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18s Qualifiers On Tap: Preview And Predictions

Which 18s teams are next in line to join the group of Open qualifiers so far? With three national qualifiers on the slate for this weekend, eight more bids are going to be handed out. That will take the number of awarded bids from eight to 16. Here are the clubs which have earned their Open bids to date: Sunshine 18 LA (Windy City) Wave 18 Juliana (Windy City) Mintonette Sports m.81 (Windy City) MAVS KC 17-1 (KC MLK) Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK) Drive Nation 18 Red (Lone Star) A5 18 Marc (Lone Star) Skyline 18 Royal (Lone Star)   The Florida Fest, Northern Lights and Salt Lake City Showdown qualifiers will add to those numbers after those Friday-Sunday tournaments wrap up. Below, we take a look at each qualifier and what to expect. FLORIDA FEST Number of Teams: 26 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (3): Drive Nation 18 Red; MAVS KC 18-1; Mintonette Sports m.81 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (12):  2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 5. Drive Nation 18 Red 8. OT 18 John 9. Metro 18 Travel 11. MAVS KC 18-1 13. Madfrog 18 Green 29. Mich Elite 18 Mizuno 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 43. Paramount VBC 18s 46. Triangle 18 Black 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black *** 5 Star Athletes Reese Robins MB Drive Nation 18 Red (Louisville) Leah Ford MB Drive Nation 18 Red (USC) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Blaire Bayless OH Madfrog 18 Green (Pitt)   4 Star Athletes Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kamryn Lee-Caracci MB 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Georgetown) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Milan Rex S/OH Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Samantha Hoppes OH/RS Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordyn Dailey RS/MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Juliette Myrick S Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (Army) Lily Nicholson S Drive Nation 18 Red (TCU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Callie Kieffer S Drive Nation 18 Red (Alabama) Sydney Breon OH Drive Nation 18 Red (UCLA) Halle Schroder OH Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College)   Outlook/Prediction: This is the biggest qualifier of the weekend, both in total number of teams in 18 Open and the depth of the field as 12 of the 26 clubs appear in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. However, this could also be the ‘easiest’ qualifier of the weekend to gain a bid simply because there are three teams already with bids and that could push trickle down to sixth place. 1st Alliance 18 Gold didn’t play in the Windy City Qualifier earlier this month and is making its first appearance at a qualifier. 1st Alliance, the defending 17 Open national champions from Indy, are the top seed and are big favorites to grab one of the three bids. Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Drive Nation 18 Red follow as the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds but all three already have their spots clinched for Columbus. The teams to pay close attention to in terms of earning bids this weekend is OT 18 John, Metro 18 Travel, Mich Elite 18 Mizuno, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite and Gainesville Jrs 18 Black. The prediction is the three bids are going to that group of five teams, with Metro and Gainesville taking them home. As for the tournament winner, 1st Alliance defeats MAVS for first place. *** SALT LAKE CITY SHOWDOWN Number of Teams: 25 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (1): Sunshine 18 LA vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8):  7. AZ Rev 18 Premier 10. Sunshine 18 LA 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 30. NPJ 18 Forefront 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 38. Absolute 18 Black 44. ID Crush 18 Bower *** 5 Star Athletes Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower   4 Star Athletes Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Ava-Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Harvard) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor)   Outlook/Prediction: The bad news for teams hoping to qualify is Sunshine 18 LA – the top seed – is the only club with an Open bid and thus trickle down can’t go past fourth place. It’s going to take a legit finish to qualify at this event. The good news though is the field isn’t quite as deep as it was last season and there’s a great opportunity for three teams to take advantage of that. So Cal clubs like Wave 18 Juliana (already qualified) and Coast 18 Ozhan (not qualified) did not make the trip and that should help in the case of Coast, though teams wouldn’t mind Wave being here considering Wave already has a bid. In terms of Open bids going out, I think there is one lock here with Club V 18 Ren Reed. Playing at its local qualifier, I expect Club V to play well and secure one of the three bids. Club V opens as the No. 2 overall seed. Other clubs expected to compete for bids include Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar, AZ Rev 18 Premier, NPJ 18 Forefront and Arizona Storm 18 Thunder. If you want a few underdogs to create havoc and root for them, OJVA 18 Gold, ID Crush 18 Bower, Hive 18 Gold and A4 Volley 18 Joaco are teams to watch in that sense. Any one of

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Three More Open Bids Awarded in 18 Open

