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The 2023 Tour of Texas Austin Stop DEFINITELY started the year with a BANG. This year A5, Premier Nebraska, and Oklahoma Charge added an interesting twists to an already strong tournament series. Let’s start this off with a bang. The 17 Invitational pools featured A5 17 Jing, Drive Nation 17 Red, TAV 17 Black and AJV 17 Adidas in the same pool. AND the first matchup of the day happened to be TAV facing A5. Someone might want to chime in with ‘IT’S JANUARY,’ but that being said TAV defeated A5 in three. There was tons of big blocks, loaded swings and amazing ups happening on both sides. In other 17s action Houston Skyline 17 Royal and HJV 17 Elite went 3-0 in their power pools.  In 16 Invitational pools the day started off with another great match with HJV 16 Elite squaring off against Austin Skyline 16 Royal. HJV features a great group of athletes which includes 5-star recruit Jordan Taylor, 4-star recruit Sydney Bryant, 4-star recruit Aaliyah Smith. Austin Skyline returns a great group of athletes that includes 4-star recruit Callie Krueger, 4-star recruit Addison Gaido and 4-star recruit Lily Dee Davis. HJV ended up winning the match in three. By the end of the pool HJV swept their pool 3-0. In other 16s action Drive Nation 16 Red swept their pool 3-0 while Madfrog 16 Green ended up winning their pool after the three-way tie. Excel 16 National Red ended up second while Skyline 16 Royal ended up third.  In 15 Invitational the first pool was a slugfest with Houston Skyline 15 Royal coming out as the top seed. Skyline 15 Royal and HJV 15 Elite captured the other pools 3-0. Lots of great new names emerged from this group of athletes. Loads of high-flying hitters in this age with Austin Performance outside Henley Anderson, Houston Skyline outside Halle Thompson, Skyline outside Layla Austin and Madfrog outside Kennedy Crayton leading the way.  In 14 Invitational, TAV 14 Black, Skyline 14 Royal and Austin Skyline 14 Royal all swept their pools respectively. There is lots of size, athleticism and talent in this division.  Fun Fact: Two of the vballrecruiter.com HS Player of the Year athletes were swinging with ferocity in the gym in 2025 OH/Opp Macaria Spears and 2026 OH Henley Anderson as they helped lead their teams. Sometimes it’s all about matchups and Sunday is a new day. Anyone else excited to see how this weekend ends up?!?  Day 1 Standouts Macaria Spears, OH/Opp, TAV 17 Black Gillian Pitts, L, TAV 17 Black Ayden Ames, MB,  Drive Nation 17 Red Savannah Skopal, S, Austin Juniors 17 Adidas  Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 17 Jing Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 17 Jing Akunna Cos-Okpalla, L, Madfrog 17 Green  Jaela Auguste, MB, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Kirra Musgrove, S/Opp, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Alice Volpe, L, HJV 17 Elite Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red Sarah Mendoza, L Drive Nation 16 Red Taylor Porter, OH/Opp, Houston Skyline 16 Royal Sydnee Peterson, OH/Opp, TAV 16 Black Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 16 Elite Aaliyah Smith, OH, HJV 16 Elite Megan Fitch, OH, Alamo 16 Premier Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 16 Royal Halle Thompson, OH, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Lacy Tinnell, MB, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Kennedy Crayton, OH, Madfrog 15 Green Gabriella Rodriquez, L, Madfrog 15 Green Skylar Jackson, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Layla Austin, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Riley Malloy, OH, Austin Skyline 15 Royal Karsen O’Keefe, OH, Drive Nation 15 Red Ryan Sadler, OH, A5 15-Bob  Arianna Muoneke, OH, HJV 15 Elite Gwenyth Koss, OH, HJV 15 Elite Mya Cheatum, OH, Austin Juniors 15 Adidas Henley Anderson, OH, AP 15 Adidas Malia Miller, OH, Integrity 15 Intense Blue  Sophee Peterson, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Vanessa Glenn, OH, Madfrog 14 Green Kaylie Davis, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Lexi Martin, OH, Drive Nation 14 Red Jordan Morrow, OH Houston Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo, S/Opp, Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu, OH, Austin Skyline 14 Royal

