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The three days in Las Vegas for the Red Rock Rave qualifier produced remarkable action and dramatic bid chases. It also brough out the best in the players making it all happen. Below, we highlight our All Red Hat Team from the 17 Open division. It’s our version of the all-tournament team and it features players from clubs which finished in the Top 12. 17s ALL RED HAT TEAM PIN HITTERS Quinn Loper Wave 17 Juliana Nia Thompson Wave 17 Juliana Bella Ocampo Skyline 17 Royal Sophia Thornburg OH Skyline 17 Royal Naya Salfiti Skyline 17 Royal Kaci Demaria Surfside 17 Legends Simone Roslon Surfside 17 Legends Ava Poinsett Coast 17 Rodrigo Bellamie Beus ID Crush 17 Bower Isabel Taylor OH Club V 17 Ren Reed Addison Massey Tx Performance 17-1 Kennedi Rogers AVA TX 17 Adidas Cecilia Vance ARVC 17 Adidas *** MIDDLE BLOCKERS Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Skyline 17 Royal Kalyssa Blackshear Surfside 17 Legends Ariel Chime Coast 17 Rodrigo Sydney Strenger Excel 17 National Red Kimanni Rugley AVA TX 17 Adidas Sophie Diouf ARVC 17 Adidas *** SETTERS Tenesyn Frye ID Crush 17 Bower Jordyn Moore Excel 17 National Red Caelyn Dumas AVA TX 17 Adidas Audrey Hollis FRVBC 17 Black *** LIBEROS Yuri Park Wave 17 Juliana Maddie Smotherman Skyline 17 Royal Liv Foye Surfside 17 Legends Miliani Villarreal Coast 17 Rodrigo Elizabeth Bower ID Crush 17 Bower Piper Mickenheim Excel 17 National Red

The bid chases played out with lots of drama on the final day of the Red Rock Rave. You can read all about it here. With it, came standout individual efforts and performances. Below, we highlight those who caught our attention the most with our Day 3 Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Camryn Thruston L/DS AZ Rev 15 Premier: Thruston helped AZ Rev to a first-place finish in 15 Open with her defensive prowess. She was sound out of serve receive and defended well during rallies. Lauren Forelli OH AZ Rev 15 Premier: Forelli – a 4-star recruit – carries a big-time arm with plenty of power. She can blast shots from sideline to sideline and provides a huge boost to the offense. Kristen Sheehy MB AZ Rev 15 Premier: Sheehy, a 3-star recruit, is a presence in the middle. She’s a strong scoring option who defenses need to track and even then struggle to stop her at times. Makenna Corrie S AZ Rev 15 Premier: Corrie is an energetic setter and is quick-footed. She does well getting to the ball, as well as spreading it around. Emery Gonzales S Wave 15 Brennan: Gonzales is another setter who shows strength in running the attack. She has nice hands and locates consistently. Lila Green L/DS Wave 15 Brennan: Green brought a defensive edge with her ability to extend rallies and pick off hard-hit shots coming her way. Ireland Real OH Wave 15 Brennan: A 4-star recruit, Real’s height is a huge advantage. She’s long and hits from a high angle that allows her to go over blockers without trouble. Ella Olson OH Tstreet 15 Asics: Olson, a 4-star recruit who excels on the beach, is a gamer. She’s fearless with a strong scoring touch, whether it’s finding holes in the block or going off their hands. Megan Hodges MB Tstreet 15 Asics: A 5-star recruit from the Class of 2028, Hodges is a game-changer in the middle. Her size and length is a real problem for defenses. She impacts both sides of the ball because of it and is a definite offensive threat. Royal Banducci S Tstreet 15 Asics: Banducci does well connecting with all her hitters. She puts up a nice ball and doesn’t mix her window very often. *** Sarah MacDonald L/DS Tstreet 15 Asics: MacDonald was hustling and making plays all over the court as she kept her side in the point. Janiah Burrage OH Forza1 15 One: Burrage – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2028 – is the go-to hitter who shoulders a key role. The way she can get up and let loose makes her difficult to slow down. Baylee Jones L/DS Forza1 15 One: Jones was patrolling the back row and passing on target more times than not. Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy: A 5-star recruit, Flanagan has a whippy arm and can let shots fly in a hurry. She was sending shots down in impressive fashion over and over. Taylor Boice MB SCVC 16 Roxy: Boice missed time earlier this season but she’s back and making plays. She’s a heady scorer who is crafty and can catch defenses slipping. Milly McGee S SCVC 16 Roxy: McGee – a 4-star recruit – has a firm grasp of the offense. She knows when to ride a hot hand as well as when to switch it up and catch defenses off guard. Kaitlyn Herweg L/DS SCVC 16 Roxy: A 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027, is a strong defender who reads and reacts well. She’s not caught out of position too often. Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 16 Scott: Krystkowiak – a 5-star recruit – is a force offensively. She extends high and swings over the block with power and precision. JoJo Wilson OH Wave 16 Scott: Wilson was on fire in Wave’s clutch sweep over Hou Skyline. From tips and rolls, to aggressive swings, she couldn’t miss and frustrated defenders with it. Blair Thiebaud S Hou Skyline 16 Royal: Thiebaud – a 4-star recruit – is a terrific setter who distributes at a high level. She has a great touch and locates well to go with being able to spread the ball around. *** Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal: A 5-star recruit, Thompson is a high-flying outside with a lively arm. She gets up and lets loose fluidly and with ease. Nadiya Shelby RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal: Shelby – another 5-star recruit – is an impressive right side who gets way up and over the net. She can deliver both huge blocks and kills in wow fashion. Mia Stewart OH Sunshine 16 LA: Stewart helped Sunshine position itself to qualify before coming up just short. She’s a six-rotation outside who provides her share of offense. Vivian Hickman S AZ Sky 16G: Hickman – a 3-star recruit – had AZ Sky in the mix to qualify on the last day. She’s a smooth disher who plays under control and stays calm under pressure. Marianne Garcia L/DS AZ Sky 16G: A 3-star recruit, Garcia is quick defender who flies around the court. She covers ground in a hurry and is a sharp passer. Quinn Loper OH Wave 17 Juliana: Loper – a 4-star USC commit – was part of Wave’s championship performance. The lanky outside has a fluid swing and ability to connect and get after it. Mae Kordas RS Wave 17 Juliana: A 3-star Yale commit, Kordas was a presence on the right side. Her size was a real factor, as she provided a consistent scoring option. Yuri Park L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Another 3-star Yale commit, Park held it down in the back row. She’s quick and was passing on point. Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Skyline 17 Royal: Gillen-Malveaux – a 5-star Duke commit – runs a mean slide. She gets out, up and rips down shots effortlessly. Maddie Smotherman L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: A 3-star defender, Smotherman is scrappy in the back row. She did well extending rallies

While we headed into the final day of action at the Red Rock Rave knowing the lone bid winner in 18 Open, there were plenty of unknowns and with it loads of anticipation for how the 15-17 Open divisions would play out. True to form, none of those bid races disappointed in the very least. So much so it’s hard determining which one carried the most drama. In 17 Open, four of the eight gold-pool representatives held bids, meaning one of the remaining four would be left out. In 16 Open, none of the eight gold-pool clubs held bids, so only the top three would secure one. And in 15 Open, it was a four-team gold pool with none of those teams qualified yet, so they needed to finish in the top two to qualify. I’ll start with 17 Open, where eventually Wave 17 Juliana finished off a perfect 9-0 weekend by beating previously-qualified Skyline 17 Royal in the championship