Commitment & Signings Week of Feb 24-March 2
March 7, 2023
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH 2023 BOY’S 2023 2024
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH 2023 BOY’S 2023 2024
The 2023 edition of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament has come and gone. vballrecruiter.com highlighted our Day 1 and 2 Show Stoppers, as well as a gold medal rundown. Lastly, we bring you are All-Tournament selections from the two-day event in Louisville. 17 OPEN OUTSIDES Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami Alivia Skidmore NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Morgan Gaerte Team Pineapple 17 Black Chloe Smith Adidas KiVA 17 Red MIDDLES Julia Hunt NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue Abbie Cresse Empowered 17 Elite Black RIGHT SIDES Emma Closurdo Adidas KiVA 17 Red Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Ella Holloway Memphis VBA 17 Red SETTERS Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Leah Richmond Academy 17 Tsunami SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Kiana Dinn Tri-State Elite 17 Blue LIBEROS/DS Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Mackenzie Cogan Elevation 17 Ulland *** 16 OPEN OUTSIDES Bella Bullington SPVB 16 Elite Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red Anna Powell Adidas KiVA 16 Red Bridget Egan Adidas KiVA 16 Red MIDDLES Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple Kayla Channell AVC Cle 16 Red Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red RIGHT SIDES Lauren Coyne SPVB 16 Elite Bailey Blair Adidas KiVA 16 Red Caroline Moore Tri-State Elite 16 Blue SETTERS Audrey Asleson SPVB 16 Elite Melina Schrader Munciana 16 Blaze Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Isabela Haggard Adidas KiVA 16 Red LIBEROS/DS Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon Adidas KiVA 16 RED *** 15 OPEN OUTSIDES Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Karis Chatfield Far Out 15 Black MaryKate Scheumann Team Pineapple 15 Black MIDDLES Josie Noble Far Out 15 Black Audrey Dyas NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami D’Aira Whitner AVC Cle 15 Red RIGHT SIDES Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Addison Buckner AVC Cle 15 Red SETTERS Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Addyson Bianchini NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black Mallory Johnson Far Out 15 Black Emma Frietch NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami *** 14 OPEN OUTSIDES Maisie Jones Tri-State Elite 14 Blue Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red Jentelle McNairl Alliance 14 Ren MIDDLES Carsyn Comer Munciana 14 Chipmunks Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RIGHT SIDES Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTERS Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Maria Schulte NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Lucy Moriarty HPSTL 14 Royal Kendyl Strack Munciana 14 Chipmunks Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Molly
It’s always a matter of who is going to step up and who is going to star on the final day of any tournament. It was no different as the conclusion of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament played out Sunday in Louisville. You can see which teams ended up on top here. Below, you can read about the Day 2 Show Stoppers featuring the players who caught our attention the most. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Annabelle Groomes OH AVC Cle 16 Red: Groomes, a 5-star recruit, is showing there is very little she can’t do on the court. We’ve seen Groomes three times this season already and the first two she was setting and hitting in playing a vital role. In Louisville, the lefty was playing six-rotations on the outside and doing it very well. What value her versatility has! Mallory Johnson L/DS Far Out 15 Black: Part of the Class of 2027, Johnson is playing up and playing well. She plays under control and is a sound passer and defender. Josie Noble MB Far Out 15 Black: Noble was a big factor. She brought offense to the lineup with her ability to thud balls to the floor. She also puts up a strong block. Alana Bailey MB Far Out 15 Black: Bailey is a bit undersized in the middle but she’s quick and gets off the ground very well. She gives Far Out another scoring option. Karis Chatfield OH Far Out 15 Black: Chatfield is the six-rotation mainstay for Far Out and she brings a lot of fire and competitiveness to the lineup. Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: NKYVC isn’t going to be anyone based on size alone, but Dyas does bring a much-needed presence to the front row. She’s a strong hitter and blocker and she can swing the match to NKYVC’s favor when she checks in. Addyson Bianchini S/RS NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Bianchini is an upbeat two-way player who sets and hits. She has a nice release and locates well and can also help out providing offense. Kirsten Kemper S NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Kemper sets across the back row and she also has a nice delivery and consistent location. Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: The 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 is must-watch volleyball! That Ward is still in eighth-grade and is as smooth as she is makes for a fun time. She gets up effortlessly and can simply unload on balls. Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 4-star recruit, Hepler owns the back row. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive and you can tell opponents work on keeping the ball away from her as she’s not one to target. Sophia Gisslen S Team Pineapple 15 Black: A 3-star recruit, Gisslen knows how to get the job done. She’s an even-keeled setter who does a great job leading and guiding the offense. Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black: Haffner, a 4-star recruit, is another defender who anchors the back row and can make all the plays needed. She’s rarely off the mark with her passing. MaryKate Scheumann OH Team Pineapple 15 Black: Team Pineapple was certainly benefitting from Scheumann and her aggressiveness on the attack. Scheumann wasn’t holding back and was taking big-time swings on the left and scoring consistently. D’Aira Whitner MB AVC Cle 15 Red: Whitner, a 3-star recruit, is a quick middle and that causes trouble for opponents. She can get up and swing before the block is formed. Brooke Codey OH Adidas KiVA 14 Red: A seventh-grader, Codey is the six-rotation anchor KiVA relies a lot on. She’s asked to take the big swings on the left and deliver in the clutch moments and she does a great job of it. Emily Poteraj MB Adidas KiVA 14 Red: Opponents know KiVA is going to set Poteraj the ball and they still struggle to slow her down. She has a nice arm and can generate pace. Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal: Sands is an active middle and someone HPSTL will look to get the ball to. Kendall Hubbard S Elevation 14 Molly: Hubbard usually runs a 6-2, hitting across the front. But Elevation was short-handed on Day 2 and thus Hubbard was running a 5-1. She did well in trying to incorporate all her hitters and looking to keep the defense guessing. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer was once again bringing her passion and play to the court and shining. She’s a big-time factor for Munciana when she’s on the floor and she gives them much-needed height across the front as well. Caroline Hanchar OH Munciana 14 Chipmunks: A bit undersized on the pin, Hanchar isn’t afraid to attack bigger blocks. She was taking aggressive cuts time and time again and helping deliver points to her side. Kendyl Strack L/DS Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Strack was holding it down in the back row and doing well helping keep Munciana in system. Jentelle McNairl OH Alliance 14 Ren: McNairl is an athletic outside and one to keep tabs on. She’s spring with a lively arm and she’s only going to get better and she gains more control and experience. Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red: A 4-star recruit, Makun can overwhelm opponents at time. She’s long and can hit straight down and it puts tons of pressure on opponents to try and defend her. Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: We wrote about Asleson on Day 1 and she was back doing her thing on Day 2. That’s not surprising. She’s a smooth disher who knows how to run an offense. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: A 4-star recruit, there was no one in the division with a bigger arm. Bullington was a force to be reckoned with.