Moving down the age groups it’s time for the 15s Preseason All-Americans! We began with the 18s, which you can find here. We followed that with the 17s and then 16s. Below, you can see the 22 players selected as 15s Preseason All-Americans. OH – Finley Krystkowiak Wave 15 Brennan OH – Gabi Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH – Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas OH – Layla Austin Skyline 15 Royal OH – Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 OH – Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB – Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal MB – Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB – Bennett Raterman HPSTL 15 Royal MB – Margaret Czajka MKE Sting 15 Gold RS – Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS – Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black S/RS – Rayna Christianson Northern Lights 15-1 S/RS – Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal   S/RS – Eva Swenson MN Select 15-1 S – Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S – Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S – Genevieve Harris NC Academy 15 Diamond L – Gabi Rodriguez Madfrog 15 Green L – Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 L – Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L – Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas

We ended last week with the start of our 2023 Club Preseason All-Americans. You can find the 18s division here and the 17s division here. Up next are the 16s and the 22 players named Preseason All-Americans. OH – Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red OH – Teraya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder OH – Megan Fitch Alamo 16 Premier OH – Bailey Warren Hou Skyline 16 Royal OH – Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends OH – Kelly Kinney Tribe 16 Elite MB – Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Drive Nation 16 Red MB – Bayleigh Minor Hou Skyline 16 Royal MB – Kalyssa Blackshear Surfside 16 PV Legends MB – Jordan Taylor HJV 16 Elite RS – Carly Gilk MN Select 16-1 RS – Mesaiya Bettis Northern Lights 16-1 RS – Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal S/RS – Logan Parks MAVS KC 16-1 S/RS – Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle Rox 16 Red S – Campbell Flynn Legacy 16 Adidas S – Kassidy O’Brien Hou Skyline 16 Royal S – Charlotte Glass Tribe 16 Elite L – Addison Applegate Munciana 16 Blaze L – Izzy Mahaffey Arizona Storm 16 Elite L – Francesca Popescu A5 16 Gabe L – Callie Krueger Austin Skyline 16 Royal

With Christmas and New Year’s in the rearview, the first weekend of 2023 meant one thing. Volleyball action! One of the many events taking place was the SCVA Power League Event 1 for the 16 and 18s age groups. That’s where I spent the weekend, splitting time between CLAVA and Momentous. Below, you can find the Show Stoppers from the weekend. Kayden Croy OH Rancho Valley 18 Premier – Rancho Valley had an uphill climb facing the other top teams in the SCVA 18s Power League this weekend but Croy was a bright spot with her play. She showed off a solid arm, hitting with pace and placement. She also was staying aggressive going against bigger blocks. AnnaMaria Ramos OH Vegas Aces 18 UA – Ramos, who is headed to Air Force, is a workhorse on the left for Vegas Aces. She’s a six-rotation player and a key contributor. Even against bigger and better teams, she was able to score with consistency. She has a nice arm with a loose swing. Sarah Wilson OH Temecula 18 Viper – Wilson is fearless on the attack. Temecula doesn’t have the punch of say a Wave or Coast but Wilson doesn’t back down from the challenge. She has a lively arm and isn’t afraid to let it loose and challenge blockers. Ellie Nichols RS Temecula 18 Viper – At 6-1, Nichols is a presence across the front row. She has a physical aspect to her on both sides of the ball. She can take up space on the right side and can make it tough on attackers to find space. She also hits a heavy ball and is someone who can add to the offense when she’s in. Tate Drageset OH Actyve 18 Black – We caught Drageset leading Buckley to the CA Div. 3 state runner up this past fall. Suiting up for Actyve, not much has changed except the uniform. Drageset has a slight frame that defies expectations when she goes on the attack. Don’t be fooled, she can rip it. She’s the main offensive weapon for Actyve and she’s a threat both front and back row. Carly Greskovics L Actyve 18 Black – Greskovics, a Michigan recruit, comes over