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Show Me: Day 3 Show Stoppers (Part 2)

The final day of competition of the Show Me Qualifier brought out another level as teams chased bids and gold medals. We already highlighted the first set of our Show Stoppers featuring the ones who caught our attention the most. Below, we present Part 2 of our Day 3 Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS (Part 2) Aspen Nelsen OH Iowa PowerPlex 16 515: Nelsen and teammates were out to surprise on Day 3 and nearly pulled off qualifying. She’s an aggressive, fearless attacker who plays a key role in the attack. Abbey Hayes OH Six Pack 16: Hayes is a lanky outside with the ability to let loose. She has a nice arm and has lots of upside. Ella Rogers S Six Pack 16: Rogers caught our attention with her setting. She showed nice hands and the ability to locate on the regular. Parker Duncan OH AJV 16 Adidas: The 3-star outside was powering the AJV attack. She’s a wirey outside who gets off the floor and has a fluid swing. Claire Anna Brown MB AJV 16 Adidas: Brown was effective in the middle when called upon. She’s a physical hitter who hits a heavy ball and forces defenses to keep track of her. Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – and her TAV teammates were lights on Day 3 in winning 17 Open. Spears’ length and athleticism is a nightmare for opponents. When she gets up and unloads it’s game over. Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Favor – a 5-star USC commit – commanded the middle like no else. Her strength and power takes over at the net as she powers down kills and shuts down attacks. Jadyn Livings RS RS TAV 17 Black: Livings – a 5-star USC commit as well – was strong on the right side, as she also passed at times in serve receive. Her blocking was key at the net in slowing down opposing outsides while bringing her big arm to attack. Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black: Pitts – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – did it all on the defensive side. She read and reacts well and has great range when it comes to covering. Alea Goolsby OH KC Power 17 Black: A 3-star recruit, Goolsby and KC Power earned an Open and took home the silver medal. She can crush balls at times when she springs off the ground and lets it fly. *** Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Green is the sparkplug and leader of the attack. Her quickness is an asset, as she can get turn bad balls into hittable sets and keep KC Power in system like few can. Mya Bolton L/DS KC Power 17 Black: Bolton – a 3-star Michigan State commit – was another defender who took care of business in the back row. She’s a solid passer out of serve receive and is rarely off target. She also does well picking up balls and keeping rallies going. Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Messer was doing what she always does – commanding the offense. She’s a difficult setter to read with a smooth, quick release with great accuracy to boot. Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen – another 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is such a powerful hitter it seems like she scores every time she swings. She can go through or around blocks and sees the court very well. Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black: Campbell – a 5-star Wake Forest – is such a difficult cover with her speed and quickness. She runs the slide exceptionally. She gets off the ground in a hurry and has a whippy arm and gave Dynasty tons of offense. McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – was a big part of Skyline qualifying and earning its Open bid. She’s a strong presence in the back row with spot-on passing and lots of range. Lauren Perry OH Skyline 17 Royal: Perry – a 3-star UT-El Paso commit – was an integral piece of Skyline’s success as well. She’s a six-rotation mainstay and is a high-IQ hitter who can score with various shots. Lillian Croshaw RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Croshaw – a 4-star recruit – performed well on the right side. She put up a strong block and also gave Drive Nation points with consistent scoring. Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long – a 4-star Marquette commit – and VCNebraska were on the edge of qualifying in a strong performance overall. Long has great hands and is very accurate spotting the ball. Mallorie Meyer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Meyer, a Pitt commit, was yet another backrow standout. She’s a scrappy defender with good first-contact skills. *** Tia Traudt OH VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 3-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Traudt is a six-rotation outside with nice passing skills and a sense for scoring. She’s a heady attacker with a nice arm and helped carried the offensive load. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix: Stewart – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – was among the outsides bringing the heat. She’s long and her extension makes her tough as she can hit tough angles. A’siya Magazine RS OT 17 Felix: Magazine – a UNC-Wilmington commit – was contributing on the right side with her blocking and scoring. She can get up well and get in the way of attackers. She also has a good arm and was providing a scoring punch. Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Frame – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – is a smooth defender with great touch. She covers a wide range of court and moves well too. Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Medeck – a 5-star South Dakota commit – is a six-rotation, do-it-all outside. She has a big arm

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Show Me: Day 3 Show Stoppers (Part 1)

With the stakes elevated on the final day of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, the play certainly followed suit. There were plenty of impressive standout efforts as athletes laid it all on the line. Below, is Part 1 of the players who stood out to us the most on Day 3 with our Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS (Part 1) Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star recruit – was part of a perfect weekend as TAV ended 9-0 in winning 15 Open. The long setter/right side performs both roles at a high level. She has a smooth release and locates well setting. She’s also an above-average hitter on the right side who earns her team points scoring. Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black: A 4-star recruit, opponents struggled to slow Kleckner and her powerful arm. Her strength was too much, as she powered through blocks or crushed balls around them as a key piece in the attack. Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black: Young – a 5-star recruit – was dominant in the middle. Her physicality showed on both sides of the ball as she delivered resounding stuff blocks or slammed down big swings. Julianna Hernandez L/DS TAV 15 Black: Hernandez – a 3-star recruit – brings a lot of energy to the defensive side. She was passing and defending very well. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: A 5-star recruit, Williams is going to get the ball as much as Skyline can feed her. She’s a force at the net with her length and reach. She can easily go over blocks and score from angles that are tough to defend and cover. Kiley Brooks L/DS Skyline 15 Royal: Brooks was strong in the back row, giving Skyline a defensive edge with her passing and covering. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit – is capable of taking matches over with her scoring ability. She can get up and hit hard cross-court angles or turn it up the line and tool blocks, making a very difficult attacker to stop. Skylar Jackson OH Skyline 15 Royal: Jackson – a 3-star recruit – held it down as a six-rotation outside passing and swinging away. She was a key piece of Skyline’s second-place finish as she helped carry the offense in stretches. Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1: A 4-star recruit, Weninger and Pohaku had a strong weekend, finishing third and earning an Open bid. She’s a big part of the offensive and becomes the go-to hitter when she checks in across the front row with her strong arm. Grace Martin OH Pohaku 15-1: Martin was an integral part of the lineup with her passing and attacking. She was going for it with her swings, staying aggressive and challenging the defense to stop her. *** Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: West – a 3-star recruit – and her Premier Nebraska teammates earned the other 15 Open bid. West is a go-to attacker with nice length and extension. Combined with a nice swing, she’s a capable scorer. Kami Dyrstad L/DS Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Dyrstad was another libero who stood out with her defensive presence. She’s a scrappy libero who was making plenty of hustle plays. McKenna Garr L/DS Northern Lights 16-1: Garr – a 3-star recruit – and her Northern Lights teammates took home the gold in 16 Open with an impressive performance. Garr took care of the back row, passing sharply and defending with reckless abandon. Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1: Axness and her hitters were clicking on Day 3. She did well getting them all going and keeping defenses on guard. Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1: Bettis – a 4-star recruit – brought the punch to the lineup with her ability to get up and send it down. She gets off the ground well and extends nicely, which leads to impressive kills at times. Keira Schmidt MB Northern Lights 16-1: Schmidt – a 3-star recruit – was a presence at the net with her blocking and hitting. She was frustrating opponents who had trouble getting around her big block. The same opponents also struggled slowing her down as she was able to exploit open spaces in the defense. Olivia Cohee RS TAV 16 Black: A 3-star recruit, Cohee had a great day on the right side. She provided valuable offense and helped open the attack by scoring consistently anytime she was front row. Sydnee Peterson OH TAV 16 Black: Peterson – a 4-star recruit – helped TAV reach the championship match and qualify for Open. She carries a powerful arm and was attacking defenses with hard swings. Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner – a 4-star recruit – was running the show effectively. She was getting all her hitters involved and showed a nice, consistent touch locating. Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack – a 4-star recruit – was yet another piece defenses needed to be worried about. She can bring it at times with booming kills and bouncing balls down. *** Sophia Armstrong L/DS TAV 16 Black: Armstrong is a gamer who did well on Day 3. She was passing well and making plays in helping TAV finish second overall. Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks – a 5-star recruit – and her MAVS teammates earned one of the three 16 Open bids with a great day of volleyball. Parks is an athletic two-way player. She’s a strong setter who moves and gets to the ball well. When hitting, she flies and unloads with more than enough pace to punish defenses. Maddie Mitchell S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Mitchell was a key piece in MAVS’ success as well. She was also playing a dual role setting and hitting. She did well keeping the offense churning when dishing and was also able to provide her share of scoring to help boost the offense. Ashlyn Blazer OH MAVS KC 16-1: Blazer brings height to the

