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

March 30, 2023

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

Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

March 30, 2023

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

15s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 30)

March 30, 2023

The question posed during the last 15s Top 50 National Rankings update is could Skyline 15 Royal hold onto the No. 1 spot? Skyline took over the top spot in our rankings after winning Triple Crown and hasn’t slowed down since, winning the Red Rock Rave national qualifier. It helped Skyline retain the No. 1 position in our newest Top 50. In fact, the Top 5 teams remained the same. It’s after that when the shuffling begins, starting with AZ Sky 15G climbing into the Top 10 for the first time this season. More ranking news from the state of Arizona includes Aspire 15 Premier climbing up as well, moving to No. 24 from No. 41. (18s Top 50 March 27) (17s Top 50 March 28) (16s Top 50 March 29) vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Mintonette Sports m.51 (OH) (2) 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (IN) (3) 4. Madfrog 15 Green (TX) (4) 5. TAV 15 Black (TX) (5) 6. AZ Sky 15G (AZ) (13) 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (6) 8. Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) (9) 9. SCVC 15 Roxy (CA) (10) 10. Alamo 15 Premier (TX) (12) *** 11. AP 15 Adidas (TX) (16) 12. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami (KY) (8) 13. Hou Skyline 15 Royal (TX) (14) 14. Wave 15 Brennan (CA) (15) 15. Forza1 North 15 One (CA) (19) 16. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder (AZ) (7) 17. Far Out 15 Black (MI) (20) 18. Dynasty 15 Black (KS) (18) 19. HJV 15 Elite (TX) (21) 20. Pohaku 15-1 (KS) (11) *** 21. Elevation 15 Tony (OH) (17) 22. AVC Cle 15 Red (OH) (22) 23. Top Select 15 Elite (FL) (25) 24. Aspire 15 Premier (AZ) (41) 25. Drive Nation 15 Red (TX) (23) 26. Tribe 15 Elite (FL) (26) 27. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) (24) 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas (TX) (27) 29. A5 Mizuno 15 Bob (GA) (28) 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh (CA) (29) *** 31. Academy 15 Diamond (NC) (30) 32. GP 15 Rox (FL) (33) 33. Triangle 15 Black (NC) (45) 34. Michio 15 National (IL) (44) 35. Tstreet 15 Curtis (CA) (34) 36. WPVC 15 Armour Black (FL) (31) 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black (IN) (35) 38. AZ Rev 15 Premier (AZ) (38) 39. Coast 15 Luis (CA) (39) 40. Club V 15 Ren Reed (UT) (42) *** 41. Actyve 15 Black (CA) (32) 42. Sunshine 15 Westside (CA) (36) 43. Jupiter Elite 15E (FL) (37) 44. MKE Sting 15 Gold (WI) 40) 45. High Tide 15 Elite (FL) (43) 46. MAVS 816 15-1 (KS) (46) 47. MN Select 15-1 (MN) (n/r) 48. TVC 15 Black (OH) (48) 49. Northern Lights 15-1 (MN) (50) 50. HPSTL 15 Royal (MO) (49) ON THE CUSP Excel 15 National Red (TX) Co Jrs 15 Sherri (CO) Iowa Rockets 15R (IO) Rev 15-1 Fuego (IN) Circle City 15 Purple (IN) Metro 15 Travel (DC) 1st Alliance 15 Gold (IL) Wildfire 15 Ore (FL) NorCal 15-1 Black (CA) Illini Elite 15 Cardinal (IL) NE Elite 15 Phoenix (NE) Kairos 15 Alpha (SD) SynergyForce 15 Lisa (CA) Club One AZ 15 Platinum (AZ)

16s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 29)

