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AAU 14 Open: Day 1 All Red Hat Team

June 14, 2023

We are happy to present our first-ever daily All Red Hat Team! With the vballrecruiter.com team on hand for the start of 14 Open at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, we spent the day like we usually do – scouring the gym and taking in as much action as possible. That brings us to our All Red Hat Team for Day 1 of 14 Open. We’ll be releasing a daily All Red Hat Team for the remainder of our time in Orlando as well as for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships coming up in Chicago at the end of the month. Naturally, you’re wondering what is the All Red Hat Team and how does it differ from our daily Show Stoppers? For starters, we are aiming to put together a daily team consisting of outsides, middles, right sides, setters and liberos who were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. In a way, these are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. Without further delay, our Day 1 All Red Hat Team for 14 Open is below. ALL RED HAT TEAM Jordyn Jones OH Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Jones was definitely a personal favorite. What a gamer she is! Though Jones is undersized compared to other outsides we caught, she brings nothing but fire on the court. She was taking aggressive swings and challenging the defense then catching them with well-timed tips to keep them off guard. Carson Caraway OH IVBA 14 Open: Caraway is another with great energy and emotion. We featured her early this season at one of our Elite ID Clinics. At 6-2, she has nice size for any age and a solid arm to back it up with. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer continues to improve from earlier this season. The 6-0 middle is playing six rotations and taking serves in receive! She’s more than likely a future outside because of it. Comer has a calmer and more stoic demeanor on the court but she’s no less effective in tormenting defenses. They had little answers for her at the net. Kamryn Cocherl MB Mintonette Sports m.41: It looked as if Cocherl came to Orlando for two things – to chew bubble gum and put away sets. And she was all out of bubble gum on Day 1. All I saw her do was power balls down for kills. She’s a bit undersized but Mintonette was feeding her and she was delivering with loud winners. Kaelyn Bjorklund S/RS Northern Lights 14-1: Bjorklund plays a vital role and does it well for Northern Lights hitting and setting. At 6-0, she is a physical presence at the net and does well dishing and feeding her various hitters. She’s another steady player who doesn’t seem to get too high or too down. Emerson Dorr S/RS IVBA 14 Open: Dorr, also a 6-footer, was another who was just coming with it and playing with lots of intensity and determination. She also stood out as a two-way player who flashed plenty of potential. She’s a wirey attacker who can generate pace. She also showed well as setter putting up a nice hittable ball. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels is a future stud! She’s part of the Class of 2028, is playing up an age group and is already touching 9-10. She’s mature for her age and is a step ahead of setters a year older. She’s smooth and does well connecting with her hitters. Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura: Dostic is another up-and-coming setter who stood out with her strong play. She has great demeanor on the court as she doesn’t seem to get rattled and remains steady. She was running the offense well, getting her hitters involved and setting a clean ball consistently. Ella Horvick L/DS OT 14 Laura: Horvick was a wall in the back row. She had command, was reading and covering well. She also had on-point passing and provided a defensive edge. Addison Thompson-Stepp L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Thompson-Stepp is an upbeat libero who was holding it down defensively. She was putting the ball on target and passing well out of serve receive.

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AAU 14 Open: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

June 14, 2023

The buildup is over. We’ve been hurtling toward the season-ending national championships since the start of the new club year. And here we are, at the start of AAUs in Orlando! The vballrecruiter.com team is fired up for all the action coming our way. We’ll be all over the competition in both Orlando and Chicago as teams look to complete their season in dream fashion – with a gold medal. Kicking off all the fun and excitement is 14 Open, which got underway Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center. If you aren’t familiar with the AAU format, it’s a bit of a slow build toward the gold bracket. Only fourth-place teams are eliminated from contention on the opening day. That meant only nine teams were bumped from Group 1 for Day 2. So of the 39 teams to start competition, 30 still remain. It changes the next two days, because on Days 2 and 3 only the top-two teams in each pool advance. It’ll ultimately set up the eight-team gold bracket set for Saturday. As for the first day of action, it was not quite the coronation for top seeds as it was last year. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal – seeded No. 3 overall – was upended by Mauloa 14 Green in the 1 v 2 match. Tribe finished 2-1 while Mauloa fought off the time change from Hawaii to go 3-0. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – seeded No. 6 overall – went down as well. Vaqueras 14-1 beat Tri-State in the 1 v 2 match to finish in first ahead of Tri-State. GP 14 Rox was a third No. 1 team in its pool to fall. The No. 10 overall seed was swept by Northern Lights 14-1 and finished 2-1 behind 3-0 Northern Lights. Pool 1 was a three-team pool, where all three teams advanced. Out of the remaining nine pools, seven of the No. 4 teams were knocked out after going 0-3. The two exceptions were Elevate Athletics 14 Nike and Panda 14-1 Simo. Both went 1-2 and remain in the hunt. The highest-seeded team to be eliminated was Club V 14 Ren Stef. Club V was the No. 2 team in Pool 5 and was the No. 16 overall seed. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: A lanky right side, Glushakov has tremendous upside. She stayed in for six rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. She showed nice extension and was hitting at a high contact point. Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: A bit undersized, Bowron is quick and gets around well on the court. She’s a smooth disher who is on target on the regular. Haley Higgins MB Top Select 14 Elite: Higgins was providing consistent scoring as Top Select was utilizing her effectiveness. She has a nice arm and was putting balls away with pace. Calli LeFevre OH Legacy 14-1 Adidas: A 5-10 outside, LeFevre helps anchor the offense. She has a really good arm and takes big swings to pressure defenses. Kampbell Niepagaen OH SPVB 14 Elite: Niepagaen was another outside who was carrying a big load offensively. Sports Performance was looking for her a lot and she was up for the task. Madeline Bryant S SPVB 14 Elite: Bryant displayed a nice touch and consistent location. She also sets a clean ball regularly. Isabel Incinelli MB WPVC 14 Armour Black: At 6-2, Incinelli stands out. She also has tremendous potential. She was impacting both sides of the net. She also uses her length to her advantage, going over the block. And she also gets sets on the pin as Winter Park moves her around. Ellie Enger OH WPVC 14 Armour Black: Enger was among the better outsides we saw on Day 1. She has a lively arm and was bringing it time and time again. Liliana Tripi S Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Tripi was among the taller setters in the division. She has a consistent release and nice touch. She also did a good job trying to get her hitters involved. Sophia Farah MB Rev 14-1 Bulldogs: Farah flashed her potential. She’s a strong middle who takes up space and can be tough for defenses to slow. Sophia Azevedo S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Count Azevedo among the players to keep tabs on. She’s a 6-0 setter/right side who was mostly setting on Day 1. With her height, she can be impactful at the net. She puts up a nice block and has unbelievable upside. *** Caitlin Crino S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Crino was also taking on the setting duties. She’s a bit undersized but she moves well and has a clean release. Sage Mattson OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Mattson is a 6-0 pin who was playing on the outside. She has a big arm and can bash balls down in style. Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: Otto is another prospect who caught our eye. The lefty is 6-0 and a featured part of the attack when she’s front row. They run her in different spots to get her the ball and keep the defense on its toes. Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights 14-1: Cotton is a setter on the taller side, especially for the age group. She came in to set in the back row and did well locating and keeping her hitters involved. Zaley Madkin OH IVBA 14 Open: Madkin is a bit undersized but has no problem making up for it with her jump. She gets up well and can bring it at times. She unleashed a couple of head-turning kills that showed what her potential could be. Aubrie Wirkkala OH Kokoro 14-1: Wirkkala is a bit undersized at the position but she jumps very well. It helps her unload on the ball and rocket a few big winners. Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro 14-1: Jameson is a taller middle with tons of potential. She’s lanky, moves well and does a good job of