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Show Me: Gold Medal Rundown

Open bids were awarded across 15, 16 and 17s on Monday at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. Let’s get to it and look at how those divisions played out on the final day of competition. 17 OPEN The most dramatic bid chase played out in 17 Open, and not because second-ranked Dynasty 17 Black, No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red and No. 4 TAV 17 Black were in the same pool with No. 20 OT 17 Felix. While the volleyball was epic in that pool, Dynasty, Drive Nation and OT already owned bids. It meant all that TAV had to do to qualify was not finish last in its pool, but that was of course easier said than done given the stiff competition. However, once TAV downed Drive Nation in its pool opener, it was looking bright for TAV. TAV clinched its bid by downing OT Felix in its next outing before beating Dynasty to win the pool and eventually sweep KC Power 17 Black for the gold medal. It was OT Felix which kept TAV from qualifying at Sunshine, so there was a measure of payback extracted there. With KC Power wrapping up its bid and winning its pool before playing its final match, it really left all the bid drama to the 3 v 4 contest in Pool 2. That paired Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite for a winner-take-all match for the final bid. Both were 1-1 at the time, with the winner moving to 2-1 and guaranteed second place and the last remaining bid. The drama didn’t disappoint, as Skyline finally prevailed in the back-and-forth contest. It was looking dire for Skyline as VCNebraska crept ahead 11-8 in Game 3. But, Skyline went on a remarkable 6-0 run to gain match point at 14-11. VCNebraska stalled Skyline’s celebration for one more point before Skyline closed it out 15-12 and began jumping up and down. It was a big deal for Skyline, which tried qualifying previously at both Sunshine and MEQ but came up short. Show Me wasn’t Skyline’s last chance, but probably its best chance with Lone Star on tap and the difficult field there. VCNebraska coach Blake Rawlins said the club was seeking its first Open bid. KC Power bounced back from a tough time in Indy. KC Power positioned itself to qualify at MEQ by reaching the fifth-place bracket but was eliminated in the first match by Pohaku 17-1. KC Power took care of Pohaku on Day 2 here before upsetting Drive Nation and taking over the No. 2 seed on Day 3. KC Power outlasted Skyline in three sets in its opener before rallying past VCNebraska to move to 2-0. When Premier Nebraska 17 Gold – which was already qualified – fell to 0-2, it meant KC Power clinched the pool before facing Premier. Meanwhile, there was no let up for TAV after clinching its bid. The Texas club turned in one of the best days any teams had this season. TAV entered Day 3 holding a 1-1 mark against Drive Nation and was 0-1 against both Dynasty and OT Felix. TAV not only qualified but showed it’s as good as anyone in the country when it’s on its game. 16 OPEN Much of the bid hunt on Day 3 in this division hinged on Nebraska One 16 Synergy. The top seed in Pool 2 was the only team already qualified and so it was a question of would Nebraska One help create trickle down to fourth place or not? Nebraska One opened with victories over both Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16 to move to 2-0. That assured Nebraska One of finishing in the top four and gave much more clarity to the rest of the results. Once TAV 16 Black beat Skyline in the 2 v 3 outing to also get to 2-0, the bid was clinched for TAV. TAV and Nebraska One then faced off for a spot in the final. It’s always interesting to see how a team performs once it knows it has its bid and TAV deserves a lot of credit for beating Nebraska One and reaching the championship match. TAV faced a match point against at 24-23 in Game 2 but Sydnee Peterson’s stuff block erased it before TAV forced a third set and eventually prevailed in three. However, the day did not belong to TAV. Not in this division. That honor belongs to Northern Lights 16-1, which turned in a big-time performance on the final day to not only qualify, but take home the gold medal after sweeping TAV in the final. The matches in Pool 1 were intense because the teams knew what was at stake and that finishing first and second was likely good enough to qualify considering the strength of Nebraska One in the other pool. Northern Lights earned a key victory right out of the gate by taking down AJV 16 Adidas in straight sets. MAVS KC 16-1 followed by outlasting Iowa PowerPlex 16 515 in three sets before then sweeping AJV. At 2-0, MAVS was in a great spot but could quite count itself qualified just yet. At that moment it was still possible for a three-way tie to occur, but once Northern Lights beat Iowa PowerPlex, both Northern Lights and MAVS could celebrate. It wasn’t quite that simple though as Northern Lights needed a little extra volleyball to get past the pesky PowerPlex squad and win in three, 26-24, 20-25, 17-15. That put Northern Lights and MAVS each at 2-0 and about to play for first place in the pool and spot in the championship game. Northern Lights swept that one. With sixth-ranked Nebraska One and No. 9 TAV the only teams in the Top 10 and Top 20 from our Top 50, I knew Show Me represented a great opportunity for two other clubs to get it done. Northern Lights was actually the third-highest ranked team in the field at No. 26, so

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Show Me: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

After two days of action at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, paths to the Open bids are clear. Let’s start with 17 Open, where eight teams – split between two pools – remain in the hunt for the gold medal. Half of those teams – Dynasty 17 Black, Drive Nation 17 Red, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and OT 17 Felix – are already qualified. That means that between TAV 17 Black, KC Power 17 Black, Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite, three are going home with bids while one is simply going home. While we have seen more dramatic setups when it comes to chasing bids, here’s where it gets fun! Dynasty – ranked No. 2 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – No. 3 Drive Nation and No. 4 TAV are in Pool 1 together, along with OT 17 Felix. I really wish I could just sit at this court Day 3 and watch all the insane action that’s going to be taking place. TAV is in an interesting spot, not having a bid. It was actually OT Felix which kept TAV from a bid at Sunshine. That was TAV’s only loss in Florida and payback is sure to be on TAV’s mind. The path to a bid for TAV looks like this. As long as Premier Nebraska doesn’t finish in last place in Pool 2, TAV is guaranteed one match for a bid no matter what happens in pool play. If both Premier Nebraska and TAV finish third or better, TAV qualifies. Being in Pool 2 is not bad, as KC Power, Skyline and VCNebraska all have a great opportunity. It’s possible that no matter what happens in the pool, that one of them still gets to play for a bid. But, two of three are assured of qualifying, while it’s possible all three earn bids, however a long shot that might be. It’s crazy how the pools broke in 16 Open when it comes to Day 3 qualifying. One four-team pool features AJV 16 Adidas, Iowa PowerPlex 16 515, Northern Lights 16-1 and MAVS KC 16-1. None of them have bids and that’s certainly about to change, as two of the four should qualify. The other pools features already-qualified Nebraska One 16 Synergy, along with TAV 16 Black, Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16. We know trickle down can’t go past fourth place, and that’s if Nebraska One finishes second or better. It’s pretty straight forward if that happens, as the the first or second-place team in Nebraska One’s pool along with the other top-two finishers in Pool 1 qualify. Where it gets wild is if Nebraska One doesn’t finish in the top four. In that scenario, the pool winners will qualify, with a third-place match for the final bid between the two second-place squads. MAVS KC had a big day, winning a must-win clash with Dynasty 16 Black. Both teams were 1-1 with the winner reaching the gold pools. MAVS is currently ranked No. 44, while Dynasty sits at No. 30. The only other team in 16 Open with a bid in Premier Nebraska 16 Gold finished in a three-way tie with Tulsa Power 16-1 and Six Pack 16 at 1-2. Premier Nebraska took third and is out of gold pools. Six Pack took second, while Tulsa Power took fourth a day after upsetting top seed Nebraska One. The format is different in 15 Open. Instead of two, four-team pools, there are two, three-team pools. What really matters though is that both Skyline 15 Royal and TAV 15 Black are both qualified and are in separate pools. Skyline is matched with MAVS 816 15-1 and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. TAV is with Pohaku 15-1 and OP2 15-1. But, with just two bids available instead of three trickle down can extend to fourth place. No further. Skyline is the top team in the country, so there’s a good chance Skyline wins its pool. Same goes for TAV. In that situation, the second-place finishers would both qualify. Should neither TAV nor Skyline win their respective pools, then the two pool winners would both qualify. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 4-star Marquette recruit, Long helped VCNebraska remain in contention for an Open bid. She’s a smooth disher with a strong grip on the offense. She can set tempo and doesn’t miss her spots very often. Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Given the considerable talent in the 17 Open division, to say Lambert, to say Lambert had the biggest hammer of them all isn’t an understatement. The 4-star Arkansas high-flier was denting the floor at times. Ava Martin S Pohaku 17-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – and her Pohaku teammates had a rough day and were eliminated from contention after going 0-3. Martin does well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A 3-star Lipscomb commit, Bredenberg and Northern Lights were also knocked out of bid contention after going 0-3. She’s often asked to pass half the court in serve receive and does a fine job defending the back row. Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: It was tough at times to get Ptacek involved with Northern Lights struggling to pass, but when she was able to get set she produced. The 3-star Kansas commit takes up a lot of space at the net and does well finding open space to exploit. McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – helped Skyline advance to the gold pools with her backrow effort Sunday. She was passing soundly in serve receive and keeping Skyline in system. Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Tvrdy and her Premier Nebraska teammates are already qualified and could play a factor in trickle down as they made the gold pools. Tvrdy was a problem in the middle for opposing defenses. She’s strong, gets off the