March 29, 2023

We introduce the latest 16s vballrecruiter.com Top 50 National Rankings. You can catch up on the newest 18s and 17s Top 50s by clicking those links. Bluegrass, Red Rock, MEQ and PNQ were the biggest national tournaments to take place since we’ve last updated this age group. Since then, we have a new No. 1 team in the country. We started the year with Arizona Storm 16 Thunder at No. 1. Storm was replaced by Surfside 16 PV Legends, which in return is now being replaced by our new No. 1 – 1st Alliance 16 Gold. 1st Alliance moved up from No. 4, while Surfside slipped all the way down to No. 3. Much of the Top 10 remained the same team-wise, though there were shuffling of spots. Adidas KiVA 16 Red – after winning both Bluegrass and MEQ – climbed up from No. 23 to No. 13. The team making the biggest jump however was SPVB 16 Elite. SPVB, because it wasn’t playing as much, went unranked in our last update but makes an appearance this go around, checking in at No. 16. And lastly, Wave 16 Kevin is back in the Top 20 after winning at Red Rock. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) (4 – previous ranking) 2. Drive Nation 16 Red (TX) (3) 3. Surfside 16 PV Legends (CA) (1) 4. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (AZ) (7) 5. Hou Skyline 16 Royal (TX) (5) 6. Nebraska One 16 Synergy (NE) (2) 7. HJV 16 Elite (TX) (6) 8. OT 16 JP (FL) (9) 9. TAV 16 Black (TX) (10) 10. Circle City 16 Purple (IN) (11) *** 11. MKE Sting 16 Gold (WI) (14) 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno (MI) (12) 13. Adidas KiVA 16 Red (KY) (23) 14. A5 16 Gabe (GA) (8) 15. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal (FL) (18) 16. SPVB 16 Elite (IL) (n/r) 17. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue (OH) (24) 18. Austin Skyline 16 Royal (TX) (17) 19. Legacy 16-1 Adidas (MI) (16) 20. Wave 16 Kevin (CA) (26) *** 21. Coast 16-1 (CA) (13) 22. AVC Cle 16 Red (OH) (19) 23. HPSTL 16 Royal (MO) (30) 24. GP 16 Rox (FL) (44) 25. Munciana 16 Blaze (IN) (25) 26. Northern Lights 16-1 (MN) (36) 27. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold (NE) (45) 28. OT 16 Roberto (FL) (22) 29. ID Crush 16 Bower (ID) (27) 30. Dynasty 16 Black (KS) (15) *** 31. Skyline 16 Royal (TX) (20) 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas (TX) (21) 33. Madfrog 16 Green (TX) (28) 34. Team Pineapple 16 Black (IN) (29) 35. AJV 16 Adidas (TX) (33) 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami (KY) (40) 37. Excel 16 National 16 Red (TX) (34) 38. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite (MO) (42) 39. Alamo 16 Premier (TX) (31) 40. NorCal 16 Black (CA) (37) *** 41. NE Elite 16 Maverick (NE) (n/r) 42. FC Elite 16 Navy (WI) (n/r) 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon (CO) (38) 44. MAVS KC 16-1 (KS) (39) 45. No Name 16 Sarah (FL) (43) 46. Top Select 16 Elite (FL) (41) 47. AZ Rev 16 Premier (AZ) (n/r) 48. Elevation 16 Goller (OH) (n/r) 49. Oaks 16 Gold (CA) (n/r) 50. Illini Elite 16 Cardinal (IL) (46) ON THE CUSP KC Power 16 Black (KS) Absolute 16 Black (CA) Temecula Viper 16 Costa (CA) A4 Volley 16 Cassie (CA) Vision 16 Gold (CA) Forza1 North 16 One (CA) ARVC 16-1 Adidas (NM) Norco 16 Black (CO) AZ Sky 16G (AZ) Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (CA) OT 16 Will (FL) Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (IN) SASVBC 16-1 (HI) Club One 16 Platinum (AZ) MN Select 16-1 (MN) Kairos 16 Alpha (SD) Mintonette Sports m.61 (OH)

17s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 28)

