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It was a great beginning to the year on the prediction front. Last weekend, we predicted five of the six eventual bid winners. We picked 1st Alliance 18 Gold to take first place at Windy City, which the club did by beating City 18 Gold. We also predicted Vision 18 Gold taking third place and qualifying in Chicago, which also happened. As for the Kansas City MLK 18s, we picked Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite to top KC Power 18 Black in the final, but it played out in reverse with KC Power beating Rockwood Thunder. We also called Premier Nebraska 18 Gold finishing third and qualifying. That brings us to this weekend’s qualifier – the Lone Star Classic 18s. As expected, it’s heavy on the Texas teams and that always makes for fierce competition and intense action. We’ll see how we do with our picks this weekend, which you can find below, as well as nationally-ranked teams competing, 4 and 5-star recruits in the field and a short breakdown of the field. LONE STAR CLASSIC 18s Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (9):   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players to Know:   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players to Know:   Outlook: The two fields for last weekend’s 18s qualifiers were both 22 teams. At 16, this weekend’s field is smaller and just has enough teams to award three bids. With no teams qualified, the path to getting one of them is straight forward as clubs must finish in the top three to earn theirs. Teams will be fighting to make the four-team gold bracket on Sunday, with the top three teams from that final group qualifying. The event is Texas-heavy on teams and that favors clubs like TAV, Hou Skyline, Skyline, Madfrog and HJV to bring home the bids. However, MAVS KC finished fourth last week in Kansas City and should factor in. Coast and OT are two more out-of-state clubs to watch for as both could get into the top three as well. Prediction: We’re not getting radical here and are playing it safe by picking TAV to take home the gold by beating Madfrog in the final. Hou Skyline tops Coast for the third and the final bid.

The second round of pool play commenced on Day 2 of the Tour of Texas Dallas stop before giving way to challenge matches. With it came both surprise and redemption. The biggest shockwaves were felt in 17s Invitational, where a trio of upsets shook up the pecking order heading into the final day of competition. None was bigger than Excel 17 National Red uprooting TAV 17 Black Jon in straight sets to advance to the top eight. Joining Excel in delivering knockout blows were both AP 17 Adidas and AJV 17 Adidas. AP outlasted Madfrog 17 Green in a three-set thriller, winning 25-21, 14-25, 19-17. AJV went toe-to-toe with Hou Skyline 17 Royal and prevailed in three, 23-25, 26-24, 15-12, to remain in the hunt. The results were much calmer in the other divisions, which featured Madfrog 15 Green extracting payback after falling to Club V 15 Ren Kalee on Day 1. The two sides met up against Sunday in challenge play and this time Madfrog came out ahead in three games, 21-25, 25-17, 15-11, to make the top eight. What’s remarkable is through the first two days of action where Invitational teams have played either six or seven matches, only five total teams remain undefeated heading into Day 3. None in the 16s remain unscathed and only Dynasty 14 Black is unbeaten thus far in 14s. Wave 15 Brennan and Hou Skyline 15 Royal have yet to lose in 15s, while both Skyline 17 Royal and Excel 17 National Red are 7-0. It sets up a wild final day, one that is set to see highly-anticipated showdowns. Among them is TAV 16 Black facing off with A5 16-1 Gabe in one challenge match. There’s also a big meeting between Madfrog 16 Green and Austin Skyline 16 Royal. In the 15s, TAV 15 Black and Skyline 15 Royal are set to go at it Monday morning. As is Wave 15 Brennan and A5 15-1 Kelly. Who knows how it’s all going to play out and which teams will claim early-season bragging rights, but it won’t lack for excitement and entertainment no matter what takes place. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS With Day 1 under their belts, teams began to settle in and the play picked up quite a bit Sunday. Not only was overall team talent on display, plenty of individual stars stood out with their play. Below, we highlight the athletes who caught our attention the most with our Day 2 Show Stoppers. Jensen Kubik OH Dynasty 14 Black: Dynasty has been rolling along, including beating TAV 14 Black on Day 2 with Kubik playing a key role in the success. The six-rotation outside is an all-around contributor with her passing, defending and scoring. Sophia Sturdy S/RS Dynasty 14 Black: Sturdy is another integral part of Dynasty’s lineup with her setting and hitting. She’s a sound setter with nice hands and accuracy. She’s also a smart attacker who knows how to navigate bigger blocks. Cooper Binderup OH TAV Houston 14 Adidas: Binderup supplies plenty of offense. She has good size and a solid arm. It’s why TAV Houston sets her a lot. Taylor Johnson OH Skyline 14 Royal: Johnson is a springy outside with the ability to swing it from the front and back row. When she gets it going, watch out because she can let it rip. Karsyn Haynie L/DS Skyline 14 Royal: Haynie was on-point with both her defending and passing out of serve receive. She was really holding down the back row. Brooke Oney OH Alamo 14 Premier: Oney can absolutely hammer balls on the left. She has a heavy arm and overpowers blockers and