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Show Me: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Some Day 1s are fire. Other times they are the spark for the fire for Days 2 and 3. It was latter case on the opening day of the 2023 version of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. It was an especially different beginning in 15 Open from other qualifiers because there were no teams eliminated on Day 1. There are three, six-team pools in 15 Open and so no teams were cut from bid contention Saturday. The top contenders in Skyline 15 Royal, Pohaku 15-1 and TAV 15 Black combined to go 9-0. It was the typical format in both 16 and 17 Open. The biggest news was top-seed Nebraska One 16 Synergy going down. Nebraska One is one of two teams in 16 Open with a bid, so there’s nothing to lose so-to-speak for Nebraska One. But Tulsa Power 16-1 pulling off the big upset of the No. 6 team in the nation definitely shakes up the seedings for Day 2. Tulsa Power takes over the top seed and is now in a pool with AJV 16 Adidas, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold and Six Pack 16. Premier Nebraska already owns a bid and we could’ve seen both previously-qualified teams in the same pool. Instead, Nebraska One is now the No. 4 team in Pool 2, along with Dynasty 16 Black, MAVS KC 16-1 and Adversity 16 Adidas. That’s a tough break for those teams, as Nebraska One should advance and take away a spot from one of three. Nebraska One wasn’t the only No. 1 team in its pool to fall in 16 Open. Skyline 16 Royal stumbled in its opener against PVA 16 Elite and finished in a three-way tie with PVA and VCNebraska 16 Elite at 2-1. Skyline still wound up first based on tiebreakers though, with PVA taking second place. It was a good day for Iowa Power Plex 16U, which went 2-1 as the No. 4 team in Pool 6. Iowa Power Plex defeated both KC Power 16-1 and Muscle VB 16-1 Black to advance along with 3-0 Northern Lights 16-1. There were minor upsets and movement in 17 Open. Both Six Pack 17 – in Pool 1 – and Shockwave 17 Black – in Pool 3 – were the only non-Nos. 1 and 2s to advance. They were both the No. 3 team in their respective pools and moved on. OT 17 Felix, VCNebraska 17 Elite and Pohaku 17-1 all lost as No. 1 teams in their respective pools. All three finished second and still advanced. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Leah Robinson OH MAVS 816 15-1: Robinson helped her MAVS teammates to a 2-1 mark and are poised to advance from the six-team pool on Day 2. Robinson is a presence on the court with her size. She’s a great offensive option for MAVS and she’s utilized a bunch in the attack. Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 15-1: Christianson – a 5-star recruit – and Northern Lights have work to do to break pool after going 1-2 on Day 1. Christianson, with her size and length, is such a factor anywhere she’s on the court. She’s the team’s best scoring threat across the front row and a sound setter in the back. Anna O’Keefe S Northern Lights 15-1: O’Keefe can keep the offense churning when she checks in. She has good hands and touch. Romi Chlebecek OH Northern Lights 15-1: Chelbecek is a bit undersized on the left but she doesn’t back down. She stays aggressive and keeps on taking swings and pressuring the defense. Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: A 3-star recruit, West has tons of potential and will be someone to watch as she keeps adding strength and power. She’s the go-to on the left for this squad and she provides her share of offense. Paighton Erb MB Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Erb is another member of the rooster who looks to have lots of upside too as she continues developing. She’s lanky with a quick arm swing and someone defenses need to be ready to get the ball. Malia Miller OH Integrity 15 Intense Blue: It was our second time seeing Miller this season. Her and her teammates went 2-1 on the opening day and remain alive to break pool on Day 2. She’s a six-rotation go-to hitter. She’s raw and still developing but she is solid across the back row and showed a nice arm. Carlyle Johnson MB Shockwave 15 Black: Johnson was a factor in the middle as Shockwave went 1-2. She has some height and she was swinging and scoring well. Taylor Stanley RS Dynasty 15 Black: Stanley made us take notice with her play at the night. She’s a tall right side with huge upside. She has a nice arm and was doing well touching balls at the net. Makenzie Walsh RS Kairos 15 Alpha: The lefty was a reliable scoring option as Kairos wrapped up the day 1-2 in Pool 3. She has good size and swings well, helping her team open up the attack when she was front row. Audrey Bassett OH NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Bassett was an outside who was bringing it on the attack. She’s a bit undersized but has a big arm and hits a heavy ball. She isn’t afraid of bigger blocks either and had NE Eilte in contention to upset TAV 15 Black before falling in three. Taya Thaden MB NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Thaden displayed her scoring ability. Though she didn’t get the ball a lot, the times she did she was effective. She has a quick swing and hits with pace. Sydney Light MB Iowa Power Plex 15 Black: At 2-1, Iowa Power Plex is looking well to break its pool and make the challenge rounds on Day 2. Light is active in the middle and will get set when in system. She hits out of the middle and runs slide. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit

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14s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 31)