The second weekend of the 18s qualifier season was a light one, with just the Lone Star Classic 18s on the schedule. The 20-team field produced three 18 Open bids, which went to tournament champion Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18-Marc and Skyline 18 Royal. They joined Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana, Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold as clubs holding 18 Open bids after two weeks of qualifying. With three 18s qualifiers set for this coming weekend the field will double in size by next week. With nationally-ranked No. 5 Drive Nation and No. 6 A5 gaining their bids this past weekend, half of our initial Top 10 from the 18s National Rankings have secured bids so far, including No. 3 Wave, No. 4 Premier Nebraska and No. 10 Sunshine. Skyline opened up at No. 25. Drive Nation dropped just one match over the three days, with No. 18 AJV 18 Adidas taking down the eventual champs in three during Day 2 pool play. It was part of three consecutive three-setters for Drive Nation, which had defeated SA Magic 18 Elite in three to end Day 1 and opened Day 2 with a three-set victory over No. 23 Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Drive Nation swept No. 13 Madfrog 18 Green to make the gold pools. Once there, Drive Nation beat No. 17 HJV 18 Elite in three before sweeping both Skyline and A5. A5 had an interesting path to a bid. The Georgia club came out hot, winning its first five matches. However, A5 lost three of its final four contests but still managed to get its bid. A5 was already guaranteed a spot in gold pools before losing to Skyline to end Day 2. Unranked Actyve 18 Black then delivered an upset in three to start Day 3. A5 recovered to sweep Hou Skyline. That created a three-way tie with A5, Actyve and Hou Skyline as all were 1-1. A5 was fortunate to gain the first-place slot based on the best set percentage. Actyve was second and Hou Skyline was third. Skyline opened its weekend with a setback against unranked AZ EVJ 18 Elite but was able to steady itself quickly. Skyline didn’t lose against until facing Drive Nation on Day 3. That loss pitted Skyline against upstart Actyve for the final bid. Skyline swept, 25-13, 25-11, to earn the last Open spot. Actyve was one of the stories of the weekend. The So Cal club didn’t figure to be in the mix for a bid on Day 3 and yet it was a victory short of pulling off the shocker. Actyve picked up key victories over No. 20 TAV 18 Black, No. 17 HJV and No. 6 A5. Actyve came close to winning its gold pool and clinching a bid outright, but fell to No. 23 Hou Skyline 15-13 in the third. You never know!

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Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 13-19

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil   2023 UTAH: OH Skylar George (Houston Skyline) CONVERSE UNIVERSITY: OH Ariel Bryant (Palmetto Rage) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON: S Victoria Carrico (Central Jersey VBA) BETHEL COLLEGE: Opp/MB Alayna Vines (Oklahoma Charge) OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN: DS Emma Strong (Rise VBC) OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN: Heather Holland PACIFIC LUTHERAN: S/DS Savanna Colliado (Pilipa’a Na Wahine) HILLSDALE COLLEGE: OH/Opp Greta Wise (FC Elite) UTAH STATE EASTERN: S Agata Makowska WHATCOM CC: DS Brooklynn Thesenvitz (Puget Sound VBA) BLUEFIELD STATE: MB Callesta Styles (Wisconsin Elite) BLUEFIELD STATE: L Karlee Rae Hill (River Valley Juniors) ITHACA COLLEGE: Opp/OH Naomi Clauhs (Club Integrity) ITHACA COLLEGE: OH Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu (Wildfire VBA) DAYTONA STATE: Opp Jaliyah Cohnes (OTVA Tampa) CASE WESTERN RESERVE: OH Katie Yanni (Pittsburgh Elite) UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN: OH Grace Moravchik (Minnesota North) TRUMAN STATE: Opp/OH Elise Gibson (HPSTL) STONEHILL COLLEGE: S Maddie Schamaun (Paramount VBC) STONEHILL COLLEGE: S Amaya Parnell (Mill City) KEYSTONE COLEGE: OH Holly Grady (Club Cactus) RIO HONDO COLLEGE: L Keary Godinez (Icon VBC) TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB Jade Rodriquez Silva TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB/Opp Genesis Rodriquez CASTLETON: MB Madison Sheehan (Storm VBC) CASTLETON: S/L Sophia Call (Olympic Premier) CASTLETON: MB Sierra Plummer (FCA Maryland) BRIAR CLIFF: S/OH Reese Strouth (Midwest Power) MINNESOTA MORRIS: MB Tori Scheler (Duke City) LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN: MB Austen Goodgion (TAV) NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY: MB Grace Morrow (Belusa United) ST. LAWRENCE: L Kori Meissner (Evergreen VBA) ST. LAWRENCE: MB Kalina Natcheva (Cape Cod Juniors) ST. LAWRENCE: Opp/MB Araiza Acum-Santos (Husky) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: MB Emma Hickman (Houston Juniors) PRATT CC: S Victoria Coble NORTHWESTERN OHIO: MB Rhema Pernell MONTANA STATE BILLINGS: OH/DS Aubrey Allison (Big Sky VBC)   2024 WISCONSIN: L Maile Chan (Athena VBA) ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM: L Meg Jarrett (United Volleyball) WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE: S Milica Tomic (Milwaukee Sting) AKRON: OH Delaney Gash (Lexington United)   TRANSFERS CHAMINADE: GR L Hula Crisostomo (New Mexico Military Institute/UTEP/Ka Ulukoa) NORTHERN IOWA: TR OH Calia Clubb (Illinois State/Iowa Rockets) NORTHERN IOWA: TR L Erin Powers (Alabama Birmingham/Milwaukee Sting) NORTHERN IOWA: TR MB Kara Oxenknecht (New Hampshire/Sports Performance) HOUSTON: TR OH Katie Corelli (Ole Miss/Club V) NAVARRO COLLEGE: TR S Alessandra Pantoja (Dominican University/Attack VBC) FURMAN: TR S Eva Wheeler (Georgia State/ClevPRIME) WILLIAM CAREY: TR MB Grace Engels (Coastal Alabama CC/United Volleyball) EASTERN MENNONITE: TR Opp Sophia Denby (Christopher Newport/Coastal Area) WICHITA STATE: TR S Izzi Strand (UC San Diego/Vision) SAN FRANCISCO: TR Opp/OH Crystal Galaviz (Georgia State/Sports Performance) NORFOLK STATE: TR OH/DS Alexa Harris (Murray State/Albany/Rockwood Thunder) UT SAN ANTONIO: TR L Aliah Giroux (Southern Mississippi/Alamo) FLAGLER: TR MB Colby Stempkowski (St. Leo/Top Select) SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE: TR MB Hailey Smith (Nova Southeastern/Arete) LEWIS CLARK STATE: TR S Sofie Langer (Central Wyoming/Norfolk State/Aspire) EASTERN KENTUCKY: TR L Lucy Malone (Rutgers/Union) PENN STATE: GR OH Jess Mruzik (Michigan/Legacy) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR S Rylie Romero (Nevada/SA Juniors) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR L Kendall Mahaney (Lubbock Christian) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR OH Rylee Achzehn (Southern Utah/AZ Sky) EASTERN MICHIGAN: TR S Hannah Kivett (Florida Gulf Coast/Evansville United) USC: TR L Ellie Geoghegan (San Diego State/Sunshine) UCONN: TR S Ayva Cebollero (Oregon/Hive) TULANE: TR S Laura Fiabane (Salt Lake CC) TULANE: GR MB Orsula Staka (San Francisco) CINCINATTI: TR S Katelyn Lefler (Illinois State/Motion Volleyball Program) GEORGIA TECH: TR MB DeAndra Pierce (Texas/Austin Juniors) SAINT KATHERINE: TR OH/Opp Daniela Jimenez (Arizona Western College) CREIGHTON: GR MB Ellie Bichelmeyer (Rice/KC MAVS) INDIANA PENNSYLVANIA: TR OH Kat Warpinski (Loyola Chicago/M1) BETHUNE COOKMAN: TR MB Alyssa King (UTEP/Wildfire VBA) MONTCLAIR STATE: TR OH Rachel Curran (Eastern University/Garden State Elite)   BEACH   2024 UTAH: Jayda Van Alfen (Tamarack)   TRANSFERS WILLIAM CAREY: TR Mary Katherine Ashburn (Tusculum/501 Volley)   BOYS   2023 WILLIAM PENN: Luka DeJong (Ohana VBC) RUTGERS NEWARK: S Willy Wang (MVVC)  