One of the best parts of covering volleyball tournaments is seeing how they play out and then getting to make sense of the results. Bluegrass had plenty to sift through and tales to tell. The 14 Open gold medal went to host Adidas KiVA 14 Red. If you read the Preview and Predictions out last Thursday you would have seen KiVA picked to win it all in 14 Open. KiVA entered ranked No. 13 in our latest 14s Top 50 National Rankings. That was one spot behind No. 12 Elevation 14 Molly, which opened as the top seed having won Central Zone in January. I called for a KiVA-Elevation final, but that matchup came in the semifinals with KiVA sweeping, 25-19, 25-19. Instead, it was KiVA getting past a streaking HPSTL 14 Royal in the final, winning in three, 25-15, 25-27, 15-8. I say streaking in regards to HPSTL because HPSTL didn’t start off very strong but has come on as of late. Three weeks ago HPSTL fell twice to Mintonette Sports m.42 at the President Day’s Classic in St. Louis. However, just a week later HPSTL took second in 14 Open at the Sunshine Classic to earn its Open bid. There was no letdown either, as HPSTL navigated its way to the final in Louisville after clipping a sound Munciana 14 Chipmunks squad in the semis, 25-21, 10-25, 15-13. Munciana is ranked No. 18 nationally while HPSTL currently sits at No. 21. KiVA, meanwhile, lost just one match over the two days, falling to Munciana in Power Pool 2 action on Day 1. Another predicted result happened in 17 Open, where No. 9 and Triple Crown winner NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami downed No. 21 and Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami in the final, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12. In the preview I wrote, I speculated that NKYVC would avenge its Central Zone loss to Academy by beating Academy in the final in Louisville. Beating Academy in three was the only set NKYVC lost at Bluegrass, including beating No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red and No. 41 Boiler Jrs 17 Gold in Power Pool 2 as well as No. 23 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue in the semifinals. The 15 Open final came down to the two highest nationally-ranked clubs in the field in No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold and No. 8 NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami. NKYVC pulled off the modest upset, downing Boiler Jrs in straight sets, 25-19, 25-23. NKYVC struggled on Day 1 during Power Pool 2, losing to both No. 48 TVC 15 Black and No. 35 Team Pineapple 15 Black before coming on during Day 2. It proved to be another hometown victory in 16 Open, as host Adidas KiVA 16 Red outlasted SPVB 16 Elite in the final, 18-25, 25-21, 15-9. KiVA entered as the third-highest ranked team in the field, sitting at No. 23 behind No. 11 Circle City 16 Purple and No. 19 AVC Cle 16 Red. Sports Performance entered unranked as it hadn’t played a travel tournament yet but certainly will be ranked in the Top 20 come the next update. KiVA, which lost a tough three-setter in Power Pool 2 to No. 24 Tri-State Elite 16 Blue on Day 1, was the only club to top SPVB in Louisville. There was a surprise in 18 Open when No. 30 Elevation 18 Spinney upset No. 3 Munciana 18 Samurai in the final, 25-23, 26-24. Elevation lost its first match of the weekend to No. 15 Circle City 18 Purple in Power Pool 2 play before winning six matches in a row and winning gold. Stay tuned for more coverage from Bluegrass as we still have the Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament teams to announce.
The highest-seeded clubs spent the opening day of the Bluegrass Tournament in power pools, their spots in Sunday’s challenge rounds guaranteed. For the rest, it was business as usual, aiming to break pool to remain in contention. Those that managed to stay in the hunt will get their shot at pulling off upsets of the power pool participants on Day 2 when the gold medals will be awarded. In 14 Open, Elevation 14 Molly – the top seed and winner of Central Zone – looked good in going 3-0 by sweeping Far Out 14 Black, HPSTL 14 Royal – which has already qualified for 14 Open – and Munciana Indy 14 Otters. Munciana 14 Chipmunks was the only other power-pool squad to go 3-0 in the 14s as Muncie took care of Adidas KiVA 14 Red, AVC Cle 14 Red and Lex United 14 Adidas all in straight sets. For seeding purposes, it was NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami gaining first place in Power Pool 3 after finishing tied with Tri-State Elite 14 Blue at 2-1. NKYVC swept the head-to-head against Tri-State to get first. Of the non-power pool teams, Alliance 14 Ren, Maverick 14 Elite and Circle City 14 Purple all went 3-0 in winning their pools. However, it was EliteVBTC 14 Black which arguably had the best day of any 14 Open team. Elite went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in Pool 5 to drastically improve its seeding. Another age group going off in the morning was 16 Open, which featured two power pools. SPVB 16 Elite shined in one of them while the other pool featured mixed results. SPVB took down a solid group of teams in Circle City 16 Purple, Munciana 16 Blaze and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami. In the other pool, AVC Cle 16 Red, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue all finished at 2-1 overall and 5-3 in sets. KiVA took first based on points percentage, followed by AVC and Tri-State. OPVC 16 Robinson was the fourth team in the pool and went 3-0 against the stiff competition. It started with AVC outlasting Tri-State in three games. Tri-State then clipped KiVA in three before KiVA closed out the pool by edging AVC in three. The top teams in 17 Open all finished 3-0 in their respective pools. Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami fared the best of the trio. NKYVC was the only one not to lose a set, sweeping Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Hurricanes Category 7 in Power Pool 2. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue was part of a perfect Power Pool 3. And by perfect I mean every match in the pool went to three sets! That’s a long day for everyone involved, but it was Tri-State prevailing in all three it played. Union 17-1 UA finished 2-1 followed by Elevation 17 Ulland at 1-2 and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal at 0-3. The same thing was close to happening in Power Pool 1. Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami sweeping Team Pineapple 17 Black in the opening match was the only one of the six not to go the distance. Academy eventually took the pool by fending off Memphis Academy 17 Red and Maverick 17 Elite. The biggest result in 15 Open came with AVC Cle 15 Red knocking off top-seeded Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in Power Pool A. That’ll shake up the seedings for Sunday’s challenge pools and beyond. AVC finished on top at 3-0, having also downed Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite. Both second-seeded NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and third-seeded Elevation 15 Tony lost as well in their pools. That’s only going to shake up the seedings further. In Power Pool B, it was Team Pineapple 15 Black at 3-0 which wound up in first place. TVC 15 Black also picked up a big victory over NKYVC to finish at 2-1, ahead of NKYVC at 1-2. Far Out 15 Black topped Elevation in the last match of Power Pool C to finish 3-0. Elevation came in second at 2-1. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze: Schrader does a great job moving the ball around and mixing it up for an undersized offensive group overall. She has precise location and puts the ball in a hittable window very consistently. Shanese Williams MB/RS Munciana 16 Blaze: I’m glad I caught Williams again. There was simply too many players to write about from Triple Crown and Williams certainly could have been mentioned for her play on Day 2 against Drive Nation 16 Red. Williams was doing her thing again, banging away from the right side and adding pop to the Munciana attack. Lilly Howell MB Munciana 16 Blaze: Howell is the tallest player for Munciana and she made an impact across the front row. She has a big arm and Munciana likes to take advantage of that, setting her as often as they can when she’s lined up on the left. Aubrey Anders MB AVC Cle 16 Red: Anders is a quick jumper. She gets up quick and is tough for defenses to time. She also showed off a nice arm putting balls down to the ground. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: There’s no questioning that Bullington – a 4-star recruit – has a massive arm. She was blasting balls repeatedly. She’s another quick jumper who just gets off the floor and lets it rip! Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: Asleson is currently a 3-star recruit who’ll be moving up to 4 stars in the next update. She’s a smoother disher with a clean, consistent release and she locates well. Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: If I was handing out a personal pick for Day 1 MVP, it would go to Haggard. She was a key ingredient to KiVA’s lineup. She was playing with lots of energy and spirit, was setting well and was swinging with a purpose in helping her team in many ways. Bailey Blair