The last of the latest round of National Rankings updates belongs to the 14s. In checking and sorting through the latest results, in many ways we ended up back where we started. In fact, there was no movement among the top seven teams! Perhaps there should’ve been, but from this perspective there wasn’t enough change and there wasn’t reason to create change just for change itself. So, TAV 14 Black remains No. 1. That’s an easy pick, as TAV captured Triple Crown and then went on to win Northern Lights. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder follows at No. 2. Storm beat No. 3 Tstreet 14 Carson in the Red Rock Rave 14 Open final. We don’t see any movement until No. 8, where Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar moved up from No. 11 after qualifying at Red Rock. One of the biggest movers was Hou Skyline 14 Royal, which jumped from No. 31 to No. 13. (18s Top 50 March 27) (17s Top 50 March 28) (16s Top 50 March 29) (15s Top 50 March 30) vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. TAV 14 Black (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder (AZ) (2) 3. Tstreet 14 Carson (CA) (3) 4. Madfrog 14 Green (TX) (4) 5. Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (5) 6. AP 14 Adidas (TX) (6) 7. OT 14 Laura (FL) (7) 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar (CA) (11) 9. Drive Nation 14 Red (TX) (8) 10. Adidas KiVA 14 Red (KY) (13) *** 11. Elevation 14 Molly (OH) (12) 12. MAVS KC 14-1 (KS) (10) 13. Hou Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (31) 14. Forza1 14 One (CA) (14) 15. A5 14 Helen (GA) (9) 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier (AZ) (16) 17. Forza1 North 14 One (CA) (19) 18. Wave 14 Tammy (CA) (15) 19. HPSTL 14 Royal (MO) (21) 20. Legacy 14-1 Adidas (MI) (17) *** 21. Munciana 14 Chipmunks (IN) (18) 22. SASVBC 14-1 (HI) (32) 23. Excel 14 National Red (TX) (20) 24. VCNebraska 14 Elite (NE) (n/r) 25. Far Out 14 Black (MI) (28) 26. WPVC 14 Armour Black (FL) (23) 27. GP 14 Rox (FL) (24) 28. Mauloa 14-1 (HI) (n/r) 29. AZ Sky 14G (AZ) (22) 30. Club V 14 Ren Silver (UT) (25) *** 31. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue (IN) (26) 32. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal (FL) (27) 33. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold (NE) (39) 34. Top Select 14 Elite (FL) (29) 35. Austin Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (30) 36. Northern Lights 14-1 (MN) (34) 37. HJV 14 Elite (TX) (33) 38. KC Power 14-1 (KS) (45) 39. Mintonette Sports m.41 (OH) (35) 40. City 14 Gold (CA) (40) *** 41. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (KY) (36) 42. PVA 14 Elite (KS) (43) 43. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (MO) (37) 44. Kairos 14 Alpha (SD) (41) 45. Academy Diamond (NC) (46) 46. MKE Sting 14 Gold (WI) (42) 47. Metro 14 Travel (DC) (38) 48. ID Crush 14 Bower (ID) (44) 49. Triangle 14 Black (NC) (50) 50. Coast 14-1 (CA) (47) ON THE CUSP MAVS 816 14-1 (KS) Miami Hype 14 Nekane (FL) Surfside 14 Loriann (CA) Wildfire 14 Albert (FL) Lions 14-1 (IL) MN Select 14-1 (MN) Alliance 14 Ren (TN) NE Elite 14 Ohana (NE)

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Show Me: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

It’s a busy, busy weekend with multiple qualifiers happening at literally almost every corner of the country. There’s bid competition in Spokane, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philly. And of course, Kansas City! The Show Me Qualifier is where I’ll be spending this weekend and providing coverage of the three-day event. Below, we take a look at the 15-17 Open divisions and take a guess as to what might happen. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3   Previously-Qualified Teams (5): Dynasty 17 Black; Drive Nation 17 Red; Premier Nebraska 17 Gold; OT 17 Felix; Rev 17-1 Raptors vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 4. TAV 17 Black 12. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 13. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold 16. Pohaku 17-1 19. KC Power 17 Black 20. OT 17 Felix 30. Skyline 17 Royal 31. VCNebraska 17 Elite 42. Iowa Power Plex 17U 47. Rev 17-1 Raptors 48. Shockwave 17 Black 49. Northern Lights 17-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (South Dakota) Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Cincinnati) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors (Florida) Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black (USC) Jadyn Livings OH TAV 17 Black (USC) Camille Edwards S TAV 17 Black (Michigan) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black (2025) Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black (2025) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite (Marquette) Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite (USC) Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix (Cincinnati) Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Oregon) Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black (Cincinnati) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black (Tennessee) Gracie Morrow OH Shockwave 17 Black (Wichita State) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Carson Eickenloff S Drive Nation 17 Red (Ole Miss) Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Lauren Salata OH Adversity 17 Adidas Ava Pratt OH Adversity 17 Adidas (Northwestern) Mikala Young OH TAV 17 Black (TCU) Anna Boatner MB TAV 17 Black Jade Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Mak Miller MB Pohaku 17-1 (2025) Jordan Smith OH/RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Outlook/Prediction: This division is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not quite as packed as the Big South 17 Open field, but it’s pretty close. The second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation from our Top 50 are here, as are eight from the Top 20. With five qualified teams, we know all three bids are going out. There’s sure to be trickle down, but could it go all the way to eighth-place? With this field, it’s definitely possible that all five qualified teams could finish in the top eight. But where do the bids go? TAV 17 Black is the front-runner. TAV lost once at Sunshine and finished in fifth to miss out on a bid. It would be a huge upset to see TAV not finish in a spot to qualify here. TAV is a gold-medal favorite, right with Dynasty 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red. Dynasty has two second-place showings at Northern Lights and MEQ and would love to actually add a gold at Show Me. Drive Nation took first at Red Rock and is looking to add another gold to its collection. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, OT 17 Felix and Rev 17-1 Raptors are the other teams with bids and could factor into trickle down. Rev qualified at NEQ and will have to up its game to get into contention in KC. Premier Nebraska qualified back at Northern Lights and should finish in the top eight. As should OT Felix. It still leaves the bids. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, KC Power 17-1 and Pohaku 17-1 are all contenders along with TAV. Pohaku beat KC Power at MEQ in a must-win fifth-place bracket match but fell a victory short of a bid when it lost to Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and took sixth. Rockwood Thunder is looking to create some of its own luck. Rockwood Thunder finished fourth at Northern Lights, tied for fifth at NEQ and in a tough-break lost just once at MEQ – to Pohaku – and finished 13th. Ultimately, I like Drive Nation topping TAV in the final, while Dynasty beats Pohaku for third. Rockwood Thunder outlasts VCNebraska for fifth place, joining TAV and Pohaku in qualifying. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Nebraska One 16 Synergy; Premier Nebraska 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (10): 6. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 9. TAV 16 Black 26. Northern Lights 16-1 27. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 30. Dynasty 16 Black 31. Skyline 16 Royal 35. AJV 16 Adidas 38. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite 41. NE Elite 16 Maverick 44. MAVS KC 16-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Logan Parks S/RS MAVS 16-1 Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Ella Florez S/RS Dynasty 16 Black (2026) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Chichi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Cook S Skyline 16 Royal Bella Ocampo OH Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black Madison Winkler L/DS TAV 16 Black Audrey Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black Sydnee Peterson RS TAV 16 Black Reese Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1 (2026) Outlook/Prediction: I’m excited to see which teams punch their tickets in this division. With Nebraska One 16 Synergy qualifying at Northern Lights, that’s one big bid

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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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Show Me: Day 3 Show Stoppers (Part 2)