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15s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

From a rankings standpoint, the 15s divisions is likely to fluctuate a bunch as the season wears on. More so than the older age divisions. We already released those ones, starting with the 18s then moving to the 17s and 16s. Below, we give you our initial Top 50 National Rankings for the 15s division! vballrecruiter.com Top 50 National Rankings 1. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (IN) 2. Madfrog 15 Green (TX) 3. Mintonette Sports m.51 (OH) 4. Skyline 15 Royal (TX) 5. TAV 15 Black (TX) 6. Hou Skyline 15 Royal (TX) 7. Elevation 15 Tony (OH) 8. Wave 15 Brennan (CA) 9. SG Elite 15 Rosh (CA) 10. Austin Skyline 15 Royal (TX) *** 11. Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) 12. HPSTL 15 Royal (MO) 13. MKE Sting 15 Gold (WI) 14. Forza1 North 15 UA (CA) 15. Alamo 15 Premier (TX) 16. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami (KY) 17. SCVC 15 Roxy (CA) 18. Austin Performance 15 Adidas (TX) 19. HJV 15 Elite (TX) 20. Drive Nation 15 Red (TX) *** 21. A5 15 Bob (GA) 22. AZ Sky 15G (AZ) 23. Pohaku 15-1 (KS) 24. Premier Nebraska 15 Gold (NE) 25. Tstreet 15 Curtis (CA) 26. TAV Houston 15 Adidas (TX) 27. Dynasty 15 Black (KS) 28. GP 15 Rox (FL) 29. AVC Cle 15 Red (OH) 30. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder (AZ) *** 31. Northern Lights 15-1 (MN) 32. Far Out 15 Black (MI) 33. AZ Rev 15 Premier (AZ) 34. Rev 15-1 Fuego (IN) 35. High Tide 15 Elite (FL) 36. NC Academy 15 Diamond (NC) 37. WPVC 15 Armour Black (FL) 38. Top Select 15 Elite (FL) 39. Co Jrs 15 Sherri (CO) 40. Actyve 15 Black (CA) *** 41. Iowa Rockets 15R (IA) 42. Tribe 15 Elite (FL) 43. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) 44. Circle City 15 Purple (IN) 45. TVC 15 Black (OH) 46. MN Select 15-1 (MN) 47. Coast 15 Luis (CA) 48. Jupiter 15 Elite (FL) 49. Team Pineapple 15 Black (IN) 50. Triangle 15 Black (NC)