from Sunshine. She’s used to playing at a high-level in club and she was solid in the back for Actyve when we caught her. Actyve is not a big team by 18s standards and Greskovics adds a ball-control presence to help keep Actyve in system. Nikki Hughes RS Actyve 18 Black – A 6-0 lefty right side, Hughes joined Actyve after playing for SG Elite last season. She’s committed to UC Riverside and she was showing what she can do at the next level during Saturday’s action. Hughes has a nice arm and she can definitely score in system. She seems to have a good court sense and knack for finding the open space. Sydney Bold L Coast 18 Ozhan – Coast finished two days of play undefeated, coming out on top of the 18s. One of the big strengths of this team is its physicality but it’s backed by great defensive play, with Bold – a 3-star Princeton recruit – leading the charge. Bold is business-like at the position. She gets the job done with steady, consistent play. Claire Little OH Coast 18 Ozhan – Little gives Coast its big arm on the left that top 18s teams need. Her play Saturday was representative of what we’ve come to appreciate about her game. The 4-star BYU recruit  is a competitor but will show her lighter side on the court at times, releasing a sly smile or laugh. She’s a threat no matter where she is and just being on the court she opens up the dynamic of the Coast attack. Tanon Rosenthal S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Rosenthal is a new member of Beach’s roster this season, having come from Texas and playing at Mira Costa for high school. She’s a natural fit on this team with her ability to both set and hit. Rosenthal, who is committed to Arizona for beach, is also a player who doesn’t draw a lot of attention to herself, just going about her play without much fanfare but Beach wouldn’t have had the weekend it did without her. Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – We’ve been writing this about Blagojevich – a 4-star Oklahoma recruit – for years. Her power always stands out, whether she’s going for a kill or ripping a jump serve. She hits the ball hard! She’s also a heady player who sees the court well and understands the game at a high level. Olivia Babcock OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA – Babcock was used a lot in serve receive as the Sunshine staff continues to develop Babcock’s all-around game. One thing remains the same though and that’s the 5-star Pitt recruit’s ability to simply score. She’s long and lengthy and she gets up. She’s able to attack at angles that others aren’t and it puts extra stress on the defense to try and cover it all. Ava-Marie Lange OH Sunshine 18 LA – A 4-star Harvard recruit, we loved the way Lange was playing. There’s no doubt that Babcock and Torrey Stafford carry much of the offense for Sunshine. But Lange – who was part of Sunshine’s 18 Open gold medal roster last spring – is a capable scorer who can help take a load off of those two. She put away a couple of really big swings. She could play a key role filling in on both the left and right. Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana – Payne was a force at the net. The 4-star Colorado recruit was very active across the front row. Her blocking was disruptive as she covered pin-to-pin. She also made spectators take note offensively. One thing Wave does well is run the slide and Payne can certainly connect on it. Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana –

vballrecruiter.com is in the process of releasing its 2023 Club Preseason All-Americans. We kicked it off by naming the 22 members of the 18s Preseason All-American team. Next in line is the 17s, followed by the 16 and 15s next week. We present vballrecruiter.com’s 2023 17s Preseason All-American team, featuring 22 of the top athletes from the division. OH – Cari Spears TAV 17 Black OH – Skyler Pierce Dynasty 17 Black OH – Carlie Cisneros Dynasty 17 Black OH – Hannah Benjamin A5 17 Jing OH – Jadyn Livings TAV 17 Black OH – Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel MB – Favor Anyanwu TAV 17 Black MB – Ayden Ames Drive Nation 17 Red MB – Zoey Burgess Club V 17 Ren MB – Mia Hood A5 17 Jing RS – Abigail Mullen Dynasty 17 Black RS – Molly Kate Patten A5 17 Jing RS – Grace Carroll Drive Nation 17 Red RS – Ryan Hunter Triangle 17 Black S – Reese Messer Dynasty 17 Black S – Charlie Fuerbringer Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar S – Izzy Starck Co Jrs 17 Kevin S – Nayelis Cabello Top Select 17 Elite L – Ryan McAleer Dynasty 17 Black L – Gillan Pitts TAV 17 Black L – Gabriela Cornier A5 17 Jing L – Faith Frame Premier Nebraska 17 Gold

