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It was a blast watching some of the very best players in the country competing this past weekend at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships. vballrecruiter.com was on hand for the duration taking in all the action. We release the list of the top outsides we witnessed over the three days in Phoenix. Chelsea Thorpe, 1st Alliance 18 Gold – Thorpe is committed to Ohio State and should do well as a Buckeye. She’s 6-3 with a physical arm. When she connects, you can almost feel it from the sideline. Alexis Shelton, CUVC 18 Premier – Unfortunately, Shelton missed much of the season due to injury. She was a welcome presence in the lineup in Phoenix. She’s 6-2 with a big arm who can pound down loud kills. She’s committed to Oklahoma. Ava Martin, PVA 18 Elite – This Creighton recruit is the go-to hitter on the left and can carry the offensive load at times. She’s 6-1, jumps well and is relentless as she brings the heat over and over. Jordan Middleton, AZ Storm 18 Thunder – Though it was rough for AZ Storm not breaking pool, Middleton carries a heavy load on offense regardless. The 6-1 USC signee can unleash thudding winners all over the court with her loose swing. Elia Rubin, Sunshine 18 LA – The 6-0 Stanford signee is the best all-around player in the country and performed like it consistently in Phoenix. She passes lights out and defends with tenacity. Her back-row attacks are almost unstoppable and she has every shot in the book to beat defenses with when she’s front row. Jasmine Dulan, Dynasty 18 Black – At 5-8, Dulan – who is headed to Missouri – is constantly going against bigger blocks. Though she’s undersized, she jumps well and has a lively arm. She’s aggressive with it and doesn’t back down. She also has strong ball control. Cheridyn Leverette, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc – What a weapon Leverette is. The 6-1 UCLA commit is a high-flyer who touches 10-3 and has the pace and power to overwhelm defenders and blow up blocks. Maya Duckworth, Madfrog 18 Green – A six-rotation stalwart Duckworth is a bit undersized at 5-9 but the Iowa State commit doesn’t back down from anyone. She’s a smart hitter with a wide variety of shots. She’s also a strong passer and helps anchor the back row. Courtney Jones, Circle City 18 Purple – A 6-0 outside committed to Lipscomb, Jones is a key feature of the offense. She gets up well and takes hard, aggressive swings. She’s relentless on the attack and doesn’t let up. Emma Donley, Rage 18 Westside – A 6-2 junior committed to Cal, Donley is part of a strong outside duo for Rage. She’s a consistent and reliable scorer with the ability to carry the offense during stretches. Grayce Olson, Rage 18 Westside – Olson – a 6-4 UCLA commit – is long with a big arm who can crush it. She’s a featured part of the Rage attack and go can on runs where she’s simply unstoppable. Lucy Trump, Tri-State 18 Elite – This 6-0 outside is part of strong incoming class for Notre Dame. She’s a strong all-around player with solid ball control skills and she’s a smart hitter who knows how to score in a variety of ways. Rylen Reid, Adversity 18 Adidas – It’s hard to find someone who looks like they are having more fun playing than Reid. The 6-0 outside is committed to Florida Gulf Coast and plays with endless spirit. She also has a solid arm that generates plenty of pace. Jacqueline Bardin, Metro 18 Travel – Bardin’s jumping ability allows her to play taller than her 5-11 frame. She has a fulid arm and ability the ability to let loose when the opportunity is there. She’s headed to Davidson. Laila Ivey, Metro 18 Travel – A 6-1 Maryland commit, Ivey can sky. She gets in the air quickly and can unload on the ball with her fast arm swing. Adonia Faumuina, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Faumuina is capable of pounding down impressive winners with her easy swing. At 6-1, she’s one of Beach’s best offensive options. She’s headed to USC. Mele Corral-Blagojevich, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – A Class of 2023 four-star recruit, Corral-Blagojevich is a six-rotation outside. She has a powerful arm to go with a mix of off-speed shots. She also can change momentum in a hurry with her hard serving. Ana Julia Bleeker, OT 18 Felix – An undersized outside at 5-9, Bleeker is a heady