balls and helping slow down attacks. Emma Adkins, OH, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – A six-rotation outside, Adkins is a key cog in the Tri-State lineup. She doesn’t back down, swinging well and keeps it coming at blockers. Arielle Hepler, L, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Boiler is one of the better passing and ball control teams in the field. Hepler contributes to that with her play at libero. She plays with lots of energy and is sound out of serve receive and does well chasing down balls. Lexi Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Shondell is someone we could talk about every time we see her play. She’s that talented. She already shows great command of the offense as she gets all her hitters involved. She’s also a plus defender. Madeline Dettling, OH, Mich Elite 14 Mizuno – A lanky outside, Dettling is one of the better offensive options for Mich Elite. She was showing nice extension on most of her swings. Ella Askin, OH, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Asking brings a bit of physicality to the lineup. She’s a strong hitter who can unleash big kills at times. Riley Taylor, MB, Triangle 14 Black – Taylor displayed her upside and it makes her someone to keep watch on in the years to come. She’s tall and that’s always an advantage at this age group. She also has the capability to send down loud kills when she gets a hold of one. Lexi Kedvesh, L, Rev 14-1 – Kedvesh does a solid job patrolling the back row. She can pass overhead and she can move side to side in serve receive and still deliver on target. Isabelle Masten, OH, Rev 14-1 – A bit undersized, Masten passes well and is a fearless attacker who can hit from the back row as well. Jaycee Jones, MB, Rev 14-1 – Also a bit undersized, Jones is an athletic middle who moves well. She has a quick leap and nice arm that makes her a scoring threat on in-system passes. Meredith Martin, L, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – Martin is one of the best liberos in the field. She’s smooth and consistent and rarely makes mistakes or misses on plays. She also can pass half the court in a two-person serve receive along with Jadyn Kennedy. Zoe Ross, L, Wildfire 14 Albert – Wildfire is one of the better digging and scrambling teams in the tournament. Ross is part of the reason why with her ability to make hustle plays and passing well when served at. Josie Noble, MB, Far Out 14 Black – Noble brings a level of physicality to the front row. She was scoring from sideline to sideline, going cross body and wrist away with equal effectiveness. Charlotte Segard, OH, MVA 14 National Black – Segard helps keep the offense ticking across the front row. She’s also a strong contributor in the back row where she was making nice digs and covers to keep rallies alive. Madison Hewitson, RS, Ocala Power 14 Adidas – A lanky lefty right side, Hewitson was making an impact on both sides of the ball. She was get her hands on attacks then turning around and scoring with nice shots to the deep cross court corner. Violet Poole, L, MVP 14 Gold – Poole was performing well and working hard to hold down the defensive side. She was laying out to keep balls alive, stepping taking them overhead and passing steady out of serve receive. Jenna Baller, L, Elevation 14 Peak – Baller was another defensive presence. She was sound in serve receive and putting passes on digs right on target consistently. Kennedy Boatman, S, Tx Tornados 14 Adidas – Boatman was consistently setting clean balls. She showed a soft touch and was hitting her spots regularly. Gabriella Brodner, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Brodner flashed her upside. She’s lanky with nice extension and is part of a solid outside duo for Jupiter. Olivia Peterson, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Peterson is the other half of a standout outside duo for Jupiter. She was showcasing strong passing skills and though she’s a bit undersized she was aggressive with her swings. Shaniya Harris, MB, HJV 14 Premier – A middle who is a bit undersized, Harris helps make up for with her bounce. She’s quick off the ground with a nice arm and delivered a few impressive kills. Adriana Jeanpierre, OH, JJVA 14 Teal – Jeanpierre gets in the air well with her strong jump. She gives JJVA a scoring option front or back row as she’s not afraid to let it rip. Avery MacMeccan, L, Upward Stars 14 Taylor – Taylor communicates well, encouraging teammates and letting hitters know where to swing. She was also consistently picking up swings