Another day of action brought more heat across the gym. For the most part seeded teams held their own. But you have to love a good upset, right?! For the most part I have seen most of the top Open level teams play this season already. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal was one of the clubs I have not been able to personally see as of yet. Tribe features a ton of South Florida stars who I was able to watch this past high school season. One is 5-star recruit Charlotte Glass is “quarterbacking” the team. Add in 5-star recruit outside Kelly Kinney, 4-star recruit libero Zoey Matias, 3-star recruit outside Tekoa Barnes and right side Mija Bendziute and watch out. They will be a lot of fun to watch this season. Sunday means Championship Day! The 17 Open Gold Pools are set. See below. GMPP1 Triangle 17 Black HPSTL 17 Royal Legacy 17-1 ADIDAS GMPP2 A5 17-Jing Mintonette Sports – m.71 CUVC 17 Arete GMPP3 TAV 17 Black OT 17 O Felix Top Select 17 Elite GMPP4 OT 17 T Aaron Skyline 17 Royal MKE Sting 17 Gold The 16 Open Gold Pools: GMPP1 H Skyline 16 Royal Top Select 16 Elite OT 16 O Roberto GMPP2 A5 16-Gabe Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite HPSTL 16 Royal GMPP3 OT 16 T JP GP 16 Rox DYNASTY 16 Black GMPP4 Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS Austin Skyline 16 Royal Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: Bobbitt, a 3-star Iowa State commit, is a gamer with pin-point accuracy who shows strong command of running the show. Taylor Pagan OH High Voltage 1517 College Pre: Pagan hits a heavy ball and is high on the energy scale on the court. Becca Wight Opp Mintonette Sports – m.71: A 6-4 3-star Virginia commit, Wight is a physical presence on the court both offensively and defensively. Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: A 4-star Coastal Carolina commit, Bowron is a fearless attacker who aggressively goes at bigger blockers on the reg. Macaria Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears, a 5-star recruit, was literally cracking on balls. She was absolutely tormenting defenses with her scoring ability. Megan Morello L H Skyline 16 Royal: Morello was as holding it down defensively, coming up with saves all over the court. Camryn Jeffery Opp A5 16 Gabe: Jeffery, a 4-star recruit, adds a physical presence to the attack. She had huge swings and big blocks. Chichi Nnaji Opp Skyline 16 Royal: Chichi is making her presence known these days. She hits a heavy ball consistently. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn, a 5-star recruit, runs a good offense. She has good connections with her middles and is consistent with her locations from anywhere on the court. Amina N’diaye OH OT 16 O Roberto: A 5-star recruit, N’diaye takes a lot of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes, a 3-star recruit, was ripping balls through and around the block all day. She is a very explosive hitter. Ella Florez S/Opp Dynasty 16 Black: Flores, a 5-star recruit, plays a vital role hitting and setting. She has good hands and can dish anywhere effectively. Kayden Green S/Opp GP 16 Rox: A 4-star recruit, Green did a nice job dishing and running the attack. Elissa Baez OH GP 12 Rox: There’s no backing down with Baez. She kept digging and challenging defenses. She’s a crafty hitter too. Brooklyn Howard L A5 12-LA: Howard is a nice anchor in the backcourt. She made some strong plays and has good, consistent energy. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko displayed her skills all around. She passed well out of the backrow. She also was swinging well and providing offense.
The start of the second weekend of the 2023 Sunshine Volleyball Classic definitely started off in an interesting way. One, kudos to all the coaches, parents and athletes who stepped up for missing members being stranded from weather issues while traveling. Secondly, there is nothing like a 20-min convention center blackout! After that passed it was back to non-stop high flying and hard-hitting action! Never a dull moment at the Sun! DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Anyanwu, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, is a beast at the net both defensively and offensively. Victoria Harris L SC Midlands 17 National R: Harris is a scrapper who is wicked fast on the court. Niyah Lester MB ROCKC 17-1: Lester is a strong presence in the middle who moves side to side well and gets up on the block to cause problems for attackers. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17N Emilio: Molina is a big presence at the net. Her physicality keeps defenses on their toes. Nayelis Cabello S Top Select 17 Elite: A 5-star recruit and Louisville commit, Cabello has a great touch and a good arm to beat defense. Kassidy O’Brien S H Skyline 17 Royal: O’Brien, a 5-star recruit, was dishing with the best them. She’s super smooth and can keep defenses guessing with her ability to set from anywhere on the court. Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal: The 6-5 Gaido, a 4-star recruit, was hitting with great extension and power. Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Glass, a 5-star recruit, has great hands and knows how to run an offense well. Shylah Swope S VA Elite 16’s: Swope has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Ella Moore OH NYC Juniors 16 National: Moore is an undersized six-rotation outside scrapper who has no fear on the court. Amirra Bailey MB SKEVA 16 Blue: Bailey is HUGE at the net with a gigantic upside both defensively and offensively. Isabella Mogridge S OT 16 T JP: A 4-star recruit, Mogridge runs a smooth offense. She smart, athletic, and has a great touch. Addison Walker OH BVA 17 Elite: Walker is a 6-2 six-rotation powerhouse who is one of BVA’’s most consistent scorers with her ability to go over and around blocks on the regular. Emory Miskovsky L OP2 12-1: Miskovsky is an smooth libero who communicates and controls the back row well. Roxy Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is an athletic 5-1 setter with strong hands. Peyton Robinson OH A5 12 LA: Robinson did a double duty role to. When I first saw her she was swinging well on the outside. By the end of the pool she had the libero jersey. She was fun to watch the switch up.
The last of the rankings update goes to the 14s division. Even though we are into March, the 14s haven’t traveled much outside a few tournaments and of course Triple Crown. The next two months are going to be fun to follow and track as teams trek through qualifying season. For now, here are the 14s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. TAV 14 Black (TX) 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder (AZ) 3. Tstreet 14 Carson (CA) 4. Madfrog 14 Green (TX) 5. Skyline 14 Royal (TX) 6. AP 14 Adidas (TX) 7. OT 14 Laura (FL) 8. Drive Nation 14 Red (TX) 9. A5 14 Helen (GA) 10. MAVS KC 14-1 (KS) *** 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar (CA) 12. Elevation 14 Molly (OH) 13. Adidas KiVA 14 Red (KY) 14. Forza1 14 One (CA) 15. Wave 14 Tammy (CA) 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier (AZ) 17. Legacy 14 Adidas (MI) 18. Munciana 14 Chipmunks (IN) 19. Forza1 North 14 One (CA) 20. Excel 14 National Red (TX) *** 21. HPSTL 14 Royal (MO) 22. AZ Sky 14G (AZ) 23. WPVC 14 Armour Black (FL) 24. GP 14 Rox (FL) 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver (UT) 26. Tri-State 14 Blue (OH) 27. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal (FL) 28. Far Out 14 Black (MI) 29. Top Select 14 Elite (FL) 30. Austin Skyline 14 Royal (TX) *** 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal (TX) 32. SAS 14-1 (HI) 33. HJV 14 Elite (TX) 34. Northern Lights 14-1 (MN) 35. Mintonette Sports m.41 (OH) 36. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (KY) 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (MO) 38. Metro 14 Travel (DC) 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold (NE) 40. City 14 Gold (CA) *** 41. Kairos 14 Alpha (SD) 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold (WI) 43. PVA 14 Elite (KS) 44. ID Crush 14 Bower (ID) 45. KC Power 14 Black (KS) 46. Academy 14 Diamond (NC) 47. Coast 14-1 (CA) 48. MAVS 816 14-1 (KS) 49. Miami Hype 14 Nekane (FL) 50. Triangle 14 Black (NC) ON THE CUSP Iowa Rockets 14R (IO) Surfside 14 Loriann (CA) Wildfire 14 Albert (FL) Topeka Saints 14-1 (KS) Lions 14-1 (IL) MN Select 14-1 (MN) VCNebraska 14 Elite (NE) Alliance 14 Ren (TN) Kokoro Volleyball 14-1 (MN) 1United 14 (TX)