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Natalie Carr (FREE)

June 13, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Natalie Carr. *** Making the switch from competitive cheerleading to volleyball took time from a skills perspective. For Natalie Carr, it didn’t matter at first if she couldn’t underhand serve the ball over the net. The sport was new and she was having fun doing it. “I started going to Pitt camps when I was young and one of the first camps I started doing, the way the players were interacting with each other was really cool,” Carr said. She’s no longer the 10-year-old trying out a new sport. The Class of 2026 outside hitter is now 5-11 and playing up an age group for Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Carr was recently named to the JVA All-National Team for U16 and she’s also an accomplished beach player who has been competing on the sand since she was 11. While individually Carr continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace, Pitt Elite has also taken steps forward this season. The team has done so by capturing gold medals at both the JVA Rock’N Rumble and Capitol Hill Classic and recently going 6-0 at the The Nike Open in early May, all in 16 Open. Up next is the end of the season, when Pitt Elite competes in 16 Open at the AAU national championships on June 26-29 in Orlando. It was back in mid-January at Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland where a top highlight of Carr’s took place. There’s no doubt herself and teammates would love to bookend their season by creating another lasting memory like it at AAUs. “Our first tournament of the year was Rock’N Rumble and we were going in and didn’t know how we stood next to other teams,” Carr said. “Metro (16 Travel) was the top team and we had to play them in the first game (Sunday morning). We played them and it went three sets and the final score was 23-21. It was crazy winning that last point. It was incredible. It was so much fun. That was our first big win of the season and it was really special for everyone on the team.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Carr about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Carr: I would say Kerri Walsh Jennings. She’s obviously a very good beach volleyball player. I follow her on social media. Just who she is, she’s such a good person. I look up to her in both volleyball and life in general. I met her at p1440 nationals two years ago. It was a really cool experience. What is your favorite food(s)? Carr: Definitely acai bowls. It’s my favorite thing in the whole entire world. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Carr: Probably the Capitol Hill Classic. It was a relatively big tournament. There were a bunch of teams there and they were all high-level. Getting to compete against them and winning that tournament was really big. It was a fun tournament. What is your favorite team bonding event? Carr: For me, in club we always find a restaurant to do a team dinner at. It’s so much fun. We dress up in cute outfits. We talk about volleyball and everything else. It’s fun because we get to dress up and get ready together then come back to the hotel and hang out. It’s so much fun. What is your favorite quote? Carr: My favorite quote is ‘Be the best version of you.’ The reason I like this quote so much is from a volleyball perspective you can’t compare yourself to other people. That’s really important. That’s something that is easy to do but it doesn’t help anyone. For real life, it’s about always being a nice person and being as good as you can be. What is your go to song to warm up to? Carr: Whenever I warm up, I have a 12-hour Taylor Swift playlist I always play. I put it on shuffle and whatever comes on is what hypes me up and gets me ready to play. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Carr: Probably the ability to teleport. I lose track of time and normally I’m a pretty late person. I’m never where I’m supposed to be on time. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? Carr: I really enjoy baking. I like journaling and hiking. I enjoy being outside. My chocolate chip cookies are so good. Everyone I’ve ever given one to loves them. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Carr: I’m a pretty quiet person but on the volleyball court I’m really loud and energetic. When I meet new people I’m shy and timid until I get to know them. If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? Carr: Taylor Swift. She’s such an interesting person. Her music is so good. I would like to know her thought process behind her songs and what she decides. What is your favorite number and why? Carr: Number 10. I honestly have no idea why. It has no relation to anything. If anything, it’s an even number and I really like even numbers.

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AAU 14 Open: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

June 12, 2023

A near month-long national championship march begins this week. Leading the charge and getting the festivities going is the 14-and-under divisions at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando. That age group is set to compete from June 14-17. Below, we highlight 14 Open and make our pick to win it all. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings (13):   5-Star Athletes to Know:   4-Star Athletes to Know:   Prediction: The field features seven clubs which qualified for 14 Open at the upcoming USAV national championships later this season, highlighted by top-seeded OT 14 Laura. OT is also the highest-ranked team from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 rankings competing in Orlando. There’s a solid pack of teams that will challenge OT for gold. Adidas KiVA 14 Red, A5 14 Helen and Munciana 14 Chipmunks are among them, as are Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Legacy 14-1 Adidas and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue. Barring any early-round upsets, it’s going to take time for the top teams to build up to facing one another. If we are lucky we could see a few blockbuster matches taking place on Day 3, which sets up the eight-team gold bracket for the fourth and final day. We are picking OT, KiVA, Legacy, Mintonette, Tribe, A5, GP 14 Rox and WPVC 14 Armour Black to make the final eight. In the end, OT tops Tribe for the gold medal, with A5 and KiVA taking bronzes.

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14 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 8, 2023