March 28, 2023

The latest national rankings release week moves on with the 17s. vballrecruiter.com started off the week with the 18s as we countdown to the 14s. Whereas the top five teams remained the same in the 18s update, the most recent 17s Top 50 featured plenty of shuffling. It led to a new No. 1 – Co Jrs 17 Kevin. The top teams have all shown the ability to beat each other, but after Co Jrs went 10-0 at MEQ it has the best ledger of results and takes over the top spot. Wave 17 Juliana is the newest member of the Top 10, while Pohaku 17-1 and SG Elite 17 Rosh both made big jumps into the Top 20. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (CO) (8 – previous ranking) 2. Dynasty 17 Black (KS) (2) 3. Drive Nation 17 Red (TX) (3) 4. TAV 17 Black (TX) (4) 5. A5 17 Jing (GA) (1) 6. OT 17 Aaron (FL) (10) 7. Triangle 17 Black (NC) (5) 8. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) (7) 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (KY) (9) 10. Wave 17 Juliana (CA) (16) *** 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal (TX) (13) 12. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) (11) 13. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NE) (12) 14. SCVC 17 Roxy (CA) (22) 15. Coast 17-1 (CA) (20) 16. Pokahu 17-1 (KS) (48) 17. SG Elite 17 Rosh (CA) (35) 18. Momentous 17 Dan (CA) (15) 19. KC Power 17 Black (KS) (17) 20. OT 17 Felix (FL) (24) *** 21. Vision 17 Gold (CA) (18) 22. HJV 17 Elite (TX) (6) 23. Club V 17 Matthew (UT) (32) 24. Academy 17 Tsunami (IN) (21) 25. AZ Sky 17G (AZ) (14) 26. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (OH) (23) 27. Madfrog 17 Green (TX) (29) 28. Metro 17 Travel (DC) (19) 29. 417 Jrs 17 Black (MO) (26) 30. Skyline 17 Royal (TX) (27) *** 31. VC Nebraska 17 Elite (NE) (28) 32. Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine (HI) (39) 33. Adidas KiVA 17 Red (KY) (40) 34. MKE Sting 17 Gold (WI) (30) 35. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (IN) (41) 36. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL) (25) 37. AJV 17 Adidas (TX) (34) 38. City 17 Gold (CA) (36) 39. AVC Cle 17 Red (OH) (31) 40. Elevation 17 Ulland (OH) (37) *** 41. Top Select 17 Elite (FL) (33) 42. Iowa Power Plex 17U (IO) (47) 43. Circle City 17 Purple (IN) (38) 44. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (AZ) (48) 45. Mintonette Sports m.71 (OH) (n/r) 46. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) (42) 47. Rev 17 Raptors (IN) (n/r) 48. Shockwave 17 Black (KS) (43) 49. Northern Lights 17-1 (MN) (44) 50. Academy 17 Diamond (NC) (n/r) ON THE CUSP TAV Houston 17 Adidas (TX) Rock City 17-1 (OH) AZ Rev 17 Premier (AZ) Team Pineapple 17 Black (IN) Absolute 17 Black (CA) MAVS KC 17-1 (KS) Seal Beach 17 Black (CA) Norco 17 Black (CO) Alamo 17 Premier (TX) FC Elite 17 Navy (WI) CHAVC 17 Black (NC) NorCal 17 Black (CA) Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) A4 Volley 17 Tyler (CA) MN Select 17-1 (MN) CUVC 17 Arete (NC) SynergyForce 17 Patrick (CA) NorCal 17 Black (CA)