attacker who knows how to use the block and read defenses. She also is a steady and consistent passer that might allow her to play libero at the next level. She’s committed to Georgia. Kathryn Randorf, AVC Cle Rox 18 Rox – A former middle blocker, Randorf – a Northwestern commit – has shined since moving to the outside. She’s 6-1 with a huge arm to punish defenses with. Caroline Jurevicius, AVC Cle Rox 18 Rox – A five-star junior, Jurevicius is committed to Nebraska. It’s easy to see why. She’s athletic, can put up a big block and has a great arm that produces some of the biggest kills in the gym. Emily Hellmuth, Skyline 18 Royal – At 6-3 and touching 10-3, Hellmuth is an offensive force. She’s long and can go over blocks. Or her she can tool them with her fluid swing. She’s committed to Pepperdine. Janet deMarrais, Skyline 18 Royal – Missouri is getting a strong hitter in deMarrais. The 6-2 outside hits hard with her aggressive swing and she’s not one to back down. Lilly Wachholz, Vital 18-1 Gold – It was a tremendous weekend for Vital, which is helped out by the play of the 6-3 Wachholz. She’s a physical outside who hits a heavy ball. She’s headed to Iowa State. Brielle Warren, Hou Skyline 18 Royal – Warren has the potential to be a force at

Before heading off to play at their respective colleges, players gathered in Phoenix for the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships over the weekend. There was plenty of excitement to follow and vballrecruiter.com spent three days chasing it. Below, we bring you the top right sides we saw performing during our time there. Maya Cappellino, A4 Volley 18 Joaco – A bit undersized at 5-11, this lefty was swinging aggressively and challenging bigger blocks with success throughout the weekend and proved to be one of A4’s more reliable options. Kerry Keefe, Sunshine 18 LA – A six-rotation opposite, Keefe is a threat front and back row. At 6-2, she’s long and can hit over blocks, off of them or around them. She has a whippy arm which generates plenty of pace. She’s committed to Duke. Avry Tatum, Wave 18 Kevin – A 6-3 six-rotation opposite and physical hitter, Tatum is the go-to in the Wave offense with her big arm. She can deliver momentum-shifting kills. She’s committed to Cincinnati. Logan Lednicky, Hou Skyline 18 Royal – This 6-2 lefty is committed to Texas AM. She has a great swing and can let loose when attacking. She’s a great option on the right who can hit high and cause defenses tons of trouble. Kennedy Martin, FC Elite 18 Elite – What a next-level prospect Martin is. She’s a 6-6 junior already committed to Florida. She’s still raw and developing and that’s scary. Her size alone makes her a presence on the right side. She can easily go over blocks at times while slowing down would-be attacks with her length blocking. Madison Pietsch, Rage 18 Westside – A 6-2 lefty committed to USC, Pietsch can be difficult to stop when she’s on. She has a wide variety of shots and with her length can hit tough angles to defend. Jalyn Stout, Gainesville Jrs 18/17 – A junior playing up, Stout is a key contributor to the Gainesville offense. She’s 5-10 with a nice jump and smooth swing. She takes aggressive cuts at the ball and isn’t afraid to challenge bigger blockers. Sienna Ifill, Northern Lights 18-1 – Ifill is an athletic right side who at 6-1 can touch 10-3 and is committed to Marquette. She can put up a nice block. A lefty, she also can whip the ball down with her quick swing. Laura Williams, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – This 5-11 right side can be a force at times in the Beach attack. She has a lively arm and can pound down winners with it. She’s committed to Oregon State. Anna Herrington, OT 18 Felix – A 6-0 Boston College commit, Herrington can crank it when she gets it going. She has a big arm and hits a heavy ball. Her scoring abilities helped OT balance out its attack. Mia Soerensen, AVC Cle Rox 18 Red – A lanky 6-4, Soerensen had her moments for AVC. She’s a lefty with a fluid swing that can create plenty of pace when she gets a hold of one. She’s headed to Kent State. Madison Scheer, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite – A 6-1 Auburn recruit, Scheer carries a powerful arm that can penetrate blocks and overpower defenders. She’s a featured part of the RT attack and was a reliable option on the right.