January’s excitement level is a tough one to top. It’s when the new club season begins to really get into gear as teams start traveling the country to compete. Optimism and hope are high. Everyone is looking to better themselves and improve on the season before. We are excited here at vballrecruiter.com because we get to experience it together for the first time. We didn’t officially launch the website until April of last season, so we missed one of the most exciting months of the year! It’s okay, as we are here from the beginning for the 2023 club season. You can check out our club articles so far, as we checked on teams from the 15, 16, 17 and 18s division. We also highlighted 19 top players who have new clubs for upcoming season. And soon, we’ll be releasing our National Rankings as well. Now, we present you with vballrecruiter.com’s 2023 18s Preseason All-American team, featuring 22 of the top athletes from the oldest division. OH – Jurnee Robinson A5 18 Marc OH – Julia Blyashov Wave 18 Juliana OH – Torrey Stafford Sunshine 18 LA OH – Jordyn Harvey Club V 18 OH – Blaire Bayless Madfrog 18 Green OH – Mele Corral-Blagojevich Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar MB – Reese Robins Drive Nation 18 Red MB – Brooke Bultema Elevation 18 Spinney MB – Eloise Brandewie Mintonette Sports m.81 MB – Nya Bunton KiVA 18 Red RS – Grace Heaney Premier Nebraska 18 Gold RS – Olivia Babcock Sunshine 18 LA RS – Noemie Glover Coast 18 Ozhan RS – Sam Hoppes Drive Nation 18 Red S – Lily Nicholson Drive Nation 18 Red S – Audrey Clark TAV 18 Black S – Stella Swenson MN Select 18-1 S – Kennedy Phelan Ozark Jrs 18 National L – Alyssa Manitzas Alamo 18 Premier L – Ramsey Gary Munciana 18 Samurai L – Gigi Navarrete 1st Alliance 18 Gold L – Olivia Mauch Premier Nebraska 18 Gold

Over the past two weeks we’ve checked in on teams from the 15, 16, 17 and 18s divisions as we started diving into the club season. In doing so, we’ve already noted a few players who have switched clubs for the new year. That led us to compiling a list of 4 and 5-star athletes who are representing different teams and who figure to make tremendous impacts doing so. 5 STARS Alex Acevedo SR OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon): Acevedo leaving Idaho Crush and moving to NPJ instantly boosted her new team. With 48 teams qualifying for 18 Open, NPJ could have found its way into the field regardless. However, their chances greatly increase with Acevedo. She gives NPJ a high-level outside who is going to be the go-to hitter and able to carry a big load offensively.   Ayden Ames JR MB/OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska): Ames leaving TAV to join Drive Nation is obviously one of the biggest club changes this season. Ames’ height and length allows her to really extend and contact the ball at a high point. She’s a game-changing presence across the front row. She also brings versatility to the roster. She played both right side and middle last year in club and spent this past high school season hitting on the outside. Ryan Hunter SO RS Triangle 17 Black: This could be a major move! Hunter going from CJV to Triangle is one switch we are definitely keeping tabs on. Triangle was very competitive in 16 Open last year, winning the Big South Qualifier and finishing tied for 13th at Junior Nationals. The main cast of characters is back for Triangle, so adding a player like Hunter naturally brings high hopes and excitement. She also seems like a perfect fit because Triangle is strong on the left with 4-star outsides Kiarrah Horne and Asia Thigpen. What they didn’t have is a consistent, threatening right side attack. Hunter, at 6-1 and a high flyer, brings that instantly. She can hit out of the back row too and it’s going to be really fun seeing setter Emily Bobbitt utilizing Hunter’s talents this year. Not sure Hunter’s arrival elevates Triangle into the best-of-the-best conversation but it might! Cari Spears SO OH TAV 17 Black: Spears – who was the vballrecruiter.com 2022 High School Sophomore Player of the Year after a dominating season at Prestonwood Christian – comes to TAV after playing for Metro last season. Spears, the top hitting prospect in her class, is