With the USAV national championships approaching at the end of the month, we’ve attempted to rank the qualifiers for those who earned Open bids. We’ve already covered the 15, 16 and 17s divisions. The last up is 14 Open. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 14 OPEN RED ROCK RAVE (*Average: 1.75) (overall rank – 1) Number of Teams: 26 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (overall rank – 1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 46 (overall rank – 3)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 14 (overall rank – t2)* Average Rank: 16 (overall rank – 1)* Comment: Red Rock also took top honors in 15 Open and there are similarities. One being that there was no trickle-down available. Given the overall strength and that teams needed to finish in the top three, teams should feel extremely proud getting the job done here. Red Rock had 12 eventual Open qualifiers, or a third of the field we’ll see in Chicago. What was remarkable is 46 percent of the field were eventual Open qualifiers and that was only good for third place! Another show of strength is having 14 teams from our Top 50 and leading the way with an average rank of 16! That’s impressive. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 3.25) (2) Number of Teams: 18 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 56 (1) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 16 (1) Average Rank: 26 (7) Comment: The smaller field sizes in 14 Open made for some interesting results. Sunshine was tops in percent of eventual Open qualifiers It also led the way with 16 teams from our Top 50. But that actually hurt Sunshine a bit in that it was middle of the pack in Top-50 average at 26. Then again, you also have to consider Sunshine was another qualifier without any benefit of trickle down. *** LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg: 4.25) (3) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 42 (t6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 10 (t5) Average Rank: 18 (2) Comment: Again, the smaller fields made 14 Open different. With Lone Star having 42 percent of the field eventually qualifying for Open, that would be tops in other divisions. But in 14 Open it placed Lone Star only tied for sixth. That was Lone Star’s lowest ranking. It shined with Top-50 average, taking second overall at 18. *** SALT LAKE SHOWDOWN (Avg: 4.75) (t4) Number of Teams: 20 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 45 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 10 (t5) Average Rank: 25 (t4) Comment: This qualifier was near the bottom in the other age divisions. However, it was clearly strong in 14 Open. Salt Lake did well with Top-50 average rank at 25. And also with percent of eventual Open qualifiers, coming in fourth at 45. Another thing, half the field was from our Top 50. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 4.75) (t4) Number of Teams: 26 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 42 (t6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 15 (2) Average Rank: 29 (9) Comment: Northern Lights was one of three qualifiers to not have any trickle-down available. That was not taken into account. But Northern Lights scored high with 15 teams from our Top 50. It also had 11 eventual Open qualifiers out of a field of 26. *** MEQ (Avg: 5.25) (6) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 32 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 34 (9) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 14 (t2) Average Rank: 27 (8) Comment: MEQ was the only qualifier to surpass 30 total teams. The bigger field size really hurt MEQ in terms of eventual Open qualifiers. There were 11 there, which tied Northern Lights for second overall. But the larger field dropped MEQ’s percentage to ninth. Like Northern Lights, MEQ also had a high number of Top-50 teams, but was brought down by a lower average.   *** FAR WESTERN (Avg: 6) (7) Number of Teams: 22 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 41 (8) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 9 (7) Average Rank: 23 (3) Comment: It was a solid year for Far Western. What really stood out was the Top-50 average rank. Far Western was third in that category at 23. That was surprising as Far Western was middle of the pack in the other three areas. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 6.25) (8) Number of Teams: 16 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 7 (8) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 44 (5) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 7 (t8) Average Rank: 25 (t4) Comment: Windy City had a strong Top-50 average rank and did well with percent of eventual Open qualifiers. But a really small field kept the other numbers down in

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15 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 7, 2023

We have checked in on the Open qualifiers, trying to determine an order of strength. It’s been a fun exercise, starting with the 17s division before moving onto the 16s. It’s 15 Open’s turn to see how the qualifiers stack up. There were a couple that rose to the top in a big way. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 15 OPEN RED ROCK RAVE (*Average – 1.5) (overall rank – 1) Number of Teams: 38 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 15 (overall rank – 1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 39 (overall rank – 1)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 22 (overall rank – t1)* Average Rank: 23 (overall rank – t3)* Comment: Having done the 16 and 17 Open divisions already, 15 Open at Red Rock Rave blows everything away so far. It was an unbelievably tough qualifier in every aspect. Toss in the fact that there was no trickle-down in play and this was truly an insane qualifier! It had 15 eventual Open qualifiers, which is more than a third of the field we’ll see in Chicago. Those 15 teams made up 39 percent of the field in Las Vegas, which was tops for percent of eventual Open qualifiers. It also tied Lone Star for 22 teams from the Top 50 and tied for third for Top-50 average at 23. *** LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg: 2.25) (2) Number of Teams: 39 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 8 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 13 (2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 33 (5) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 22 (t1) Average Rank: 22 (t1) Comment: Lone Star would outshine any qualifier in any other division except that’s how insanely strong Red Rock was this year. Lone Star was nearly as incredible, possibly more so because it had the opposite of no trickle down. With eight teams holding bids, it was possible no one would qualify there. Lone Star also tied for highest Top-50 average rank at 22. Which like Red Rock, isn’t to be taken lightly considering there were 22 teams from the Top 50. Both were ridiculously deep and competitive fields. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 3.75) (3) Number of Teams: 23 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 8 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 35 (3) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (5) Average Rank: 22 (t1) Comment: Windy City was carried by tying Lone Star for highest Top-50 average. What are method doesn’t take into consideration is that there were only 23 teams in the field. Twelve were from our Top 50 and it was the highest-ranked field with Lone Star. Windy City was small, but pound-for-pound it was heavyweight stuff. *** FAR WESTERN (Avg: 4.5) (4) Number of Teams: 27 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 7 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37 (2) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 11 (6) Average Rank: 25 (5) Comment: This was a huge surprise! Far Western is typically not viewed as a stronger qualifier. However, it checks in at No. 4 based on our averages. The Top-50 average rank of 25 was strong, as was being second at 37 in percent of eventual Open qualifiers. There were also seven teams with bids, so it was possible only one bid could have gone out. And with 11 teams from the Top 50 combined with the high average rank, it’s easy to see now why Far Western ranks so highly. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 5) (5) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t3) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28 (t8) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 15 (3) Average Rank: 27 (t6) Comment: Northern Lights rounds out the Top 5. It was a larger field with a solid Top-50 average rank that tied for sixth. It also had a large number of teams from the Top 50 with 15. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 5.25) (6) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t3) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 34 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 13 (4) Average Rank: 29 (t10) Comment: Sunshine was early, and thus had no teams with bids. That’s hard to account for because there is no trickle-down. Sunshine ranked really well in eventual Open qualifiers, percent of eventual Open qualifiers and teams from the Top 50. However, it was dragged down by a lower average rank of those Top-50 teams. *** MEQ (Avg: 6.5) (7) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 7 (8) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29 (7) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 8 (8) Average Rank: 23 (t3) Comment: MEQ moved the 15s from its regular weekend this year and the typical number of entrants fell from 48 to 24. It made MEQ a smaller qualifier but among the stronger ones in terms of average Top-50 rank. MEQ tied for third. It just didn’t rank in the top half in the other three areas. *** BIG SOUTH (Avg: 7.5) (8) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available:

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Ryan Hunter (FREE)