The weekend run at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships is over. It doesn’t mean the coverage has stopped. vballrecruiter.com spent three days roaming the courts and taking in the action. It led us to creating a list of the top liberos we saw competing. Ella Voegele, MN Select 18-1 – We like the awareness Voegele – who is committed to UNC-Greensboro – plays with. She covers well and was passing consistently when targeted. Megan Verbeist, Sunshine 18 LA – The USC commit is an easy-going dynamic passer with the ability to make some spectacular saves. She isn’t often challenged in serve receive but when she is she rarely misses her mark. Gracey Janes, Dynasty 18 Black – Dynasty has to compete on the strength of its passing and ball control. Janes is fiery at times and does her best to pump up teammates after big kills. She’s committed to Rockhurst. Tatum Thomas, AZ Storm 18 Thunder – A Grand Canyon commit, Thomas is a gamer. She’s quick and covers ground in a hurry. She can been seen flying all over the court in pursuit of the ball. Emma Farrell, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc – Farrell should excel at Wake Forest, where she is signed. She’s an exceptional talent who takes ownership of the position like few do. She’s absolute nails out of serve receive and is super steady and on point with her defending and ball control. Saige Damrow, FC Elite 18 Elite – A five-star junior committed to Wisconsin, Damrow has an unassuming nature about her. She has a laidback demeanor and is super smooth. She rarely misses a play and is as automatic as they come out of serve receive. Skylar McCune, Premier Nebraska 18 Gold – McCune will help make up a strong back row when she gets to Creighton. Though Premier Nebraska had a tough go in Phoenix, McCune shined at the position with her pin-point passing and ability to keep rallies alive. Gillian Grimes, Adversity 18 Adidas – Grimes recently announced she’s headed to Penn State at the next level. Grimes helped fuel a great run for Adversity with her standout play. She’s spirited and plays with a feistiness. Jordyn Schilling, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – A West Virginia recruit, Schilling is the key part of the Beach defense. She’s steady out of serve receive. She also reads and anticipates well which helps her be in the right spots to make plays. Naylani Feliciano, Skyline 18 Royal – Skyline boasts a really strong back court, with Feliciano one part of a dynamic duo. She’ll suit up for Miami in the fall and will bring a strong court sense and speed to the next level. Emily Canaan, Skyline 18 Royal – Canaan has long been one of the better liberos in the class and is committed to Florida. She’s an intense competitor who plays all out and is steady and consistent with her passing. Gala Trubint, Coast 18-1 – Trubint is part of big incoming class for USC. She’s a calm and stoic libero who is unflappable. She has a high IQ and can frustrate hitters with her ability to pick their shots off. Zoria Heard, Madfrog 18 Green – A Texas AM-Corpus Christi commit, Heard had a strong weekend in the Madfrog back court. At times, it seemed like she was everywhere keeping rallies going and helping slow down would-be attackers. Madison Hoffman, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite – Rockwood Thunder came together to grab a bronze medal, including the play of Hoffman. The Wingate commit was steady all weekend in anchoring the defense and providing consistent play. Emma Halter, Team Indiana Elite 18.1 – Opponents that know about Halter – a Texas commit – work so hard to keep the ball away from her that she can go stretches without touching the ball. Still, she’s a dynamic player with all the tools to star at Texas. She passes dimes and is a scrappy defender who can hit the floor to make a save.

There was an overwhelming collection of talented players who spent three days competing at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships this past weekend in Phoenix. With so many stars around it’s not an easy task standing out. Below, vballrecruiter.com highlights the top setters we watched in action throughout the weekend. Bergen Reilly, Kairos 18 Elite – The Nebraska commit is silky smooth and moves the ball around to all her hitters effortlessly. A junior who is a five-star recruit, Reilly has great hands, a calming demeanor and the ability to make the players around her better. Sophie Skinner, 501 Volley 18 National – Part of last season’s Under Armour All-America game, Skinner runs a nice offense. She has nice hands and a consistent delivery. Kelly Belardi, Sunshine 18 LA – Few things fire up the Sunshine players like this 5-9 setter delivering a block. It’s not her forte obviously but few can move the ball around with the ease of Belardi. Sunshine passes well and is often in system and that allows Belardi to go to work creating one-on-one looks for her hitters