match. Wave was recently in the mix on the final day at MEQ two weekends ago but a loss to Legacy 17-1 Adidas kept Wave from reaching the final four and qualifying. However, there was no denying the SCVA region club in Las Vegas. Wave – ranked No. 22 in the nation in our Top 50 rankings – beat fourth-ranked Skyline on Sunday in pool play to take over the top seed then once more in the final to punctuate its performance. With Wave going 3-0 in its pool, there was tons of drama between the other three teams as Coast 17 Rodrigo, Excel 17 National Red and Club V 17 Ren Reed all tied at 1-2. Coast earned second based on the tiebreaker, with Excel taking third and Club V fourth. The other gold pool wrapped up with Skyline at 3-0, followed by Surfside 17 Legends (2-1), ID Crush 17 Bower (1-2) and Tx Performance 17-1 (0-3). Surfside and ID Crush held bids already, as did Coast, so that allowed Excel to qualify by tying for fifth. The last bid came down to a showdown between Club V and Tx Performance. It was unranked Club V prevailing in three, 25-22, 15-25, 15-10, to leave town happy. Club V picked up a clutch victory on Day 2 by topping previously-qualified AVA TX 17 Adidas to stay alive and reach the gold pools or else it would have lights out instead. The gold pools in 16 Open opened with a bang Sunday evening before playing out in full Monday. Unranked Sunshine 16 LA upset Wave 16 Scott to throw the pool in flux. However, after a dramatic Day 3 outing, Wave managed to secure its bid after finishing runner-up to SCVC 16 Roxy in the final. Wave was faced with a daunting task in its last gold pool contest, needing to beat No. 10 Hou Skyline 16 Royal in straight sets to advance. All Hou Skyline needed was to win one set and it would have been Sunshine advancing to the final four instead of Wave. The clutch performance not only assured Wave of a bid, it forced Hou Skyline into the third-place match against AZ Rev 16 Premier. AZ Rev had its own drama, needing to beat AZ Sky 16G to play for a bid. The all-Arizona clash went Rev’s way, 27-25, 28-26. However, Rev’s fortune ran out there, as Hou Skyline swept to earn the final bid. Meanwhile, SCVC overcame a slow start Monday, dropping the first set to AZ Rev before prevailing in three. SCVC then swept 1United 16 Blue to reach the final, gaining its bid in the process. SCVC came into the weekend the highest-ranked team in the field at No. 6, followed by No. 10 Hou Skyline and No. 12 Wave. There was only one gold pool in 15 Open, but it didn’t mean half the drama. With the lone qualified team in the field in Hou Skyline 15 Royal out of the top four, it was a race between Wave 15 Brennan, Tstreet 15 Asics, AZ Rev 15 Premier and Forza1 15 One. It started off with AZ Rev, ranked No. 13 nationally, downing No. 9 Wave in two tight sets, 25-22, 29-27. It only heated up from there, with No. 8 Tstreet edging No. 34 Forza, 25-23, 19-25, 18-16. Wave followed by sweeping Forza, then Tstreet snuck out another one, this time clipping AZ Rev, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13. Once AZ Rev swept Forza, it set up an incredible finale between Wave and Tstreet. It was a must-win contest for both sides. Wave would finish 1-2 and in third place with a loss. But, with a win, Wave would force a three-way tie and the way the math was set up, Tstreet would finish third based on tiebreakers no matter what. The one given was AZ Rev was assured a top-two finish and a bid regardless the outcome. Of course, the outing went the distance, with Wave surviving, 28-26, 28-30, 15-9, in dramatic fashion. In 18 Open, TAV 18 Black went a perfect 10-0 to capture the title. It was TAV’s third qualifier victory of the season, to go along with winning Lone Star and Music City. Tstreet 18 Chandler, meanwhile, tied for seventh with SCVC 18 Roxy. Tstreet was the only team in the top eight without a bid and thus qualified through trickle down. AZ Rev 18 Premier took second, with A5 18 Marc beating out Hou Skyline 18 Royal for third.