The final day of competition of the Show Me Qualifier brought out another level as teams chased bids and gold medals. We already highlighted the first set of our Show Stoppers featuring the ones who caught our attention the most. Below, we present Part 2 of our Day 3 Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS (Part 2) Aspen Nelsen OH Iowa PowerPlex 16 515: Nelsen and teammates were out to surprise on Day 3 and nearly pulled off qualifying. She’s an aggressive, fearless attacker who plays a key role in the attack. Abbey Hayes OH Six Pack 16: Hayes is a lanky outside with the ability to let loose. She has a nice arm and has lots of upside. Ella Rogers S Six Pack 16: Rogers caught our attention with her setting. She showed nice hands and the ability to locate on the regular. Parker Duncan OH AJV 16 Adidas: The 3-star outside was powering the AJV attack. She’s a wirey outside who gets off the floor and has a fluid swing. Claire Anna Brown MB AJV 16 Adidas: Brown was effective in the middle when called upon. She’s a physical hitter who hits a heavy ball and forces defenses to keep track of her. Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – and her TAV teammates were lights on Day 3 in winning 17 Open. Spears’ length and athleticism is a nightmare for opponents. When she gets up and unloads it’s game over. Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Favor – a 5-star USC commit – commanded the middle like no else. Her strength and power takes over at the net as she powers down kills and shuts down attacks. Jadyn Livings RS RS TAV 17 Black: Livings – a 5-star USC commit as well – was strong on the right side, as she also passed at times in serve receive. Her blocking was key at the net in slowing down opposing outsides while bringing her big arm to attack. Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black: Pitts – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – did it all on the defensive side. She read and reacts well and has great range when it comes to covering. Alea Goolsby OH KC Power 17 Black: A 3-star recruit, Goolsby and KC Power earned an Open and took home the silver medal. She can crush balls at times when she springs off the ground and lets it fly. *** Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Green is the sparkplug and leader of the attack. Her quickness is an asset, as she can get turn bad balls into hittable sets and keep KC Power in system like few can. Mya Bolton L/DS KC Power 17 Black: Bolton – a 3-star Michigan State commit – was another defender who took care of business in the back row. She’s a solid passer out of serve receive and is rarely off target. She also does well picking up balls and keeping rallies going. Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Messer was doing what she always does – commanding the offense. She’s a difficult setter to read with a smooth, quick release with great accuracy to boot. Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen – another 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is such a powerful hitter it seems like she scores every time she swings. She can go through or around blocks and sees the court very well. Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black: Campbell – a 5-star Wake Forest – is such a difficult cover with her speed and quickness. She runs the slide exceptionally. She gets off the ground in a hurry and has a whippy arm and gave Dynasty tons of offense. McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – was a big part of Skyline qualifying and earning its Open bid. She’s a strong presence in the back row with spot-on passing and lots of range. Lauren Perry OH Skyline 17 Royal: Perry – a 3-star UT-El Paso commit – was an integral piece of Skyline’s success as well. She’s a six-rotation mainstay and is a high-IQ hitter who can score with various shots. Lillian Croshaw RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Croshaw – a 4-star recruit – performed well on the right side. She put up a strong block and also gave Drive Nation points with consistent scoring. Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long – a 4-star Marquette commit – and VCNebraska were on the edge of qualifying in a strong performance overall. Long has great hands and is very accurate spotting the ball. Mallorie Meyer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Meyer, a Pitt commit, was yet another backrow standout. She’s a scrappy defender with good first-contact skills. *** Tia Traudt OH VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 3-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Traudt is a six-rotation outside with nice passing skills and a sense for scoring. She’s a heady attacker with a nice arm and helped carried the offensive load. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix: Stewart – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – was among the outsides bringing the heat. She’s long and her extension makes her tough as she can hit tough angles. A’siya Magazine RS OT 17 Felix: Magazine – a UNC-Wilmington commit – was contributing on the right side with her blocking and scoring. She can get up well and get in the way of attackers. She also has a good arm and was providing a scoring punch. Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Frame – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – is a smooth defender with great touch. She covers a wide range of court and moves well too. Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Medeck – a 5-star South Dakota commit – is a six-rotation, do-it-all outside. She has a big arm

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Show Me: Day 3 Show Stoppers (Part 1)

With the stakes elevated on the final day of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, the play certainly followed suit. There were plenty of impressive standout efforts as athletes laid it all on the line. Below, is Part 1 of the players who stood out to us the most on Day 3 with our Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS (Part 1) Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star recruit – was part of a perfect weekend as TAV ended 9-0 in winning 15 Open. The long setter/right side performs both roles at a high level. She has a smooth release and locates well setting. She’s also an above-average hitter on the right side who earns her team points scoring. Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black: A 4-star recruit, opponents struggled to slow Kleckner and her powerful arm. Her strength was too much, as she powered through blocks or crushed balls around them as a key piece in the attack. Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black: Young – a 5-star recruit – was dominant in the middle. Her physicality showed on both sides of the ball as she delivered resounding stuff blocks or slammed down big swings. Julianna Hernandez L/DS TAV 15 Black: Hernandez – a 3-star recruit – brings a lot of energy to the defensive side. She was passing and defending very well. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: A 5-star recruit, Williams is going to get the ball as much as Skyline can feed her. She’s a force at the net with her length and reach. She can easily go over blocks and score from angles that are tough to defend and cover. Kiley Brooks L/DS Skyline 15 Royal: Brooks was strong in the back row, giving Skyline a defensive edge with her passing and covering. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit – is capable of taking matches over with her scoring ability. She can get up and hit hard cross-court angles or turn it up the line and tool blocks, making a very difficult attacker to stop. Skylar Jackson OH Skyline 15 Royal: Jackson – a 3-star recruit – held it down as a six-rotation outside passing and swinging away. She was a key piece of Skyline’s second-place finish as she helped carry the offense in stretches. Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1: A 4-star recruit, Weninger and Pohaku had a strong weekend, finishing third and earning an Open bid. She’s a big part of the offensive and becomes the go-to hitter when she checks in across the front row with her strong arm. Grace Martin OH Pohaku 15-1: Martin was an integral part of the lineup with her passing and attacking. She was going for it with her swings, staying aggressive and challenging the defense to stop her. *** Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: West – a 3-star recruit – and her Premier Nebraska teammates earned the other 15 Open bid. West is a go-to attacker with nice length and extension. Combined with a nice swing, she’s a capable scorer. Kami Dyrstad L/DS Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Dyrstad was another libero who stood out with her defensive presence. She’s a scrappy libero who was making plenty of hustle plays. McKenna Garr L/DS Northern Lights 16-1: Garr – a 3-star recruit – and her Northern Lights teammates took home the gold in 16 Open with an impressive performance. Garr took care of the back row, passing sharply and defending with reckless abandon. Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1: Axness and her hitters were clicking on Day 3. She did well getting them all going and keeping defenses on guard. Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1: Bettis – a 4-star recruit – brought the punch to the lineup with her ability to get up and send it down. She gets off the ground well and extends nicely, which leads to impressive kills at times. Keira Schmidt MB Northern Lights 16-1: Schmidt – a 3-star recruit – was a presence at the net with her blocking and hitting. She was frustrating opponents who had trouble getting around her big block. The same opponents also struggled slowing her down as she was able to exploit open spaces in the defense. Olivia Cohee RS TAV 16 Black: A 3-star recruit, Cohee had a great day on the right side. She provided valuable offense and helped open the attack by scoring consistently anytime she was front row. Sydnee Peterson OH TAV 16 Black: Peterson – a 4-star recruit – helped TAV reach the championship match and qualify for Open. She carries a powerful arm and was attacking defenses with hard swings. Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner – a 4-star recruit – was running the show effectively. She was getting all her hitters involved and showed a nice, consistent touch locating. Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack – a 4-star recruit – was yet another piece defenses needed to be worried about. She can bring it at times with booming kills and bouncing balls down. *** Sophia Armstrong L/DS TAV 16 Black: Armstrong is a gamer who did well on Day 3. She was passing well and making plays in helping TAV finish second overall. Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks – a 5-star recruit – and her MAVS teammates earned one of the three 16 Open bids with a great day of volleyball. Parks is an athletic two-way player. She’s a strong setter who moves and gets to the ball well. When hitting, she flies and unloads with more than enough pace to punish defenses. Maddie Mitchell S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Mitchell was a key piece in MAVS’ success as well. She was also playing a dual role setting and hitting. She did well keeping the offense churning when dishing and was also able to provide her share of scoring to help boost the offense. Ashlyn Blazer OH MAVS KC 16-1: Blazer brings height to the