with her soft touch and pin-point delivery. She’s headed to Stanford. Maddie Waak, Hou Skyline 18 Royal – Waak is a 5-11 setter on her way to LSU. She has strong command of the position and how to run an offense. She’s effective getting everyone involved when Hou Skyline is in system. Jordan Karlen, Capital 18 Adidas – An undersized setter at 5-9, Karlen has a smooth delivery and clean sets. She dishes with consistent accuracy to all her hitters. Harmony Sample, S/RS, Madfrog 18 Green – The Notre Dame recruit makes tremendous contributions as a two-way player. She’s a sharp setter with great touch who rarely misses delivering in the hitting window. She’s also a big-time attacker with nice hops and a lively arm to damage defenses with.  Havannah Hoeft, Rage 18 Westside – A Class of 2023 setter, Hoeft is a bit undersized at 5-7 but that doesn’t keep her from being effective. She has nice hands and consistently puts her hitters in good spots to score. She’s adept at moving the ball around and not over relying on any one hitter. Katie Hurta, S/RS, Adversity 18 Adidas – What a piece to the puzzle Hurta is for Adversity. A 6-1 Penn State commit, she’s a tremendous two-player. She has great hands and a strong sense on defense when she’s setting. She’s also a reliable scoring option with a great swing who can produce some big kills. Ava Sarafa, Mich Elite 18 Mizuno – This four-star recruit who is committed to Kentucky is a junior who was brought up from the 17s roster. She helped form a 6-2 package in Phoenix. She’s super smooth and can keep defenses guessing with her ability to set from different positions and angles. Rosemary Archer, Skyline 18 Royal – A 6-0 Pepperdine commit, Archer is a gamer. She plays hard and is a very consistent setter who rarely misses her location. Mattie Gantt, Madfrog 18 Green – Gantt – a 5-11 University of Texas at El Paso commit – really helped stabilize the setting position for Madfrog. She is part of a 6-2 and has solid hands to go with a strong ability to move the ball around to her various hitters with reliable accuracy. Natalia Hagopian, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – A bit undersized at 5-10, this Northeastern recruit spent time running a 6-2 but moved into a 5-1 role later in the year. She was a key part of Beach’s run to the quarters. She does well connecting with all her hitters and keeping defenses off-balanced. Cameron Berger, Vital 18-1 Gold – An at-large recipient, Vital took advantage in reaching the quarters. Another undersized setter at 5-10, Berger is a hustler on the court and shows strong leadership in directing the offense. She’s a Class of 2023 setter committed to Michigan State. Leah Wilton-LaBoy, Absolute Black 18-1 – A 5-9 setter committed to Utah State, Wilton-LaBoy plays with a lot of passion and energy. She’s feisty and knows how to get her hitters involved her smarts and ability to run a wide variety of sets. Addison Beagle, Dynasty 18 Black – On her way to Drake, this 5-11 setter helped Dynasty reach the challenge rounds with her keen sense and sharp location. Dynasty is undersized and needs to run tempo and put its hitters in favorable positions and that’s what Beagle does. Katie Dalton, FRVBC 18-1 Black – At 6-1, Dalton has all the skills to shine at Kansas, where she is signed. She’s tall with nice footwork and a competitive attitude.

It was a fun time in Phoenix witnessing all the seniors wrapping up their club careers at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships. vballrecruiter.com attempted to get to as many teams and players as we could in order to highlight the standouts. Here are the top middle blockers we watched. Mari Singletary, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc – Singletary is an undeniable presence in the front row who can impact matches on both sides of the ball. A 6-5 Texas commit, she touches an unbelievable 10-7. Combined with her agility, she takes up a lot of space at the net and is nearly unstoppable at times. Oluwalademi Ogunlana, HJV 18 Elite – At 5-11, Ogunlana is not the biggest middle of the bunch. Yet, she’s quick and moves well. It makes her a good option on the slide attack, which HJV likes to use her in. She’s headed to Rice.   Olivia Harrison, Rage 18 Westside – A 6-2 middle committed to George Washington, Harrison brings an added dimension to the Rage attack. She gets up quickly and can attack with a vengeance. Her big winners always pump up her teammates. Lucia Scalamandre, Sunshine 18 LA – An Ivy Leaguer who is on her way to Princeton, Scalamandre is an energetic, upbeat 6-2 middle who can often be seen smiling on the court. She touches 10-2, runs an effective slide and makes good reads at the net blocking. Kennedy Hill, Sunshine 18 LA – Northwestern landed a good one in Hill. She’s 6-0 and is very quick both laterally and jumping. Her swing is fast and she can produce some loud and impressive winners with her scoring ability. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Madfrog 18 Green – A 6-2 middle committed to Texas AM, Cos-Okpalla is a physical presence whether attacking or defending. She’s strong and can deliver resounding blocks to match her booming kills. Hannah Sherman, Metro 18 Travel – Sherman – a Louisville commit – gets off the ground quickly and has the arm to match. At 6-2, it makes her a difficult cover and defenses often pay the price for being up late against her. Rylie McGinest, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – McGinest is 6-1 but plays even longer than that. She has a high contact point and few middles put it down around the 10-foot line as often as this USC commit does. Rhiann Sheffie, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Another 6-1 middle for Beach, Sheffie can be fiery at times, especially after delivering an eye-popping kill. She’s on her way to Long Beach State. Amaya Thomas, OT 18 Felix – A 6-3 Florida commit, Thomas is a game-changer in the middle. She’s long and can put up a big block to slow down attackers with. She can also hit high, which creates difficult angles for defenders to cover. Carter Mogridge, OT 18 Chad – This 6-4 middle is committed to North Carolina. She has a commanding presence in the middle and provides physicality on both sides of the ball. Vanessa Polk, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite – The more Polk – a 6-2 middle committed to Pepperdine – gets involved the better the results go for Rockwood. Polk was a massive factor in the team’s upset of Coast to reach the top eight. She has a big arm and also a knack for delivering timely blocks. Grace Wuischpard, Absolute Black 18-1 – It’s a different game for Absolute when this 6-3 UC Santa Barbara commit checks in front row. She’s long and touches lots of attacks to help the back row. She’s also effective running the slide which helps open up the offense. Alex Dvorak, PVA 18 Elite – The thing about Dvorak is she just knows how to score. She’s not flashy but she doesn’t need to be with her smarts and ability to read defenses and counter. Serena Nyambio, Legacy 18-1 Adidas – A 6-2 middle committed to Michigan, Nyambio is one of the better middles in class with her ability to play both sides of the ball. She’s physical with a strong arm who can also present a big block.

National champions were crowned across seven divisions at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships on Sunday in Phoenix. Before getting to that, a reminder that vballrecruiter.com will be releasing its standout performers list in the next couple of days featuring players who impressed over the course of our three days there. Some studs who are sure to be included are Skyline 18 Royal outside Emily Hellmuth, Sunshine 18 LA outside Elia Rubin and middle Kennedy Hill, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar setter Natalia Hagopian and Madfrog 18 Green outside Maya Duckworth. *** As for the gold medals, Sunshine 18 LA capped its almost perfect run through 18 Open by sweeping Madfrog 18 Green in the final. Sunshine lost its only set of the tournament fighting off Skyline 18 Royal in three games in the quarterfinals before downing FC Elite 18 Elite in straight sets in the semis. Madfrog outlasted Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar in its quarterfinal meeting, then upgraded its medal by topping Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite in the semis. FC Elite earned its bronze medal by sweeping surprise Vital 18-1 Gold in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Rockwood Thunder clipped Adversity 18 Adidas in three games in the quarters to secure its bronze. We’ll have more on the 18 Open in the next day or two, as well as the other divisions that played out Sunday. Here’s how those results shook out: 18 National Final: Front Range VBC 18 Black d Alliance 18 Ren 25-20, 24-26, 15-13 Bronzes: MKE Sting 18 Gold; Norco 18 Black *** 18 USA Final: Sunshine 18 Westside d Capital 18 Adidas 25-18, 14-25, 15-12 Bronzes: Roots 18 UA Green; Kairos 18 Adidas *** 18 Liberty Final: GW/TZ 18 Asics d Arsenal 18 Gold 25-21, 25-21 Bronzes: TX Legacy 18 Elite; Elite VBC 18 Gold *** 18 American Final: SA Juniors 18 Adidas d Viper 18-1 25-19, 18-25, 15-5 Bronzes: BVA 18 Mizuno; Hou Skyline 18 Black *** 18 Freedom Final: Coast 18 Rachel d Paramount VBC 18s 25-20, 25-22 Bronzes: Webfoot 18-1 Brian; MJVA 18 Fields *** 18 Patriot Final: SG Elite 18 Rosh d Balboa Bay 18 Blue 25-15, 25-14 Bronzes: Vegas United 18 Navy; NNJ 18 Jason