Easter Sunday at the Red Rock Rave shaped the bid races for the final day of competition on Monday. In fact, we already know one bid winner. It came in 18 Open. Seven qualified teams occupy eight of the gold-pool spots. The lone team without a bid is Tstreet 18 Chandler, which is guaranteed to qualify no matter what happens the rest of the way. The 16, 17 and 18 Open divisions kicked off their two, four-team gold pools Sunday evening. So Tstreet went into that knowing it has its bid secured. It also means that the two remaining bids won’t be handed out as trickle-down can’t extend past eighth-place, so they’ll be added to the at-large pool. The bid chase in 17 Open is intriguing. Four teams – Coast 17 Rodrigo, ID Crush 17 Bower, Surfside 17 Legends and Skyline 17 Royal – have bids. Three of them – ID Crush, Surfside, Skyline – are in Pool 2 together. Wave 17 Juliana, Excel 17 National Red, Club V 17 Ren Reed and Tx Performance 17-1 are seeking bids. Three of them will get it. One will not. Wave opened gold action beating Excel, while Club V took down Coast in Pool 1. In Pool 2, ID Crush beat Tx Performance, while Skyline defeated Surfside in Sunday evening play. In 16 Open, there are no teams with bids in the gold pool so it’s straight forward. The winners of the two gold pools will qualify. The two teams taking second place will play off for the last bid. In Pool 1, 1United 16 Blue opened Sunday evening by topping AZ Rev 16 Premier. SCVC 16 Roxy swept AZ Sky 16 Gold. In Pool 2, Hou Skyline 16 Royal started off sweeping Club V 16 Ren Matt while Sunshine 16 LA upset Wave 16 Scott. In the morning action, a big storyline came out of 17 Open. It involved Pool 2, which featured a three-way tie at 2-1 between ID Crush, Club V and AVA TX 17 Adidas. ID Crush finished first, Club V second and AVA TX third. That’s huge, because AVA TX is already qualified and with not advancing it made for four qualified teams in the final eight instead of five. Had AVA TX advanced along with ID Crush, the three remaining teams in the gold pools would already have bids wrapped up before the gold pools started. Instead, one unlucky team won’t qualify. Wave picked up a victory over previously-qualified Skyline to win Pool 1 and take over the No. 1 seed for the gold pools. Tx Performance picked up a key victory over ARVC 17-1 Adidas in Pool 4 to take second place and advance, keeping its bid hopes alive. The action in 16 Open was wild, as three of the four morning pools ended with three-way ties. In Pool 1, AZ Rev went 3-0 but second place went to Sunshine after ending tied with both Surfside 16 Legends and SynergyForce 16 James at 1-2 and earning the tiebreaker. In Pool 2, Hou Skyline, SCVC and STVA 16 Mizuno all finished 2-1. Hou Skyline took first, while SCVC ended second. While it was dramatic on paper, Hou Skyline actually had the pool clinched based on tiebreakers before playing STVA in the last match, with SCVC also guaranteed to move on regardless the result. Pool 3 was a three-team pool, with AZ Sky, Club V and 1United all going 1-1. AZ Sky took first. Club V and 1United actually both ended up advancing, as both clubs were victorious in their crossover matches with their opponents from Pool 4. Wave 16 Scott went 2-0 to win Pool 4, then beat AZ Sky in the crossover for seeding. The 15 Open division was playing to get into one, four-team gold pool for Monday’s competition. Wave 15 Brennan, Tstreet 15 Asics, Forza1 15 One and AZ Rev 15 Premier ended up making it. Wave went 3-0 in Pool 1. Behind Wave, Forza, Aspire 15 Premier and Club V 15 Ren Kalee tied at 1-2. It was Forza, though, earning the second-place tiebreaker. Club V came into the tournament as the top seed but wound up in fourth place in Sunday’s pool. The bigger news came out of Pool 2, where previously-qualified Hou Skyline 15 Royal finished third and won’t be a part of Monday’s four-team gold pool. Instead, Tstreet went 3-0, with AZ Rev right behind at 2-1. With Hou Skyline not moving on, it means the two bids will go to the teams which finish first and second in the gold pool. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Ariel Chime MB Coast 17 Rodrigo: Chime – a 4-star Vanderbilt commit – has tremendous upside. Her length and size at the net takes up a lot of space on the block. She gets way up too on the attack and can go right over blockers. Piper Mickenheim L/DS Excel 17 National Red: Mickenheim – a 3-star recruit – is a gamer. She has the ability to make big-time digs and keep her side in the rally. Anna Barr RS Excel 17 National Red: A 3-star recruit, Barr brings size to the right side. She has a strong arm and can hammer balls at times. Simone Roslon OH Surfside 17 Legends: Roslon – a 3-star recruit from the Class of 2026 – is a smart hitter. She sees the court and block well, finding open seams and exploiting holes in the defense. Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 17 Legends: A 3-star Princeton commit, Foye covers the backcourt very well. She’s hardly ever out of position and can make tough digs look easy. Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 17 Bower: A 4-star Houston commit, Frye is a lanky setter. She’s active, always moving with the ability to move the ball around and vary her sets on the move. Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 17 Bower: Beus – a 4-star Class of 2026 recruit – is so physical. She was crushing shots at times

While there were no dramatic upsets eliminating any of Vballrecruiter’s nationally-ranked teams from any of the Open divisions on Day 1 of the SCVA Red Rock Rave, the opening day of competition didn’t pass without a major shake-up. It left the biggest storyline emerging from 16 Open, where top-seeded SCVC 16 Roxy – ranked No. 6 in the country – was uprooted by unranked AZ Rev 16 Premier and finished in second place in Pool 1. Though SCVC still advanced, it’s these type of surprises that not only throw seedings into flux but have ramifications for Day 2 and 3 as well. Case in point is SCVC becoming the No. 4 team in Pool 2 on Sunday. That just happens to be the pool with Hou Skyline 16 Royal, which is the second-highest ranked team in the field from our Top 50 at No. 10. The sides played an epic match at Triple Crown in February, with SCVC surviving in three sets. Both are going to be favored to break pool on Day 2, but it’s the other two teams that figure to get the short-end of the stick as STVA 16 Mizuno and Club V 16 Ren Kris will be forced to pull off a gigantic upset in order to advance. AZ Rev wasn’t the only Arizona club to cause havoc Saturday. Aspire 16 Premier upended Club V 16 Ren Matt – the overall No. 4 seed and ranked No. 16 in the country – in Pool 4 to take first place. Other than that, the other top seeds had no issues as Hou Skyline, AZ Sky 16G, Wave 16 Scott, STVA 16 Mizuno and 1United 16 Blue all went undefeated in their respective pools. There were no big surprises in 15 Open as the division played out drama-free. The top seeds in Club V 15 Ren Kalee, Tstreet 15 Asics, Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Wave 15 Brennan didn’t drop a match. It was much of the same in 17 Open save for one outcome. It came out of Pool 5, where No. 5 overall seed and national No. 24 Excel 17 National Red was taken down by unranked TAV Houston 17 Adidas. It did throw a wrench into the seedings for Day 2, as now Surfside 17 Legends Loriann – ranked No. 16 nationally – and Excel are set to meet in the first match Sunday morning. As for 18 Open, there are eight teams in the field with bids and 11 in total ranked in our Top 50. All remain in the hunt heading into Sunday’s action. One note of interest is three qualified teams – Coast 18 Ozhan, A5 18 Marc and Hou Skyline 18 Royal – are in Pool 2 together on Day 2. Only two can advance, and that means at least one bid is guaranteed to go out this weekend in 18 Open. ***** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Aspen Brown RS Hou Skyline 15 Royal: A 4-star lefty right side, Brown was in takeover mode the times I caught her in action. She was taking big rips and hammering balls down against overmatched defenders. Tinsley Welker-Brown S Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Welker-Brown – a 3-star recruit – is a solid setter who does well running the show. She incorporates all of her hitters and does well keeping defenses guessing. Lauren Forelli OH AZ Rev 