It’s an earlier trip to Las Vegas than usual for those making their way to the Red Rock Rave taking place Saturday-Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The qualifier usually falls in April but is among the first to be held this season. This coming weekend is the first of back-to-back weekends and it features the younger ages vying for their bids. Below, we run through the 14 and 15 Open divisions to see how they might play out. 15 Open Number of Teams: 38 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (22): 1. Skyline 15 Royal 4. Madfrog 15 Green 5. TAV 15 Black 7. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder 10. SCVC 15 Roxy 12. Alamo 15 Premier 13. AZ Sky 15G 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 15. Wave 15 Brennan 18. Dynasty 15 Black 19. Forza1 North 15 One 21. HJV 15 Elite 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 29. SG Elite 15 Rosh 32. Actyve 15 Black 33. GP 15 Rox 34. Tstreet 15 Curtis 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier 39. Coast 15-1 41. Aspire 15 Premier 42. Club V 15 Ren Reed 46. MAVS 816 15-1 5-star Athletes To Watch Layla Austin OH Skyline 15 Royal Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black Brooke Harwood RS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 15 Brennan Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy 4-star Athletes To Watch Erin Clark L/DS/S Aspire 15 Premier Anna Flores S TAV 15 Black Ava McBride S/RS Actyve 15 Black Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier Emmerson Champagne MB/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Caroline Huseman OH TAV 15 Black Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black Outlook/Prediction: With 20 teams in the field featured in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 it makes for a loaded field. With the only path to qualifying coming with a top-three finish, there are going to be plenty of unhappy teams heading home. On the flip side, for the fortunate few who are able to secure bids there is no doubt it will be well deserved. Skyline 15 Royal enters fresh off of winning Triple Crown and looking to keep the momentum going. Triple Crown runner-up SCVC 15 Roxy is also searching for a bid and will carry the confidence of its performance in KC with them to Vegas. Madfrog 15 Green, TAV 15 Black, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder, Alamo 15 Premier and AZ Sky 15G all fared well at Triple Crown too and any of them could walk away with a bid. A team like SG Elite 15 Rosh is ranked No. 29 but can’t be overlooked. SG was close to knocking off Boiler Jrs 15 Gold at Triple Crown. It’s that type of field where the one thing for sure is plenty of unexpected results are going to take place. The final comes down to Alamo knocking off Wave. Skyline takes the final bid. *** 14 Open Number of Teams: 26 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder 3. Tstreet 14 Carson 4. Madfrog 14 Green 5. Skyline 14 Royal 10. MAVS KC 14-1 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 14. Forza1 14 One 15. Wave 14 Tammy 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier 19. Forza1 North 14 One 22. AZ Sky 14G 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver 33. HJV 14 Elite 47. Coast 14-1 Outlook/Prediction: Much like 15 Open, it’s going to take a special effort to come through with one of the three bids in play. There is no trickle down, so teams must place in the top three. That leaves very little if any wiggle room. Lots of eyes will be on the favorites like Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson, Madfrog 14 Green and Skyline 15 Royal. All showed strong at Triple Crown and it’s hard envisioning not one in the group earning a bid. It’s possible three of the four get bids. Still, it’s volleyball. Wave 14 Tammy was close to upsetting Arizona Storm in KC and could surprise. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is likely hungry to finish higher than it did at Triple Crown and get its bid out of the way. MAVS 14-1 can’t be forgotten about and certainly has what it takes to get the bid. It’s a tough field to predict, but the call goes to Tstreet beating Storm in the final. MAVS takes the third bid.
When the club schedule reaches March, it’s qualifying season to be sure. Still, not every tournament in March and April is centered on earning a bid for Junior Nationals. Take the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament for example. The two-day event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Louisville and is hosted by KiVA. That’s where I’m headed this weekend and will be on hand providing coverage. Given that, let’s take a look at what we might expect. Below, is a preview and prediction for the 14-18 Open age groups. 18 Open Number of Teams: 31 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Munciana 18 Samurai 15. Circle City 18 Purple 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 23. Tri-State 18 Elite 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 41. Far Out 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 5-star Athletes To Watch Ramsey Gary L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Indiana) Lola Schumacher L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Wisconsin, 2024) Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 18 Black (2025) 4-star Athletes To Watch Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Charlotte Vinson OH/RS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025) Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 18 Black (2025) Outlook/Prediction: Munciana 18 Samurai is the team to beat after taking bronze at Triple Crown. Munciana should run into familiar opponents in Tri-State Elite 18 Blue and Adidas KiVA 18 Red. All three are part of the Mideast Power League. Thrown into the mix in this tournament is SPVB 18 Elite, which will be seeing its stiffest competition of the season to date. Circle City 18 Purple just recently punched its ticket to 18 Open in Columbus after qualifying at Music City and is going to be among the top contenders. When the dust settles, look for Munciana lifting the trophy over SPVB. *** 17 Open Number of Teams: 38 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (7): 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 23. Tri-State 17 Blue 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black 5-star Athletes To Watch Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (Purdue) 4-star Athletes To Watch Kiana Dinn S/RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (Pitt) Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alec Rothe OH/MB EliteVBTC 17 Black (Florida) Outlook/Prediction: Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami is the highlight of the field but is not the top seed. That honor goes to Academy 17 Tsunami followed by NKYVC at No. 2. Academy defeated NKYVC at Central Zone when NKYVC was playing shorthanded. No doubt NKYVC would like pay back and is going to be seeking that this weekend. We’ll see if anyone can turn it on and surprise, but the contenders should be the usual suspects. In addition to Academy and NKYVC, Tri-State Elite 17 Blue, Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are factors as well. We are sticking with the collision course, with NKYVC downing Academy in the final. *** 16 Open Number of Teams: 40 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 11. Circle City 16 Purple 19. AVC Cle 16 Red 23. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 25. Munciana 16 Blaze 29. Team Pineapple 16 Black 40. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 50. Pitt Elite 16-1 5-star Athletes To Watch Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red 4-star Athletes To Watch Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Katie Gielas RS Elevation 16 Goller Julia Grace NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Lauren Coyne RS SPVB 16 Elite Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black Outlook/Prediction: The 16s division might be the most competitive of the bunch. Circle City 16 Purple is playing its toughest tournament since Central Zone, when it finished runner-up to 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Circle City might be the team to beat here but is hardly a lock. AVC Cle 16 Red showed solidly in Kansas City. AVC has shown to be competitive against other top teams and hasn’t had a bad loss yet. The MEPL group of Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and Munciana 16 Blaze are going to be in the mix. I think Munciana gained a lot of confidence from its time at Triple Crown and could be on the rise. The pick comes down to Circle City beating Tri-State Elite for gold. *** 15 Open Number of Teams: vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 17. Elevation 15 Tony 20. Far Out 15 Black 22. AVC Cle 15 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 35. Team Pineapple 15 Black 48. TVC 15 Black 5-star Athlete To Watch Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027) 4-star Athletes To Watch Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sienna Fry RS Summit 15 Blue Elite Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Outlook/Prediction: On paper, this division looks to be all Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. The question is can anyone stop Boiler Jrs from taking gold? It’s not the deepest 15s field and that means it is a great opportunity for an unexpected club to grad the spotlight. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami having success wouldn’t