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First 18 Open Bids Awarded

The opening 18s national qualifiers of the season this past weekend not only produced the first bids for Columbus, but it also tested our national rankings for the first time. In Chicago at the Windy City Qualifier, 16 of the 30 teams in the field appeared in our initial Top 50 Rankings, including five teams from the Top 10. It was a smaller field in Kansas City for the MLK Tournament, with just 13 clubs vying for two bids as a result. Despite the size, eight of the teams were nationally ranked, including four from the Top 12. In the end, it was No. 11 MAVC KC 18-1 and No. 4 Premier Nebraska 18 Gold securing 18 Open bids after finishing 1-2 in a four-team pool that also featured No. 12 MN Select 18-1 and No. 40 KC Power 18-1. As for the three 18 Open bids in Chicago, they went to tournament champion and national No. 10 Sunshine 18 LA, No. 3 Wave 18 Juliana and No. 35 Mintonette Sports m.81. The field there was loaded, featuring national No. 1 Coast 18 Ozhan, No. 9 Metro 18 Travel, No. 14 Club V 18 Ren Reed and No. 16 Circle City 18 Purple. Coast’s hopes at earning a bid in its first try ended when it was eliminated with Day 2 losses to Club V and Sunshine. Day 3 came down to two, four-team pools between Sunshine, Mintonette, Adversity 18 Adidas and No. 36 FC Elite 18 Elite in one and Wave, No. 33 Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite, Circle City and Club V. The top-two teams from each pool would advance, with the pool winners earning bids and the second-place teams playing off for the final bid. Sunshine and Wave both went 3-0, with Sunshine beating Wave, 28-26, 25-22, for the championship. Mintonette wound up facing Circle City for third and swept, 25-20, 25-21, for the final bid. Here’s how the final standings looked compared to our rankings: 1. Sunshine (10) 2. Wave (3) 3. Mintonette (35) 4. Circle City (16) 5. Club V (14) 5. FC Elite (36) 7. Adversity (n/r) 7. Rockwood Thunder (33) 9. Coast (1) 10. AVC Cle (27) 11. Metro (9) 11. Mich Elite (29) 13. NPJ Forefront (30) 14. Paramount (43) 15. Legacy (26) 15. Union (49) 17. Top Select (n/r) 18. VC United (n/r) 19. Rev 18-1 (37) 19. MKE Sting (24) 22. Absolute (38) The final day in Kansas City came down to the four-team pool of MN Select, Premier Nebraska, KC Power and MAVS KC. MAVS came out strong, sweeping both Premier Nebraska and MN Select. With KC Power going 0-2, MAVS had first place secured before facing KC Power in the 3 v 4 match and with it one of the two Open bids. The real drama came in the pool’s last match, a clash between Premier Nebraska and MN Select. Both were 1-1, with the final bid going to the winner. Both needed three to get past KC Power, so it was anyone’s guess what would happen. It turned out Premier Nebraska swept, 27-25, 25-22, to take second and join MAVS in bidding. Here’s how the standings there stack up with our national rankings: 1. MAVS (11) 2. Premier Nebraska (4) 3. MN Select (12) 4. KC Power (40) 5. Topeka Impact (42) 6. Dynasty (31) 7. OT John (8)

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16s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

Let’s get on with it. After releasing our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings followed by the 17s division, it’s time to take our first look at the 16s Top 50. With the season getting underway and all the tournaments ahead, we know these rankings are going to change throughout the season. It’ll be fun to see how they measure up at the end of the year! vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (AZ) 2. HJV 16 Elite (TX) 3. Drive Nation 16 Red (TX) 4. A5 16 Gabe (GA) 5. Hou Skyline 16 Royal (TX) 6. TAV 16 Black (TX) 7. Surfside 16 PV Legends (CA) 8. Alamo 16 Premier (TX) 9. Circle City 16 Purple (IN) 10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) *** 11. Austin Skyline 16 Royal (TX) 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno (MI) 13. OT 16 T JP (FL) 14. HPSTL 16 Royal (MO) 15. Legacy 16-1 Adidas (MI) 16. Coast 16 Luis (CA) 17. Dynasty 16 Black (KS) 18. AZ Sky 16G (AZ) 19. Wave 16 Kevin (CA) 20. Madfrog 16 Green (TX) *** 21. Absolute 16 Black (CA) 22. MAVS KC 16-1 (KS) 23. Northern Lights 16-1 (MN) 24. AJV 16 Adidas (TX) 25. ID Crush 16 Bower (ID) 26. Excel 16 National Red (TX) 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold (WI) 28. Nor Cal Black 16-1 (CA) 29. OT 16 O Roberto (FL) 30. Skyline 16 Royal (TX) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (CA) 32. OT 16 J Will (FL) 33. Mintonette Sports m.61 (OH) 34. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite (MO) 35. Munciana 16 Blaze (IN) 36. Top Select 16 Elite (FL) 37. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold (NE) 38. GP 16 Rox (FL) 39. Adidas KiVA 16 Red (KY) 40. Tribe 16 Elite (FL) *** 41. AVC Cle 16 Red (OH) 42. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami (KY) 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon (CO) 44. FC Elite 16 Navy (WI) 45. Triangle 16 Black (NC) 46. Vision 16 Gold (CA) 47. Tstreet 16 Naseri (CA) 48. Club V 16 Ren Wayne (UT) 49. Elevation 16 Goller (OH) 50. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue (OH)

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Tour of Texas: First Stop Full Of Fun

