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Representing an early-season test, the Central Zone Invitational brought many of the Midwest powerhouse clubs together for two days of competition at the Indiana Convention Center. The host club – Circle City – found success in 14 Open, capturing the gold medal after sweeping AVC Cle 14 Red in the championship match and finishing the weekend 8-0. There is sure to be plenty of fluxation in our 14s National Rankings when we update them next. For the time being, Circle City entered Central Zone sitting at No. 17. There were five teams ranked ahead, including AVC at No. 11. For the most part, all fared relatively well. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami held the highest ranking at No. 6 and finished tied for fifth after going 5-1. NKYVC fell to Munciana 14 Chipmunks in gold pool play, as Muncie went on to tie for third with Boss Cle 14-1. Boss was the only team not ranked to finish in the Top 8. Muncie, meanwhile, entered weekend play at No. 21. Both No. 13 Elevation 14 Molly and No. 15 Legacy 14-1 Adidas tied for fifth as well, with each going 5-1 over the two days. Mintonette Sports m.41, ranked No. 14, also went 5-1 but tied for ninth. Elevation, Mintonette and AVC shared an all-Ohio gold pool Sunday morning and finished in a three-way tie at 1-1. Mintonette lost to AVC for its only tournament setback. Mintonette managed to hand Elevation its only loss while Legacy lost a three-setter to Boss to miss out on the semis. Rounding at the top eight was No. 25 KiVA 14 Red, which went 3-3 overall. All but Circle City and Boss will be back together in a couple weeks at the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City, along with No. 26 MKE Sting 14 Gold which tied for ninth at Central Zone. The most topsy-turvy division proved to be 16 Open. While the field featured highly-ranked teams in No. 4 Mintonette Sports m.61, No. 5 Legacy 16-1 Adidas and No. 8 Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, none were around for the championship clash. That meeting came down to No. 12 Elevation 16 Goller and No. 16 NKYVC 16-1 Tsnunami, with NKYVC prevailing in three sets. One of the biggest surprises was unranked TVC 16 Black tying for third with Mintonette. On an interesting side note, Mintonette hosted a 16s training day the Sunday before Central Zone at its facility in Columbus. Other clubs to participate beyond Mintonette included NKYVC, Elevation and TVC, the top four finishers this weekend coincidentally. Boiler Jrs wound up tied for fifth, along with No. 30 MKE Sting 16 Gold, No. 43 SPVB 16 Elite and unranked Team Indiana 16 Elite, which upset No. 21 Team Pineapple 16 Black in the Round of 16. TVC’s run was propelled by its upset over Legacy in the Round of 16. It was Adidas KiVA 17 Red coming out on top in 17 Open. KiVA lost to Legacy 17-1 Adidas during power pool play on Day 1 and the two sides found themselves on opposites sides of the net once more in the championship match. KiVA earned payback by pulling out a tight sweep, 25-23, 25-23, to end the weekend 7-1. Legacy, which lost to Mich Elite 17 Mizuno on Day 1, finished 6-2. Mich Elite and MKE Sting 17 Gold tied for third, both going 6-1. Once more, our Top 50 rankings held up decent. KiVA came in ranked No. 15 overall, behind both No. 6 MKE Sting and No. 7 Mich Elite. AVC Cle 17 Red, which is ranked No. 11, tied for fifth after going 3-3. Legacy sits at No. 24 overall, behind No. 18 Circle City 17 Purple, which tied for fifth. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue, ranked No. 45, also tied for fifth, along with unranked Academy 17 Tsunami. Mintonette Sports m.71, at No. 46, was the only ranked team to miss out on the Top 8 after going 3-3 and tying for ninth. As for 15 Open, Legacy 15-1 Adidas swept its way past Elevation 15 Tony in the championship match. It just so happened those were the two highest ranked teams in our Top 50, with Legacy at No. 7 and Elevation at No. 3. Munciana 15 Blue and Tri-State Elite 15 Blue tied for third. Munciana was the third-highest ranked team in the field, coming in at No. 26. Tri-State wasn’t far behind at No. 31. Two teams in between at No. 29 KiVA 15 Red and No. 30 Mintonette Sports m.51 tied for fifth, along No. 39 NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and unranked MKE Sting 15 Gold.

