Premium Content

Northern Lights: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

The younger ages are a bit behind in their qualifying process but will quickly catch up in the coming weeks. On tap this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the Northern Lights national qualifier in Minneapolis. Part of the action there features 14 Open, which we take a look at below. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 28 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 1. TAV 14 Black 6. AP 14 Adidas 8. Drive Nation 14 Red 14. Forza1 14 One 17. Legacy 14-1 Adidas 24. GP 14 Rox 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal 34. Northern Lights 14-1 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold 41. Kairos 14 Alpha 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 46. Academy 14 Diamond 50. Triangle 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite Nyla Livings OH TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 14 Black   4-Star Athletes To Know Lexi Martin OH Drive Nation 14 Red Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 14 Black Gentry Barker OH TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 14 Black Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 14 Black Naomi Livings OH TAV 14 Black Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas Evie Pool MB Forza1 14 One Kiersten Moore S Forza1 14 One Ella Johnson OH Forza 14 One   Outlook/Prediction: There are no previously-qualified teams in the field, so it’s clear cut what has to happen to earn a bid. Teams must finish in the top three to qualify. Obviously, Triple Crown winner and top-ranked TAV 14 Black is a strong favorite to come out ahead of the pack. This will be the first national test since Triple Crown for many in attendance and no doubt some will be vastly improved even in the short amount of time. Over half the teams in the field are ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, so anything could happen given this age group. Both No. 6 AP 14 Adidas and No. 8 Drive Nation 14 Red are looking to back up their strong Triple Crown runs by qualifying in Minneapolis. A team like No. 14 Forza1 14 One is playing in its first national tournament and will look to catch up in a hurry with the rest. Legacy 14-1 Adidas, at No. 17, and No. 24 GP 14 Rox, are two more top contenders to get a bid. But as usual, there is likely to be a team from the lower-half of the rankings which breaks through. Northern Lights 14-1, Premier Nebraska 14 Gold and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite are all candidates for that, or will it be someone else? The final comes down to TAV beating GP. Both gets bids. The third-place match is AP topping Drive Nation for the final bid.

Read More »

MEQ: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

Let’s take a look at the upcoming Mideast Qualifier this Fri-Sun in Indianapolis. It’s a bit different than past years in that the feature ages are just 16s and up. The 15s are no longer part of this weekend and have moved to their own weekend. As it stands, that leaves us seeing how 16-18 Open might play out in Indy as teams continue their qualifying schedule. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (14): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; AVC Cle 18 Red; Circle City 18 Purple; CUVC 18 Titan; EC Power 18 Royal; Metro 18 Travel; Mintonette Sports m.81; MKE Sting 18 Gold; MN Select 18-1; OT 18 John; Paramount 18 VBC; Skyline 18 Royal; Triangle 18 Black; VC United 18 Elite vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (21): 8. AVC Cle 18 Red 9. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 10. Mintonette Sports m.81 13. Skyline 18 Royal 14. A5 18 Marc 15. Circle City 18 Purple 16. Metro 18 Travel 19. Legacy 18-1 Adidas 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 22. OT 18 John 23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue 24. Paramount 18 VBC 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 31. MN Select 18-1 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 36. Topeka Impact 18-1 37. MKE Sting 18 Gold 39. FC Elite 18 Elite 40. Triangle 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 47. VC United 18-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Mizuno (LSU) Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1 (Clemson) Olivia Swenson OH MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Milan Rex S Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Laurece Abraham MB Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Yale) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Kate Thibault L/DS MN Select 18-1 (Oregon) Ceci Gooch RS Skyline 18 Royal (Georgia) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordan Dailey MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Erin Kline S Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Mississippi State) Harley Kreck S Skyline 18 Royal (Baylor) Becca Kelley OH Skyline 18 Royal (Oregon) Brooklyn DeLeye OH Topeka Impact 18-1 (Kentucky) Kaia Caffee MB MN Select 18-1 (2024)   Outlook/Prediction: These later qualifiers for the 18s are getting a bit ridiculous. With 16 qualifiers on the schedule and most already played, we see a whopping 14 teams in the field which have already qualified. It’s even more than the 11 we saw with bids last weekend at the Red Rock Rave. Trickle down only goes to eighth place so it’s possible we don’t see a single team qualify and three more at-large bids created. Legacy 18-1 Adidas, at No. 19, and No. 20 Adidas KiVA 18 Red are the two highest-ranked teams without bids. KiVA is interesting because it usually doesn’t play in qualifiers but has the past two seasons at MEQ. This KiVA group is good enough to finish in the Top 8 and qualify. Legacy has some big wins and a few questionable losses, so Legacy can go either way. At No. 23, Tri-State Elite 18 Blue is playing its lone qualifier this season but will be challenged to finish in the Top 8. Elevation 18 Spinney – ranked No. 30 nationally – is coming off its victory at Bluegrass and doesn’t have a bid. Elevation could possible sneak into the Top 8. In the end, A5 beats OT John for gold. KiVA finishes Top 8 and qualifies. Two at-large bids go back into the field. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Dynasty 17 Black; Metro 17 Travel; Triangle 17 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (17): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 5. Triangle 17 Black 7. 1st Alliance 17 Gold 8. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 11. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 17. KC Power 17 Black 19. Metro 17 Travel 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 25. Miami Hype 17 Emilio 27. Skyline 17 Royal 31. AVC Cle 17 Red 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 38. Circle City 17 Purple 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gol (Purdue) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black (Arizona) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Ellie White S/OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Michigan) Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Kansas) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot OH Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Norte Dame) Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1 (Cincinnati) 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) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17

Read More »

Red Rock Rave All-Tournament Teams

Before moving on from this past weekend’s Red Rock Rave, we want to honor those girls who stood out the most to us over the course of the weekend. Based on our observations we bring you vballrecruiter.com’s 16 and 17 Open All-Tournament Teams. 17 OPEN OUTSIDES Lolo Lambert Drive Nation 17 Red Jaidyn Jager Coast 17-1 Kendall Beshear SCVC 17 Roxy Taylor Williams Vision 17 Gold MIDDLES Ayden Ames Drive Nation 17 Red Jenna Hanes Wave 17 Juliana Jaela Auguste Hou Skyline 17 Royal Mackenzie Parsons Coast 17-1 RIGHT SIDES Grace Carroll Drive Nation 17 Red Cleo Hardin Vision 17 Gold SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Kirra Musgrove Hou Skyline 17 Royal SETTERS Taylor Yu SG Elite 17 Rosh Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold Carson Eickenloff Drive Nation 17 Red LIBEROS/DSs Lauren Lynch SG Elite 17 Rosh Taylor Deckert SCVC 17 Roxy Maya Evens Wave 17 Juliana *** 16 OPEN OUTSIDES Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red Teraya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends Quinn Loper Wave 16 Kevin Bellamie Beus ID Crush 16 Bower Aaliyah Smith OH HJV 16 Elite MIDDLES Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Drive Nation 16 Red Kenna Cogill Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Jordan Taylor HJV 16 Elite Kennedy Washington MB TAV 16 Black RIGHT SIDES Taryn Morris Drive Nation 16 Red SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Ruby Hill Wave 16 Kevin SETTERS Sarah Pfiffner TAV 16 Black Tenesyn Frye ID Crush 16 Bower LIBEROS/DSs Sarah Mendoza Drive Nation 16 Red Sydney Black HJV 16 Elite Elizabeth Bower ID Crush 16 Bower