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Show Me: Gold Medal Rundown

Open bids were awarded across 15, 16 and 17s on Monday at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. Let’s get to it and look at how those divisions played out on the final day of competition. 17 OPEN The most dramatic bid chase played out in 17 Open, and not because second-ranked Dynasty 17 Black, No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red and No. 4 TAV 17 Black were in the same pool with No. 20 OT 17 Felix. While the volleyball was epic in that pool, Dynasty, Drive Nation and OT already owned bids. It meant all that TAV had to do to qualify was not finish last in its pool, but that was of course easier said than done given the stiff competition. However, once TAV downed Drive Nation in its pool opener, it was looking bright for TAV. TAV clinched its bid by downing OT Felix in its next outing before beating Dynasty to win the pool and eventually sweep KC Power 17 Black for the gold medal. It was OT Felix which kept TAV from qualifying at Sunshine, so there was a measure of payback extracted there. With KC Power wrapping up its bid and winning its pool before playing its final match, it really left all the bid drama to the 3 v 4 contest in Pool 2. That paired Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite for a winner-take-all match for the final bid. Both were 1-1 at the time, with the winner moving to 2-1 and guaranteed second place and the last remaining bid. The drama didn’t disappoint, as Skyline finally prevailed in the back-and-forth contest. It was looking dire for Skyline as VCNebraska crept ahead 11-8 in Game 3. But, Skyline went on a remarkable 6-0 run to gain match point at 14-11. VCNebraska stalled Skyline’s celebration for one more point before Skyline closed it out 15-12 and began jumping up and down. It was a big deal for Skyline, which tried qualifying previously at both Sunshine and MEQ but came up short. Show Me wasn’t Skyline’s last chance, but probably its best chance with Lone Star on tap and the difficult field there. VCNebraska coach Blake Rawlins said the club was seeking its first Open bid. KC Power bounced back from a tough time in Indy. KC Power positioned itself to qualify at MEQ by reaching the fifth-place bracket but was eliminated in the first match by Pohaku 17-1. KC Power took care of Pohaku on Day 2 here before upsetting Drive Nation and taking over the No. 2 seed on Day 3. KC Power outlasted Skyline in three sets in its opener before rallying past VCNebraska to move to 2-0. When Premier Nebraska 17 Gold – which was already qualified – fell to 0-2, it meant KC Power clinched the pool before facing Premier. Meanwhile, there was no let up for TAV after clinching its bid. The Texas club turned in one of the best days any teams had this season. TAV entered Day 3 holding a 1-1 mark against Drive Nation and was 0-1 against both Dynasty and OT Felix. TAV not only qualified but showed it’s as good as anyone in the country when it’s on its game. 16 OPEN Much of the bid hunt on Day 3 in this division hinged on Nebraska One 16 Synergy. The top seed in Pool 2 was the only team already qualified and so it was a question of would Nebraska One help create trickle down to fourth place or not? Nebraska One opened with victories over both Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16 to move to 2-0. That assured Nebraska One of finishing in the top four and gave much more clarity to the rest of the results. Once TAV 16 Black beat Skyline in the 2 v 3 outing to also get to 2-0, the bid was clinched for TAV. TAV and Nebraska One then faced off for a spot in the final. It’s always interesting to see how a team performs once it knows it has its bid and TAV deserves a lot of credit for beating Nebraska One and reaching the championship match. TAV faced a match point against at 24-23 in Game 2 but Sydnee Peterson’s stuff block erased it before TAV forced a third set and eventually prevailed in three. However, the day did not belong to TAV. Not in this division. That honor belongs to Northern Lights 16-1, which turned in a big-time performance on the final day to not only qualify, but take home the gold medal after sweeping TAV in the final. The matches in Pool 1 were intense because the teams knew what was at stake and that finishing first and second was likely good enough to qualify considering the strength of Nebraska One in the other pool. Northern Lights earned a key victory right out of the gate by taking down AJV 16 Adidas in straight sets. MAVS KC 16-1 followed by outlasting Iowa PowerPlex 16 515 in three sets before then sweeping AJV. At 2-0, MAVS was in a great spot but could quite count itself qualified just yet. At that moment it was still possible for a three-way tie to occur, but once Northern Lights beat Iowa PowerPlex, both Northern Lights and MAVS could celebrate. It wasn’t quite that simple though as Northern Lights needed a little extra volleyball to get past the pesky PowerPlex squad and win in three, 26-24, 20-25, 17-15. That put Northern Lights and MAVS each at 2-0 and about to play for first place in the pool and spot in the championship game. Northern Lights swept that one. With sixth-ranked Nebraska One and No. 9 TAV the only teams in the Top 10 and Top 20 from our Top 50, I knew Show Me represented a great opportunity for two other clubs to get it done. Northern Lights was actually the third-highest ranked team in the field at No. 26, so

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Show Me: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

After two days of action at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, paths to the Open bids are clear. Let’s start with 17 Open, where eight teams – split between two pools – remain in the hunt for the gold medal. Half of those teams – Dynasty 17 Black, Drive Nation 17 Red, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and OT 17 Felix – are already qualified. That means that between TAV 17 Black, KC Power 17 Black, Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite, three are going home with bids while one is simply going home. While we have seen more dramatic setups when it comes to chasing bids, here’s where it gets fun! Dynasty – ranked No. 2 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – No. 3 Drive Nation and No. 4 TAV are in Pool 1 together, along with OT 17 Felix. I really wish I could just sit at this court Day 3 and watch all the insane action that’s going to be taking place. TAV is in an interesting spot, not having a bid. It was actually OT Felix which kept TAV from a bid at Sunshine. That was TAV’s only loss in Florida and payback is sure to be on TAV’s mind. The path to a bid for TAV looks like this. As long as Premier Nebraska doesn’t finish in last place in Pool 2, TAV is guaranteed one match for a bid no matter what happens in pool play. If both Premier Nebraska and TAV finish third or better, TAV qualifies. Being in Pool 2 is not bad, as KC Power, Skyline and VCNebraska all have a great opportunity. It’s possible that no matter what happens in the pool, that one of them still gets to play for a bid. But, two of three are assured of qualifying, while it’s possible all three earn bids, however a long shot that might be. It’s crazy how the pools broke in 16 Open when it comes to Day 3 qualifying. One four-team pool features AJV 16 Adidas, Iowa PowerPlex 16 515, Northern Lights 16-1 and MAVS KC 16-1. None of them have bids and that’s certainly about to change, as two of the four should qualify. The other pools features already-qualified Nebraska One 16 Synergy, along with TAV 16 Black, Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16. We know trickle down can’t go past fourth place, and that’s if Nebraska One finishes second or better. It’s pretty straight forward if that happens, as the the first or second-place team in Nebraska One’s pool along with the other top-two finishers in Pool 1 qualify. Where it gets wild is if Nebraska One doesn’t finish in the top four. In that scenario, the pool winners will qualify, with a third-place match for the final bid between the two second-place squads. MAVS KC had a big day, winning a must-win clash with Dynasty 16 Black. Both teams were 1-1 with the winner reaching the gold pools. MAVS is currently ranked No. 44, while Dynasty sits at No. 30. The only other team in 16 Open with a bid in Premier Nebraska 16 Gold finished in a three-way tie with Tulsa Power 16-1 and Six Pack 16 at 1-2. Premier Nebraska took third and is out of gold pools. Six Pack took second, while Tulsa Power took fourth a day after upsetting top seed Nebraska One. The format is different in 15 Open. Instead of two, four-team pools, there are two, three-team pools. What really matters though is that both Skyline 15 Royal and TAV 15 Black are both qualified and are in separate pools. Skyline is matched with MAVS 816 15-1 and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. TAV is with Pohaku 15-1 and OP2 15-1. But, with just two bids available instead of three trickle down can extend to fourth place. No further. Skyline is the top team in the country, so there’s a good chance Skyline wins its pool. Same goes for TAV. In that situation, the second-place finishers would both qualify. Should neither TAV nor Skyline win their respective pools, then the two pool winners would both qualify. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 4-star Marquette recruit, Long helped VCNebraska remain in contention for an Open bid. She’s a smooth disher with a strong grip on the offense. She can set tempo and doesn’t miss her spots very often. Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Given the considerable talent in the 17 Open division, to say Lambert, to say Lambert had the biggest hammer of them all isn’t an understatement. The 4-star Arkansas high-flier was denting the floor at times. Ava Martin S Pohaku 17-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – and her Pohaku teammates had a rough day and were eliminated from contention after going 0-3. Martin does well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A 3-star Lipscomb commit, Bredenberg and Northern Lights were also knocked out of bid contention after going 0-3. She’s often asked to pass half the court in serve receive and does a fine job defending the back row. Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: It was tough at times to get Ptacek involved with Northern Lights struggling to pass, but when she was able to get set she produced. The 3-star Kansas commit takes up a lot of space at the net and does well finding open space to exploit. McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – helped Skyline advance to the gold pools with her backrow effort Sunday. She was passing soundly in serve receive and keeping Skyline in system. Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Tvrdy and her Premier Nebraska teammates are already qualified and could play a factor in trickle down as they made the gold pools. Tvrdy was a problem in the middle for opposing defenses. She’s strong, gets off the