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH 2023 BOY’S 2023 2024
The 2023 edition of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament has come and gone. vballrecruiter.com highlighted our Day 1 and 2 Show Stoppers, as well as a gold medal rundown. Lastly, we bring you are All-Tournament selections from the two-day event in Louisville. 17 OPEN OUTSIDES Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami Alivia Skidmore NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Morgan Gaerte Team Pineapple 17 Black Chloe Smith Adidas KiVA 17 Red MIDDLES Julia Hunt NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue Abbie Cresse Empowered 17 Elite Black RIGHT SIDES Emma Closurdo Adidas KiVA 17 Red Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Ella Holloway Memphis VBA 17 Red SETTERS Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Leah Richmond Academy 17 Tsunami SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Kiana Dinn Tri-State Elite 17 Blue LIBEROS/DS Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Mackenzie Cogan Elevation 17 Ulland *** 16 OPEN OUTSIDES Bella Bullington SPVB 16 Elite Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red Anna Powell Adidas KiVA 16 Red Bridget Egan Adidas KiVA 16 Red MIDDLES Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple Kayla Channell AVC Cle 16 Red Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red RIGHT SIDES Lauren Coyne SPVB 16 Elite Bailey Blair Adidas KiVA 16 Red Caroline Moore Tri-State Elite 16 Blue SETTERS Audrey Asleson SPVB 16 Elite Melina Schrader Munciana 16 Blaze Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Isabela Haggard Adidas KiVA 16 Red LIBEROS/DS Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon Adidas KiVA 16 RED *** 15 OPEN OUTSIDES Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Karis Chatfield Far Out 15 Black MaryKate Scheumann Team Pineapple 15 Black MIDDLES Josie Noble Far Out 15 Black Audrey Dyas NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami D’Aira Whitner AVC Cle 15 Red RIGHT SIDES Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Addison Buckner AVC Cle 15 Red SETTERS Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Addyson Bianchini NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black Mallory Johnson Far Out 15 Black Emma Frietch NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami *** 14 OPEN OUTSIDES Maisie Jones Tri-State Elite 14 Blue Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red Jentelle McNairl Alliance 14 Ren MIDDLES Carsyn Comer Munciana 14 Chipmunks Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RIGHT SIDES Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTERS Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTER/RIGHT SIDE Maria Schulte NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami LIBEROS/DS Lucy Moriarty HPSTL 14 Royal Kendyl Strack Munciana 14 Chipmunks Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Molly
It’s always a matter of who is going to step up and who is going to star on the final day of any tournament. It was no different as the conclusion of the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament played out Sunday in Louisville. You can see which teams ended up on top here. Below, you can read about the Day 2 Show Stoppers featuring the players who caught our attention the most. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Annabelle Groomes OH AVC Cle 16 Red: Groomes, a 5-star recruit, is showing there is very little she can’t do on the court. We’ve seen Groomes three times this season already and the first two she was setting and hitting in playing a vital role. In Louisville, the lefty was playing six-rotations on the outside and doing it very well. What value her versatility has! Mallory Johnson L/DS Far Out 15 Black: Part of the Class of 2027, Johnson is playing up and playing well. She plays under control and is a sound passer and defender. Josie Noble MB Far Out 15 Black: Noble was a big factor. She brought offense to the lineup with her ability to thud balls to the floor. She also puts up a strong block. Alana Bailey MB Far Out 15 Black: Bailey is a bit undersized in the middle but she’s quick and gets off the ground very well. She gives Far Out another scoring option. Karis Chatfield OH Far Out 15 Black: Chatfield is the six-rotation mainstay for Far Out and she brings a lot of fire and competitiveness to the lineup. Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: NKYVC isn’t going to be anyone based on size alone, but Dyas does bring a much-needed presence to the front row. She’s a strong hitter and blocker and she can swing the match to NKYVC’s favor when she checks in. Addyson Bianchini S/RS NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Bianchini is an upbeat two-way player who sets and hits. She has a nice release and locates well and can also help out providing offense. Kirsten Kemper S NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami: Kemper sets across the back row and she also has a nice delivery and consistent location. Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: The 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 is must-watch volleyball! That Ward is still in eighth-grade and is as smooth as she is makes for a fun time. She gets up effortlessly and can simply unload on balls. Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 4-star recruit, Hepler owns the back row. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive and you can tell opponents work on keeping the ball away from her as she’s not one to target. Sophia Gisslen S Team Pineapple 15 Black: A 3-star recruit, Gisslen knows how to get the job done. She’s an even-keeled setter who does a great job leading and guiding the offense. Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black: Haffner, a 4-star recruit, is another defender who anchors the back row and can make all the plays needed. She’s rarely off the mark with her passing. MaryKate Scheumann OH Team Pineapple 15 Black: Team Pineapple was certainly benefitting from Scheumann and her aggressiveness on the attack. Scheumann wasn’t holding back and was taking big-time swings on the left and scoring consistently. D’Aira Whitner MB AVC Cle 15 Red: Whitner, a 3-star recruit, is a quick middle and that causes trouble for opponents. She can get up and swing before the block is formed. Brooke Codey OH Adidas KiVA 14 Red: A seventh-grader, Codey is the six-rotation anchor KiVA relies a lot on. She’s asked to take the big swings on the left and deliver in the clutch moments and she does a great job of it. Emily Poteraj MB Adidas KiVA 14 Red: Opponents know KiVA is going to set Poteraj the ball and they still struggle to slow her down. She has a nice arm and can generate pace. Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal: Sands is an active middle and someone HPSTL will look to get the ball to. Kendall Hubbard S Elevation 14 Molly: Hubbard usually runs a 6-2, hitting across the front. But Elevation was short-handed on Day 2 and thus Hubbard was running a 5-1. She did well in trying to incorporate all her hitters and looking to keep the defense guessing. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer was once again bringing her passion and play to the court and shining. She’s a big-time factor for Munciana when she’s on the floor and she gives them much-needed height across the front as well. Caroline Hanchar OH Munciana 14 Chipmunks: A bit undersized on the pin, Hanchar isn’t afraid to attack bigger blocks. She was taking aggressive cuts time and time again and helping deliver points to her side. Kendyl Strack L/DS Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Strack was holding it down in the back row and doing well helping keep Munciana in system. Jentelle McNairl OH Alliance 14 Ren: McNairl is an athletic outside and one to keep tabs on. She’s spring with a lively arm and she’s only going to get better and she gains more control and experience. Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red: A 4-star recruit, Makun can overwhelm opponents at time. She’s long and can hit straight down and it puts tons of pressure on opponents to try and defend her. Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: We wrote about Asleson on Day 1 and she was back doing her thing on Day 2. That’s not surprising. She’s a smooth disher who knows how to run an offense. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: A 4-star recruit, there was no one in the division with a bigger arm. Bullington was a force to be reckoned with.