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 3 Show Stoppers

With qualifying on the line during the last day of competition of the Red Rock Rave at Las Vegas, players came out determined to help their teams finish positioned for a bid. While only a few clubs could leave town with their tickets punched, plenty of athletes caught our attention during the process. Below, we bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red: The 5-star Nebraska commit is a legit game-changer in the middle with her ability to impact both sides of the ball. She moves well and takes away space in a hurry blocking while also being able to torment defenses with her scoring. Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Lambert – a 4-star recruit – is a high-flying outside capable of delivering highlight worthy kills. She takes a lot of important swings for Drive Nation and was key in its success. Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Carroll – a 4-star recruit committed to Baylor – shined at the net. With Drive Nation forced to run a 5-1 this weekend due to injury, Carroll was invaluable to the attack. The lefty’s big swing brought instant offense to the court and Drive Nation made sure to feed her the ball. Brianna Watson OH Drive Nation 17 Red: A 3-star outside committed to LSU, Watson was another piece of the team’s success. She came through with plenty of clutch swings as she helped keep the offense powering along when she was in front. Caleigh King L/DS Drive Nation 17 Red: King – a 3-star recruit committed to UNLV – did a sound job in the back row. She covered well and was helping extend rallies. Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1: A 5-star outside from the Class of 2025, Jager is a six-rotation player Coast relies on a lot. She’s a smart hitter who can hurt defenses with a variety of shots. She’s also a strong backrow defender and passer. Mackenzie Parsons MB Coast 17-1: A 3-star recruit, Parsons brings some physicality to the net. She puts up a big block and is definitely an offensive threat defenses need to be prepared for. Kiki Remensperger S Wave 17 Juliana: Remensperger did a nice job directing Wave’s attack as it ended Day 3 with a bid. The 3-star recruit is quick with nice hands and a consistent delivery. She did well connecting with her middles too. Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana: Hanes – a 4-star Michigan commit – was lights out in the middle once more. She changes the dynamic when she’s in, both with her blocking and attacking. In system, Wave goes to Hanes a bunch and still defenses struggle to slow her down at all. Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Evens – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – faced big-time hitters on the final day and didn’t blink. She more than held her own defensively with accurate passing and doing a great job digging balls. *** Camden Bolane RS Wave 17 Juliana: Bolane, a Yale commit, brought versatility to the lineup throughout the weekend as she played outside, middle and right side at times. On Day 3, she was mostly tasked with anchoring the right side across the front and she did great in her role. She came up with timely blocks and kills. Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 4-star recruit committed to BYU, Bobik was a big part of Storm’s run to the semis as they knocked on the door for a bid. She has a whippy arm and carries a large portion of the attack on the left. Skyler Gartin MB Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Gartin – a 3-star recruit – is someone defenses need to keep track of. Storm will get her the ball when in system because she knows how to end the point. Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy: Deckert – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – had her hands full facing both Wave and Hou Skyline in gold pool action. Both her passing and defending were on point as she owned the back row. Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh: Yu – a 5-star recruit – is an effortless setter who is rarely off her mark. She puts her hitters in great situations consistently and is a big reason SG was in the hunt for a bid on Day 3. Sophia Wolfson MB SG Elite 17 Rosh: Wolfson was scoring well out of the middle for SG and giving Wu a reliable option she took advantage of. She gets up quickly and was putting balls down to the floor. Cleo Hardin RS Vision 17 Gold: A 3-star recruit committed to Yale, Hardin was bringing it on the attack. She’s an aggressive swinger who isn’t afraid of challenging blockers and seeing what happens, leading to big kills at times. Jaden Hendrickson RS Absolute 17 Black: Hendrickson is a solid pin hitter with a nice arm. She gives Absolute versatility and was swinging well from the right. Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: A six-rotation outside, Emmerling is a featured part of the attack. She swings well and knows how to keep pressure on defenses. Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Musgrove – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – was on it once again. She’s a smooth setter and locates well. Offensively, she’s long and has a very good arm to go at defenses with. *** Quinn Loper OH Wave 16 Kevin: Loper was a vital part of Wave’s run to the 16 Open gold medal. The 4-star outside has a fluid swing and hits with plenty of pace as she keeps coming at defenses. Ruby Hill S/RS Wave 16 Kevin: Hill – a 4-star recruit – brings her height to the front row as well as gives Wave another option on the right. Her versatility to remain in and set back row is also a

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Gold Medal Rundown

This week’s edition of WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!? is brought to us courtesy of Wave 16 Kevin. At No. 26 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, Wave was the eighth highest-ranked team in 16 Open at the Red Rock Rave national qualifier in Las Vegas. Six teams ranked higher all finished above Wave at last month’s Triple Crown NIT. None of that would make Wave a favorite this past weekend to bid let alone earn the gold medal. But after going 7-3 and finishing on top of the 16 Open standings, the question had to be asked. What just happened? Las Vegas is becoming the place where this Wave group has breakthroughs. Last year as 15s, the team qualified for Open for the first time after finishing a surprise fourth. This year, Wave broke through and took it all. The field this go around featured top contenders like No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 6 HJV 16 Elite and No. 7 Arizona Storm 16 Thunder, not to mention No. 10 TAV 16 Black and No. 13 Coast 16-1. It’s the reason why Wave retooled its roster though, in hopes of being able to take a step forward like it accomplished this past weekend. Outside Quinn Loper, setter/right side Ruby Hill and setter Emily Page were new additions who all played key roles in helping Wave win 16 Open. With returning players like outsides Nia Thompson and Mae Kordas and right side Keila Gabriel it’s given Wave more depth and roster flexibility. Wave needed to beat Rage 16 Garren in a crossover match on Day 1 to remain in contention. Wave lost to HJV and unranked A4 Volley 16 Cassie on Day 2 but managed to advance based on having the best set percentage in a three-way tie at 1-2 with A4 and AZ Rev 16 Premier. All that mattered though was Wave was positioned to take advantage of its luck and landed in a three-team pool with Surfside and Coast. For others, that might have doomed them. However, Wave was actually 2-1 on the year against Surfside before meeting in Monday’s gold pool and 0-1 against Coast, so there was familiarity. Wave pulled off two dramatic upsets, first edging Surfside 17-15 in the third before tackling Coast 15-10 in another Game 3. The feel-good story seemed to be in its last chapter though, with TAV on the horizon in the semifinals. Not only was TAV favored, but should Wave lose it would have to face the loser between Drive Nation and Arizona Storm in the third-place contest. Yet, Wave was not ready for the ride to end, first upsetting TAV in another wild conclusion, 16-14 in the third. That clinched the bid for Wave, so the pressure was off so to speak. But Wave wasn’t letting up and recorded another big upset in taking down Drive Nation in the final, 26-24, 26-24. That overshadowed what was an intense showdown for third place and the last remaining bid between TAV and Storm. Storm was able to survive, winning Game 3, 15-12. The qualifying action in 17 Open was a different type of thrilling. As highlighted on Day 2, with national No. 14 AZ Sky 17G and No. 15 Momentous 17 Dan out of contention and No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal owning a bid, there was opportunity for others to capitalize. At the top of the list to do so was third-ranked Drive Nation 17 Red. The rest of the contenders included No. 16 Wave 17 Juliana, No. 18 Vision 17 Gold, No. 20 Coast 17-1, No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy, No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh and No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder. Arizona Storm did its best to deliver another upset story, but it wasn’t meant to be. Storm advanced to the four-team gold bracket but lost to Coast in the semis. Drive Nation defeated Wave in the other semi before sweeping Coast in the final. Wave swept Storm for third place and the final bid. Wave had a tough gold pool with Hou Skyline and SCVC. Meanwhile, Storm beat both Vision and A4 Volley 17 Tyler in its gold pool. The bid chase in 18 Open ultimately boiled down to one three-team gold pool. Nine of the previously 11 qualified clubs advanced to the gold pools. As fate would have it, all nine were matched together in Pools 2-4. That left Pool 1 with three unqualified clubs in No. 2 Coast 18-1, No. 6 HJV 18 Elite and unranked TAV 18 Black. The first and second-place finishers in that pool were guaranteed bids through trickle down. Coast downed both HJV and TAV while TAV slipped past HJV to take second place and earn its bid. The final Open bid will go into the at-large pool.