15 Premier: Forelli – a 4-star recruit – has a big-time arm and can absolutely crush winners when the opportunity arises. Kristen Sheehy MB AZ Rev 15 Premier: A 3-star recruit, Sheehy is a presence in the middle. With her size brings advantages. She’s a strong blocker and attacker who changes the dynamic of the lineup when she’s front row. Berkleigh Minnick MB Club V 15 Ren Kalee: Minnick can catch defenses off guard with her ability to let loose at moments. When in system, she’s definitely an option for Club V and defenses need to be ready. Evie Pool MB Forza1 15 One: Pool – a 4-star recruit and a recent Player of the Week featured athlete – was a menace on the slide attack. She does well hitting off one foot and causing real problems for defenses to deal with. Kiersten Moore S Forza1 15 One: Moore – another 4-star recruit – is a quick setter who moves very well and does a nice job getting her feet to the ball. She also has nice hands and moves the ball around. Reese Meier RS ID Crush 15 Bower: Meier is a lefty right side who is a big part of the offense. She hits hard and was taking plenty of swings during the times I saw her playing. Chloe Lin L/DS ID Crush 15 Bower: Lin is a feisty defender who brings a lot of energy and hustle to the defensive side. Lerin Rosenthal S SCVC 15 Roxy: Rosenthal controls the offense and knows how to involve her various hitters. She also displays strong leadership qualities. *** Anaiya Thornton OH SCVC 15 Roxy: Thornton has lots of upside. She’s an athletic outside who jumps and swings well. She can really connect and let loose at times. Brooke Jadon OH Sunshine 15 LA: Jadon is a heady attacker who showed she knows when to take big swings and when to take something off and focus on placement. Micah Rusher MB TAV Houston 15 Adidas: Rusher is a quick middle. She gets off the ground well and was making plays at the net on both sides of the ball. Katherine Nowak MB Tstreet 15 Asics: A 3-star recruit, Nowak has been thrusted into the middle and showed up well. She stayed in for six-rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. Olivia Greenwood RS Wave 15 Brennan: Greenwood – a 3-star recruit – is a lefty right side with a knack for scoring. In system, she’s a threat as Wave looks to get her swings. Brianna Mitchell OH Aspire 15 Premier: Mitchell was getting after

The second installment of the SCVA Red Rock Rave is set for Saturday-Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The upcoming weekend features the older age groups. Below, we take a look at the 15-18 Open divisions, including nationally-ranked teams, players to know as well as offer our predictions on the event. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 27 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (8): A5 18 Marc; AZ Rev 18 Premier; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Coast 18 Ozhan; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; Madfrog 18 Green; SCVC 18 Roxy; TAV 18 Black Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 1. TAV 18 Black TX 3. Coast 18-1 Ozhan CA 7. Club V 18 Ren Reed UT 8. Madfrog 18 Green TX 12. Hou Skyline 18 Royal TX 15. SCVC 18 Roxy CA 18. A5 18 Marc GA 29. AZ Rev 18 Premier AZ 38. AZ Sky 18G AZ 39. VCNebraska 18 Elite 42. Tstreet 18 Chandler CA   5-Star Players to Know: Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 18 Black (USC) Jadyn Livings RS TAV 18 Black (USC) Camille Edwards S TAV 18 Black (Michigan) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 18 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 18 Marc (Kentucky) Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 18-1 (2025, Indiana) Taylor Harvey Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025, Texas) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 18 Roxy (2025, USC) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 18 Royal (2025, Texas AM) Samara Coleman OH Hou Skyline 18 Royal (2025, Pitt) Cari Spears OH TAV 18 Black (2025, Texas) Suli Davis OH TAV 18 Black (2025, BYU) Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 18 Black (2025, Houston) Nafanua Alofipo S Club V 18 Ren Reed (2027)   4-Star Players to Know: Malyah Long S VCNebraska 18 Elite (Marquette) Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 18 Elite (USC) Reese Animashaun OH Hou Skyline 18 Royal (Vanderbilt) Lolo Lambert OH Madfrog 18 Green (Arkansas) Kennedy Washington MB Madfrog 18 Green (Kentucky) Lillian Croshaw MB Madfrog 18 Green (Illinois State) Elina Mortensen OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (BYU) Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU) Mikala Young OH TAV 18 Black (TCU) Anna Boatner MB TAV 18 Black (UCSB)   Outlook: This is the last qualifier for the 18s and represents one final shot at qualifying for Open. With eight teams holding bids, there is no guarantee any bids go out though. Trickle down can’t extend past eighth place and so in the event all qualified teams finish in the top eight, no bids will go out. Given the strength of the teams in the field like TAV, Coast, Club V and Madfrog and more, there’s a strong chance that not all three bids go out. The three ranked teams without bids are AZ Sky, VCNebraska and Tstreet. It stands to reason if anyone is earning a bid this weekend it’s going to come from that trio. Two unranked teams to watch for would be Ku’Ikahi and Bonneville. Prediction: If things play out according to seed it would mean no bids going out. However, it’s very unlikely that’s going to happen as upsets on Days 1 and 2 will force teams with bids to knock each other out on Day 3. We are picking Coast to beat TAV in a rematch from Triple Crown. The feeling is both Tstreet and VCNebraska sneak into the Top 8 and earn bids, with the remaining bid going into the at-large pool. ***** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 29 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (5): Coast 17-1 Rodrigo; Skyline 17 Royal; ID Crush 17 Bower; Surfside 17 Legends Loriann; AVA TX 17 Adidas Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 4. Skyline 17 Royal TX 13. ID Crush 17 Bower ID 16. Surfside 17 Legends Loriann CA 21. Coast 17-1 Rodrigo CA 22. Wave 17 Juliana CA 24. Excel 17 National Red TX 44. AVA TX 17 Adidas TX 46. Tx Performance 17s Black TX   5-Star Players to Know: Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 17 Legends Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Skyline 17 Royal (Duke)   4-Star Players to Know: Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 17 Bower (Houston) Quinn Loper OH Wave 17 Juliana (USC) Taylor Cook S Skyline 17 Royal (Kansas) Naya Salfiti RS Skyline 17 Royal Chichi Nnaji RS Skyline 17 Royal (Notre Dame) Isabella Ocampo OH Skyline 17 Royal (LMU) Sophia Thornburg OH Skyline 17 Royal (Notre Dame) Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 17 Adidas (SMU) Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 17 Legends (Louisville) Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 17 Bower (2026) Brooklyn Hardy MB ID Crush 17 Bower (2026)   Outlook: The one thing that really stands out about 17 Open is what a great opportunity it’s going to provide for teams without bids. The top-ranked teams in the field in Skyline, ID Crush, Surfside and Coast are all qualified. AVA TX is also qualified. All three bids are assured to be awarded and there’s a good chance trickle-down plays a role in that. For clubs like Wave, Excel and Tx Performance – the three remaining ranked teams without bids – this is the weekend to get it done. It’s also a great opportunity for an unranked team to find its way into qualifying. A4, Tulsa Power, ARVC, TAV Houston and Ku’Ikahi all fit that description. Prediction: Skyline is the team to beat, but does that mean the club is finishing on top? I don’t think so and instead am going a different route and picking ID Crush to beat Wave in the final. Coast and Skyline tie for third, with Excel and A4 joining Wave in earning bids. ***** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 26 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (5): 6. SCVC 16 Roxy CA 10. Hou Skyline 16 Royal TX 12. Wave 16 Scott CA 16. Club V 16 Ren Matt UT 19. AZ Sky 16G AZ   5-Star Players to Know: Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal Nadi’ya Shelby RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 16 Scott Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy   4-Star