June 6, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Ryan Hunter. *** To this point, if Ryan Hunter’s volleyball career were a race it would be the 100-meter dash. She’s gone from ending her time in competitive dance and beginning volleyball just three years ago to becoming one of the top Class of 2025 prospects in a flash. The 6-2, 5-star dynamic right side has spent the season playing up and turning heads on nationally-ranked Triangle 17 Black, which is competing in 17 Open this summer at the USAV Junior National Championships in Chicago. Hunter’s addition has elevated Triangle into a national title contender. She made the switch to the club this season. That she’s competing at such a high level in such a short time is a credit to her, plus reason why big-time college programs around the country are hoping to make their impressions when the recruiting season officially opens in a couple of weeks. “It’s been really fun coming into a new club full of very advanced athletes,” Hunter said. “It was new and it was a little challenging to get used to. When I did get used to it, it was really fun. We connected quickly. We’re all competitive and we all work well together.” As Hunter began getting taller she was looking for something new besides dancing, which she’d been doing since she was 2. Her older sister, Keimaya, played volleyball at UNC and that inspired her to give the sport a try. She went to a camp at a local gym and that was it. Three short years later and the next stop up is Junior Nationals, where Triangle will enter 17 Open ranked No. 3 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. It’ll be Hunter’s first time competing in Open at JN’s. It’s even possible she could have a new college in her future by then, but for now we’ll have to wait and see how both to unfold. “We are preparing ourselves to be dealing with more competition and getting better every single practice,” Hunter said. “We are mentally preparing ourselves for the intense play but I think with this team we have a real chance of pulling off winning nationals.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Hunter about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Hunter: My sister was the one to first introduce me to volleyball. Her love for volleyball inspired me to love it. She’s been one of my biggest supporters and has been there to help me. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she made sure I made it practice, all my tournaments and always took time to help me practice. I’ve seen how hard she works and how focused she is on accomplishing her own goals while helping me achieve mine. She’s my hero and I’m so blessed to have her. What is your favorite food? Hunter: My favorite foods would have to be lasagna, pizza and pasta. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Hunter: I’d have to say maybe either Triple Crown or Sunshine Classic. I think both those tournaments had great competition and those were the times we were really connecting and getting into a groove. It showed how well we can work together and it really made us push ourselves. What is your favorite team bonding event? Hunter: Usually, after the first day of a tournament the team goes out to eat. It’s a fun time. We are always laughing. Those times are really special. It helps us connect off the court. Do you have a favorite quote or mantra? Hunter: I’d say my favorite quote is ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Hunter: If I could have any superpower I’d say to be able to fly. I don’t know, it would be really cool to be above everything in the sky and see it all from the perspective of above. Also, being able to fly I could get places faster. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? Hunter: I like to draw. Sometimes I go on walks when the weather is nice. I think I’m a creative person. I like to make things like crafts. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Hunter: I’d say if you didn’t know me before you met me you would think I’m a quiet person. Once you get to know me you’d probably be surprise to see how crazy and goofy I am. If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? Hunter: Kobe Bryant. I would want to ask him everything and anything regarding his methods for maintaining focus and how he came to have a Mamba mentality. What’s your favorite number and why? Hunter: My favorite number is 18. It’s a combination of my sister’s number and my brother’s number. His number in high school was 33 and my sister’s number in college was 15. 33 minus 15 is 18.

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16 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 6, 2023

AAUs begin next week, with of course the USAV national championships following at the end of the month. Before teams start arriving in Chicago, we decided to take a look at the path for Open teams to get there to see if we could rank the toughest qualifiers. We kicked off with the 17s. Up next is 16 Open. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 16 OPEN LONE STAR (*Average: 3) (rank – 1) Number of Teams: 41 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 9 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (overall rank – t1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29 (overall rank – 5)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 18 (overall rank – 2)* Average Rank: 21 (overall rank – 4)* Comment: Lone Star is always challenging because of the high volume of previously-qualified teams competing. This year, there were nine and it’s reason why only one bid went out, creating the only two at-larges in play this season. It’s not surprising to see Lone Star come out on top, not with 18 teams from the Top 50 with an average rank of 21. That’s impressive. And though the percent of eventual qualifiers wasn’t tops, it was still fifth-best overall. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 3.25) (2) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 4 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 31 (3) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (t4) Average Rank: 18 (t1) Comment: Windy City is right there pushing Lone Star as the top qualifier. This year’s event stood out by tying for the top average rank of Top-50 teams. There were 12 in attendance averaging out at 18. That’s strong competition, especially when the field slightly outranked Lone Star in terms of eventual Open qualifiers. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 3.5) (3) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t1) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 30 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 16 (3) Average Rank: 24 (6) Comment: Sunshine cracks the Top 3, close to Windy City and not far from Lone Star. The three qualifiers differed in terms of previously-qualified clubs. Lone Star had nine, meaning bids weren’t guaranteed to go out. Windy City had four, so trickle-down was likely. Meanwhile, Sunshine had no qualified teams being up first. Given there were 12 eventual Open teams competing and 16 from our Top 50 with an average rank of 24, qualifying at the event was no joke! *** MEQ (Avg: 4) (4) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t1) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 25 (t7) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 20 (1) Average Rank: 26 (t7) Comment: MEQ’s large field can work for it and against it. The pros is it allows for lots of eventual Open qualifiers (12) and teams from the Top 50 (20). But the con is it can hurt when it comes to the percent of eventual Open qualifiers (25), which comes in tied for seventh. That, and the average Top 50 rank of 26 (also seventh), kept MEQ from coming in higher. Still, it checks in as the fourth-toughest qualifier. *** RED ROCK RAVE (Avg: 4.25) (5) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28 (6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (t4) Average Rank: 19 (3) Comment: Like Sunshine, Red Rock had no wiggle room because there was no possibility of trickle down. There has to be extra consideration given to that as the average doesn’t take that into account. Helping carry Red Rock to a top-five qualifier was its average Top 50 rank of 19. That was third-best overall. Red Rock was also strong with 11 eventual Open qualifiers and 12 teams from the Top 50. Given that, just like Sunshine, earning bids here took serious work. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 4.5) (t6) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t7) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 38 (1) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 9 (9) Average Rank: 18 (t1) Comment: There are a couple of factors that really stand out. One is that Northern Lights tied for the highest Top-50 average at 18. That means there were some really good teams there. Also, with nine eventual qualifiers, it made for 38 percent of the field eventually qualifying. That was tops out of all qualifiers. So though Northern Lights was a smaller field compared to other qualifiers, it packed a punch! *** NEQ (Avg: 4.5) (t6) Number of Teams: 27 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37 (2) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 11 (t6) Average Rank: 22 (5) Comment: NEQ has a reputation for not being among the stronger qualifiers, but the numbers show otherwise this season. With 37 percent of the field eventually making Open, it put NEQ second overall. That could mean there were more lower-ranked teams in the field, but NEQ had an average Top-50 rank of 22. That was fifth-best

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AAU 14 Open: Day 1 All Red Hat Team