Sunday in Austin proved to be a wild ride! A ton of great teams were squaring off right from the get go as the Invitational divisions started off the day with a crossover match for Gold.  The 17 Invitational final featured A5 17-Jing against HJV 17 Elite. HJV defeated TAV 17 Black in three the match before squaring off against Houston Skyline 17 Royal in the semis and winning another three-set match. A5 faced Skyline 17 Royal in the first round of the bracket, winning in three, followed by Madfrog 16 Green. A5 captured that match in straight sets. Two athletes that were the heart and soul of their teams in the finals were A5 libero Gabi Cornier and HJV libero Alice Volpe. Of course, we all love to see amazing defense but liberos who are also calm and can control the serve receive leads teams to massive success. A5 ended up winning in two, 25-20, 25-12.   The 16 Invitational division had HJV 16 Elite facing off against A5 16-Gabe. HJV’s path included a first round against Alamo 16 Premier which they won in three. Next was Drive Nation 16 Red, which HJV swept. A5 started off their bracket play against Houston Skyline 16 Royal, which A5 took in three before beating TAV 16 Black. In the final match, HJV ended up defeating A5 in straight sets. HJV was led by middle Jordan Taylor and outside Aaliyah Smith. A5 was led by setter Abigail Li and libero Francesca Popescu.  The 15 Invitational featured Madfrog 15 Green meeting Skyline 15 Royal in the finals. Madfrog’s path to the final included a first-round in-bracket against Austin Skyline 15 Royal, which Madfrog won in three. Madfrog then swept Alamo 15 Premier. Skyline’s road included a first round win in two against TAV 15 Black followed by a sweep over Houston Skyline 15 Royal. The final match was definitely entertaining with a Skyline victory in three. Madfrog was paced by libero Gabi Rodriquez and outside Kennedy Crayton. Skyline was led by the outside duo of Layla Austin and Skylar Jackson and middle Keoni Williams.  In 14 Invitational TAV 14 Black captured the championship over Madfrog 14 Green in straight sets. Madfrog’s path to the championship match included sweeping Houston Skyline 14 Royal in the first round and doing the same to Excel 14 Red in the next round. TAV’s path included a first round win in two against Austin Skyline 14 Royal followed by another sweep over Skyline 14 Royal. The final match ended up with TAV defeating Madfrog, 25-13, 25-13. TAV’s S/OHs Sophee Peterson and Brynn Stephens anchored a loaded squad while Madfrog was led by setter Charlotte Cavin and outside hitter Vanessa Glenn. While the Invitational divisions get a lot of the focus we wanted to give a shout out to the National division winners. In 18 National, Alamo 18 Premier ended up winning the title over Mexico team NLJuvenil Mayo in two. In 17 National, Houston area clubs Houston Stellar 17 Elite faced off against Katy United 17 Adidas, winning in three. Roots 161 Green defeated SA Xtreme 16U in two in the 16 National division. In 15 National, Houston Skyline 15 Black defeated Texas Legacy 15 Elite in two. And in the 14 National division, Premier 14 Black (Texas) defeated SA Elite 141 Navy in straight sets.  Before we share the weekend’s Show Stoppers we must put out that there were many more athletes that could have been featured in this loaded tournament but with tons of divisions I am sharing the athletes who stood out this weekend in their respective age divisions.  Weekend Show Stoppers  Outside/Opposite Hitters Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 17 Jing Macaria Spears, OH/Opp, TAV 17 Black Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red Taylor Porter, OH/Opp, Houston Skyline 16 Royal Sydnee Peterson, OH/Opp, TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack, OH, TAV 16 Black Aaliyah Smith, OH, HJV 16 Elite Megan Fitch, OH, Alamo 16 Premier Henley Anderson, OH, AP 15 Adidas Kennedy Crayton, OH, Madfrog 15 Green Skylar Jackson, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Layla Austin, OH, Skyline 15  Royal 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 Halle Thompson, OH, Houston Skyline 15 Royal 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 Lucky Fasavalu, OH, Austin Skyline 14 Royal Riley Koshkin, OH, Excel 14 Red Liberos Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 17 Jing Alice Volpe, L, HJV 17 Elite Gillian Pitts, L, TAV 17  Black Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 16 Royal Gabriella Rodriquez, L, Madfrog 15 Green Francesca Popescu, L, A5 16-Gabe Middle Blockers Logan Wiley, A5 17 Jing Zoe Humphrey, MB, HJV 17 Elite Favor Anyanwu, MB, TAV 17 Black Ayden Ames, MB,  Drive Nation 17 Red Jaela Auguste, MB, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 16 Elite Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, MB, Drive Nation 16 Red Keoni Williams, MB, Skyline 15  Royal Nyla Livings, MB, TAV 14 Black Setters Grace Agolli, S, A5 17-Jing Savannah Skopal, S, Austin Juniors 17 Adidas  Kirra Musgrove, S Houston Skyline 17 Royal Abigail Li, S, A5 16-Gabe Blair Thiebaud, S, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Sophee Peterson, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Charlotte Cavin, S, Madfrog 14 Green Nafanua Alofipo, S/Opp, Austin Skyline 14 Royal

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17s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