18 Open At-Large Candidates

March 27, 2023

The last 18s national qualifier season wrapped up Monday, with NPJ 18 Forefront, Rage Westside 18 Michelle and OJVA 18-1 Gold earning bids at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier. The 18 Open field is still not complete however. That won’t be the case until the six at-large Open bids are announced by USA Volleyball. No doubt, plenty of teams believe they are worthy for one of the spots. Below, we sort through the top at-large candidates from our perspective. ADIDAS KIVA 18 RED: At No. 17 in our latest Top 50 National Rankings , KiVA is the highest-ranked team without a bid. There’s a catch. KiVA only competed in one national qualifier in MEQ. Still, having played Triple Crown and Bluegrass, KiVA did compile a strong record against the Open field and has confirmed it sent in its request for an at-large bid. KiVA is 8-5 against the field. KiVA’s best win against the field came against Wave 18 Juliana at Triple Crown. KiVA also has beaten Circle City 18 Purple and Hou Skyline 18 Royal. KiVA’s mark against the field is strong enough to get in. It’s a matter of how the committee views KiVA playing in one national qualifier versus other at-large candidates who played in multiple. Personally, from seeing KiVA, this team definitely belongs in the Top 48 and deserves to play in Open. ALAMO 18 PREMIER: With a 7-5 record against the Open field, Alamo hasn’t played as many matches against the field as others in the running for at-larges. Yet, Alamo is one of the few with a winning record against the field. Working the other way is Alamo has losses to both Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar and HJV 18 Elite, two teams also looking for at-large help. LEGACY 18-1 ADIDAS: To me, Legacy should be a lock to get one of the at-larges. Legacy is 10-13 against the Open field. It’s beaten top teams in Wave, Sunshine 18 LA and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold. And for what it is worth, Legacy also owns a head-to-head victory over KiVA, which is another at-large candidate. Legacy is currently No. 22 in our latest 18s National Rankings. HJV 18 ELITE: Ranked No. 23 nationally, HJV is right behind Legacy is the Top 50 and another strong candidate. One I view also being a lock. HJV played in multiple qualifiers and has a 7-11 record against the Open field. HJV has also played a difficult schedule, with losses to highly-ranked teams in Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18 Marc, Coast 18-1 and MAVS KC 18-1 (twice). EXCEL 18 NATIONAL RED: Excel is another team which doesn’t have a lot of matches against the Open field, but it has does okay when it has come across those teams. Excel sits at 4-4 in those situations. MADFROG 18 GREEN: Sitting at No. 33 in our Top 50, Madfrog is another solid candidate which I imagine will get strong consideration for one of the six at-larges. Madfrog is 6-14 against the Open field. That’s not a fantastic mark but a team doesn’t get 14 losses against the Open field by playing a weak schedule. Another plus for Madfrog is it owns head-to-head victories over both Legacy and Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite. Both those teams are expected to receive at-large consideration. MIZUNO LONG BEACH 18 ROCKSTAR: Long Beach had an opportunity to qualify on the final day of the Pacific Northwest Qualifier this week, but fell to OJVA 18 Gold in the third-place match. Without any trickle down in play, Beach will need to rely on receiving one of the at-larges. Long Beach is 5-16 against the Open field. It has head-to-head losses to KC Power, KiVA and HJV, three other teams who could be in line for at-larges. NKYVC 18-1 TSUNAMI: I’m not 100 percent sure if NKYVC applied for an Open at-large. NKYVC would have a case, though not as strong as others I believe. NKYVC went 4-14 against the Open field. It’s a similar mark to Madfrog’s. But again, teams don’t get 14 losses against the field playing down in USA and American. And given that I’ve had NKYVC in the Top 50 all season, there’s an argument for NKYVC to get in. KC POWER 18-1: We are getting to teams with cases not as strong as ones already listed. With six teams needed, it stands to reason a team or two is going to get lucky and receive one. KC Power has a modest 4-8 record against the Open field. It also has losses to HJV, Madfrog and Legacy, three teams also looking for at-larges. If that’s a factor, it stands to reason KC Power would be among the last in if it would to receive the opportunity to accept. ROCKWOOD THUNDER 18 ELITE: Rockwood Thunder is another team that has faced a challenging schedule and could get an invite based on which other teams accept or decline. Rockwood went 3-6 against the Open field.

Commitments & Signings Week of March 17-23

March 27, 2023

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023 2024

18s: Top 50 National Rankings (March 27)