June 14, 2023

We are happy to present our first-ever daily All Red Hat Team! With the vballrecruiter.com team on hand for the start of 14 Open at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, we spent the day like we usually do – scouring the gym and taking in as much action as possible. That brings us to our All Red Hat Team for Day 1 of 14 Open. We’ll be releasing a daily All Red Hat Team for the remainder of our time in Orlando as well as for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships coming up in Chicago at the end of the month. Naturally, you’re wondering what is the All Red Hat Team and how does it differ from our daily Show Stoppers? For starters, we are aiming to put together a daily team consisting of outsides, middles, right sides, setters and liberos who were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. In a way, these are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. Without further delay, our Day 1 All Red Hat Team for 14 Open is below. ALL RED HAT TEAM Jordyn Jones OH Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Jones was definitely a personal favorite. What a gamer she is! Though Jones is undersized compared to other outsides we caught, she brings nothing but fire on the court. She was taking aggressive swings and challenging the defense then catching them with well-timed tips to keep them off guard. Carson Caraway OH IVBA 14 Open: Caraway is another with great energy and emotion. We featured her early this season at one of our Elite ID Clinics. At 6-2, she has nice size for any age and a solid arm to back it up with. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer continues to improve from earlier this season. The 6-0 middle is playing six rotations and taking serves in receive! She’s more than likely a future outside because of it. Comer has a calmer and more stoic demeanor on the court but she’s no less effective in tormenting defenses. They had little answers for her at the net. Kamryn Cocherl MB Mintonette Sports m.41: It looked as if Cocherl came to Orlando for two things – to chew bubble gum and put away sets. And she was all out of bubble gum on Day 1. All I saw her do was power balls down for kills. She’s a bit undersized but Mintonette was feeding her and she was delivering with loud winners. Kaelyn Bjorklund S/RS Northern Lights 14-1: Bjorklund plays a vital role and does it well for Northern Lights hitting and setting. At 6-0, she is a physical presence at the net and does well dishing and feeding her various hitters. She’s another steady player who doesn’t seem to get too high or too down. Emerson Dorr S/RS IVBA 14 Open: Dorr, also a 6-footer, was another who was just coming with it and playing with lots of intensity and determination. She also stood out as a two-way player who flashed plenty of potential. She’s a wirey attacker who can generate pace. She also showed well as setter putting up a nice hittable ball. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels is a future stud! She’s part of the Class of 2028, is playing up an age group and is already touching 9-10. She’s mature for her age and is a step ahead of setters a year older. She’s smooth and does well connecting with her hitters. Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura: Dostic is another up-and-coming setter who stood out with her strong play. She has great demeanor on the court as she doesn’t seem to get rattled and remains steady. She was running the offense well, getting her hitters involved and setting a clean ball consistently. Ella Horvick L/DS OT 14 Laura: Horvick was a wall in the back row. She had command, was reading and covering well. She also had on-point passing and provided a defensive edge. Addison Thompson-Stepp L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Thompson-Stepp is an upbeat libero who was holding it down defensively. She was putting the ball on target and passing well out of serve receive.

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AAU 14 Open: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

June 14, 2023

The buildup is over. We’ve been hurtling toward the season-ending national championships since the start of the new club year. And here we are, at the start of AAUs in Orlando! The vballrecruiter.com team is fired up for all the action coming our way. We’ll be all over the competition in both Orlando and Chicago as teams look to complete their season in dream fashion – with a gold medal. Kicking off all the fun and excitement is 14 Open, which got underway Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center. If you aren’t familiar with the AAU format, it’s a bit of a slow build toward the gold bracket. Only fourth-place teams are eliminated from contention on the opening day. That meant only nine teams were bumped from Group 1 for Day 2. So of the 39 teams to start competition, 30 still remain. It changes the next two days, because on Days 2 and 3 only the top-two teams in each pool advance. It’ll ultimately set up the eight-team gold bracket set for Saturday. As for the first day of action, it was not quite the coronation for top seeds as it was last year. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal – seeded No. 3 overall – was upended by Mauloa 14 Green in the 1 v 2 match. Tribe finished 2-1 while Mauloa fought off the time change from Hawaii to go 3-0. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – seeded No. 6 overall – went down as well. Vaqueras 14-1 beat Tri-State in the 1 v 2 match to finish in first ahead of Tri-State. GP 14 Rox was a third No. 1 team in its pool to fall. The No. 10 overall seed was swept by Northern Lights 14-1 and finished 2-1 behind 3-0 Northern Lights. Pool 1 was a three-team pool, where all three teams advanced. Out of the remaining nine pools, seven of the No. 4 teams were knocked out after going 0-3. The two exceptions were Elevate Athletics 14 Nike and Panda 14-1 Simo. Both went 1-2 and remain in the hunt. The highest-seeded team to be eliminated was Club V 14 Ren Stef. Club V was the No. 2 team in Pool 5 and was the No. 16 overall seed. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: A lanky right side, Glushakov has tremendous upside. She stayed in for six rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. She showed nice extension and was hitting at a high contact point. Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: A bit undersized, Bowron is quick and gets around well on the court. She’s a smooth disher who is on target on the regular. Haley Higgins MB Top Select 14 Elite: Higgins was providing consistent scoring as Top Select was utilizing her effectiveness. She has a nice arm and was putting balls away with pace. Calli LeFevre OH Legacy 14-1 Adidas: A 5-10 outside, LeFevre helps anchor the offense. She has a really good arm and takes big swings to pressure defenses. Kampbell Niepagaen OH SPVB 14 Elite: Niepagaen was another outside who was carrying a big load offensively. Sports Performance was looking for her a lot and she was up for the task. Madeline Bryant S SPVB 14 Elite: Bryant displayed a nice touch and consistent location. She also sets a clean ball regularly. Isabel Incinelli MB WPVC 14 Armour Black: At 6-2, Incinelli stands out. She also has tremendous potential. She was impacting both sides of the net. She also uses her length to her advantage, going over the block. And she also gets sets on the pin as Winter Park moves her around. Ellie Enger OH WPVC 14 Armour Black: Enger was among the better outsides we saw on Day 1. She has a lively arm and was bringing it time and time again. Liliana Tripi S Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Tripi was among the taller setters in the division. She has a consistent release and nice touch. She also did a good job trying to get her hitters involved. Sophia Farah MB Rev 14-1 Bulldogs: Farah flashed her potential. She’s a strong middle who takes up space and can be tough for defenses to slow. Sophia Azevedo S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Count Azevedo among the players to keep tabs on. She’s a 6-0 setter/right side who was mostly setting on Day 1. With her height, she can be impactful at the net. She puts up a nice block and has unbelievable upside. *** Caitlin Crino S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Crino was also taking on the setting duties. She’s a bit undersized but she moves well and has a clean release. Sage Mattson OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Mattson is a 6-0 pin who was playing on the outside. She has a big arm and can bash balls down in style. Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: Otto is another prospect who caught our eye. The lefty is 6-0 and a featured part of the attack when she’s front row. They run her in different spots to get her the ball and keep the defense on its toes. Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights 14-1: Cotton is a setter on the taller side, especially for the age group. She came in to set in the back row and did well locating and keeping her hitters involved. Zaley Madkin OH IVBA 14 Open: Madkin is a bit undersized but has no problem making up for it with her jump. She gets up well and can bring it at times. She unleashed a couple of head-turning kills that showed what her potential could be. Aubrie Wirkkala OH Kokoro 14-1: Wirkkala is a bit undersized at the position but she jumps very well. It helps her unload on the ball and rocket a few big winners. Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro 14-1: Jameson is a taller middle with tons of potential. She’s lanky, moves well and does a good job of