The annual game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey continues on with the release of our initial 17s Top 50 National Rankings. The first set of rankings are obviously going to change radically throughout the season. Identifying the top teams doesn’t take much, but filling out a Top 50 list certainly does. Even with identifying the top teams an easier process than completing the list is, that doesn’t always matter. Take what already happened with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We placed Coast 18 Ozhan as the No. 1 team in the country. Coast took bronze in 17 Open and while other top 18s teams lost players, Coast actually added to its roster from last year. That made enough sense to place Coast at No. 1. Of course, Coast went 5-3 at the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago and didn’t earn one of the three Open bids (those went to Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana and Mintonette Sports m.81). That’s just something to keep in mind as you go down the 17s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Dynasty 17 Black (KS) 2. TAV 17 Black (TX) 3. A5 17 Jing (GA) 4. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) 5. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (CO) 6. Triangle 17 Black (NC) 7. HJV 17 Elite (TX) 8. Wave 17 Juliana (CA) 9. Hou Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 10. Metro 17 Travel (DC) *** 11. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NE) 12. NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) 13. Drive Nation 17 Red (TX) 14. Vision 17 Gold (CA) 15. Coast 17 Rodrigo (CA) 16. Circle City 17 Purple (IN) 17. SG Elite 17 Rosh (CA) 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (OH) 19. Madfrog 17 Green (TX) 20. OT 17 O Felix (FL) *** 21. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) 22. KC Power 17-1 (KS) 23. Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 24. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (AZ) 25. AJV 17 Adidas (TX) 26. AVC Cle Red 17 Rox (OH) 27. Club V 17 (UT) 28. OT 17 T Aaron (FL) 29. Momentous 17 Dan (CA) 30. Top Select 17 Elite (FL) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) 32. MAVS KC 17-1 (KS) 33. HPSTL 17 Royal (MO) 34. Alamo 17 Premier (TX) 35. NORCO 17 Black (CO) 36. Northern Lights 17-1 (MN) 37. Rev 17 Raptors (IN) 38. City 17 Gold (CA) 39. Shockwave 17 Black (KS) 40. MKE Sting 17 Gold (WI) *** 41. Absolute 17 Black (CA) 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red (KY) 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 (OH) 44. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL) 45. Team Pineapple 17 Black (IN) 46. VCNebraska 17 Elite (NE) 47. Academy 17 Tsunami (IN) 48. Pohaku 17-1 (KS) 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (IN) 50. Rock City 17-1 (OH)

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JVA Rock’N Rumble Show Stoppers

It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways. Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack. Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along. Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor. Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively. Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect. Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing. Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role. Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend. Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back. Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC. Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space. Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well. Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to

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Rock’N Rumble: Pitt Elite Surprises And More

With the seedings tossed in the air on a wild Day 1, who knew what the conclusion of 17 Open was going to look like as the JVA Rock’N Rumble wrapped up in Cleveland on Sunday? As for 16 Open, a mild Day 1 quickly gave way to a big upset to open Day 2. A couple of thoughts I walked away from Saturday with was Metro 16 Travel was a true No. 1 seed in 16 Open and should be able to hold it all the way through. Another centered around Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Despite being the No. 15 seed overall, Pitt Elite looked like a dark horse or sleeper team which could rise up and surprise. As the draw happened to break in 16 Open, it was Metro and Pitt Elite matched up against each other in one of the eight challenge matches Sunday morning, with the winner getting a spot in the gold bracket quarterfinals. Something had to give though, either Metro knocking out a potential sleeper or Pitt Elite delivering the upset and looking to keep it rolling. After a true thriller with Pitt Elite escaping, 21-25, 25-17, 23-21, we had part of our answer. Now, could Pitt Elite finish the deal? Pitt kept it going by downing Defensa 16 Purple, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10, and Southwest 16 Ashley, 27-25, 25-18, to reach the final, where another surprise team was waiting in AVC Cle 16 White. AVC opened as the No. 12 overall seed, going 2-1 on Day 1 with a loss to Pakmen 16U Gold. Yet, AVC got hot on Day 2 and was playing very well, taking out Rock City 16-1 in challenge play then upsetting both EliteVBTC 16 Black, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8, and OPVC 16 Robinson, 28-26, 25-19, to set up the unexpected clash for the title. It was Pitt Elite hoisting the trophy after outlasting AVC in three, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11. Last year, Pitt Elite took 33rd in 15 National in Indy and with most everyone back will look to jump up the charts this season. Winning Rock’N Rumble is a great start, especially beating an Open hopeful like Metro on the way to the championship. In 17 Open, it was No. 6 overall seed Rock City 17-1 sweeping its way to the championship, including taking down HRVC Hurricanes 17, 25-13, 25-22, in the final. Rock City scored a solid victory in the semifinals, sweeping original top seed Legacy 17-1 Adidas in the semifinals. Legacy was upset by AVC Cle 17 White on Day 1, part of an afternoon full of them. However, AVC was unable to make it past Sunday morning’s challenge bracket, falling to Maverick 17 Elite, 25-22, 25-21. Meanwhile, Legacy fended off EliteVBTC 17 Black, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12, while Rock City swept NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, 25-20, 25-15, as both advanced. In 18 Open, Pakmen 18 Gold swept EliteVBTC 18 Black, 26-24, 29-27, in the championship match. Pakmen went 6-0 on the weekend. CVC 18 Black and Premier Academy 18 Onitsuka finished tied for third. We’ll have our tournament Show Stoppers from Rock’N Rumble out this week as well, so check back for that.