defenders. Charlie George MB Alamo 14 Premier: George is an effective attacker. She has a strong arm and can come at opponents on the left side as well as out of the middle. Shelbi Mead S HPSTL 14 Royal: Mead is a quick setter who does a good job of getting all her hitters involved and moving the ball around. Madison Kutch L/DS TAV 14 Black: Kutch is an energetic defender and brings a lot of scrappiness to the lineup with the way she gets after it defensively. Tinsley Welker-Brown S Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Welker-Brown does a great job directing the attack and putting up a hittable ball. She’s rarely off the mark and is also a presence at the net. *** Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 15 Black: Shafer was another standout defender who made a big impact on that side of the ball for her team the way she extended plays and kept her team in the point. Lexi Martin OH TAV 15 Black: Martin is a solid attacker with a lively arm. She pressures defenses with the multiple ways she can score. Ava Burgess OH Club V 15 Ren Kalee: Burgess plays a key role in the attack. She’s a smart attacker who can unload at times. Marissa Jones S A5 15-1 Kelly: Jones is on her own level when it comes to dishing. She’s super-smooth and always keeps defenses guessing as to where she’s going. Kailey Leonard L/DS A5 15-1 Kelly: Leonard is a lights-out defender and passer. She’s asked to cover half the court or more in serve receive and is rarely challenged. Kaylie Davis OH Madfrog 15 Green: Davis is a lanky outside with a loose arm. She can get let it fly when the chance presents itself. Siena Ebert L/DS Madfrog 15 Green: Ebert was filling her role well and making hustle plays to help Madfrog advance. Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 16 Black: Whitmire plays a dual role but she really was on fire attacking. She was crushing balls and finding open space in helping lift the attack. Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal: Thompson is on another level and when she has it going there’s no stopping her. She can get up and launch balls over blocks and straight down with ease. Henlee Moszkowicz L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal: Moszkowicz is

With the safety net of power pools, the results on Day 1 of the Tour of Texas Dallas stop didn’t carry a whole lot of ramifications. But if you thought that would keep the intensity down and teams from going hard at one another, you were mistaken. The biggest surprise of the day came in the afternoon wave when Madfrog 15 Green – ranked No. 6 in our 15s Preseason Rankings – took down national No. 1 TAV 15 Black in three. However, that loss didn’t prevent TAV from winning the pool after finishing in a two-way tie at 2-1 with Skyline 15 Royal. In the wacky world of club volleyball, Madfrog came in fourth after dropping its next two outings to Skyline and Club V 15 Ren Kalee. So it goes. Club V was among a handful of out-of-state clubs which made the trek to test themselves against the best Texas has to offer. Wave 15 Brennan and A5 15-1 Kelly also were part of the 15s Invitational at the SWAC on Saturday afternoon. Wave had a great day, going 3-0 with victories over Excel 15 National Red, SA Juniors 15 Adidas and Drive Nation 15 Black. A5 was in a slightly more difficult pool and finished 1-2 after beating AP 15 Adidas but falling to Drive Nation 15 Red and Hou Skyline 15 Royal. HPSTL 14 Royal, Dynasty 14 Black and Club V 14 Ren Silver were all part of the 14s Invitational, also played Saturday afternoon at the SWAC. HPSTL was given the top overall seed and performed like it, downing Excel 14 National Red, TAV 14 Black and Madfrog 14 Green. Madfrog and TAV had an intense encounter in the pool as well, with Madfrog getting by in straight sets. As for Dynasty, the Heart of America region club showed up very strong on Day 1 as it picked up victories against Skyline 14 Royal, Hou Skyline 14 Royal and Club V 14 Ren Silver. Club V finished 0-3 in that pool. When it came to the 17s Invitational, A5 17-1 Calvin was part of the top power pool and finished 2-1 overall. A5 lost to Madfrog 17 Green but downed Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Drive Nation 17 Red. Madfrog also finished 2-1, with Hou Skyline and Drive Nation going 1-2. Wave 17 Juliana was part of the second power pool and finished 1-2. Wave beat Austin Skyline 17 Royal in its first outing before falling to HJV 17 Elite and TAV 17 Black Jon. TAV went 3-0 in that pool. SASVBC 17-1 and Club V 17 Ren Reed were paired in power pool 3 together, with Alamo 17 Premier and AJV 17 Adidas. Alamo came out ahead at 2-1, with the tiebreaker over Spike and Serve. AJV and Club V tied at 1-2, with AJV taking the tiebreaker there for third. Wave 16 Scott, Dynasty 16 Black, Club V 16 Ren Matt and A5 16-1 Gabe were all part of the 16s Invitational. A5, playing in power pool 3, had the best showing at 3-0. A5 swept Alamo 16 Premier, AP 16 Adidas and CSVCC 16 Black from Canada. Wave was placed the highest, competing in power pool 1 and going 1-2. Wave lost to Skyline 16 Royal and Hou Skyline 16 Royal before downing TAV 16 Black. Club V and Dynasty were in power pool 2 together. Club V beat Dynasty to finish 1-2. Dynasty went 0-3. New-look Austin Skyline 16 Royal went 3-0 and Madfrog 16 Green finished 2-1. Day 2 continues with more pool play before breaking off into the first of two challenge matches. The challenge matches continue on Day 3 before bracket play begins. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Below, we highlight the players who stood out to us the most during our time watching them compete Saturday. Ava Carrasquillo S/RS AP 16 Adidas: AP went 1-2 with losses to A5 and Alamo. However, Carrasquillo was a big-time contributor with her two-way role setting and hitting. She placed her shots well and does a nice job with her location when setting. Presley Thompson L/DS Wave 16 Scott: Thompson’s defending was a highlight of Wave’s on Day 1. She made a few key saves and stood in against big-time hitters and held her own. Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 16 Scott: Krystkowiak is such a vital part of Wave’s offense. She’s tall with a strong arm and delivers a ton of points. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 16 Royal: Clarke was rolling on offense and was putting tons of pressure on defenses. Her scoring ability really opens up the attack when she’s front row and stretches defenses. Hannah Lee MB Madfrog 16 Green: When Lee gets up and connects, it excites her whole team. She caught a few and was able to send them straight down and bounce them with authority. Dawn Moore RS Madfrog 16 Green: Moore is a bit undersized but it only makes it that more thrilling when she launches in the air and lets loose. She takes off in a hurry and lets it rip with ease. Olivia Siskin S A5 16 Gabe: Siskin is a smooth setter who gives A5 versatility to run a 6-2 or because or because of her height leave her in to direct a 5-1. She has nice hands and the ability to set hittable balls off tough passes. Cali Reece L/DS TAV Houston 16 Adidas: Reece was among the defenders who made us take notice with her ability to extend rallies and keep her side in the point. Kinsley Young MB TAV 16 Black: Young has so much power and strength she can hammer balls when the opportunity presents itself. When she gets a hold of one like that it’s impossible to dig. Nadiya Shelby RS Hou Skyline 16 Royal: The athleticism on this squad runs deep and Shelby is part of the reason why. She gets way up on the right side and was making an impact on both sides

There’s really no time to settle in if you’re among the 18s clubs participating in the opening weekend of qualifying. There’s been limited action leading up to the start of the bid chase and now suddenly it’s time to attempt to qualify. Just about anything can happen because of it. Below, we dive into the KC MLK Tournament taking place Jan. 13-15 in Kansas City. KANSAS CITY MLK 18s Number of Teams: 22 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (9):   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players to Watch:   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players to Watch:   Outlook: You can toss out trickle down. There’s only one method to qualify this coming weekend and that is to finish in the top three. Of the 22 teams competing, nine start off the season ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50. It might not be the biggest field but it’s a strong one highlighted by KC Power, which comes in ranked the highest at No. 10 and starts off as the No. 2 overall seed. The strength of competition should make for a fierce three days of action. While KC Power is among the top bid contenders, it’s really wide open. Rockwood Thunder, Pohaku, Premier Nebraska, A5 and Academy are all capable of earning bids. Same goes for the remaining three ranked teams in Co Jrs, VCNebraska and MAVS. It really wouldn’t surprising to see any combination when it comes to which three teams walk away with bids. Prediction: It’s a really difficult call to make but it must be done. The pick to win it all is Rockwood Thunder, which will beat KC Power in the final. Premier Nebraska will be the third team returning home with a bid.

This early in the season there is both plenty of optimism and lots of uncertainty. It only adds to the excitement of the opening weekend of qualifying. There’s been very few outings for clubs leading into the first chance to qualify this season and it usually makes for one of the more unpredictable weekends of the year. Below, we take a look at the Windy City 18s event set for Jan. 13-15 in Chicago. WINDY CITY 18s Number of Teams: 22 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (10):   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players to Watch:   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players to Watch:   Outlook: The first qualifier of the season is as straight forward as it gets when it comes to earning a bid. Forget any trickle down scenarios because no one has a bid yet. It means placing in the top three to lock up a spot for the USAV 18s GJNC in April. The field is decent sized with 22 teams in contention. It’s also a solid field with 10 clubs listed from vballrecruiter.com’s 18s Top 50. At No. 2 overall, 1st Alliance is not only the top seed in the field but a heavy favorite to bring home one of the three bids, especially being its home qualifier. After that, it gets real interesting in a hurry. Plenty of teams have what it takes to join 1st Alliance in qualifying. Vision has most everyone back from last year’s roster and joins City as two California clubs looking to get the job done. Meanwhile, Top Select makes the trip from the other coast, as does Metro. After that, it’s a Midwest bunch looking to finish in the top 3, with AVC, Circle City, MKE Sting, Legacy and FC Elite. Prediction: It would be a shocker if 1st Alliance didn’t qualify. The question is does the home club end up on top? The call here is yes, as 1st Alliance downs MKE Sting in the final. Rounding out qualifying is Vision taking the last remaining bid.