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 2 Show Stoppers

The path to the Open bids is clear with just the final day remaining of the Red Rock Rave qualifier in Las Vegas. While the top-ranked teams are still in contention in 16 Open, the same can’t be said about 17 Open after the Day 2 results shook up the final-day pairings. We knew something had to give in Pool 1 in 17 Open, as national No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red, No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G shared the same four-team pool. It came down to Hou Skyline sweeping AZ Sky for second place behind Drive Nation. AZ Sky is the highest-ranked team in 17 Open out of contention but not by much. Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 nationally – was upset by both unranked A4 Volley 17 Tyler and No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh and finished third in its pool. Momentous had a chance to advance after losing to A4 but fell to SG in three games. Had Momentous defeated SG it would’ve earned the second-place tiebreaker over A4 but instead joins AZ Sky in the exit line. The winners of Monday’s four three-team pools advance to the four-team gold bracket where the Open bids will be ultimately determined. Hou Skyline, the only team with a bid so far, is in Pool 4 with No. 16 Wave 17 Juliana and No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy. If Hou Skyline wins its pool, the other three pool winners will pick up bids before playing a gold-bracket match. But if Hou Skyline fails to advance, then teams must win in the semifinals and/or third-place match to qualify. Drive Nation is matched with Absolute 17 Black and Seal Beach 17 Black in Pool 1. It’s Arizona Storm 17 Thunder, Vision 17 Gold and A4 in Pool 2. Pool 3 is likely to come down to SG Elite and Coast 17-1, but TAV Houston 17 Adidas is certainly capable of the upsets. It was calmer in 16 Open, at least in regards to the national rankings. On Day 1, No. 35 Absolute 16 Black was the highest-ranked team to be eliminated. On Sunday, it was No. 28 Madfrog 16 Green being shown the door after losing to No. 21 AVA TX 16 Adidas. In addition, No. 49 AZ Sky 16G was also eliminated Sunday. It leaves all the top-ranked teams in the hunt for Monday. Pool 1 is an all-So Cal fight between No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 13 Coast 16-1 and No. 26 Wave 16 Kevin. Coast was upset by Temecula Viper 16-1 Costa in pool play and needed to beat Muscle 16-1 in crossover action to advance. Wave, meanwhile, finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 with A4 Volley 16 Cassie and AZ Rev 16 Premier but managed to take second based on tiebreakers. Seventh-ranked Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is favored in Pool 2 with No. 27 ID Crush 16 Bower and unranked Vision 16 Gold. Vision took Drive Nation 16 Red to three games in pool play before falling Sunday and will look to play spoiler on Day 3. As for Drive Nation, the third-ranked team in the country is in Pool 3 with Temecula and AVA TX. The final pool is No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 10 TAV 16 Black and unranked Club One 16 Platinum. HJV is 1-0 against TAV this season, so TAV will look to even the score and win the pool. There is no trickle down in 16 Open, so teams must win the pool and advance to the gold bracket to stay alive. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Sophia Meyer L/DS Coast 17-1: Coast is still in the mix but worked for it after beating both Tx Peformance 16-1 and Club V 17 Ren Matthew in three games before losing to SCVC in crossover. Meyer was solid throughout, holding down the back row and consistently making plays. Makayla Gates OH Momentous 17 Dan: Gates is a six-rotation outside who gets off the ground well and has a fluid swing. The 6-0 outside was doing well tooling blocks. Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan: A 4-star right side, Gordon puts up a massive block! She gets her hands over the net and forms a wall. She can also turn it around and send down booming kills. Victoria Leyva L/DS TX Performance 17-1: Leyva helped TX Performance upset Club V in pool play but was eventually eliminated with a loss to Absolute 17 Black in crossover. She is an energetic libero who is fast and makes up ground quickly. Amar’e Stout RS TX Performance 17-1: Stout’s big arm is a key part of the attack. Defenders need to be ready because Stout will get the ball and isn’t afraid to go for it. Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Evens was part of a perfect 3-0 day as Wave didn’t drop a set. The 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 scoops up everything near her in the back row and is a lights-out passer in serve receive. Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy: Another 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Deckert is a cool character in the back row. She’s always under control and doesn’t rattle while making plays look effortless. Kendall Beshear OH SCVC 17 Roxy: A 3-star recruit, Beshear explodes on the attack and hits a heavy ball. Beshear carried a big load as SCVC went 3-0 on the day and remains in the running for a bid. Zada Sanger OH Absolute 17 Black: It was a tough go for Absolute in pool play with losses to SCVC and Vision but Sanger and company beat Tx Performance in crossover to stay alive. Sanger was taking aggressive swings and not backing down. Dylan Whisenant L/DS Absolute 17 Black: Whisenant was getting after it defensively with lots of hustle and keeping rallies going. *** Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Drive Nation didn’t lose a set in going 3-0 and

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 1 Show Stoppers

For many of the top-seeded clubs the opening day of the second weekend of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas offered an easing-in period. But for some, the first day was truly a matter of survival as they found themselves locked in elimination matches. The highest-profile case came in 16 Open when AVA TX 16 Adidas and Absolute 16 Black were matched in a crossover in which the winner advanced to the Round 2 Division 1 pools while the loser would fall to the Round 2 Division 2 pools for Sunday. AVA entered ranked No. 21 in vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings while Absolute sits at No. 35. This was a case where neither team expected to be knocked from contention on Day 1. Yet, Absolute was on the wrong side of the score as AVA TX prevailed in three, 25-17, 25-27, 15-8. Wave 16 Kevin – ranked No. 26 nationally – and unranked clubs in Forza1 North 16 One and Club One 16 Platinum joined AVA in capturing must-win crossover matches to move on as well. Two unranked teams in 16 Open which helped create some of the upheaval Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center were Forza1 16 One and AZ Rev 16 Premier. Forza began its day with an upset of Absolute while AZ Rev closed its three-team pool by upsetting AVA TX and finishing first. Forza lost its crossover to AZ Sky 16G while ID Crush 16 Bower defeated AZ Rev in another crossover. Both AZ Rev and Forza remain in the mix for Day 2. The only other real news out of 16 Open is Vision 16 Gold and Temecula Viper 16 both advancing as the No. 3 team in their respective pools. They each beat the No. 2 team in their pools, with Vision taking down Aspire 16 Adidas and Temecula upending Rage Westside 16 Jen. Of the top six-ranked teams in 16 Open from our Top 50, only No. 13 Coast 16-1 lost Saturday. Coast had already clinched first place in its pool when it fell to unranked Muscle VB 16-1. Meanwhile, No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 7 Arizona Storm and TAV 16 Black went a combined 15-0 with only Surfside dropping a set. All 12 teams in appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings advanced in 17 Open. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While the highest-ranked team in No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red went 3-0, the next two highest in No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G lost. Hou Skyline earned its Open bid at NEQ last weekend but was uprooted by No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder in its three-team pool. AZ Sky was beaten by unranked TAV Houston 17 Adidas. It left both Hou Skyline and AZ Sky – which tied for third at Triple Crown – needing to win crossovers to remain in the mix. Both did. Wave 17 Juliana – ranked No. 16 nationally – No. 18 Vision 17 Gold and No. 20 Coast 17-1 didn’t lose a set on the day. Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 – finished 3-0 and but went three twice while No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy ended 3-0 and dropped one set. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Addison Massey OH TX Performance 16-1: Massey helped her team to an upset of No. 49 AZ Sky 16G. She’s a six-rotation outside and a big part of the attack. She swings front and back row and did well in helping carrying her share of the offense. Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner is a 4-star recruit with soft hands and a smooth delivery. She did well mixing her sets up and utilizing all of her hitters.   Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack is another 4-star recruit and you can see her next-level potential when she goes on the attack. She elevates quickly and can deliver rockets for kills. Justice Fuhrmann S Forza1 16 One: Fuhrmann is a bit undersized but she did a nice job running the attack and putting up a hittable ball. She located consistently. Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 One: Thunstrom did well in her role in helping provide offense on the outside. She found gaps in the blocks for kills and even delivered a big block of her own. Kimanni Rugley MB AVA TX 16 Adidas: Rugley is an athletic middle who makes her presence felt in the middle. She gets up fast and has a good arm to punish opponents with. Sydney Black L/DS HJV 16 Elite: Black – a 4-star recruit – was sound in serve receive and doing well with her first-ball contact. Nicole Steiner OH Vision 16 Gold: Steiner was taking her share of cuts on the outside and was helping keep Vision in the game. She has a fluid swing and was mixing up her shots. Kendall Timme OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Timme is a lanky outside and one of Arete’s best scoring threats. She’s an option both front and back row and can deliver. Rylee Smith MB Arete 16 Navy Telos: Smith has nice size and is a disrupter in the middle. She does well getting touches and blocks. *** Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower: A 4-star recruit, Frye has command of the offense and does well locating. She has a nice touch and with her size she’s a factor at the net too. Kiana Mark OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Mark brings physicality to the attack. She hits with power and score a lot of points. Lilyana Kautai RS Rage 16 Westside Jen: Kautai is someone opponents need to keep eyes on when she checks in. Rage will set her. She gets up well and takes aggressive swings. Natalia Clifford OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Another six-rotation outside, Clifford contributes both front row with her attacking and her strong defense in the

Read More »