Day 2 of the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships is the most unique day of volleyball of the season. Essentially, the second day of competition in 18 Open begins with 48 teams still in contention – though a few might have been mathematically eliminated the notion remains the same – and ends with eight left and still able to claim the coveted gold medal. There’s nothing else like it. Everyone started the morning trying to break pool and get into the challenge rounds. Then after 16 challenge matches we finally know the quarterfinals. Before continuing, a reminder vballrecruiter.com will have post-tourney coverage which includes our standout players list. Some players who stood out Saturday and are sure to be featured are Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite right side Madison Scheer, Team Indiana Elite 18.1 libero Emma Halter, Circle City 18 Purple outside Courtney Jones and Adversity 18 Adidas S/RS Katie Hurta and libero Gillian Grimes. *** It’s hard to know even where to start. Either with at-large Vital 18-1 Gold winning its pool and making the quarterfinals or the riveting match that saw Madfrog 18 Green sweep and eliminate top-seeded A5 Mizuno 18 Marc in one of the challenge matches. Madfrog, seeded No. 3 overall to start with, dropped a pair of pool matches and took third place based on tiebreakers after finishing in a tie with Adversity 18 Adidas – which also made the quarterfinals – and Gainesville Jrs 18/17. That placed Madfrog in the same challenge group as A5. Madfrog first defeated PVA 18 Elite to set up the showdown with A5. Both PVA – at Triple Crown – and A5 – in Nashville – owned prior victories against Madfrog this season but Madfrog delivered payback, including sweeping A5, 25-23, 26-24, in the highest-level match of the weekend so far. A5 libero Emma Farrell was phenomenal in the loss, while outside Maya Duckworth was outstanding for Madfrog. Duckworth made the play of the match when she dove into the Madfrog bench for a save that led to Madfrog going up 25-24 in the second set. Madfrog faces Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar in one quarterfinal match. Long Beach finished behind Skyline 18 Royal in its pool and reached the top eight by beating both SASVBC 18-1 and OT 18 Chad in challenge round action. Vital, meanwhile, came out on top of Pool 6 after going 4-1 and earning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite, which was also 4-1. Vital then took care of AVC Cle Rox 18 Red in its challenge match to reach the quarterfinals. The Minnesota club entered as the No. 37 overall seed and was one of four teams to receive an at-large bid into the field. Vital has just two players over six-feet on its roster – middle Kendall Minta and outside Lilly Wachholz. Also, setter Cameron Berger is the lone junior on the roster. Vital goes against FC Elite 18 Elite in the quarters. FC Elite ended on top of Pool 3 and needed to win only one round of challenge action as a result. FC Elite eliminated at-large Circle City 18 Purple in challenge play to remain in the hunt. Rockwood Thunder joined the top eight after beating Absolute Black 18-1 in three sets in its first challenge outing then sweeping Coast 18-1 in its next one. Coast was undefeated at 5-0 after winning its pool. Rockwood Thunder draws Adversity in its quarterfinal. Adversity had quite the Day 2. First it upset Madfrog in pool play, then earned a shot at the quarterfinals by downing MN Select 18-1 in its first challenge meeting. That set up a clash with No. 4 overall seed Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Adversity didn’t let up, pulling out the victory in three games as Hurta finished it off with a powerful kill. The last quarterfinal contest features Skyline and Sunshine 18 LA. Both are undefeated so far. Skyline got past Team Indiana 18.1 in its challenge match. Sunshine clipped Rage 18 Westside, 25-23, 25-23, in its challenge round. *** There’s an interesting twist to the 18 Open format and the challenge rounds that we don’t see in the younger Open divisions. In the younger ages the top 16 advance to the challenge rounds and play one match for a spot in the quarterfinal. With 18 Open, 24 teams break pool play and the eight pool winners receive byes. The second and third-place teams in pool play an earlier challenge match with the first-place teams awaiting the winners. While it might seem advantageous to receive the bye, the feeling here is that it actually might be better to play in the earlier match simply because of the long wait time the pool winners have to deal with. Most everyone in 18 Open is done by noon on Saturday with pool play. The pool winners aren’t scheduled to play again until 7pm, while the first challenge matches go off at 5pm. The thinking here is that it can be better to get that 5pm match in and loosen up some while the first-place teams sit around and wait a long time. The results were evenly split Saturday night, with four-first place winners losing challenge matches and four of them winning. A5, Hou Skyline, OT Chad and Coast were the unfortunate ones. Vital, Skyline, FC Elite and Sunshine survived, but even Sunshine wasn’t as sharp as normal against Rage. There might be something there. There might not be. It’s just something of interest to think about.