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Show Me: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Some Day 1s are fire. Other times they are the spark for the fire for Days 2 and 3. It was latter case on the opening day of the 2023 version of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City. It was an especially different beginning in 15 Open from other qualifiers because there were no teams eliminated on Day 1. There are three, six-team pools in 15 Open and so no teams were cut from bid contention Saturday. The top contenders in Skyline 15 Royal, Pohaku 15-1 and TAV 15 Black combined to go 9-0. It was the typical format in both 16 and 17 Open. The biggest news was top-seed Nebraska One 16 Synergy going down. Nebraska One is one of two teams in 16 Open with a bid, so there’s nothing to lose so-to-speak for Nebraska One. But Tulsa Power 16-1 pulling off the big upset of the No. 6 team in the nation definitely shakes up the seedings for Day 2. Tulsa Power takes over the top seed and is now in a pool with AJV 16 Adidas, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold and Six Pack 16. Premier Nebraska already owns a bid and we could’ve seen both previously-qualified teams in the same pool. Instead, Nebraska One is now the No. 4 team in Pool 2, along with Dynasty 16 Black, MAVS KC 16-1 and Adversity 16 Adidas. That’s a tough break for those teams, as Nebraska One should advance and take away a spot from one of three. Nebraska One wasn’t the only No. 1 team in its pool to fall in 16 Open. Skyline 16 Royal stumbled in its opener against PVA 16 Elite and finished in a three-way tie with PVA and VCNebraska 16 Elite at 2-1. Skyline still wound up first based on tiebreakers though, with PVA taking second place. It was a good day for Iowa Power Plex 16U, which went 2-1 as the No. 4 team in Pool 6. Iowa Power Plex defeated both KC Power 16-1 and Muscle VB 16-1 Black to advance along with 3-0 Northern Lights 16-1. There were minor upsets and movement in 17 Open. Both Six Pack 17 – in Pool 1 – and Shockwave 17 Black – in Pool 3 – were the only non-Nos. 1 and 2s to advance. They were both the No. 3 team in their respective pools and moved on. OT 17 Felix, VCNebraska 17 Elite and Pohaku 17-1 all lost as No. 1 teams in their respective pools. All three finished second and still advanced. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Leah Robinson OH MAVS 816 15-1: Robinson helped her MAVS teammates to a 2-1 mark and are poised to advance from the six-team pool on Day 2. Robinson is a presence on the court with her size. She’s a great offensive option for MAVS and she’s utilized a bunch in the attack. Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 15-1: Christianson – a 5-star recruit – and Northern Lights have work to do to break pool after going 1-2 on Day 1. Christianson, with her size and length, is such a factor anywhere she’s on the court. She’s the team’s best scoring threat across the front row and a sound setter in the back. Anna O’Keefe S Northern Lights 15-1: O’Keefe can keep the offense churning when she checks in. She has good hands and touch. Romi Chlebecek OH Northern Lights 15-1: Chelbecek is a bit undersized on the left but she doesn’t back down. She stays aggressive and keeps on taking swings and pressuring the defense. Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: A 3-star recruit, West has tons of potential and will be someone to watch as she keeps adding strength and power. She’s the go-to on the left for this squad and she provides her share of offense. Paighton Erb MB Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Erb is another member of the rooster who looks to have lots of upside too as she continues developing. She’s lanky with a quick arm swing and someone defenses need to be ready to get the ball. Malia Miller OH Integrity 15 Intense Blue: It was our second time seeing Miller this season. Her and her teammates went 2-1 on the opening day and remain alive to break pool on Day 2. She’s a six-rotation go-to hitter. She’s raw and still developing but she is solid across the back row and showed a nice arm. Carlyle Johnson MB Shockwave 15 Black: Johnson was a factor in the middle as Shockwave went 1-2. She has some height and she was swinging and scoring well. Taylor Stanley RS Dynasty 15 Black: Stanley made us take notice with her play at the night. She’s a tall right side with huge upside. She has a nice arm and was doing well touching balls at the net. Makenzie Walsh RS Kairos 15 Alpha: The lefty was a reliable scoring option as Kairos wrapped up the day 1-2 in Pool 3. She has good size and swings well, helping her team open up the attack when she was front row. Audrey Bassett OH NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Bassett was an outside who was bringing it on the attack. She’s a bit undersized but has a big arm and hits a heavy ball. She isn’t afraid of bigger blocks either and had NE Eilte in contention to upset TAV 15 Black before falling in three. Taya Thaden MB NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Thaden displayed her scoring ability. Though she didn’t get the ball a lot, the times she did she was effective. She has a quick swing and hits with pace. Sydney Light MB Iowa Power Plex 15 Black: At 2-1, Iowa Power Plex is looking well to break its pool and make the challenge rounds on Day 2. Light is active in the middle and will get set when in system. She hits out of the middle and runs slide. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit

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14s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 31)

The last of the latest round of National Rankings updates belongs to the 14s. In checking and sorting through the latest results, in many ways we ended up back where we started. In fact, there was no movement among the top seven teams! Perhaps there should’ve been, but from this perspective there wasn’t enough change and there wasn’t reason to create change just for change itself. So, TAV 14 Black remains No. 1. That’s an easy pick, as TAV captured Triple Crown and then went on to win Northern Lights. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder follows at No. 2. Storm beat No. 3 Tstreet 14 Carson in the Red Rock Rave 14 Open final. We don’t see any movement until No. 8, where Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar moved up from No. 11 after qualifying at Red Rock. One of the biggest movers was Hou Skyline 14 Royal, which jumped from No. 31 to No. 13. (18s Top 50 March 27) (17s Top 50 March 28) (16s Top 50 March 29) (15s Top 50 March 30) vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. TAV 14 Black (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder (AZ) (2) 3. Tstreet 14 Carson (CA) (3) 4. Madfrog 14 Green (TX) (4) 5. Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (5) 6. AP 14 Adidas (TX) (6) 7. OT 14 Laura (FL) (7) 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar (CA) (11) 9. Drive Nation 14 Red (TX) (8) 10. Adidas KiVA 14 Red (KY) (13) *** 11. Elevation 14 Molly (OH) (12) 12. MAVS KC 14-1 (KS) (10) 13. Hou Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (31) 14. Forza1 14 One (CA) (14) 15. A5 14 Helen (GA) (9) 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier (AZ) (16) 17. Forza1 North 14 One (CA) (19) 18. Wave 14 Tammy (CA) (15) 19. HPSTL 14 Royal (MO) (21) 20. Legacy 14-1 Adidas (MI) (17) *** 21. Munciana 14 Chipmunks (IN) (18) 22. SASVBC 14-1 (HI) (32) 23. Excel 14 National Red (TX) (20) 24. VCNebraska 14 Elite (NE) (n/r) 25. Far Out 14 Black (MI) (28) 26. WPVC 14 Armour Black (FL) (23) 27. GP 14 Rox (FL) (24) 28. Mauloa 14-1 (HI) (n/r) 29. AZ Sky 14G (AZ) (22) 30. Club V 14 Ren Silver (UT) (25) *** 31. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue (IN) (26) 32. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal (FL) (27) 33. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold (NE) (39) 34. Top Select 14 Elite (FL) (29) 35. Austin Skyline 14 Royal (TX) (30) 36. Northern Lights 14-1 (MN) (34) 37. HJV 14 Elite (TX) (33) 38. KC Power 14-1 (KS) (45) 39. Mintonette Sports m.41 (OH) (35) 40. City 14 Gold (CA) (40) *** 41. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (KY) (36) 42. PVA 14 Elite (KS) (43) 43. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (MO) (37) 44. Kairos 14 Alpha (SD) (41) 45. Academy Diamond (NC) (46) 46. MKE Sting 14 Gold (WI) (42) 47. Metro 14 Travel (DC) (38) 48. ID Crush 14 Bower (ID) (44) 49. Triangle 14 Black (NC) (50) 50. Coast 14-1 (CA) (47) ON THE CUSP MAVS 816 14-1 (KS) Miami Hype 14 Nekane (FL) Surfside 14 Loriann (CA) Wildfire 14 Albert (FL) Lions 14-1 (IL) MN Select 14-1 (MN) Alliance 14 Ren (TN) NE Elite 14 Ohana (NE)