March 27, 2023

The previous 18s Top 50 National Rankings update took place shortly after Triple Crown. The oldest age group has been busy since then, with a handful of national qualifiers taking place around the country. Even then, the top spots held steady in our latest version of the Top 50. In fact, the top four teams in Drive Nation 18 Red, Coast 18-1, Munciana 18 Samurai and MAVS KC 18-1 held firm. There was lots of shifting and moving after that however. Elevation 18 Spinney was the biggest mover, climbing up to No. 12 from No. 30 after winning both Bluegrass and MEQ. vballrecruiter.com 18s TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Drive Nation 18 Red (TX) (1 – previous ranking) 2. Coast 18 Ozhan (CA) (2) 3. Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) (3) 4. MAVS KC 18-1 (KS) (4) 5. 1st Alliance 18 Gold (IL) (9) 6. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (NE) (7) 7. Sunshine 18 LA (CA) (5) 8. A5 18 Marc (GA) (14) 9. Mintonette Sports m.81 (OH) (10) 10. Wave 18 Juliana (CA) (11) *** 11. Club V 18 Ren Reed (UT (12) 12. Elevation 18 Spinney (OH) (30) 13. Circle City 18 Purple (IN) (15) 14. Skyline 18 Royal (TX) (13) 15. AZ Rev 18 Premier (AZ) (18) 16. Metro 18 Travel (DC) (16) 17. Adidas KiVA 18 Red (KY) (20) 18. AVC Cle 18 Red (OH) (8) 19. OT 18 John (FL) (22) 20. NPJ 18 Forefront (OR) (17) *** 21. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder (AZ) (27) 22. Legacy 18-1 Adidas (MI) (19) 23. HJV 18 Elite (TX) (6) 24. Hou Skyline 18 Royal (TX) (21) 25. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black (FL) (29) 26. MKE Sting 18 Gold (WI) (37) 27. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue (OH) (23) 28. Far Out 18 Black (WI) (41) 29. FC Elite 18 Elite (WI) (39) 30. Ku’Ikahi 18 Wahine (HI) (26) *** 31. Paramount VBC 18 (VA) (24) 32. Triangle 18 Black (NC) (40) 33. Madfrog 18 Green (TX) (32) 34. MN Select 18-1 (MN (31) 35. TAV 18 Black (TX) (n/r) 36. VCNebraska 18 Elite (NE) (25) 37. CUVC 18 Titan (NC) (n/r) 38. A4 Volley 18 Joaco (CA) (n/r) 39. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (CA) (28) 40. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami (OH) (33) *** 41. VC United 18 Elite (IL) (47) 42. Northern Lights 18-1 (MN) (34) 43. AJV 18 Adidas (TX) (42) 44. KC Power 18 Black (KS) (35) 45. Excel 18 National Red (TX) (43) 46. Topeka Impact 18-1 (KS) (36) 47. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (MO) (38) 48. Tstreet 18 Chandler (CA) (50) 49. AZ EVJ 18 Elite (AZ) (n/r) 50. OJVA 18 Gold (OR) (n/r) ON THE CUSP Adversity 18 Adidas (IL) Kairos 18 Alpha (SD) Union 18-1 UA (KY) Legacy Girls 18 Elite (CA) GP 18 Rox (FL) Top Select 18 Elite (FL) EC Power 18 Royal (PA) Absolute 18 Black (CA) SynergyForce 18 Shasta (CA) Iowa Rockets 18R (IO) Dynasty 18 Black (KS) Actyve 18 Black (CA) Rage Westside 18 Michelle (CA) Alamo 18 Premier (TX) PVA 18 Elite (KS) NorCal 18-1 Black (CA) Bama Elite 18 Renegades (AL) South County 18 Darice (ID) ID Crush 18 Bower (ID) Balboa Bay 18 Blue (CA) Vegas Aces 18 UA (NV) Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (MI) Rev 18-1 Avengers (IN) JJVA 18 Teal (FL) Michio 18 National (IL) SA Magic 18 Elite (TX) OP2 18 EP (OK)

PNQ 16-18s: Preview And Predictions (FREE)

March 23, 2023

One of the events on the schedule this coming weekend includes the opening act of the Pacific Northwest Qualifier on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Spokane. The older ages are up first, featuring the 16-18s. We check on the Open divisions and give our hunch on how things might go. 18 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Absolute 18 Black vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (3): 17. NPJ 18 Forefront 28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 43. Excel 18 National Red 5-Star Athletes To Know Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU) 4-Star Athletes To Know Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Havannah Hoeft S Rage Westside 18 Michelle (LMU) Emma Donley OH Rage Westside 18 Michelle (Cal) Sophia Gregoire-Salagean OH OJVA 18 Gold (Oregon) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Fatimah Hall S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State) Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront (Washington, 2024) Outlook/Prediction: It’s the last 18s qualifier of the year and three teams still have an opportunity to clinch a bid outright. Unlike the past two weekends where we’ve seen fields packed with previously-qualified at Red Rock and MEQ lead to more at-larges, we are guaranteed to award all three bids at PNQ. In fact, with Absolute 18 Black the only team in the field with bids we are going to see high drama playing out. Teams are going to have to finish at least fourth or better because trickle down can’t extend past that. And that’s if Absolute play a factor in trickle down. If not, it’ll take a fourth or even third-place performance to qualify. The prediction is NPJ beating Long Beach for gold. Long Beach gets its bid, as does Excel 18 National Red. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 31 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Coast 17-1 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (9): 6. HJV 17 Elite 18. Vision 17 Gold 20. Coast 17-1 22. SCVC 17 Roxy 29. Madfrog 17 Green 34. AJV 17 Adidas 35. SG Elite 17 Rosh 36. City 17 Gold 42. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar 5-Star Athletes To Know Charlie Fuerbringer S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (Wisconsin) Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025) 4-Star Athletes To Know Kennedy Osunsanmi RS City 17 Gold Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold (Duke) Savannah Skopal S AJV 17 Adidas (Rice) Alice Volpe L/DS HJV 17 Elite (TCU) Zoe Humphrey MB HJV 17 Elite (UCLA) Abby Hoybjerg OH SynergyForce 17 Patrick (BYU) Lainee Pyles OH Madfrog 17 Green (LSU) Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025) Outlook/Prediction: Much like 18 Open, with Coast 17-1 the only team with a bid, there isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to qualifying. It’s going to take at least a top four finish if not better. Coast earned its bid at Red Rock and is certainly one of the top contenders. There’s a good chance Coast plays into qualifying through trickle down. But which teams the bids go to is up in the air. Vision 17 Gold, SCVC 17 Roxy and SG Elite 17 Rosh were all in the mix on the final day of Red Rock and figure to be in the same position at PNQ. HJV 17 Elite – at No. 6 – is the highest-ranked team in the field and will have a say. Two more Texas squads in AJV 17 Adidas and Madfrog 17 Green are also candidates to qualify. Like any qualifier, a lot is going to depend on how the gold pools break based on any upsets or surprises from the previous two days. The pick is SCVC beating Coast in the final. Taking home bids along with SCVC are HJV and SG Elite. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 24 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (6): 13. Coast 16-1 27. ID Crush 16 Bower 33. AJV 16 Adidas 35. Absolute 16 Black 37. NorCal 16-1 Black 48. Norco 16 Black 5-Star Athletes To Know Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (2026) 4-Star Athletes To Know Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower Elizabeth Bower L/DS ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 16 Bower (2026) Brooklyn Hardy MB ID Crush Bower (2026) Outlook/Prediction: The good news is there are only six teams of the 24 in attendance from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings competing this weekend. The bad news is with no previously-qualified teams in the field it’s going to take a top-three showing to get one of the three bids in play. Coast 16-1 and ID Crush 16 Bower were in the hunt on the last day of Red Rock are start here among the top favorites. Absolute 16 Black had a tough showing at Red Rock and was eliminated on Day 1. That’ll have Absolute hungry to make a deep run here and is a team to watch for. NorCal 16-1 Black hasn’t played on national stage since Triple Crown and is another team capable of qualifying. Unranked teams to follow are Oaks 16 Gold, Vision 16 Gold and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar. Any one of the three could surprise this weekend and qualify. The selection is Coast beating ID Crush in the final, while the final bid goes to NorCal over Vision.