Red Rock Rave Week 2: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

Last week was split between multiple qualifiers and Bluegrass but the main focus this week is centered on Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring 16s and up. There are no other qualifiers or major national tournaments. vballrecruiter.com is making the journey for the three-day event. This event usually takes place later on the calendar. With it getting moved up earlier, it’s going to change the trickle-down situation in 16 and 17 Open. There are usually multiple teams with bids in the field but since the tournament is early this season only one team across the two divisions is previously qualified in Hou Skyline 17 Royal. Let’s take a look at the Open divisions and how they might play out. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 34 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (11): A4 Volley 18 Joaco; A5 18 Marc; Arizona Storm 18 Thunder; AZ Rev 18 Premier; AZ EVJ 18 Elite; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; MAVS 18-1; Sunshine 18 LA; Tstreet 18 Chandler; Wave 18 Juliana vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (13): 2. Coast 18-1 4. MAVS 18-1 5. Sunshine 18-1 6. HJV 18 Elite 11. Wave 18 Juliana 12. Club V 18 Ren Reed 14. A5 18 Marc 18. AZ Rev 18 Premier 21. Hou Skyline 18 Royal 27. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 44. Legacy Girls 18 Elite 50. Tstreet 18 Chandler   5-Star Athletes To Know: Noemie Glover RS Coast 18-1 (Oregon) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Marc (LSU) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Brooklyn Briscoe MB Coast 18-1 (UCLA) Koko Kirsch L/DS Wave 18 Juliana (Stanford) Bianka Lulic MB Coast 18-1 (Miami) Claire Little OH Coast 18-1 (BYU) Ava Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Notre Dame) Tori Davis MB Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Baylor) Lois Hansen RS Tstreet 18 Chandler (UCSB) Eva Travis OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (UCSB) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Zoe Rachow S Coast 18-1 (Tulane) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Fatimah Hall S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Auburn Tomkinson RS Wave 18 Juliana (Yale) Arya Jue L/DS A5 18 Marc (Yale) Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana (Maryland) Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana (Colorado) Cindy Tchouangwa OH HJV 18 Elite Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor) Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Long Beach State, 2024) Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: The 18s are in a different spot with qualifying going on since January. That’s why there are 11 teams already qualified. Trickle down can only go to eighth place, so it’s possible that no bids go out at all. Of course, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are a couple highly-ranked teams in No. 2 Coast 18-1 and No. 6 HJV 18 Elite have yet to earn their bids and I’m going out on a limb to say both will place at least in the Top 8 to qualify. At No. 28, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar is the only other team from Vballrecrutier.com’s Top 50 in the field without a bid. Considering the depth of field, it’s going to take work for Long Beach to crack the Top 8. Coast gets its bid by winning it all, downing MAVS 18-1 in the final. HJV also bids with the third going into the at-large pool. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 13. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 14. AZ Sky 17G 15. Momentous 17 Dan 16. Wave 17 Juliana 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 32. Club V 17 Ren Matthew 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 46. AZ Rev 17 Premier 49. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder   5-Star Athletes To Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (BYU) Lillian Croshaw MB Drive Nation 17 Red Levani Key-Powell OH Club V 17 Ren Reed (Utah) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Camden Bolane MB Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Shelby Burris MB Drive Nation 17 Red (2025) Lauren Lynch L/DS SG Elite 17 Rosh (2025) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: By all indications, this division is going to be a wild ride. Hou Skyline 17 Royal, having qualified last weekend at NEQ, is safe from the chaos but could definitely factor into the final outcomes by creating trickle down to fourth place. Drive Nation 17 Red enters has the highest-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 yet is anything but a lock. While Drive Nation finished tied for third at Triple Crown, it has been vulnerable at times. It’s a tournament where I see nine of the ranked teams having a legit shot at earning bids, down to No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh. The final two Top-50 teams in No. 46 AZ Rev 16 Premier and

Read More »

Qualifying Season Under Way Everywhere

The past weekend was one of the busier of the season and should have been even busier than it was. With the opening weekends of the Red Rock Rave and Northeast qualifiers, the second weekend of the Sunshine Classic, Bluegrass and the Boston Festival, something was happening just about everywhere – except for Reno. The Sierra 18s National Qualifier was snowed out and rescheduled two weeks later in Sacramento. It was simply one of those weekends. The schedule exhales and slows down this coming weekend, with Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring the older age groups the only major tournament slated. Let’s check out what went down across the country over the weekend. RED ROCK RAVE WEEKEND 1 Skyline 15 Royal continues on! The Triple Crown champions showed why they are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the country after going 10-0 and winning 15 Open at the Red Rock Rave last weekend. Skyline qualified in the process as well. The latest update to vballrecruiter.com’s 15s National Rankings on March 2 featured Skyline as the top-ranked club. That’s because after winning Triple Crown Skyline boasted an impressive win-loss sheet. The only three teams to top Skyline so far are Madfrog 15 Green, Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. That’s to go with victories over Austin Skyline 15 Royal (three times), TAV 15 Black (twice), Madfrog (twice), Alamo 15 Premier, Hou Skyline, Drive Nation 15 Red and AP 15 Adidas. To me, it’s clear Skyline deserved the top spot. The main question is what would happen once Skyline was there? Would there be a letdown after winning Triple Crown? Would teams be able to catch up after themselves improving in the last few weeks? Skyline dropped just one set in Las Vegas, in a victory over No. 33 GP 15 Rox on the last day. Other victories came against national No. 4 Madfrog, No. 15 Wave 15 Brennan and No. 19 Forza1 North 14 One. Joining Skyline in bidding was runner-up Madfrog and third-place TAV, which defeated Wave for the last bid. As I noted in the preview, it was a deep field with 22 of the 38 teams appearing in our Top 50. It was also interesting to note that the three highest-ranked teams in our Top 50 all qualified in No. 1 Skyline, No. 4 Madfrog and No. 5 TAV. Triple Crown runner-up and national No. 10 SCVC 15 Roxy finished tied for fifth after suffering its only loss of the weekend in gold pool play to Madfrog. AZ Sky 15G – ranked No. 13 nationally – backed up its strong performance at Triple Crown by also tying for fifth. TAV was the only opponent to beat AZ Sky, with that result also coming in gold pool. AZ Sky did pick up big victories over both Drive Nation and Madfrog on Day 2. Aspire 15 Premier had a solid weekend. Ranked No. 41 in our Top 50, Aspire upset No. 14 Hou Skyline 15 Royal on Day 2 and finished in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Hou Skyline and Wave. Aspire took second based on tiebreakers while Hou Skyline was third and eliminated from bid contention. While we all missed wanting to see Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson meet up at Triple Crown, the two found themselves on the same court in the 14 Open final in Las Vegas. Storm completed its perfect 10-0 weekend by downing Tstreet in three, 23-25, 25-15, 15-8. Both earned their bids, as did Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar. Long Beach held off Madfrog 14 Green, 15-25, 28-26, 15-10, in the third-place match to earn the final bid. That victory felt great for Long Beach for two reasons. Not only did Long Beach qualify, but it lost twice to Madfrog in Kansas City so it got one back. Arizona Storm and Tstreet were the two highest-ranked teams, with Storm No. 1 in our Top 50 and Tstreet No. 3. Madfrog followed at No. 4, while Long Beach is currently No. 11. Skyline 14 Royal – ranked No. 5 – tied for fifth with No. 15 Wave 14 Tammy. National No. 11 Forza1 14 One and No. 19 Forza1 North 14 One – neither of which were at Triple Crown – both tied for seventh. The Hawaiian club and ninth-place finisher Mauloa 14-1 was another team not at Triple Crown but managed to crack the Top 10. With 26 teams competing, 14 Open wasn’t as big as 15 Open but was another competitive field. Of those 26, 14 are ranked in our Top 50. That includes 10 inside the Top 20. I thought with Arizona Storm and Tstreet in the field, they were the obvious favorites to bid. A lot of it came down to which would be the third team joining the bid party and we got an answer with Long Beach. That’s a well-earned bid. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC WEEKEND 2 We finally have our first Open bids from the 16s age group. Every other age group already had Open qualifiers but it took the 16s until this past weekend to get on the board. And what a beginning it was! Talk about the unexpected, that’s exactly what happened in Orlando. Whereas our national rankings held up at the Red Rock Rave in 14 and 15 Open, 16 Open at Sunshine shattered them. None of our top seven ranked teams qualified there. In fact, national No. 30 HPSTL 16 Royal took home the gold medal and one of the three bids. HPSTL finished 25th at Triple Crown and that didn’t inspire hopes of HPSTL coming to Orlando and taking care of business. But that’s how it played out, with HPSTL coming on strong on the final day. HPSTL upset No. 8 A5 16 Gabe and beat No. 42 Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite in gold pool action to make the four-team gold bracket. HPSTL then topped No. 44 GP 16 Rox in the semis

Read More »