playing up a year but that won’t keep her from making a huge impact. She’s 6-3 with a powerful arm and capable of scoring from all over. She’ll be playing with a few of her high school teammates as well, so she figures to fit right in. TAV wasn’t lacking for an offensive punch already having 5-star athletes Jadyn Livings and Favor Anyanwu on the roster. Now with Spears also factored in, opposing defenses are going to face an unrelenting attack. Good luck! Lameen Mambu SO OH Metro 17 Travel: The what ifs of this one are fun. Like, what if Spears stayed at Metro and would have been teamed with Mambu this season, either on the 16s or on the 17s if both played up? We won’t know the answer to that but we’ll soon find out how much Mambu coming from Paramount to Metro will help her new squad. Mambu is crazy athletic and jumps really well. Metro was in the top half of Open as a 16s team. Metro essentially lost Spears but gained Mambu. It should keep Metro in the mix again. Kirra Musgrove SO S/RS Houston Skyline 17 Royal: Part of Hou Skyline beefing up its roster this season is adding Musgrove, who comes over from HJV. Musgrove played her age group last year in the 15s, but will jump to 17s with her new club. Musgrove’s next-level talent is easy to see. She’s tall, smooth and has smarts. She set and hit last year with HJV so she also brings versatility to the lineup. Looking at Hou Skyline’s roster, it seems likely they’ll be running a 6-2 this season with Musgrove clearly a part of it. Hou Skyline qualified for Open last year but wasn’t a medal contender. Adding Musgrove plus others might not boost Hou Skyline to that level but this squad should be more competitive. Samara Coleman SO OH Houston Skyline 17 Royal: Coleman is another new member to Hou Skyline. The high-flying 6-1 outside who jumps 30 inches comes over from TAV Houston. She’s also going to be playing up an age group in the 17s. Adding Coleman certainly brings more pop to the attack. Hou Skyline was thin in that area last season and by adding Coleman Hou Skyline should definitely have more firepower to throw at opponents. Kelly Kinney SO OH Tribe 16 Elite: Playing with Boomers last year, Kinney flew under the radar. She’s a remarkable talent with her length and scoring ability. Joining Tribe should help both sides. For starters, Kinney joins a roster that already includes 5-star setter Charlotte Glass. Glass to Kinney already seems like one of the best connections in the division and it could be the reason Tribe is able to make the move and qualify for Open this season. Tribe already had the high-flying Tekoa Barnes on the left, so Glass working with both Barnes and Kinney should be exciting! Keoni Williams FR MB Skyline 15 Royal: Any team Williams winds up on is going to make that team better. She left Frisco Flyers for Skyline this season but because of lots of roster turnover it remains to be seen where this Skyline version stands. Only two players are back from last year’s 14s that tied for 23rd in 14 Open, but that doesn’t mean anything with such a new look. Still, with the 6-4 Williams in the middle Skyline knows it has a force in the front row anytime she checks in.

If you have been following along, you know by now the plan is to start releasing our Club National Rankings in the next couple of weeks. We’ve been gearing up for that task by checking in on a few teams while we do our digging in each age division. We’ve made it through the 18s, 17s and 16s. Now, it’s time for the 15s! We preview 10 teams, among them top contenders, teams on the rise and a team looking to crack Open this spring. MINTONETTE SPORTS M.51: It was Mintonette coming on and capturing the 14 Open gold medal in Indy last summer. It wasn’t a shocker but a surprise nevertheless. It’s a competitive age group, so does Mintonette have enough pieces back to repeat? The short answer is yes, though obviously it’s going to be a very difficult task with all the top teams in the hunt. One of Mintonette’s advantages last season came on the pins with 3-star outsides Sara Snowbarger and Layla Hoying and both return. That’s a great start. Also back is 3-star setter Mallory Matheny and 4-star L/DS Emma Cugino. Among the additions is 6-1 outside Mackenzie Palumbo, who’ll add depth on the pins. ELEVATION 15 TONY: It was an all-Ohio Valley Region showdown last summer in the 14 Open semifinals, as Elevation fell to Mintonette and finished with