MEQ 14s: Preview And Prediction (FREE)

March 23, 2023

It’s a different MEQ schedule this year, with the older ages taking up the opening weekend before the attention shifts to half of the younger ages this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 Number of Bids Available: 3 Previously-Qualified Teams (2): OT 14 Laura; HPSTL 14 Royal vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (14): 5. Skyline 14 Royal 7. OT 14 Laura 10. MAVS KC 14-1 12. Elevation 14 Molly 21. HPSTL 14 Royal 27. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal 30. Austin Skyline 14 Royal 33. HJV 14 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.41 36. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami 37. Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 42. MKE Sting 14 Gold 43. PVA 14 Elite 45. KC Power 14 Black 5-Star Athletes To Know Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite 4-Star Athletes To Know Bryn Meyer OH Mintonette Sports m.41 Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 14 Molly Other Players To Know Maria Schulte S/RS NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lola Waleskowski OH NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Lilly Tierney MB NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami Marlee Steiner MB HPSTL 14 Royal Lyla Sands MB HPSTL 14 Royal Peyton Heatherly S/RS Lions 14-1 Audrey Davis RS Circle City 14 Purple Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura (2026) Laven Blumoff L/DS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo S/RS Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu OH Austin Skyline 14 Royal Ryan Spencer OH Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett OH Skyline 14 Royal Izabelle Buchholz MB Skyline 14 Royal Dakota Huynh L/DS Skyline 14 Royal Savanna Stacey OH Elevation 14 Molly Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 14 Molly Victoria Belfort OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal Outlook/Prediction: A strong field is chasing three bids. With both OT 14 Laura and HPSTL 14 Royal coming in with prior bids it’ll be interesting to see if trickle down plays a role or not. It’s possible for trickle down to reach fifth place but teams can’t rely on that happening. Skyline 14 Royal, MAVS KC 14-1 and Elevation 14 Molly have been among the more consistent teams in the field but the 14s can improve in a hurry so anything is possible this weekend. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Austin Skyline 14 Royal and HJV 14 Elite are contenders to bid, as are Mintonette Sports m.41, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami and Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite. Or what about an unranked team like Lions 14-1 or MN Select 14-1? In the end, OT wins it all by beating Tribe in the final. Skyline and Elevation also earn bids.

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