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Natalie Carr (FREE)

June 13, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Natalie Carr. *** Making the switch from competitive cheerleading to volleyball took time from a skills perspective. For Natalie Carr, it didn’t matter at first if she couldn’t underhand serve the ball over the net. The sport was new and she was having fun doing it. “I started going to Pitt camps when I was young and one of the first camps I started doing, the way the players were interacting with each other was really cool,” Carr said. She’s no longer the 10-year-old trying out a new sport. The Class of 2026 outside hitter is now 5-11 and playing up an age group for Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Carr was recently named to the JVA All-National Team for U16 and she’s also an accomplished beach player who has been competing on the sand since she was 11. While individually Carr continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace, Pitt Elite has also taken steps forward this season. The team has done so by capturing gold medals at both the JVA Rock’N Rumble and Capitol Hill Classic and recently going 6-0 at the The Nike Open in early May, all in 16 Open. Up next is the end of the season, when Pitt Elite competes in 16 Open at the AAU national championships on June 26-29 in Orlando. It was back in mid-January at Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland where a top highlight of Carr’s took place. There’s no doubt herself and teammates would love to bookend their season by creating another lasting memory like it at AAUs. “Our first tournament of the year was Rock’N Rumble and we were going in and didn’t know how we stood next to other teams,” Carr said. “Metro (16 Travel) was the top team and we had to play them in the first game (Sunday morning). We played them and it went three sets and the final score was 23-21. It was crazy winning that last point. It was incredible. It was so much fun. That was our first big win of the season and it was really special for everyone on the team.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Carr about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Carr: I would say Kerri Walsh Jennings. She’s obviously a very good beach volleyball player. I follow her on social media. Just who she is, she’s such a good person. I look up to her in both volleyball and life in general. I met her at p1440 nationals two years ago. It was a really cool experience. What is your favorite food(s)? Carr: Definitely acai bowls. It’s my favorite thing in the whole entire world. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Carr: Probably the Capitol Hill Classic. It was a relatively big tournament. There were a bunch of teams there and they were all high-level. Getting to compete against them and winning that tournament was really big. It was a fun tournament. What is your favorite team bonding event? Carr: For me, in club we always find a restaurant to do a team dinner at. It’s so much fun. We dress up in cute outfits. We talk about volleyball and everything else. It’s fun because we get to dress up and get ready together then come back to the hotel and hang out. It’s so much fun. What is your favorite quote? Carr: My favorite quote is ‘Be the best version of you.’ The reason I like this quote so much is from a volleyball perspective you can’t compare yourself to other people. That’s really important. That’s something that is easy to do but it doesn’t help anyone. For real life, it’s about always being a nice person and being as good as you can be. What is your go to song to warm up to? Carr: Whenever I warm up, I have a 12-hour Taylor Swift playlist I always play. I put it on shuffle and whatever comes on is what hypes me up and gets me ready to play. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Carr: Probably the ability to teleport. I lose track of time and normally I’m a pretty late person. I’m never where I’m supposed to be on time. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? Carr: I really enjoy baking. I like journaling and hiking. I enjoy being outside. My chocolate chip cookies are so good. Everyone I’ve ever given one to loves them. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Carr: I’m a pretty quiet person but on the volleyball court I’m really loud and energetic. When I meet new people I’m shy and timid until I get to know them. If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? Carr: Taylor Swift. She’s such an interesting person. Her music is so good. I would like to know her thought process behind her songs and what she decides. What is your favorite number and why? Carr: Number 10. I honestly have no idea why. It has no relation to anything. If anything, it’s an even number and I really like even numbers.

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AAU 14 Open: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

June 12, 2023

A near month-long national championship march begins this week. Leading the charge and getting the festivities going is the 14-and-under divisions at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando. That age group is set to compete from June 14-17. Below, we highlight 14 Open and make our pick to win it all. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings (13):   5-Star Athletes to Know:   4-Star Athletes to Know:   Prediction: The field features seven clubs which qualified for 14 Open at the upcoming USAV national championships later this season, highlighted by top-seeded OT 14 Laura. OT is also the highest-ranked team from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 rankings competing in Orlando. There’s a solid pack of teams that will challenge OT for gold. Adidas KiVA 14 Red, A5 14 Helen and Munciana 14 Chipmunks are among them, as are Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Legacy 14-1 Adidas and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue. Barring any early-round upsets, it’s going to take time for the top teams to build up to facing one another. If we are lucky we could see a few blockbuster matches taking place on Day 3, which sets up the eight-team gold bracket for the fourth and final day. We are picking OT, KiVA, Legacy, Mintonette, Tribe, A5, GP 14 Rox and WPVC 14 Armour Black to make the final eight. In the end, OT tops Tribe for the gold medal, with A5 and KiVA taking bronzes.

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14 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 8, 2023