the bronze medal. Similarly, there was not much roster movement for Elevation, which will once more look to make a deep run this coming summer. Key contributors back include 3-star setter Makenna Kirlin, 3-star middle Sydney Geselbracht, 3-star L/DS Ella Grimes and 3-star outsides Cara Richter and Sidney Sprada. The only newcomers are middles Kendall Northern and Grace Herzog. MADFROG 15 GREEN: Madfrog entered JNs as the top seed after a remarkable regular season and ended tying for fifth in 14 Open in Indy. Unlike Mintonette and Elevation, the changes to Madfrog’s roster were more extensive. Six players return from last year – 4-star L/DS Gabi Rodriguez, 3-star right side Dawn Moore, 3-star setter Jaidyn Hartsfield and 3-star OH/DS Balire Bowers, as well as outside Simone Heard and middle Katelyn Lindsay. Joining the team for this season is 3-star outside Kennedy Crayton and 3-star middle Hannah Lee. It remains to be seen if Madfrog can contend for a national championship like last season but there’s plenty of talent on the team to be in the upper half of Open. LEGACY 15-1 ADIDAS: As 14s last year, Legacy didn’t qualify for Open though the club did take bronze in 14 Open at AAUs. However, there’s plenty of reason to believe an Open bid will come the club’s way as 15s this season. With six of the 10 players returning plus the key additions, Legacy could be among the top teams in the country once things begin clicking. The big news comes with 5-star outside Gabi Divita. She played up on the 15s last season as an eighth-grader and will remain on the 15s as a freshman. She was one of the top outsides in the division last season and figures to be even better this year. On top of that, 3-star recruit and 6-3 middle Ella Andrews is part of the returning group. Andrews was hurt on the 14s last year and missed the second half of the season. Legacy will have the arms with Divita and Andrews combining with 5-star recruit Kayla Nwabueze. The 6-0 middle was also on the 14s last year, along with 3-star setter Eva Long and 4-star L/DS Meredith Martin. Among the players added are outside Aubree Deshetsky and 6-1 middle Gina Fedrigo. TAV 15 BLACK: Last season TAV was among the top contending clubs throughout the year and proved as much with a fifth-place showing at JNs. While the roster did feature some turnover, many key parts are back and that should keep TAV among the upper echelon of teams. Included in the returning players is 5-star S/RS Danielle Whitmire and 5-star middle Kinsley Young, as well as 3-star outside Kylie Kleckner and 3-star middle Jayla Jackson. Included in the players coming over to TAV is 3-star outside Sophia Davila, 3-star OH Kennedy Simon and 3-star middle Brooklyn Bailey. SG ELITE 15 ROSH: San Gabriel made a surprise run to the 14 Open semis, leaving Indy with a bronze medal after upsetting Madfrog in the quarterfinals. Any success that comes SG’s way in 2023 will happen with essentially the same roster. Just two spots changed, with just about everyone coming back. That includes 4-star outside Kylie Parker, 3-star outside Aberdeen Callaway, 3-star L/DS Tatawan Vongfak and 3-star setter Ellie Chu. MKE STING 15 GOLD: Sting showed how competitive of a group it was during a season in which it finished tied for 11th in 14 Open at JNs. With minimal roster change, Sting figures to be a challenging matchup for opponents once more. The biggest switch is middle Allie Beers moving up to the 16s. Returning for Sting though is 4-star middle Margaret Czajka, 3-star L/DS Cassie Bruns, 3-star outside Natalie Surges, 3-star outside Marlee Sivak and 3-star setter Brooke Baldwin. HOU SKYLINE 15 ROYAL: Hou Skyline turned in a solid performance in 14 Open last year in Indy, going 7-3 and tying for ninth. However, it’s a reworked lineup, though one that should still be in the top half of Open teams. Among those returning are 3-star outside Halle Thompson and 3-star middle Lacy Tinnell, as well as L/DSs Victoria Shupe and Lauryn Wiley. Key additions are 3-star outside Nadi’ya Shelby and outside Jayden Robinson. Both are 6-1 and should add more to the attack. TOP SELECT 15 ELITE: This is one club we’ll be keeping tabs on to see if Top Select can make the leap into Open this spring. Last in 14s, Top Select finished tied for fifth in 14 Open at AAUs and captured the 14 National gold medal at JNs. That shows they were right on the cusp of breaking through, something they’ll hope