Northern Lights: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

The younger ages are a bit behind in their qualifying process but will quickly catch up in the coming weeks. On tap this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the Northern Lights national qualifier in Minneapolis. Part of the action there features 14 Open, which we take a look at below. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 28 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (15): 1. TAV 14 Black 6. AP 14 Adidas 8. Drive Nation 14 Red 14. Forza1 14 One 17. Legacy 14-1 Adidas 24. GP 14 Rox 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal 34. Northern Lights 14-1 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold 41. Kairos 14 Alpha 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 46. Academy 14 Diamond 50. Triangle 14 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite Nyla Livings OH TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 14 Black   4-Star Athletes To Know Lexi Martin OH Drive Nation 14 Red Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 14 Black Gentry Barker OH TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 14 Black Sophee Peterson S/RS TAV 14 Black Naomi Livings OH TAV 14 Black Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas Evie Pool MB Forza1 14 One Kiersten Moore S Forza1 14 One Ella Johnson OH Forza 14 One   Outlook/Prediction: There are no previously-qualified teams in the field, so it’s clear cut what has to happen to earn a bid. Teams must finish in the top three to qualify. Obviously, Triple Crown winner and top-ranked TAV 14 Black is a strong favorite to come out ahead of the pack. This will be the first national test since Triple Crown for many in attendance and no doubt some will be vastly improved even in the short amount of time. Over half the teams in the field are ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, so anything could happen given this age group. Both No. 6 AP 14 Adidas and No. 8 Drive Nation 14 Red are looking to back up their strong Triple Crown runs by qualifying in Minneapolis. A team like No. 14 Forza1 14 One is playing in its first national tournament and will look to catch up in a hurry with the rest. Legacy 14-1 Adidas, at No. 17, and No. 24 GP 14 Rox, are two more top contenders to get a bid. But as usual, there is likely to be a team from the lower-half of the rankings which breaks through. Northern Lights 14-1, Premier Nebraska 14 Gold and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite are all candidates for that, or will it be someone else? The final comes down to TAV beating GP. Both gets bids. The third-place match is AP topping Drive Nation for the final bid.

Read More »

MEQ: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

Let’s take a look at the upcoming Mideast Qualifier this Fri-Sun in Indianapolis. It’s a bit different than past years in that the feature ages are just 16s and up. The 15s are no longer part of this weekend and have moved to their own weekend. As it stands, that leaves us seeing how 16-18 Open might play out in Indy as teams continue their qualifying schedule. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (14): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; AVC Cle 18 Red; Circle City 18 Purple; CUVC 18 Titan; EC Power 18 Royal; Metro 18 Travel; Mintonette Sports m.81; MKE Sting 18 Gold; MN Select 18-1; OT 18 John; Paramount 18 VBC; Skyline 18 Royal; Triangle 18 Black; VC United 18 Elite vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (21): 8. AVC Cle 18 Red 9. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 10. Mintonette Sports m.81 13. Skyline 18 Royal 14. A5 18 Marc 15. Circle City 18 Purple 16. Metro 18 Travel 19. Legacy 18-1 Adidas 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 22. OT 18 John 23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue 24. Paramount 18 VBC 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 31. MN Select 18-1 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 36. Topeka Impact 18-1 37. MKE Sting 18 Gold 39. FC Elite 18 Elite 40. Triangle 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 47. VC United 18-1   5-Star Athletes To Know Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Mizuno (LSU) Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1 (Clemson) Olivia Swenson OH MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Milan Rex S Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Laurece Abraham MB Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Yale) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Kate Thibault L/DS MN Select 18-1 (Oregon) Ceci Gooch RS Skyline 18 Royal (Georgia) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordan Dailey MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Erin Kline S Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Mississippi State) Harley Kreck S Skyline 18 Royal (Baylor) Becca Kelley OH Skyline 18 Royal (Oregon) Brooklyn DeLeye OH Topeka Impact 18-1 (Kentucky) Kaia Caffee MB MN Select 18-1 (2024)   Outlook/Prediction: These later qualifiers for the 18s are getting a bit ridiculous. With 16 qualifiers on the schedule and most already played, we see a whopping 14 teams in the field which have already qualified. It’s even more than the 11 we saw with bids last weekend at the Red Rock Rave. Trickle down only goes to eighth place so it’s possible we don’t see a single team qualify and three more at-large bids created. Legacy 18-1 Adidas, at No. 19, and No. 20 Adidas KiVA 18 Red are the two highest-ranked teams without bids. KiVA is interesting because it usually doesn’t play in qualifiers but has the past two seasons at MEQ. This KiVA group is good enough to finish in the Top 8 and qualify. Legacy has some big wins and a few questionable losses, so Legacy can go either way. At No. 23, Tri-State Elite 18 Blue is playing its lone qualifier this season but will be challenged to finish in the Top 8. Elevation 18 Spinney – ranked No. 30 nationally – is coming off its victory at Bluegrass and doesn’t have a bid. Elevation could possible sneak into the Top 8. In the end, A5 beats OT John for gold. KiVA finishes Top 8 and qualifies. Two at-large bids go back into the field. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 48 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Dynasty 17 Black; Metro 17 Travel; Triangle 17 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (17): 2. Dynasty 17 Black 5. Triangle 17 Black 7. 1st Alliance 17 Gold 8. Co Jrs 17 Kevin 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 11. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite 17. KC Power 17 Black 19. Metro 17 Travel 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 25. Miami Hype 17 Emilio 27. Skyline 17 Royal 31. AVC Cle 17 Red 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 38. Circle City 17 Purple 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black   5-Star Athletes To Know Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State) Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gol (Purdue) Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest) Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black (Arizona) Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska) Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025) Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025) Lameen Mambu Metro 17 Travel (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know Ellie White S/OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Michigan) Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Kansas) Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky) Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black Ashlyn Philpot OH Triangle 17 Black (Illinois) Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State) Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee) Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Norte Dame) Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1 (Cincinnati) 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) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue) Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV) Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025) Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17

Read More »

Red Rock Rave All-Tournament Teams

Before moving on from this past weekend’s Red Rock Rave, we want to honor those girls who stood out the most to us over the course of the weekend. Based on our observations we bring you vballrecruiter.com’s 16 and 17 Open All-Tournament Teams. 17 OPEN OUTSIDES Lolo Lambert Drive Nation 17 Red Jaidyn Jager Coast 17-1 Kendall Beshear SCVC 17 Roxy Taylor Williams Vision 17 Gold MIDDLES Ayden Ames Drive Nation 17 Red Jenna Hanes Wave 17 Juliana Jaela Auguste Hou Skyline 17 Royal Mackenzie Parsons Coast 17-1 RIGHT SIDES Grace Carroll Drive Nation 17 Red Cleo Hardin Vision 17 Gold SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Kirra Musgrove Hou Skyline 17 Royal SETTERS Taylor Yu SG Elite 17 Rosh Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold Carson Eickenloff Drive Nation 17 Red LIBEROS/DSs Lauren Lynch SG Elite 17 Rosh Taylor Deckert SCVC 17 Roxy Maya Evens Wave 17 Juliana *** 16 OPEN OUTSIDES Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red Teraya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends Quinn Loper Wave 16 Kevin Bellamie Beus ID Crush 16 Bower Aaliyah Smith OH HJV 16 Elite MIDDLES Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Drive Nation 16 Red Kenna Cogill Arizona Storm 16 Thunder Jordan Taylor HJV 16 Elite Kennedy Washington MB TAV 16 Black RIGHT SIDES Taryn Morris Drive Nation 16 Red SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Ruby Hill Wave 16 Kevin SETTERS Sarah Pfiffner TAV 16 Black Tenesyn Frye ID Crush 16 Bower LIBEROS/DSs Sarah Mendoza Drive Nation 16 Red Sydney Black HJV 16 Elite Elizabeth Bower ID Crush 16 Bower