One of the best parts of covering volleyball tournaments is seeing how they play out and then getting to make sense of the results. Bluegrass had plenty to sift through and tales to tell. The 14 Open gold medal went to host Adidas KiVA 14 Red. If you read the Preview and Predictions out last Thursday you would have seen KiVA picked to win it all in 14 Open. KiVA entered ranked No. 13 in our latest 14s Top 50 National Rankings. That was one spot behind No. 12 Elevation 14 Molly, which opened as the top seed having won Central Zone in January. I called for a KiVA-Elevation final, but that matchup came in the semifinals with KiVA sweeping, 25-19, 25-19. Instead, it was KiVA getting past a streaking HPSTL 14 Royal in the final, winning in three, 25-15, 25-27, 15-8. I say streaking in regards to HPSTL because HPSTL didn’t start off very strong but has come on as of late. Three weeks ago HPSTL fell twice to Mintonette Sports m.42 at the President Day’s Classic in St. Louis. However, just a week later HPSTL took second in 14 Open at the Sunshine Classic to earn its Open bid. There was no letdown either, as HPSTL navigated its way to the final in Louisville after clipping a sound Munciana 14 Chipmunks squad in the semis, 25-21, 10-25, 15-13. Munciana is ranked No. 18 nationally while HPSTL currently sits at No. 21. KiVA, meanwhile, lost just one match over the two days, falling to Munciana in Power Pool 2 action on Day 1. Another predicted result happened in 17 Open, where No. 9 and Triple Crown winner NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami downed No. 21 and Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami in the final, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12. In the preview I wrote, I speculated that NKYVC would avenge its Central Zone loss to Academy by beating Academy in the final in Louisville. Beating Academy in three was the only set NKYVC lost at Bluegrass, including beating No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red and No. 41 Boiler Jrs 17 Gold in Power Pool 2 as well as No. 23 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue in the semifinals. The 15 Open final came down to the two highest nationally-ranked clubs in the field in No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold and No. 8 NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami. NKYVC pulled off the modest upset, downing Boiler Jrs in straight sets, 25-19, 25-23. NKYVC struggled on Day 1 during Power Pool 2, losing to both No. 48 TVC 15 Black and No. 35 Team Pineapple 15 Black before coming on during Day 2. It proved to be another hometown victory in 16 Open, as host Adidas KiVA 16 Red outlasted SPVB 16 Elite in the final, 18-25, 25-21, 15-9. KiVA entered as the third-highest ranked team in the field, sitting at No. 23 behind No. 11 Circle City 16 Purple and No. 19 AVC Cle 16 Red. Sports Performance entered unranked as it hadn’t played a travel tournament yet but certainly will be ranked in the Top 20 come the next update. KiVA, which lost a tough three-setter in Power Pool 2 to No. 24 Tri-State Elite 16 Blue on Day 1, was the only club to top SPVB in Louisville. There was a surprise in 18 Open when No. 30 Elevation 18 Spinney upset No. 3 Munciana 18 Samurai in the final, 25-23, 26-24. Elevation lost its first match of the weekend to No. 15 Circle City 18 Purple in Power Pool 2 play before winning six matches in a row and winning gold. Stay tuned for more coverage from Bluegrass as we still have the Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament teams to announce.
The highest-seeded clubs spent the opening day of the Bluegrass Tournament in power pools, their spots in Sunday’s challenge rounds guaranteed. For the rest, it was business as usual, aiming to break pool to remain in contention. Those that managed to stay in the hunt will get their shot at pulling off upsets of the power pool participants on Day 2 when the gold medals will be awarded. In 14 Open, Elevation 14 Molly – the top seed and winner of Central Zone – looked good in going 3-0 by sweeping Far Out 14 Black, HPSTL 14 Royal – which has already qualified for 14 Open – and Munciana Indy 14 Otters. Munciana 14 Chipmunks was the only other power-pool squad to go 3-0 in the 14s as Muncie took care of Adidas KiVA 14 Red, AVC Cle 14 Red and Lex United 14 Adidas all in straight sets. For seeding purposes, it was NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami gaining first place in Power Pool 3 after finishing tied with Tri-State Elite 14 Blue at 2-1. NKYVC swept the head-to-head against Tri-State to get first. Of the non-power pool teams, Alliance 14 Ren, Maverick 14 Elite and Circle City 14 Purple all went 3-0 in winning their pools. However, it was EliteVBTC 14 Black which arguably had the best day of any 14 Open team. Elite went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in Pool 5 to drastically improve its seeding. Another age group going off in the morning was 16 Open, which featured two power pools. SPVB 16 Elite shined in one of them while the other pool featured mixed results. SPVB took down a solid group of teams in Circle City 16 Purple, Munciana 16 Blaze and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami. In the other pool, AVC Cle 16 Red, Adidas KiVA 16 Red and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue all finished at 2-1 overall and 5-3 in sets. KiVA took first based on points percentage, followed by AVC and Tri-State. OPVC 16 Robinson was the fourth team in the pool and went 3-0 against the stiff competition. It started with AVC outlasting Tri-State in three games. Tri-State then clipped KiVA in three before KiVA closed out the pool by edging AVC in three. The top teams in 17 Open all finished 3-0 in their respective pools. Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami fared the best of the trio. NKYVC was the only one not to lose a set, sweeping Boiler Jrs 17 Gold, Adidas KiVA 17 Red and Hurricanes Category 7 in Power Pool 2. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue was part of a perfect Power Pool 3. And by perfect I mean every match in the pool went to three sets! That’s a long day for everyone involved, but it was Tri-State prevailing in all three it played. Union 17-1 UA finished 2-1 followed by Elevation 17 Ulland at 1-2 and Illini Elite 17 Cardinal at 0-3. The same thing was close to happening in Power Pool 1. Central Zone champ Academy 17 Tsunami sweeping Team Pineapple 17 Black in the opening match was the only one of the six not to go the distance. Academy eventually took the pool by fending off Memphis Academy 17 Red and Maverick 17 Elite. The biggest result in 15 Open came with AVC Cle 15 Red knocking off top-seeded Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in Power Pool A. That’ll shake up the seedings for Sunday’s challenge pools and beyond. AVC finished on top at 3-0, having also downed Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite. Both second-seeded NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and third-seeded Elevation 15 Tony lost as well in their pools. That’s only going to shake up the seedings further. In Power Pool B, it was Team Pineapple 15 Black at 3-0 which wound up in first place. TVC 15 Black also picked up a big victory over NKYVC to finish at 2-1, ahead of NKYVC at 1-2. Far Out 15 Black topped Elevation in the last match of Power Pool C to finish 3-0. Elevation came in second at 2-1. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze: Schrader does a great job moving the ball around and mixing it up for an undersized offensive group overall. She has precise location and puts the ball in a hittable window very consistently. Shanese Williams MB/RS Munciana 16 Blaze: I’m glad I caught Williams again. There was simply too many players to write about from Triple Crown and Williams certainly could have been mentioned for her play on Day 2 against Drive Nation 16 Red. Williams was doing her thing again, banging away from the right side and adding pop to the Munciana attack. Lilly Howell MB Munciana 16 Blaze: Howell is the tallest player for Munciana and she made an impact across the front row. She has a big arm and Munciana likes to take advantage of that, setting her as often as they can when she’s lined up on the left. Aubrey Anders MB AVC Cle 16 Red: Anders is a quick jumper. She gets up quick and is tough for defenses to time. She also showed off a nice arm putting balls down to the ground. Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite: There’s no questioning that Bullington – a 4-star recruit – has a massive arm. She was blasting balls repeatedly. She’s another quick jumper who just gets off the floor and lets it rip! Audrey Asleson S SPVB 16 Elite: Asleson is currently a 3-star recruit who’ll be moving up to 4 stars in the next update. She’s a smoother disher with a clean, consistent release and she locates well. Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: If I was handing out a personal pick for Day 1 MVP, it would go to Haggard. She was a key ingredient to KiVA’s lineup. She was playing with lots of energy and spirit, was setting well and was swinging with a purpose in helping her team in many ways. Bailey Blair