The different format for 15, 16 and 17 Open at the Central Zone Invitational made for an incredible Day 1 at the Indianapolis Convention Center. That’s because it allowed for the top teams to get together in the afternoon while fighting for seeding in the 16-team gold bracket set for Day 2. While 14 and 18 Open uses a more traditional format, those divisions also provided their share of excitement as two rounds of pool play left teams competing for a spot in the gold bracket as well. There were no shocking results in that all the top seeds made it through and remain in contention on Day 2. The closest thing came with Rock City 16-1 downing Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and eliminating Tri-State from contention. However, there were big-time slugfests all-around produced by the modified power pool format. One example were two top contenders in 16 Open in Mintonette Sports m.61 and Legacy 16-1 Adidas facing off. Legacy survived that one in three, 23-25, 29-27, 15-10. Another high-level 16 Open encounter saw Team Pineapple 16 Black fending off Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, 25-14, 22-25, 18-16. Team Pineapple then swept NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami, 26-24, 25-20. There was also a 17 Open clash between MKE Sting 17 Gold and Circle City 17 Purple. Sting prevailed in three, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9. In the other power pool, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno downed Legacy 17-1 Adidas, 17-25 25-18, 15-9. In 15 Open, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue went toe-to-toe with Legacy 15-1 Adidas and earned the sweep, 25-17, 27-25. Munciana 15 Blue also had a great Day 1, capping it off by sweeping Elevation 15 Tony, 25-23, 25-23. Most of the drama on Day 1 centered around not the power pools but the play-in pools. Teams not making the power pools had to fight to stay alive by winning a three-team pool to make the 16-team gold bracket. In 17 Open, teams like NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami and Mintonette Sports m.71 took advantage to remain in contention. In 16 Open, we mentioned Rock City coming through. Other clubs earning a spot in the gold bracket included Elevation 16 Goller, Rev 16-1 Fury, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Team Indiana 16 Elite. Circle City 15 Purple, Mintonette Sports m.51, Michio Chicago 15 National and MKE Sting 15 Gold earned spots by winning their three-team pool in 15 Open. The way 14 Open went was different, as two rounds of pool play led to one more round of pool play Sunday morning before breaking out into a four-team gold bracket. It sets up an exciting morning as clubs like Circle City 14 Purple, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami, Elevation 14 Molly, Legacy 14-1 Adidas and more are still in the hunt. As for 18 Open, two rounds of pool play Saturday set up the gold bracket for Day 2. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue took over the No. 1 seed from SPVB 18 Elite. Adidas KiVA 18 Red starts Sunday as the No. 2 seed. Others alive include SPVB 18 Elite, Circle City 18 Purple, Union 18 UA Black, Team Pineapple 18 Black, SPVB 18 Kahl, Team Indiana 18 Elite and Circle City 18 Black. *** Below, we highlight the individuals who made us take notice the most with their outstanding play Saturday and feature them in our Day 1 Show Stoppers. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Kelsey Green S Elevation 14 Molly: Green is a smooth disher with a soft touch and clean release. She’s also steady with her location. Avery Brannon RS Elevation 14 Molly: Brannon brings plenty of offense when she’s front row. She uses her height to her advantage, going over blocks. She also moves around, taking swings out of the middle. Abbie Powell MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: There was a different dynamic to the attack with Powell in the front. She has a solid arm and was delivering with consistency when called upon. Brooke Neale L/DS Munciana 14 Chipmunks: There was lots of defense being played all over and Neale was included in it. She was passing dimes out of serve receive and controlling the ball well. Vanessa Mancini OH Circle City 14 Purple: Mancini brings size and power to the attack. She carries a big arm and thundered shots to the ground. Audrey Utterback OH Circle City 14 Purple: A six-rotation outside, Utterback is another key cog in the offense. She has a strong arm and swings front and back row. Lauren Doney OH Pursuit 14 Elite: Doney was another six-rotation standout. She’s the go-to hitter and for good reason. She has a solid swing and can really connect. Lucy Waleskowski S/RS NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami: Waleskowski is an up-and-coming player. Her length is an attribute in her two-way role setting and hitting. She does a nice job delivering consistently to her hitters and can also turn around and swing for points. Tegan Loechler RS MKE Sting 14 Gold: Loechler was among the 14s standout who also has lots of size to impact the match with. She extends well and it allows her to hit over blocks on the regular. Ashlyn Pelon L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Pelon brought a defensive edge to the lineup with her steady passing and putting balls on target. *** Lola Loncar L/DS AVC Cle 14 Red: Loncar was also a defender who caught our eye with her on-point deliveries and hustle keeping rallies alive. Grace Regula OH AVC Cle 14 Red: Regula was impressing with her quick arm and ability to rip shots from sideline to sideline. Carsyn Chitty L/DS Mintonette Sports m.41: Chitty brings tons of energy to the court. She’s a vocal defender and was doing well keeping plays alive. Lauren Williams MB Tri-State Elite 14 Blue: Williams is a lanky middle with a knack for scoring. She’s a legit threat when the team is in system and defenses need to be ready. Jillian Turvey MB Elevation 15 Tony: Turvey was a factor in the middle with her ability to impact play on both sides of the ball