With the USAV national championships approaching at the end of the month, we’ve attempted to rank the qualifiers for those who earned Open bids. We’ve already covered the 15, 16 and 17s divisions. The last up is 14 Open. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 14 OPEN RED ROCK RAVE (*Average: 1.75) (overall rank – 1) Number of Teams: 26 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (overall rank – 1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 46 (overall rank – 3)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 14 (overall rank – t2)* Average Rank: 16 (overall rank – 1)* Comment: Red Rock also took top honors in 15 Open and there are similarities. One being that there was no trickle-down available. Given the overall strength and that teams needed to finish in the top three, teams should feel extremely proud getting the job done here. Red Rock had 12 eventual Open qualifiers, or a third of the field we’ll see in Chicago. What was remarkable is 46 percent of the field were eventual Open qualifiers and that was only good for third place! Another show of strength is having 14 teams from our Top 50 and leading the way with an average rank of 16! That’s impressive. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 3.25) (2) Number of Teams: 18 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 56 (1) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 16 (1) Average Rank: 26 (7) Comment: The smaller field sizes in 14 Open made for some interesting results. Sunshine was tops in percent of eventual Open qualifiers It also led the way with 16 teams from our Top 50. But that actually hurt Sunshine a bit in that it was middle of the pack in Top-50 average at 26. Then again, you also have to consider Sunshine was another qualifier without any benefit of trickle down. *** LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg: 4.25) (3) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 42 (t6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 10 (t5) Average Rank: 18 (2) Comment: Again, the smaller fields made 14 Open different. With Lone Star having 42 percent of the field eventually qualifying for Open, that would be tops in other divisions. But in 14 Open it placed Lone Star only tied for sixth. That was Lone Star’s lowest ranking. It shined with Top-50 average, taking second overall at 18. *** SALT LAKE SHOWDOWN (Avg: 4.75) (t4) Number of Teams: 20 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 45 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 10 (t5) Average Rank: 25 (t4) Comment: This qualifier was near the bottom in the other age divisions. However, it was clearly strong in 14 Open. Salt Lake did well with Top-50 average rank at 25. And also with percent of eventual Open qualifiers, coming in fourth at 45. Another thing, half the field was from our Top 50. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 4.75) (t4) Number of Teams: 26 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 42 (t6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 15 (2) Average Rank: 29 (9) Comment: Northern Lights was one of three qualifiers to not have any trickle-down available. That was not taken into account. But Northern Lights scored high with 15 teams from our Top 50. It also had 11 eventual Open qualifiers out of a field of 26. *** MEQ (Avg: 5.25) (6) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 32 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 34 (9) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 14 (t2) Average Rank: 27 (8) Comment: MEQ was the only qualifier to surpass 30 total teams. The bigger field size really hurt MEQ in terms of eventual Open qualifiers. There were 11 there, which tied Northern Lights for second overall. But the larger field dropped MEQ’s percentage to ninth. Like Northern Lights, MEQ also had a high number of Top-50 teams, but was brought down by a lower average.   *** FAR WESTERN (Avg: 6) (7) Number of Teams: 22 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 41 (8) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 9 (7) Average Rank: 23 (3) Comment: It was a solid year for Far Western. What really stood out was the Top-50 average rank. Far Western was third in that category at 23. That was surprising as Far Western was middle of the pack in the other three areas. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 6.25) (8) Number of Teams: 16 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 7 (8) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 44 (5) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 7 (t8) Average Rank: 25 (t4) Comment: Windy City had a strong Top-50 average rank and did well with percent of eventual Open qualifiers. But a really small field kept the other numbers down in

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15 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 7, 2023

We have checked in on the Open qualifiers, trying to determine an order of strength. It’s been a fun exercise, starting with the 17s division before moving onto the 16s. It’s 15 Open’s turn to see how the qualifiers stack up. There were a couple that rose to the top in a big way. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 15 OPEN RED ROCK RAVE (*Average – 1.5) (overall rank – 1) Number of Teams: 38 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 15 (overall rank – 1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 39 (overall rank – 1)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 22 (overall rank – t1)* Average Rank: 23 (overall rank – t3)* Comment: Having done the 16 and 17 Open divisions already, 15 Open at Red Rock Rave blows everything away so far. It was an unbelievably tough qualifier in every aspect. Toss in the fact that there was no trickle-down in play and this was truly an insane qualifier! It had 15 eventual Open qualifiers, which is more than a third of the field we’ll see in Chicago. Those 15 teams made up 39 percent of the field in Las Vegas, which was tops for percent of eventual Open qualifiers. It also tied Lone Star for 22 teams from the Top 50 and tied for third for Top-50 average at 23. *** LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg: 2.25) (2) Number of Teams: 39 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 8 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 13 (2) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 33 (5) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 22 (t1) Average Rank: 22 (t1) Comment: Lone Star would outshine any qualifier in any other division except that’s how insanely strong Red Rock was this year. Lone Star was nearly as incredible, possibly more so because it had the opposite of no trickle down. With eight teams holding bids, it was possible no one would qualify there. Lone Star also tied for highest Top-50 average rank at 22. Which like Red Rock, isn’t to be taken lightly considering there were 22 teams from the Top 50. Both were ridiculously deep and competitive fields. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 3.75) (3) Number of Teams: 23 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 8 (t6) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 35 (3) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (5) Average Rank: 22 (t1) Comment: Windy City was carried by tying Lone Star for highest Top-50 average. What are method doesn’t take into consideration is that there were only 23 teams in the field. Twelve were from our Top 50 and it was the highest-ranked field with Lone Star. Windy City was small, but pound-for-pound it was heavyweight stuff. *** FAR WESTERN (Avg: 4.5) (4) Number of Teams: 27 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 7 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37 (2) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 11 (6) Average Rank: 25 (5) Comment: This was a huge surprise! Far Western is typically not viewed as a stronger qualifier. However, it checks in at No. 4 based on our averages. The Top-50 average rank of 25 was strong, as was being second at 37 in percent of eventual Open qualifiers. There were also seven teams with bids, so it was possible only one bid could have gone out. And with 11 teams from the Top 50 combined with the high average rank, it’s easy to see now why Far Western ranks so highly. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 5) (5) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t3) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28 (t8) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 15 (3) Average Rank: 27 (t6) Comment: Northern Lights rounds out the Top 5. It was a larger field with a solid Top-50 average rank that tied for sixth. It also had a large number of teams from the Top 50 with 15. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 5.25) (6) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (t3) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 34 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 13 (4) Average Rank: 29 (t10) Comment: Sunshine was early, and thus had no teams with bids. That’s hard to account for because there is no trickle-down. Sunshine ranked really well in eventual Open qualifiers, percent of eventual Open qualifiers and teams from the Top 50. However, it was dragged down by a lower average rank of those Top-50 teams. *** MEQ (Avg: 6.5) (7) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 7 (8) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29 (7) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 8 (8) Average Rank: 23 (t3) Comment: MEQ moved the 15s from its regular weekend this year and the typical number of entrants fell from 48 to 24. It made MEQ a smaller qualifier but among the stronger ones in terms of average Top-50 rank. MEQ tied for third. It just didn’t rank in the top half in the other three areas. *** BIG SOUTH (Avg: 7.5) (8) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available:

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Ryan Hunter (FREE)