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Show Me: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

It’s a busy, busy weekend with multiple qualifiers happening at literally almost every corner of the country. There’s bid competition in Spokane, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philly. And of course, Kansas City! The Show Me Qualifier is where I’ll be spending this weekend and providing coverage of the three-day event. Below, we take a look at the 15-17 Open divisions and take a guess as to what might happen. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3   Previously-Qualified Teams (5): Dynasty 17 Black; Drive Nation 17 Red; Premier Nebraska 17 Gold; OT 17 Felix; Rev 17-1 Raptors vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 4. TAV 17 Black 12. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 13. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold 16. Pohaku 17-1 19. KC Power 17 Black 20. OT 17 Felix 30. Skyline 17 Royal 31. VCNebraska 17 Elite 42. Iowa Power Plex 17U 47. Rev 17-1 Raptors 48. Shockwave 17 Black 49. Northern Lights 17-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (South Dakota) Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Cincinnati) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors (Florida) Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black (USC) Jadyn Livings OH TAV 17 Black (USC) Camille Edwards S TAV 17 Black (Michigan) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black (2025) Cari Spears OH TAV 17 Black (2025) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite (Marquette) Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite (USC) Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix (Cincinnati) Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (Oregon) Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black (Cincinnati) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black (Tennessee) Gracie Morrow OH Shockwave 17 Black (Wichita State) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Carson Eickenloff S Drive Nation 17 Red (Ole Miss) Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Lauren Salata OH Adversity 17 Adidas Ava Pratt OH Adversity 17 Adidas (Northwestern) Mikala Young OH TAV 17 Black (TCU) Anna Boatner MB TAV 17 Black Jade Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Mak Miller MB Pohaku 17-1 (2025) Jordan Smith OH/RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Outlook/Prediction: This division is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not quite as packed as the Big South 17 Open field, but it’s pretty close. The second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation from our Top 50 are here, as are eight from the Top 20. With five qualified teams, we know all three bids are going out. There’s sure to be trickle down, but could it go all the way to eighth-place? With this field, it’s definitely possible that all five qualified teams could finish in the top eight. But where do the bids go? TAV 17 Black is the front-runner. TAV lost once at Sunshine and finished in fifth to miss out on a bid. It would be a huge upset to see TAV not finish in a spot to qualify here. TAV is a gold-medal favorite, right with Dynasty 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red. Dynasty has two second-place showings at Northern Lights and MEQ and would love to actually add a gold at Show Me. Drive Nation took first at Red Rock and is looking to add another gold to its collection. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, OT 17 Felix and Rev 17-1 Raptors are the other teams with bids and could factor into trickle down. Rev qualified at NEQ and will have to up its game to get into contention in KC. Premier Nebraska qualified back at Northern Lights and should finish in the top eight. As should OT Felix. It still leaves the bids. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, KC Power 17-1 and Pohaku 17-1 are all contenders along with TAV. Pohaku beat KC Power at MEQ in a must-win fifth-place bracket match but fell a victory short of a bid when it lost to Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and took sixth. Rockwood Thunder is looking to create some of its own luck. Rockwood Thunder finished fourth at Northern Lights, tied for fifth at NEQ and in a tough-break lost just once at MEQ – to Pohaku – and finished 13th. Ultimately, I like Drive Nation topping TAV in the final, while Dynasty beats Pohaku for third. Rockwood Thunder outlasts VCNebraska for fifth place, joining TAV and Pohaku in qualifying. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 30 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Nebraska One 16 Synergy; Premier Nebraska 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (10): 6. Nebraska One 16 Synergy 9. TAV 16 Black 26. Northern Lights 16-1 27. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold 30. Dynasty 16 Black 31. Skyline 16 Royal 35. AJV 16 Adidas 38. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite 41. NE Elite 16 Maverick 44. MAVS KC 16-1 5-Star Athletes to Know: Logan Parks S/RS MAVS 16-1 Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy Ella Florez S/RS Dynasty 16 Black (2026) 4-Star Athletes to Know: Chichi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Cook S Skyline 16 Royal Bella Ocampo OH Skyline 16 Royal Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1 Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1 Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas Ashlyn Paymal RS NE Elite 16 Maverick Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black Madison Winkler L/DS TAV 16 Black Audrey Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black Sydnee Peterson RS TAV 16 Black Reese Jackson OH TAV 16 Black Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1 (2026) Outlook/Prediction: I’m excited to see which teams punch their tickets in this division. With Nebraska One 16 Synergy qualifying at Northern Lights, that’s one big bid

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Preview and Predictions: MEQ 15O; PNQ 14-15O (FREE)

The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend. In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions. MIDEAST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal 20. Elevation 15 Tony 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas 34. Michio 15 National 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black 50. HPSTL 15 Royal   5-Star Athletes to Know: Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs. ************************* PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 21 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 15 Green 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh 39. Coast 15-1 42. Sunshine 15 Westside   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027) Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh   Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid. *** 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 16 Number of Bids Available: 2 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 4. Madfrog 14 Green 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 40. City 14 Gold 48. ID Crush 14 Bower   4-Star Athletes to Know: Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar   Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.

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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 46 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 5. A5 17 Jing 6. OT 17 Aaron 7. Triangle 17 Black 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 10. Wave 17 Juliana 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 18. Momentous 17 Dan 23. Club V 17 Matthew 28. Metro 17 Travel 41. Top Select 17 Elite 50. Academy 17 Diamond   5-Star Athletes to Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite (Louisville) Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing (Kentucky) Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu OH Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing (Florida, 2023) Sarah Brodner OH/RS Jupiter 17 Elite (Virginia) Kiylah Presley MB Paramount 17 VBC (Virginia) Erika Bracey OH Paramount 17 VBC Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron (Florida) Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite (Coastal Carolina) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mia Hood MB A5 17 Jing (Michigan State) Molly Kate Patten RS A5 17 Jing (Georgia) Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing (Georgia Tech) Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Camden Bolane MB/RS Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Chelsea Sutton MB OT 17 John (Tennessee) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 47 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11): 8. OT 16 JP 10. Circle City 16 Purple 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. A5 16 Gabe 23. HPSTL 16 Royal 24. GP 16 Rox 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 39. Alamo 16 Premier 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon 46. Top Select 16 Elite   5-Star Athletes to Know: Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier   4-Star Athletes to Know: Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox Ryan Murphy S/RS JJVA 16 Teal Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Izzy Mogridge S OT 16 JP   Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the

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