Usually played at the end of January, this year’s edition of the Central Zone Invitational takes place during the first weekend of February. While the dates have changed, the level of competition has not. It’s an early-season slugfest for those involved as the tournament features many nationally-ranked clubs throughout the 14-18s age groups. Below, we highlight each Open division in those ages with players to watch, a brief outlook and predictions as to which clubs will walk away with a gold medal. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 18 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (3): 22. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue OH 29. KiVA 18 Red KY 34. Circle City 18 Purple IN   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players in the Field: Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 18 Black IN (Notre Dame)   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players in the Field: Ayen Nhial MB KiVA 18 Red (James Madison)   Outlook: The 18 Open division is the smallest of our featured age groups with just 18 teams. Part of the reason is teams that chase USAV Open bids are not participating like they did a year ago, and that has left the field reduced for 2024. However, one big addition comes in the form of Sports Performance, which brought its top two 18s programs. Another difference with the 18s is they are playing a more traditional format, beginning with six, three-team pools. The teams face two rounds of pool play on Day 1 in hopes of making the gold bracket on Day 2. Prediction: We are watching for KiVA to win it all, beating Sports Performance in the final. Tri-State Elite and Circle City tie for third place. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (9): 6. MKE Sting 17 Gold WI 7. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno MI 11. AVC Cle 17 Red OH 15. KiVA 17 Red KY 18. Circle City 17 Purple IN 24. Legacy 17-1 Adidas MI 40. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami KY 45. Tri-State 17 Elite Blue OH 46. Mintonette Sports m.71 OH   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players in the Field: Kristen Simon L/DS KiVA 17 Red (Wisconsin) Addison Makun MB KiVA 17 Red (Louisville) Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Nebraska) Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 17 Gold (Wisconsin) Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 17 Red (San Diego)   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players in the Field: Gabriella Pitcel MB MKE Sting 17 Gold (Illinois) Olivia Durst L/DS MKE Sting 17 Gold (Michigan State) Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 17 Gold Emma Parks OH AVC Cle 17 Red (Marquette) Kayla Dunlap MB TPV 17 Maverick (Vanderbilt) Rebecca Ring OH VC United 17 Elite (NC State) Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Xavier) Riley McCloskey OH/RS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Memphis) Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 17 Purple (Northwestern) Logan Bell OH Circle City 17 Purple (Oregon) Katie Gielas OH Elevation 17 Cabo (FGCU) Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 17 Mizuno (Cincinnati) Sienna Fry OH Summit 17 Blue (2026)   Outlook: The 17 Open division has its share of firepower among the 32-team field. First though, let’s talk a little about the format. It’s a lot different than normal as teams begin in one of eight, four-team brackets. The winners of each four-team bracket move into power pools and play for seeding on Day 2, which features a 16-team gold bracket. The rest of the teams go into one of eight, three-team play-in pools. The winners of each play-in pool also advance to the 16-team gold bracket Sunday. Leading the way is MKE Sting, which is coming off a third-place finish at Northern Lights last weekend where the club clinched its 17 Open bid for Nationals. Also in the field last weekend were Mich Elite and NKYVC. Host club Circle City is one to watch for, as is KiVA and AVC. Legacy is capable of doing damage, while Tri-State could certainly play the role of spoiler. Prediction: We’ll see how much teams who played last weekend have in the tank for Central Zone. While we fully expect MKE Sting and Mich Elite to be in the mix, we are taking Circle City over KiVA in the final. AVC and MKE Sting earn the bronzes. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (13): 4. Mintonette Sports m.61 OH 5. Legacy 16-1 Adidas MI 8. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold IN 12. Elevation 16 Goller OH 16. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami KY 18. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue OH 19. AVC Cle 16 Red OH 21. Team Pineapple 16 Black IN 30. MKE Sting 16 Gold WI 40. Rev 16-1 Fury IN 41. KiVA 16 Red KY 43. SPVB 16 Elite IL 50. Circle City 16 Purple IN   vballrecruiter.com 5-star Players in the Field: Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas Gabby Divita OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.61 Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (2027)   vballrecruiter.com 4-star Players in the Field: Lily Bosworth MB Illini Elite 16 Cardinal Kendall Northern MB/RS Elevation 16 Goller Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 16 Goller Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 16 Goller Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 16 Black Lydia Stahley OH Team Indiana 16 Elite Cassidy Bruns L/DS MKE Sting 16 Gold Margaret Czajka OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Ella Andrews MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 16-1 Adidas Mallory Matheny S Mintonette Sports m.61 Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.61 Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 16 Purple   Outlook: With 13 of the 32 teams appearing in our Top 50 National Rankings, 16 Open is the premier division of the weekend. It’s the same format as 17 Open, with clubs opening up in one of eight, four-team brackets and ultimately playing to make the 16-team gold bracket on Day 2. The depth should lead