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18s Qualifiers On Tap: Preview And Predictions

Which 18s teams are next in line to join the group of Open qualifiers so far? With three national qualifiers on the slate for this weekend, eight more bids are going to be handed out. That will take the number of awarded bids from eight to 16. Here are the clubs which have earned their Open bids to date: Sunshine 18 LA (Windy City) Wave 18 Juliana (Windy City) Mintonette Sports m.81 (Windy City) MAVS KC 17-1 (KC MLK) Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK) Drive Nation 18 Red (Lone Star) A5 18 Marc (Lone Star) Skyline 18 Royal (Lone Star)   The Florida Fest, Northern Lights and Salt Lake City Showdown qualifiers will add to those numbers after those Friday-Sunday tournaments wrap up. Below, we take a look at each qualifier and what to expect. FLORIDA FEST Number of Teams: 26 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (3): Drive Nation 18 Red; MAVS KC 18-1; Mintonette Sports m.81 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (12):  2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 5. Drive Nation 18 Red 8. OT 18 John 9. Metro 18 Travel 11. MAVS KC 18-1 13. Madfrog 18 Green 29. Mich Elite 18 Mizuno 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 43. Paramount VBC 18s 46. Triangle 18 Black 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black *** 5 Star Athletes Reese Robins MB Drive Nation 18 Red (Louisville) Leah Ford MB Drive Nation 18 Red (USC) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Blaire Bayless OH Madfrog 18 Green (Pitt)   4 Star Athletes Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kamryn Lee-Caracci MB 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Georgetown) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Milan Rex S/OH Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Samantha Hoppes OH/RS Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordyn Dailey RS/MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Juliette Myrick S Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (Army) Lily Nicholson S Drive Nation 18 Red (TCU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Callie Kieffer S Drive Nation 18 Red (Alabama) Sydney Breon OH Drive Nation 18 Red (UCLA) Halle Schroder OH Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College)   Outlook/Prediction: This is the biggest qualifier of the weekend, both in total number of teams in 18 Open and the depth of the field as 12 of the 26 clubs appear in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. However, this could also be the ‘easiest’ qualifier of the weekend to gain a bid simply because there are three teams already with bids and that could push trickle down to sixth place. 1st Alliance 18 Gold didn’t play in the Windy City Qualifier earlier this month and is making its first appearance at a qualifier. 1st Alliance, the defending 17 Open national champions from Indy, are the top seed and are big favorites to grab one of the three bids. Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Drive Nation 18 Red follow as the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds but all three already have their spots clinched for Columbus. The teams to pay close attention to in terms of earning bids this weekend is OT 18 John, Metro 18 Travel, Mich Elite 18 Mizuno, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite and Gainesville Jrs 18 Black. The prediction is the three bids are going to that group of five teams, with Metro and Gainesville taking them home. As for the tournament winner, 1st Alliance defeats MAVS for first place. *** SALT LAKE CITY SHOWDOWN Number of Teams: 25 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (1): Sunshine 18 LA vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8):  7. AZ Rev 18 Premier 10. Sunshine 18 LA 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 30. NPJ 18 Forefront 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 38. Absolute 18 Black 44. ID Crush 18 Bower *** 5 Star Athletes Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower   4 Star Athletes Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Ava-Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Harvard) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor)   Outlook/Prediction: The bad news for teams hoping to qualify is Sunshine 18 LA – the top seed – is the only club with an Open bid and thus trickle down can’t go past fourth place. It’s going to take a legit finish to qualify at this event. The good news though is the field isn’t quite as deep as it was last season and there’s a great opportunity for three teams to take advantage of that. So Cal clubs like Wave 18 Juliana (already qualified) and Coast 18 Ozhan (not qualified) did not make the trip and that should help in the case of Coast, though teams wouldn’t mind Wave being here considering Wave already has a bid. In terms of Open bids going out, I think there is one lock here with Club V 18 Ren Reed. Playing at its local qualifier, I expect Club V to play well and secure one of the three bids. Club V opens as the No. 2 overall seed. Other clubs expected to compete for bids include Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar, AZ Rev 18 Premier, NPJ 18 Forefront and Arizona Storm 18 Thunder. If you want a few underdogs to create havoc and root for them, OJVA 18 Gold, ID Crush 18 Bower, Hive 18 Gold and A4 Volley 18 Joaco are teams to watch in that sense. Any one of

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Three More Open Bids Awarded in 18 Open

The second weekend of the 18s qualifier season was a light one, with just the Lone Star Classic 18s on the schedule. The 20-team field produced three 18 Open bids, which went to tournament champion Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18-Marc and Skyline 18 Royal. They joined Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana, Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold as clubs holding 18 Open bids after two weeks of qualifying. With three 18s qualifiers set for this coming weekend the field will double in size by next week. With nationally-ranked No. 5 Drive Nation and No. 6 A5 gaining their bids this past weekend, half of our initial Top 10 from the 18s National Rankings have secured bids so far, including No. 3 Wave, No. 4 Premier Nebraska and No. 10 Sunshine. Skyline opened up at No. 25. Drive Nation dropped just one match over the three days, with No. 18 AJV 18 Adidas taking down the eventual champs in three during Day 2 pool play. It was part of three consecutive three-setters for Drive Nation, which had defeated SA Magic 18 Elite in three to end Day 1 and opened Day 2 with a three-set victory over No. 23 Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Drive Nation swept No. 13 Madfrog 18 Green to make the gold pools. Once there, Drive Nation beat No. 17 HJV 18 Elite in three before sweeping both Skyline and A5. A5 had an interesting path to a bid. The Georgia club came out hot, winning its first five matches. However, A5 lost three of its final four contests but still managed to get its bid. A5 was already guaranteed a spot in gold pools before losing to Skyline to end Day 2. Unranked Actyve 18 Black then delivered an upset in three to start Day 3. A5 recovered to sweep Hou Skyline. That created a three-way tie with A5, Actyve and Hou Skyline as all were 1-1. A5 was fortunate to gain the first-place slot based on the best set percentage. Actyve was second and Hou Skyline was third. Skyline opened its weekend with a setback against unranked AZ EVJ 18 Elite but was able to steady itself quickly. Skyline didn’t lose against until facing Drive Nation on Day 3. That loss pitted Skyline against upstart Actyve for the final bid. Skyline swept, 25-13, 25-11, to earn the last Open spot. Actyve was one of the stories of the weekend. The So Cal club didn’t figure to be in the mix for a bid on Day 3 and yet it was a victory short of pulling off the shocker. Actyve picked up key victories over No. 20 TAV 18 Black, No. 17 HJV and No. 6 A5. Actyve came close to winning its gold pool and clinching a bid outright, but fell to No. 23 Hou Skyline 15-13 in the third. You never know!