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 3 Show Stoppers

With qualifying on the line during the last day of competition of the Red Rock Rave at Las Vegas, players came out determined to help their teams finish positioned for a bid. While only a few clubs could leave town with their tickets punched, plenty of athletes caught our attention during the process. Below, we bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red: The 5-star Nebraska commit is a legit game-changer in the middle with her ability to impact both sides of the ball. She moves well and takes away space in a hurry blocking while also being able to torment defenses with her scoring. Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Lambert – a 4-star recruit – is a high-flying outside capable of delivering highlight worthy kills. She takes a lot of important swings for Drive Nation and was key in its success. Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Carroll – a 4-star recruit committed to Baylor – shined at the net. With Drive Nation forced to run a 5-1 this weekend due to injury, Carroll was invaluable to the attack. The lefty’s big swing brought instant offense to the court and Drive Nation made sure to feed her the ball. Brianna Watson OH Drive Nation 17 Red: A 3-star outside committed to LSU, Watson was another piece of the team’s success. She came through with plenty of clutch swings as she helped keep the offense powering along when she was in front. Caleigh King L/DS Drive Nation 17 Red: King – a 3-star recruit committed to UNLV – did a sound job in the back row. She covered well and was helping extend rallies. Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1: A 5-star outside from the Class of 2025, Jager is a six-rotation player Coast relies on a lot. She’s a smart hitter who can hurt defenses with a variety of shots. She’s also a strong backrow defender and passer. Mackenzie Parsons MB Coast 17-1: A 3-star recruit, Parsons brings some physicality to the net. She puts up a big block and is definitely an offensive threat defenses need to be prepared for. Kiki Remensperger S Wave 17 Juliana: Remensperger did a nice job directing Wave’s attack as it ended Day 3 with a bid. The 3-star recruit is quick with nice hands and a consistent delivery. She did well connecting with her middles too. Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana: Hanes – a 4-star Michigan commit – was lights out in the middle once more. She changes the dynamic when she’s in, both with her blocking and attacking. In system, Wave goes to Hanes a bunch and still defenses struggle to slow her down at all. Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Evens – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – faced big-time hitters on the final day and didn’t blink. She more than held her own defensively with accurate passing and doing a great job digging balls. *** Camden Bolane RS Wave 17 Juliana: Bolane, a Yale commit, brought versatility to the lineup throughout the weekend as she played outside, middle and right side at times. On Day 3, she was mostly tasked with anchoring the right side across the front and she did great in her role. She came up with timely blocks and kills. Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 4-star recruit committed to BYU, Bobik was a big part of Storm’s run to the semis as they knocked on the door for a bid. She has a whippy arm and carries a large portion of the attack on the left. Skyler Gartin MB Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Gartin – a 3-star recruit – is someone defenses need to keep track of. Storm will get her the ball when in system because she knows how to end the point. Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy: Deckert – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – had her hands full facing both Wave and Hou Skyline in gold pool action. Both her passing and defending were on point as she owned the back row. Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh: Yu – a 5-star recruit – is an effortless setter who is rarely off her mark. She puts her hitters in great situations consistently and is a big reason SG was in the hunt for a bid on Day 3. Sophia Wolfson MB SG Elite 17 Rosh: Wolfson was scoring well out of the middle for SG and giving Wu a reliable option she took advantage of. She gets up quickly and was putting balls down to the floor. Cleo Hardin RS Vision 17 Gold: A 3-star recruit committed to Yale, Hardin was bringing it on the attack. She’s an aggressive swinger who isn’t afraid of challenging blockers and seeing what happens, leading to big kills at times. Jaden Hendrickson RS Absolute 17 Black: Hendrickson is a solid pin hitter with a nice arm. She gives Absolute versatility and was swinging well from the right. Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: A six-rotation outside, Emmerling is a featured part of the attack. She swings well and knows how to keep pressure on defenses. Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Musgrove – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – was on it once again. She’s a smooth setter and locates well. Offensively, she’s long and has a very good arm to go at defenses with. *** Quinn Loper OH Wave 16 Kevin: Loper was a vital part of Wave’s run to the 16 Open gold medal. The 4-star outside has a fluid swing and hits with plenty of pace as she keeps coming at defenses. Ruby Hill S/RS Wave 16 Kevin: Hill – a 4-star recruit – brings her height to the front row as well as gives Wave another option on the right. Her versatility to remain in and set back row is also a

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Gold Medal Rundown

This week’s edition of WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!? is brought to us courtesy of Wave 16 Kevin. At No. 26 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, Wave was the eighth highest-ranked team in 16 Open at the Red Rock Rave national qualifier in Las Vegas. Six teams ranked higher all finished above Wave at last month’s Triple Crown NIT. None of that would make Wave a favorite this past weekend to bid let alone earn the gold medal. But after going 7-3 and finishing on top of the 16 Open standings, the question had to be asked. What just happened? Las Vegas is becoming the place where this Wave group has breakthroughs. Last year as 15s, the team qualified for Open for the first time after finishing a surprise fourth. This year, Wave broke through and took it all. The field this go around featured top contenders like No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 6 HJV 16 Elite and No. 7 Arizona Storm 16 Thunder, not to mention No. 10 TAV 16 Black and No. 13 Coast 16-1. It’s the reason why Wave retooled its roster though, in hopes of being able to take a step forward like it accomplished this past weekend. Outside Quinn Loper, setter/right side Ruby Hill and setter Emily Page were new additions who all played key roles in helping Wave win 16 Open. With returning players like outsides Nia Thompson and Mae Kordas and right side Keila Gabriel it’s given Wave more depth and roster flexibility. Wave needed to beat Rage 16 Garren in a crossover match on Day 1 to remain in contention. Wave lost to HJV and unranked A4 Volley 16 Cassie on Day 2 but managed to advance based on having the best set percentage in a three-way tie at 1-2 with A4 and AZ Rev 16 Premier. All that mattered though was Wave was positioned to take advantage of its luck and landed in a three-team pool with Surfside and Coast. For others, that might have doomed them. However, Wave was actually 2-1 on the year against Surfside before meeting in Monday’s gold pool and 0-1 against Coast, so there was familiarity. Wave pulled off two dramatic upsets, first edging Surfside 17-15 in the third before tackling Coast 15-10 in another Game 3. The feel-good story seemed to be in its last chapter though, with TAV on the horizon in the semifinals. Not only was TAV favored, but should Wave lose it would have to face the loser between Drive Nation and Arizona Storm in the third-place contest. Yet, Wave was not ready for the ride to end, first upsetting TAV in another wild conclusion, 16-14 in the third. That clinched the bid for Wave, so the pressure was off so to speak. But Wave wasn’t letting up and recorded another big upset in taking down Drive Nation in the final, 26-24, 26-24. That overshadowed what was an intense showdown for third place and the last remaining bid between TAV and Storm. Storm was able to survive, winning Game 3, 15-12. The qualifying action in 17 Open was a different type of thrilling. As highlighted on Day 2, with national No. 14 AZ Sky 17G and No. 15 Momentous 17 Dan out of contention and No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal owning a bid, there was opportunity for others to capitalize. At the top of the list to do so was third-ranked Drive Nation 17 Red. The rest of the contenders included No. 16 Wave 17 Juliana, No. 18 Vision 17 Gold, No. 20 Coast 17-1, No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy, No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh and No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder. Arizona Storm did its best to deliver another upset story, but it wasn’t meant to be. Storm advanced to the four-team gold bracket but lost to Coast in the semis. Drive Nation defeated Wave in the other semi before sweeping Coast in the final. Wave swept Storm for third place and the final bid. Wave had a tough gold pool with Hou Skyline and SCVC. Meanwhile, Storm beat both Vision and A4 Volley 17 Tyler in its gold pool. The bid chase in 18 Open ultimately boiled down to one three-team gold pool. Nine of the previously 11 qualified clubs advanced to the gold pools. As fate would have it, all nine were matched together in Pools 2-4. That left Pool 1 with three unqualified clubs in No. 2 Coast 18-1, No. 6 HJV 18 Elite and unranked TAV 18 Black. The first and second-place finishers in that pool were guaranteed bids through trickle down. Coast downed both HJV and TAV while TAV slipped past HJV to take second place and earn its bid. The final Open bid will go into the at-large pool.