Another day of action brought more heat across the gym. For the most part seeded teams held their own. But you have to love a good upset, right?! For the most part I have seen most of the top Open level teams play this season already. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal was one of the clubs I have not been able to personally see as of yet. Tribe features a ton of South Florida stars who I was able to watch this past high school season. One is 5-star recruit Charlotte Glass is “quarterbacking” the team. Add in 5-star recruit outside Kelly Kinney, 4-star recruit libero Zoey Matias, 3-star recruit outside Tekoa Barnes and right side Mija Bendziute and watch out. They will be a lot of fun to watch this season. Sunday means Championship Day! The 17 Open Gold Pools are set. See below. GMPP1 Triangle 17 Black HPSTL 17 Royal Legacy 17-1 ADIDAS GMPP2 A5 17-Jing Mintonette Sports – m.71 CUVC 17 Arete GMPP3 TAV 17 Black OT 17 O Felix Top Select 17 Elite GMPP4 OT 17 T Aaron Skyline 17 Royal MKE Sting 17 Gold The 16 Open Gold Pools: GMPP1 H Skyline 16 Royal Top Select 16 Elite OT 16 O Roberto GMPP2 A5 16-Gabe Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite HPSTL 16 Royal GMPP3 OT 16 T JP GP 16 Rox DYNASTY 16 Black GMPP4 Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS Austin Skyline 16 Royal Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: Bobbitt, a 3-star Iowa State commit, is a gamer with pin-point accuracy who shows strong command of running the show. Taylor Pagan OH High Voltage 1517 College Pre: Pagan hits a heavy ball and is high on the energy scale on the court. Becca Wight Opp Mintonette Sports – m.71: A 6-4 3-star Virginia commit, Wight is a physical presence on the court both offensively and defensively. Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: A 4-star Coastal Carolina commit, Bowron is a fearless attacker who aggressively goes at bigger blockers on the reg. Macaria Spears OH TAV 17 Black: Spears, a 5-star recruit, was literally cracking on balls. She was absolutely tormenting defenses with her scoring ability. Megan Morello L H Skyline 16 Royal: Morello was as holding it down defensively, coming up with saves all over the court. Camryn Jeffery Opp A5 16 Gabe: Jeffery, a 4-star recruit, adds a physical presence to the attack. She had huge swings and big blocks. Chichi Nnaji Opp Skyline 16 Royal: Chichi is making her presence known these days. She hits a heavy ball consistently. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn, a 5-star recruit, runs a good offense. She has good connections with her middles and is consistent with her locations from anywhere on the court. Amina N’diaye OH OT 16 O Roberto: A 5-star recruit, N’diaye takes a lot of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes, a 3-star recruit, was ripping balls through and around the block all day. She is a very explosive hitter. Ella Florez S/Opp Dynasty 16 Black: Flores, a 5-star recruit, plays a vital role hitting and setting. She has good hands and can dish anywhere effectively. Kayden Green S/Opp GP 16 Rox: A 4-star recruit, Green did a nice job dishing and running the attack. Elissa Baez OH GP 12 Rox: There’s no backing down with Baez. She kept digging and challenging defenses. She’s a crafty hitter too. Brooklyn Howard L A5 12-LA: Howard is a nice anchor in the backcourt. She made some strong plays and has good, consistent energy. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko displayed her skills all around. She passed well out of the backrow. She also was swinging well and providing offense.
The start of the second weekend of the 2023 Sunshine Volleyball Classic definitely started off in an interesting way. One, kudos to all the coaches, parents and athletes who stepped up for missing members being stranded from weather issues while traveling. Secondly, there is nothing like a 20-min convention center blackout! After that passed it was back to non-stop high flying and hard-hitting action! Never a dull moment at the Sun! DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: Anyanwu, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, is a beast at the net both defensively and offensively. Victoria Harris L SC Midlands 17 National R: Harris is a scrapper who is wicked fast on the court. Niyah Lester MB ROCKC 17-1: Lester is a strong presence in the middle who moves side to side well and gets up on the block to cause problems for attackers. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17N Emilio: Molina is a big presence at the net. Her physicality keeps defenses on their toes. Nayelis Cabello S Top Select 17 Elite: A 5-star recruit and Louisville commit, Cabello has a great touch and a good arm to beat defense. Kassidy O’Brien S H Skyline 17 Royal: O’Brien, a 5-star recruit, was dishing with the best them. She’s super smooth and can keep defenses guessing with her ability to set from anywhere on the court. Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal: The 6-5 Gaido, a 4-star recruit, was hitting with great extension and power. Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Glass, a 5-star recruit, has great hands and knows how to run an offense well. Shylah Swope S VA Elite 16’s: Swope has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Ella Moore OH NYC Juniors 16 National: Moore is an undersized six-rotation outside scrapper who has no fear on the court. Amirra Bailey MB SKEVA 16 Blue: Bailey is HUGE at the net with a gigantic upside both defensively and offensively. Isabella Mogridge S OT 16 T JP: A 4-star recruit, Mogridge runs a smooth offense. She smart, athletic, and has a great touch. Addison Walker OH BVA 17 Elite: Walker is a 6-2 six-rotation powerhouse who is one of BVA’’s most consistent scorers with her ability to go over and around blocks on the regular. Emory Miskovsky L OP2 12-1: Miskovsky is an smooth libero who communicates and controls the back row well. Roxy Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is an athletic 5-1 setter with strong hands. Peyton Robinson OH A5 12 LA: Robinson did a double duty role to. When I first saw her she was swinging well on the outside. By the end of the pool she had the libero jersey. She was fun to watch the switch up.
The last of the rankings update goes to the 14s division. Even though we are into March, the 14s haven’t traveled much outside a few tournaments and of course Triple Crown. The next two months are going to be fun to follow and track as teams trek through qualifying season. For now, here are the 14s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. TAV 14 Black (TX) 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder (AZ) 3. Tstreet 14 Carson (CA) 4. Madfrog 14 Green (TX) 5. Skyline 14 Royal (TX) 6. AP 14 Adidas (TX) 7. OT 14 Laura (FL) 8. Drive Nation 14 Red (TX) 9. A5 14 Helen (GA) 10. MAVS KC 14-1 (KS) *** 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar (CA) 12. Elevation 14 Molly (OH) 13. Adidas KiVA 14 Red (KY) 14. Forza1 14 One (CA) 15. Wave 14 Tammy (CA) 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier (AZ) 17. Legacy 14 Adidas (MI) 18. Munciana 14 Chipmunks (IN) 19. Forza1 North 14 One (CA) 20. Excel 14 National Red (TX) *** 21. HPSTL 14 Royal (MO) 22. AZ Sky 14G (AZ) 23. WPVC 14 Armour Black (FL) 24. GP 14 Rox (FL) 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver (UT) 26. Tri-State 14 Blue (OH) 27. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal (FL) 28. Far Out 14 Black (MI) 29. Top Select 14 Elite (FL) 30. Austin Skyline 14 Royal (TX) *** 31. Hou Skyline 14 Royal (TX) 32. SAS 14-1 (HI) 33. HJV 14 Elite (TX) 34. Northern Lights 14-1 (MN) 35. Mintonette Sports m.41 (OH) 36. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami (KY) 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite (MO) 38. Metro 14 Travel (DC) 39. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold (NE) 40. City 14 Gold (CA) *** 41. Kairos 14 Alpha (SD) 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold (WI) 43. PVA 14 Elite (KS) 44. ID Crush 14 Bower (ID) 45. KC Power 14 Black (KS) 46. Academy 14 Diamond (NC) 47. Coast 14-1 (CA) 48. MAVS 816 14-1 (KS) 49. Miami Hype 14 Nekane (FL) 50. Triangle 14 Black (NC) ON THE CUSP Iowa Rockets 14R (IO) Surfside 14 Loriann (CA) Wildfire 14 Albert (FL) Topeka Saints 14-1 (KS) Lions 14-1 (IL) MN Select 14-1 (MN) VCNebraska 14 Elite (NE) Alliance 14 Ren (TN) Kokoro Volleyball 14-1 (MN) 1United 14 (TX)