Two of the top seeds looked like expected powerhouses on Day 1 of the USAV 18s Junior Nationals Championships. A couple other top seeds didn’t. Plus, there was one team which really surprised. We’ll get to all that in a moment, but first vballrecruiter.com will have post-tournament coverage as well that will include our standout players list. Some of the best we saw in action Friday who are sure to be recognized include FC 18 Elite libero Saige Damrow, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc libero Emma Farrell, Madfrog 18 Green S/RS Harmony Sample, Rage 18 Westside middle blocker Olivia Harrison and PVA 18 Elite outside Ava Martin. *** Top-seeded A5 Mizuno 18 Marc and No. 2 overall seed Sunshine 18 LA performed on Day 1 like two clubs destined to meet up in the 18 Open championship when the final day of competition rolls around in Phoenix. Sunshine was virtually untouchable, posting a 1.5957 points ratio in going 3-0. A5 wasn’t far behind with a points ratio of 1.303 in also moving to 3-0. Coast 18-1, the No. 5 seed, was the only other one in the ballpark of those numbers with a 1.2016 points ratio in pushing to 3-0. Two other tops seeds, however, stumbled Friday and the left door open for opponents to take first place in those respective pools. Third-seeded Madfrog 18 Green was bested by FC Elite 18 Elite in its final match of the day to fall to 2-1. FC Elite is 3-0 and only needs a victory over either Gainesville Jrs 18/17 or Premier Nebraska 18 Gold on Day 2 to clinch first place in Pool 3. Fourth-seeded Hou Skyline 18 Royal was upended by Rage 18 Westside in its first outing and finished 2-1. While a big victory for Rage, the Nor Cal club couldn’t fully capitalize and finished 2-1 after going down to Excel National 18 Red in its last contest. The biggest surprise of the day was neither Madfrog nor Hou Skyline losing however. That honor went to SASVBC 18-1. The Hawaiian team is playing short-handed and is missing star outside and Texas commit Devin Kahahawai, plus outside Maui Robins, right side Lucky-Rose Williams, both liberos in Payton Oliveira and Jaelyn Tang, and half of its 6-2 setting duo in Jaclyn Matias. Still, SAS managed to go 3-0 as the top seed in Pool 6 as Nicanora Clarke moved from right side to outside to help fill the void. Tanea Loa also filled in at outside, while Alyssa Kamealoha stepped in at libero as SAS defeated Legacy 18-1 Adidas, Top Select 18 Elite and KC Power 18-1. In Pool 4, all teams are within one game of each other, as Rage, Hou Skyline and Circle City 18 Purple sit at 2-1. Wave 18 Kevin, AZ EVJ 18 Tempe and Excel are 1-2. The top three teams in each pool advance to the challenge rounds that begin Saturday evening, so a lot is still to be determined in that pool. But Pool 4 wasn’t even the wildest pool of the day. It was Coast’s pool that was. Coast was perfect followed by Rage 18 Cory at 2-1. Yet, Tri-State 18 Elite, Northern Lights 18-1, Team Indiana 18-1 and VC United 181 Elite are all 1-2. While Coast looks safe to advance, anything goes behind the So Cal club come Saturday. Pool 7 is tight as well. Skyline 18 Royal held its mark as the No. 7 seed and went 3-0. Excel NW 18-1 Rox is 0-3 but the other four are within a game of one another. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar and OT 18 Felix sit at 2-1. Absolute Black 18-1 and Triangle 18 Black are right behind at 1-2. In Pool 8, Metro 18 Travel – the No. 8 seed – finished 3-0, as did OT 18 Chad, the No. 2 team in the pool. AVC Clev Rox 18 Red also positioned itself well by going 2-1. Dynasty 18 Black – the No. 2 team in Pool 1 – was the only other club to go 3-0 on Day 1. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder missed going 3-0 when it was upset by MN Select 18-1, which pulled into a tie with Storm at 2-1 with the victory in Pool 2. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite came out strong in Pool 6 but stalled in its final match when it was uprooted by at-large Vital 18-1 Gold. That knocked RT to 2-1 on the day.