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 2 Show Stoppers

The path to the Open bids is clear with just the final day remaining of the Red Rock Rave qualifier in Las Vegas. While the top-ranked teams are still in contention in 16 Open, the same can’t be said about 17 Open after the Day 2 results shook up the final-day pairings. We knew something had to give in Pool 1 in 17 Open, as national No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red, No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G shared the same four-team pool. It came down to Hou Skyline sweeping AZ Sky for second place behind Drive Nation. AZ Sky is the highest-ranked team in 17 Open out of contention but not by much. Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 nationally – was upset by both unranked A4 Volley 17 Tyler and No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh and finished third in its pool. Momentous had a chance to advance after losing to A4 but fell to SG in three games. Had Momentous defeated SG it would’ve earned the second-place tiebreaker over A4 but instead joins AZ Sky in the exit line. The winners of Monday’s four three-team pools advance to the four-team gold bracket where the Open bids will be ultimately determined. Hou Skyline, the only team with a bid so far, is in Pool 4 with No. 16 Wave 17 Juliana and No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy. If Hou Skyline wins its pool, the other three pool winners will pick up bids before playing a gold-bracket match. But if Hou Skyline fails to advance, then teams must win in the semifinals and/or third-place match to qualify. Drive Nation is matched with Absolute 17 Black and Seal Beach 17 Black in Pool 1. It’s Arizona Storm 17 Thunder, Vision 17 Gold and A4 in Pool 2. Pool 3 is likely to come down to SG Elite and Coast 17-1, but TAV Houston 17 Adidas is certainly capable of the upsets. It was calmer in 16 Open, at least in regards to the national rankings. On Day 1, No. 35 Absolute 16 Black was the highest-ranked team to be eliminated. On Sunday, it was No. 28 Madfrog 16 Green being shown the door after losing to No. 21 AVA TX 16 Adidas. In addition, No. 49 AZ Sky 16G was also eliminated Sunday. It leaves all the top-ranked teams in the hunt for Monday. Pool 1 is an all-So Cal fight between No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 13 Coast 16-1 and No. 26 Wave 16 Kevin. Coast was upset by Temecula Viper 16-1 Costa in pool play and needed to beat Muscle 16-1 in crossover action to advance. Wave, meanwhile, finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 with A4 Volley 16 Cassie and AZ Rev 16 Premier but managed to take second based on tiebreakers. Seventh-ranked Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is favored in Pool 2 with No. 27 ID Crush 16 Bower and unranked Vision 16 Gold. Vision took Drive Nation 16 Red to three games in pool play before falling Sunday and will look to play spoiler on Day 3. As for Drive Nation, the third-ranked team in the country is in Pool 3 with Temecula and AVA TX. The final pool is No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 10 TAV 16 Black and unranked Club One 16 Platinum. HJV is 1-0 against TAV this season, so TAV will look to even the score and win the pool. There is no trickle down in 16 Open, so teams must win the pool and advance to the gold bracket to stay alive. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Sophia Meyer L/DS Coast 17-1: Coast is still in the mix but worked for it after beating both Tx Peformance 16-1 and Club V 17 Ren Matthew in three games before losing to SCVC in crossover. Meyer was solid throughout, holding down the back row and consistently making plays. Makayla Gates OH Momentous 17 Dan: Gates is a six-rotation outside who gets off the ground well and has a fluid swing. The 6-0 outside was doing well tooling blocks. Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan: A 4-star right side, Gordon puts up a massive block! She gets her hands over the net and forms a wall. She can also turn it around and send down booming kills. Victoria Leyva L/DS TX Performance 17-1: Leyva helped TX Performance upset Club V in pool play but was eventually eliminated with a loss to Absolute 17 Black in crossover. She is an energetic libero who is fast and makes up ground quickly. Amar’e Stout RS TX Performance 17-1: Stout’s big arm is a key part of the attack. Defenders need to be ready because Stout will get the ball and isn’t afraid to go for it. Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Evens was part of a perfect 3-0 day as Wave didn’t drop a set. The 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 scoops up everything near her in the back row and is a lights-out passer in serve receive. Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy: Another 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Deckert is a cool character in the back row. She’s always under control and doesn’t rattle while making plays look effortless. Kendall Beshear OH SCVC 17 Roxy: A 3-star recruit, Beshear explodes on the attack and hits a heavy ball. Beshear carried a big load as SCVC went 3-0 on the day and remains in the running for a bid. Zada Sanger OH Absolute 17 Black: It was a tough go for Absolute in pool play with losses to SCVC and Vision but Sanger and company beat Tx Performance in crossover to stay alive. Sanger was taking aggressive swings and not backing down. Dylan Whisenant L/DS Absolute 17 Black: Whisenant was getting after it defensively with lots of hustle and keeping rallies going. *** Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Drive Nation didn’t lose a set in going 3-0 and

Read More »

Red Rock Rave: Day 1 Show Stoppers

For many of the top-seeded clubs the opening day of the second weekend of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas offered an easing-in period. But for some, the first day was truly a matter of survival as they found themselves locked in elimination matches. The highest-profile case came in 16 Open when AVA TX 16 Adidas and Absolute 16 Black were matched in a crossover in which the winner advanced to the Round 2 Division 1 pools while the loser would fall to the Round 2 Division 2 pools for Sunday. AVA entered ranked No. 21 in vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings while Absolute sits at No. 35. This was a case where neither team expected to be knocked from contention on Day 1. Yet, Absolute was on the wrong side of the score as AVA TX prevailed in three, 25-17, 25-27, 15-8. Wave 16 Kevin – ranked No. 26 nationally – and unranked clubs in Forza1 North 16 One and Club One 16 Platinum joined AVA in capturing must-win crossover matches to move on as well. Two unranked teams in 16 Open which helped create some of the upheaval Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center were Forza1 16 One and AZ Rev 16 Premier. Forza began its day with an upset of Absolute while AZ Rev closed its three-team pool by upsetting AVA TX and finishing first. Forza lost its crossover to AZ Sky 16G while ID Crush 16 Bower defeated AZ Rev in another crossover. Both AZ Rev and Forza remain in the mix for Day 2. The only other real news out of 16 Open is Vision 16 Gold and Temecula Viper 16 both advancing as the No. 3 team in their respective pools. They each beat the No. 2 team in their pools, with Vision taking down Aspire 16 Adidas and Temecula upending Rage Westside 16 Jen. Of the top six-ranked teams in 16 Open from our Top 50, only No. 13 Coast 16-1 lost Saturday. Coast had already clinched first place in its pool when it fell to unranked Muscle VB 16-1. Meanwhile, No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 3 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 7 Arizona Storm and TAV 16 Black went a combined 15-0 with only Surfside dropping a set. All 12 teams in appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings advanced in 17 Open. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While the highest-ranked team in No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red went 3-0, the next two highest in No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G lost. Hou Skyline earned its Open bid at NEQ last weekend but was uprooted by No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder in its three-team pool. AZ Sky was beaten by unranked TAV Houston 17 Adidas. It left both Hou Skyline and AZ Sky – which tied for third at Triple Crown – needing to win crossovers to remain in the mix. Both did. Wave 17 Juliana – ranked No. 16 nationally – No. 18 Vision 17 Gold and No. 20 Coast 17-1 didn’t lose a set on the day. Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 – finished 3-0 and but went three twice while No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy ended 3-0 and dropped one set. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Addison Massey OH TX Performance 16-1: Massey helped her team to an upset of No. 49 AZ Sky 16G. She’s a six-rotation outside and a big part of the attack. She swings front and back row and did well in helping carrying her share of the offense. Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner is a 4-star recruit with soft hands and a smooth delivery. She did well mixing her sets up and utilizing all of her hitters.   Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack is another 4-star recruit and you can see her next-level potential when she goes on the attack. She elevates quickly and can deliver rockets for kills. Justice Fuhrmann S Forza1 16 One: Fuhrmann is a bit undersized but she did a nice job running the attack and putting up a hittable ball. She located consistently. Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 One: Thunstrom did well in her role in helping provide offense on the outside. She found gaps in the blocks for kills and even delivered a big block of her own. Kimanni Rugley MB AVA TX 16 Adidas: Rugley is an athletic middle who makes her presence felt in the middle. She gets up fast and has a good arm to punish opponents with. Sydney Black L/DS HJV 16 Elite: Black – a 4-star recruit – was sound in serve receive and doing well with her first-ball contact. Nicole Steiner OH Vision 16 Gold: Steiner was taking her share of cuts on the outside and was helping keep Vision in the game. She has a fluid swing and was mixing up her shots. Kendall Timme OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Timme is a lanky outside and one of Arete’s best scoring threats. She’s an option both front and back row and can deliver. Rylee Smith MB Arete 16 Navy Telos: Smith has nice size and is a disrupter in the middle. She does well getting touches and blocks. *** Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower: A 4-star recruit, Frye has command of the offense and does well locating. She has a nice touch and with her size she’s a factor at the net too. Kiana Mark OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Mark brings physicality to the attack. She hits with power and score a lot of points. Lilyana Kautai RS Rage 16 Westside Jen: Kautai is someone opponents need to keep eyes on when she checks in. Rage will set her. She gets up well and takes aggressive swings. Natalia Clifford OH Rage 16 Westside Jen: Another six-rotation outside, Clifford contributes both front row with her attacking and her strong defense in the

Read More »