June 6, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Ryan Hunter. *** To this point, if Ryan Hunter’s volleyball career were a race it would be the 100-meter dash. She’s gone from ending her time in competitive dance and beginning volleyball just three years ago to becoming one of the top Class of 2025 prospects in a flash. The 6-2, 5-star dynamic right side has spent the season playing up and turning heads on nationally-ranked Triangle 17 Black, which is competing in 17 Open this summer at the USAV Junior National Championships in Chicago. Hunter’s addition has elevated Triangle into a national title contender. She made the switch to the club this season. That she’s competing at such a high level in such a short time is a credit to her, plus reason why big-time college programs around the country are hoping to make their impressions when the recruiting season officially opens in a couple of weeks. “It’s been really fun coming into a new club full of very advanced athletes,” Hunter said. “It was new and it was a little challenging to get used to. When I did get used to it, it was really fun. We connected quickly. We’re all competitive and we all work well together.” As Hunter began getting taller she was looking for something new besides dancing, which she’d been doing since she was 2. Her older sister, Keimaya, played volleyball at UNC and that inspired her to give the sport a try. She went to a camp at a local gym and that was it. Three short years later and the next stop up is Junior Nationals, where Triangle will enter 17 Open ranked No. 3 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. It’ll be Hunter’s first time competing in Open at JN’s. It’s even possible she could have a new college in her future by then, but for now we’ll have to wait and see how both to unfold. “We are preparing ourselves to be dealing with more competition and getting better every single practice,” Hunter said. “We are mentally preparing ourselves for the intense play but I think with this team we have a real chance of pulling off winning nationals.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Hunter about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Hunter: My sister was the one to first introduce me to volleyball. Her love for volleyball inspired me to love it. She’s been one of my biggest supporters and has been there to help me. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she made sure I made it practice, all my tournaments and always took time to help me practice. I’ve seen how hard she works and how focused she is on accomplishing her own goals while helping me achieve mine. She’s my hero and I’m so blessed to have her. What is your favorite food? Hunter: My favorite foods would have to be lasagna, pizza and pasta. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Hunter: I’d have to say maybe either Triple Crown or Sunshine Classic. I think both those tournaments had great competition and those were the times we were really connecting and getting into a groove. It showed how well we can work together and it really made us push ourselves. What is your favorite team bonding event? Hunter: Usually, after the first day of a tournament the team goes out to eat. It’s a fun time. We are always laughing. Those times are really special. It helps us connect off the court. Do you have a favorite quote or mantra? Hunter: I’d say my favorite quote is ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Hunter: If I could have any superpower I’d say to be able to fly. I don’t know, it would be really cool to be above everything in the sky and see it all from the perspective of above. Also, being able to fly I could get places faster. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? Hunter: I like to draw. Sometimes I go on walks when the weather is nice. I think I’m a creative person. I like to make things like crafts. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Hunter: I’d say if you didn’t know me before you met me you would think I’m a quiet person. Once you get to know me you’d probably be surprise to see how crazy and goofy I am. If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? Hunter: Kobe Bryant. I would want to ask him everything and anything regarding his methods for maintaining focus and how he came to have a Mamba mentality. What’s your favorite number and why? Hunter: My favorite number is 18. It’s a combination of my sister’s number and my brother’s number. His number in high school was 33 and my sister’s number in college was 15. 33 minus 15 is 18.

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16 Open: Ranking the Top Qualifiers

June 6, 2023

AAUs begin next week, with of course the USAV national championships following at the end of the month. Before teams start arriving in Chicago, we decided to take a look at the path for Open teams to get there to see if we could rank the toughest qualifiers. We kicked off with the 17s. Up next is 16 Open. The method we used was hardly perfect and is relative of course. At the same time, it does shed light on what may be the toughest qualifier of the season. The factors we used to determine the list we came up with are 1) Number of eventual Open qualifiers; 2) Percent of Eventual Open qualifiers from the overall field; 3) The number of ranked teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50; 4) the average rank of the teams from the Top 50. We took the average of those four rankings and listed them from 1-12 for each qualifier. The full breakdown is below, with comments. 16 OPEN LONE STAR (*Average: 3) (rank – 1) Number of Teams: 41 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 9 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (overall rank – t1)* Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29 (overall rank – 5)* Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 18 (overall rank – 2)* Average Rank: 21 (overall rank – 4)* Comment: Lone Star is always challenging because of the high volume of previously-qualified teams competing. This year, there were nine and it’s reason why only one bid went out, creating the only two at-larges in play this season. It’s not surprising to see Lone Star come out on top, not with 18 teams from the Top 50 with an average rank of 21. That’s impressive. And though the percent of eventual qualifiers wasn’t tops, it was still fifth-best overall. *** WINDY CITY (Avg: 3.25) (2) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 4 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 31 (3) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (t4) Average Rank: 18 (t1) Comment: Windy City is right there pushing Lone Star as the top qualifier. This year’s event stood out by tying for the top average rank of Top-50 teams. There were 12 in attendance averaging out at 18. That’s strong competition, especially when the field slightly outranked Lone Star in terms of eventual Open qualifiers. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg: 3.5) (3) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t1) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 30 (4) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 16 (3) Average Rank: 24 (6) Comment: Sunshine cracks the Top 3, close to Windy City and not far from Lone Star. The three qualifiers differed in terms of previously-qualified clubs. Lone Star had nine, meaning bids weren’t guaranteed to go out. Windy City had four, so trickle-down was likely. Meanwhile, Sunshine had no qualified teams being up first. Given there were 12 eventual Open teams competing and 16 from our Top 50 with an average rank of 24, qualifying at the event was no joke! *** MEQ (Avg: 4) (4) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t1) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 25 (t7) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 20 (1) Average Rank: 26 (t7) Comment: MEQ’s large field can work for it and against it. The pros is it allows for lots of eventual Open qualifiers (12) and teams from the Top 50 (20). But the con is it can hurt when it comes to the percent of eventual Open qualifiers (25), which comes in tied for seventh. That, and the average Top 50 rank of 26 (also seventh), kept MEQ from coming in higher. Still, it checks in as the fourth-toughest qualifier. *** RED ROCK RAVE (Avg: 4.25) (5) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (4) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28 (6) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 12 (t4) Average Rank: 19 (3) Comment: Like Sunshine, Red Rock had no wiggle room because there was no possibility of trickle down. There has to be extra consideration given to that as the average doesn’t take that into account. Helping carry Red Rock to a top-five qualifier was its average Top 50 rank of 19. That was third-best overall. Red Rock was also strong with 11 eventual Open qualifiers and 12 teams from the Top 50. Given that, just like Sunshine, earning bids here took serious work. *** NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg: 4.5) (t6) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t7) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 38 (1) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 9 (9) Average Rank: 18 (t1) Comment: There are a couple of factors that really stand out. One is that Northern Lights tied for the highest Top-50 average at 18. That means there were some really good teams there. Also, with nine eventual qualifiers, it made for 38 percent of the field eventually qualifying. That was tops out of all qualifiers. So though Northern Lights was a smaller field compared to other qualifiers, it packed a punch! *** NEQ (Avg: 4.5) (t6) Number of Teams: 27 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37 (2) Number of Ranked Teams from vballrecruiter.com Top 50: 11 (t6) Average Rank: 22 (5) Comment: NEQ has a reputation for not being among the stronger qualifiers, but the numbers show otherwise this season. With 37 percent of the field eventually making Open, it put NEQ second overall. That could mean there were more lower-ranked teams in the field, but NEQ had an average Top-50 rank of 22. That was fifth-best

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