It’s an earlier trip to Las Vegas than usual for those making their way to the Red Rock Rave taking place Saturday-Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The qualifier usually falls in April but is among the first to be held this season. This coming weekend is the first of back-to-back weekends and it features the younger ages vying for their bids. Below, we run through the 14 and 15 Open divisions to see how they might play out. 15 Open Number of Teams: 38 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (22): 1. Skyline 15 Royal 4. Madfrog 15 Green 5. TAV 15 Black 7. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder 10. SCVC 15 Roxy 12. Alamo 15 Premier 13. AZ Sky 15G 14. Hou Skyline 15 Royal 15. Wave 15 Brennan 18. Dynasty 15 Black 19. Forza1 North 15 One 21. HJV 15 Elite 23. Drive Nation 15 Red 29. SG Elite 15 Rosh 32. Actyve 15 Black 33. GP 15 Rox 34. Tstreet 15 Curtis 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier 39. Coast 15-1 41. Aspire 15 Premier 42. Club V 15 Ren Reed 46. MAVS 816 15-1 5-star Athletes To Watch Layla Austin OH Skyline 15 Royal Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black Brooke Harwood RS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 15 Brennan Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 15 Roxy 4-star Athletes To Watch Erin Clark L/DS/S Aspire 15 Premier Anna Flores S TAV 15 Black Ava McBride S/RS Actyve 15 Black Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier Emmerson Champagne MB/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis Milly McGee S SCVC 15 Roxy Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green Caroline Huseman OH TAV 15 Black Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black Outlook/Prediction: With 20 teams in the field featured in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 it makes for a loaded field. With the only path to qualifying coming with a top-three finish, there are going to be plenty of unhappy teams heading home. On the flip side, for the fortunate few who are able to secure bids there is no doubt it will be well deserved. Skyline 15 Royal enters fresh off of winning Triple Crown and looking to keep the momentum going. Triple Crown runner-up SCVC 15 Roxy is also searching for a bid and will carry the confidence of its performance in KC with them to Vegas. Madfrog 15 Green, TAV 15 Black, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder, Alamo 15 Premier and AZ Sky 15G all fared well at Triple Crown too and any of them could walk away with a bid. A team like SG Elite 15 Rosh is ranked No. 29 but can’t be overlooked. SG was close to knocking off Boiler Jrs 15 Gold at Triple Crown. It’s that type of field where the one thing for sure is plenty of unexpected results are going to take place. The final comes down to Alamo knocking off Wave. Skyline takes the final bid. *** 14 Open Number of Teams: 26 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Club: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 2. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder 3. Tstreet 14 Carson 4. Madfrog 14 Green 5. Skyline 14 Royal 10. MAVS KC 14-1 11. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar 14. Forza1 14 One 15. Wave 14 Tammy 16. AZ Rev 14 Premier 19. Forza1 North 14 One 22. AZ Sky 14G 25. Club V 14 Ren Silver 33. HJV 14 Elite 47. Coast 14-1 Outlook/Prediction: Much like 15 Open, it’s going to take a special effort to come through with one of the three bids in play. There is no trickle down, so teams must place in the top three. That leaves very little if any wiggle room. Lots of eyes will be on the favorites like Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, Tstreet 14 Carson, Madfrog 14 Green and Skyline 15 Royal. All showed strong at Triple Crown and it’s hard envisioning not one in the group earning a bid. It’s possible three of the four get bids. Still, it’s volleyball. Wave 14 Tammy was close to upsetting Arizona Storm in KC and could surprise. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is likely hungry to finish higher than it did at Triple Crown and get its bid out of the way. MAVS 14-1 can’t be forgotten about and certainly has what it takes to get the bid. It’s a tough field to predict, but the call goes to Tstreet beating Storm in the final. MAVS takes the third bid.
When the club schedule reaches March, it’s qualifying season to be sure. Still, not every tournament in March and April is centered on earning a bid for Junior Nationals. Take the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament for example. The two-day event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Louisville and is hosted by KiVA. That’s where I’m headed this weekend and will be on hand providing coverage. Given that, let’s take a look at what we might expect. Below, is a preview and prediction for the 14-18 Open age groups. 18 Open Number of Teams: 31 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Munciana 18 Samurai 15. Circle City 18 Purple 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red 23. Tri-State 18 Elite 30. Elevation 18 Spinney 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami 41. Far Out 18 Black 45. Union 18-1 UA 5-star Athletes To Watch Ramsey Gary L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Indiana) Lola Schumacher L/DS Munciana 18 Samurai (Wisconsin, 2024) Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky) Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas) Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 18 Black (2025) 4-star Athletes To Watch Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois) Charlotte Vinson OH/RS Munciana 18 Samurai (2025) Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 18 Black (2025) Outlook/Prediction: Munciana 18 Samurai is the team to beat after taking bronze at Triple Crown. Munciana should run into familiar opponents in Tri-State Elite 18 Blue and Adidas KiVA 18 Red. All three are part of the Mideast Power League. Thrown into the mix in this tournament is SPVB 18 Elite, which will be seeing its stiffest competition of the season to date. Circle City 18 Purple just recently punched its ticket to 18 Open in Columbus after qualifying at Music City and is going to be among the top contenders. When the dust settles, look for Munciana lifting the trophy over SPVB. *** 17 Open Number of Teams: 38 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (7): 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 21. Academy 17 Tsunami 23. Tri-State 17 Blue 37. Elevation 17 Ulland 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black 5-star Athletes To Watch Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame) Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (Purdue) 4-star Athletes To Watch Kiana Dinn S/RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (Pitt) Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida) Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington) Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State) Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami Alec Rothe OH/MB EliteVBTC 17 Black (Florida) Outlook/Prediction: Triple Crown champ NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami is the highlight of the field but is not the top seed. That honor goes to Academy 17 Tsunami followed by NKYVC at No. 2. Academy defeated NKYVC at Central Zone when NKYVC was playing shorthanded. No doubt NKYVC would like pay back and is going to be seeking that this weekend. We’ll see if anyone can turn it on and surprise, but the contenders should be the usual suspects. In addition to Academy and NKYVC, Tri-State Elite 17 Blue, Boiler Jrs 17 Gold and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are factors as well. We are sticking with the collision course, with NKYVC downing Academy in the final. *** 16 Open Number of Teams: 40 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 11. Circle City 16 Purple 19. AVC Cle 16 Red 23. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 25. Munciana 16 Blaze 29. Team Pineapple 16 Black 40. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 50. Pitt Elite 16-1 5-star Athletes To Watch Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red 4-star Athletes To Watch Bella Bullington OH SPVB 16 Elite Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Katie Gielas RS Elevation 16 Goller Julia Grace NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Lauren Coyne RS SPVB 16 Elite Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black Outlook/Prediction: The 16s division might be the most competitive of the bunch. Circle City 16 Purple is playing its toughest tournament since Central Zone, when it finished runner-up to 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Circle City might be the team to beat here but is hardly a lock. AVC Cle 16 Red showed solidly in Kansas City. AVC has shown to be competitive against other top teams and hasn’t had a bad loss yet. The MEPL group of Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue and Munciana 16 Blaze are going to be in the mix. I think Munciana gained a lot of confidence from its time at Triple Crown and could be on the rise. The pick comes down to Circle City beating Tri-State Elite for gold. *** 15 Open Number of Teams: vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8): 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 8. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 17. Elevation 15 Tony 20. Far Out 15 Black 22. AVC Cle 15 Red 24. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 35. Team Pineapple 15 Black 48. TVC 15 Black 5-star Athlete To Watch Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027) 4-star Athletes To Watch Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black Sienna Fry RS Summit 15 Blue Elite Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Outlook/Prediction: On paper, this division looks to be all Boiler Jrs 15 Gold. The question is can anyone stop Boiler Jrs from taking gold? It’s not the deepest 15s field and that means it is a great opportunity for an unexpected club to grad the spotlight. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami having success wouldn’t