Red Rock Rave Week 2: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

Last week was split between multiple qualifiers and Bluegrass but the main focus this week is centered on Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring 16s and up. There are no other qualifiers or major national tournaments. vballrecruiter.com is making the journey for the three-day event. This event usually takes place later on the calendar. With it getting moved up earlier, it’s going to change the trickle-down situation in 16 and 17 Open. There are usually multiple teams with bids in the field but since the tournament is early this season only one team across the two divisions is previously qualified in Hou Skyline 17 Royal. Let’s take a look at the Open divisions and how they might play out. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 34 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (11): A4 Volley 18 Joaco; A5 18 Marc; Arizona Storm 18 Thunder; AZ Rev 18 Premier; AZ EVJ 18 Elite; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; MAVS 18-1; Sunshine 18 LA; Tstreet 18 Chandler; Wave 18 Juliana vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (13): 2. Coast 18-1 4. MAVS 18-1 5. Sunshine 18-1 6. HJV 18 Elite 11. Wave 18 Juliana 12. Club V 18 Ren Reed 14. A5 18 Marc 18. AZ Rev 18 Premier 21. Hou Skyline 18 Royal 27. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 44. Legacy Girls 18 Elite 50. Tstreet 18 Chandler   5-Star Athletes To Know: Noemie Glover RS Coast 18-1 (Oregon) Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Marc (LSU) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU, 2024)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Brooklyn Briscoe MB Coast 18-1 (UCLA) Koko Kirsch L/DS Wave 18 Juliana (Stanford) Bianka Lulic MB Coast 18-1 (Miami) Claire Little OH Coast 18-1 (BYU) Ava Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Notre Dame) Tori Davis MB Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Baylor) Lois Hansen RS Tstreet 18 Chandler (UCSB) Eva Travis OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (UCSB) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Zoe Rachow S Coast 18-1 (Tulane) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Fatimah Hall S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Auburn Tomkinson RS Wave 18 Juliana (Yale) Arya Jue L/DS A5 18 Marc (Yale) Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana (Maryland) Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana (Colorado) Cindy Tchouangwa OH HJV 18 Elite Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor) Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Long Beach State, 2024) Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU, 2024)   Outlook/Prediction: The 18s are in a different spot with qualifying going on since January. That’s why there are 11 teams already qualified. Trickle down can only go to eighth place, so it’s possible that no bids go out at all. Of course, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are a couple highly-ranked teams in No. 2 Coast 18-1 and No. 6 HJV 18 Elite have yet to earn their bids and I’m going out on a limb to say both will place at least in the Top 8 to qualify. At No. 28, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar is the only other team from Vballrecrutier.com’s Top 50 in the field without a bid. Considering the depth of field, it’s going to take work for Long Beach to crack the Top 8. Coast gets its bid by winning it all, downing MAVS 18-1 in the final. HJV also bids with the third going into the at-large pool. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 39 Number of Bids: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 17 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12): 3. Drive Nation 17 Red 13. Hou Skyline 17 Royal 14. AZ Sky 17G 15. Momentous 17 Dan 16. Wave 17 Juliana 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 32. Club V 17 Ren Matthew 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 46. AZ Rev 17 Premier 49. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder   5-Star Athletes To Know: Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas) Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska) Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy (2025)   4-Star Athletes To Know: Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan) Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego) Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas) Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale) Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor) Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (BYU) Lillian Croshaw MB Drive Nation 17 Red Levani Key-Powell OH Club V 17 Ren Reed (Utah) Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul) Camden Bolane MB Wave 17 Juliana (Yale) Shelby Burris MB Drive Nation 17 Red (2025) Lauren Lynch L/DS SG Elite 17 Rosh (2025) Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)   Outlook/Prediction: By all indications, this division is going to be a wild ride. Hou Skyline 17 Royal, having qualified last weekend at NEQ, is safe from the chaos but could definitely factor into the final outcomes by creating trickle down to fourth place. Drive Nation 17 Red enters has the highest-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 yet is anything but a lock. While Drive Nation finished tied for third at Triple Crown, it has been vulnerable at times. It’s a tournament where I see nine of the ranked teams having a legit shot at earning bids, down to No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh. The final two Top-50 teams in No. 46 AZ Rev 16 Premier and

Read More »

Qualifying Season Under Way Everywhere

The past weekend was one of the busier of the season and should have been even busier than it was. With the opening weekends of the Red Rock Rave and Northeast qualifiers, the second weekend of the Sunshine Classic, Bluegrass and the Boston Festival, something was happening just about everywhere – except for Reno. The Sierra 18s National Qualifier was snowed out and rescheduled two weeks later in Sacramento. It was simply one of those weekends. The schedule exhales and slows down this coming weekend, with Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring the older age groups the only major tournament slated. Let’s check out what went down across the country over the weekend. RED ROCK RAVE WEEKEND 1 Skyline 15 Royal continues on! The Triple Crown champions showed why they are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the country after going 10-0 and winning 15 Open at the Red Rock Rave last weekend. Skyline qualified in the process as well. The latest update to vballrecruiter.com’s 15s National Rankings on March 2 featured Skyline as the top-ranked club. That’s because after winning Triple Crown Skyline boasted an impressive win-loss sheet. The only three teams to top Skyline so far are Madfrog 15 Green, Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. That’s to go with victories over Austin Skyline 15 Royal (three times), TAV 15 Black (twice), Madfrog (twice), Alamo 15 Premier, Hou Skyline, Drive Nation 15 Red and AP 15 Adidas. To me, it’s clear Skyline deserved the top spot. The main question is what would happen once Skyline was there? Would there be a letdown after winning Triple Crown? Would teams be able to catch up after themselves improving in the last few weeks? Skyline dropped just one set in Las Vegas, in a victory over No. 33 GP 15 Rox on the last day. Other victories came against national No. 4 Madfrog, No. 15 Wave 15 Brennan and No. 19 Forza1 North 14 One. Joining Skyline in bidding was runner-up Madfrog and third-place TAV, which defeated Wave for the last bid. As I noted in the preview, it was a deep field with 22 of the 38 teams appearing in our Top 50. It was also interesting to note that the three highest-ranked teams in our Top 50 all qualified in No. 1 Skyline, No. 4 Madfrog and No. 5 TAV. Triple Crown runner-up and national No. 10 SCVC 15 Roxy finished tied for fifth after suffering its only loss of the weekend in gold pool play to Madfrog. AZ Sky 15G – ranked No. 13 nationally – backed up its strong performance at Triple Crown by also tying for fifth. TAV was the only opponent to beat AZ Sky, with that result also coming in gold pool. AZ Sky did pick up big victories over both Drive Nation and Madfrog on Day 2. Aspire 15 Premier had a solid weekend. Ranked No. 41 in our Top 50, Aspire upset No. 14 Hou Skyline 15 Royal on Day 2 and finished in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Hou Skyline and Wave. Aspire took second based on tiebreakers while Hou Skyline was third and eliminated from bid contention. While we all missed wanting to see Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson meet up at Triple Crown, the two found themselves on the same court in the 14 Open final in Las Vegas. Storm completed its perfect 10-0 weekend by downing Tstreet in three, 23-25, 25-15, 15-8. Both earned their bids, as did Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar. Long Beach held off Madfrog 14 Green, 15-25, 28-26, 15-10, in the third-place match to earn the final bid. That victory felt great for Long Beach for two reasons. Not only did Long Beach qualify, but it lost twice to Madfrog in Kansas City so it got one back. Arizona Storm and Tstreet were the two highest-ranked teams, with Storm No. 1 in our Top 50 and Tstreet No. 3. Madfrog followed at No. 4, while Long Beach is currently No. 11. Skyline 14 Royal – ranked No. 5 – tied for fifth with No. 15 Wave 14 Tammy. National No. 11 Forza1 14 One and No. 19 Forza1 North 14 One – neither of which were at Triple Crown – both tied for seventh. The Hawaiian club and ninth-place finisher Mauloa 14-1 was another team not at Triple Crown but managed to crack the Top 10. With 26 teams competing, 14 Open wasn’t as big as 15 Open but was another competitive field. Of those 26, 14 are ranked in our Top 50. That includes 10 inside the Top 20. I thought with Arizona Storm and Tstreet in the field, they were the obvious favorites to bid. A lot of it came down to which would be the third team joining the bid party and we got an answer with Long Beach. That’s a well-earned bid. *** SUNSHINE CLASSIC WEEKEND 2 We finally have our first Open bids from the 16s age group. Every other age group already had Open qualifiers but it took the 16s until this past weekend to get on the board. And what a beginning it was! Talk about the unexpected, that’s exactly what happened in Orlando. Whereas our national rankings held up at the Red Rock Rave in 14 and 15 Open, 16 Open at Sunshine shattered them. None of our top seven ranked teams qualified there. In fact, national No. 30 HPSTL 16 Royal took home the gold medal and one of the three bids. HPSTL finished 25th at Triple Crown and that didn’t inspire hopes of HPSTL coming to Orlando and taking care of business. But that’s how it played out, with HPSTL coming on strong on the final day. HPSTL upset No. 8 A5 16 Gabe and beat No. 42 Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite in gold pool action to make the four-team gold bracket. HPSTL then topped No. 44 GP 16 Rox in the semis

Read More »