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Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 13-19

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil   2023 UTAH: OH Skylar George (Houston Skyline) CONVERSE UNIVERSITY: OH Ariel Bryant (Palmetto Rage) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON: S Victoria Carrico (Central Jersey VBA) BETHEL COLLEGE: Opp/MB Alayna Vines (Oklahoma Charge) OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN: DS Emma Strong (Rise VBC) OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN: Heather Holland PACIFIC LUTHERAN: S/DS Savanna Colliado (Pilipa’a Na Wahine) HILLSDALE COLLEGE: OH/Opp Greta Wise (FC Elite) UTAH STATE EASTERN: S Agata Makowska WHATCOM CC: DS Brooklynn Thesenvitz (Puget Sound VBA) BLUEFIELD STATE: MB Callesta Styles (Wisconsin Elite) BLUEFIELD STATE: L Karlee Rae Hill (River Valley Juniors) ITHACA COLLEGE: Opp/OH Naomi Clauhs (Club Integrity) ITHACA COLLEGE: OH Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu (Wildfire VBA) DAYTONA STATE: Opp Jaliyah Cohnes (OTVA Tampa) CASE WESTERN RESERVE: OH Katie Yanni (Pittsburgh Elite) UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN: OH Grace Moravchik (Minnesota North) TRUMAN STATE: Opp/OH Elise Gibson (HPSTL) STONEHILL COLLEGE: S Maddie Schamaun (Paramount VBC) STONEHILL COLLEGE: S Amaya Parnell (Mill City) KEYSTONE COLEGE: OH Holly Grady (Club Cactus) RIO HONDO COLLEGE: L Keary Godinez (Icon VBC) TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB Jade Rodriquez Silva TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB/Opp Genesis Rodriquez CASTLETON: MB Madison Sheehan (Storm VBC) CASTLETON: S/L Sophia Call (Olympic Premier) CASTLETON: MB Sierra Plummer (FCA Maryland) BRIAR CLIFF: S/OH Reese Strouth (Midwest Power) MINNESOTA MORRIS: MB Tori Scheler (Duke City) LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN: MB Austen Goodgion (TAV) NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY: MB Grace Morrow (Belusa United) ST. LAWRENCE: L Kori Meissner (Evergreen VBA) ST. LAWRENCE: MB Kalina Natcheva (Cape Cod Juniors) ST. LAWRENCE: Opp/MB Araiza Acum-Santos (Husky) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: MB Emma Hickman (Houston Juniors) PRATT CC: S Victoria Coble NORTHWESTERN OHIO: MB Rhema Pernell MONTANA STATE BILLINGS: OH/DS Aubrey Allison (Big Sky VBC)   2024 WISCONSIN: L Maile Chan (Athena VBA) ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM: L Meg Jarrett (United Volleyball) WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE: S Milica Tomic (Milwaukee Sting) AKRON: OH Delaney Gash (Lexington United)   TRANSFERS CHAMINADE: GR L Hula Crisostomo (New Mexico Military Institute/UTEP/Ka Ulukoa) NORTHERN IOWA: TR OH Calia Clubb (Illinois State/Iowa Rockets) NORTHERN IOWA: TR L Erin Powers (Alabama Birmingham/Milwaukee Sting) NORTHERN IOWA: TR MB Kara Oxenknecht (New Hampshire/Sports Performance) HOUSTON: TR OH Katie Corelli (Ole Miss/Club V) NAVARRO COLLEGE: TR S Alessandra Pantoja (Dominican University/Attack VBC) FURMAN: TR S Eva Wheeler (Georgia State/ClevPRIME) WILLIAM CAREY: TR MB Grace Engels (Coastal Alabama CC/United Volleyball) EASTERN MENNONITE: TR Opp Sophia Denby (Christopher Newport/Coastal Area) WICHITA STATE: TR S Izzi Strand (UC San Diego/Vision) SAN FRANCISCO: TR Opp/OH Crystal Galaviz (Georgia State/Sports Performance) NORFOLK STATE: TR OH/DS Alexa Harris (Murray State/Albany/Rockwood Thunder) UT SAN ANTONIO: TR L Aliah Giroux (Southern Mississippi/Alamo) FLAGLER: TR MB Colby Stempkowski (St. Leo/Top Select) SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE: TR MB Hailey Smith (Nova Southeastern/Arete) LEWIS CLARK STATE: TR S Sofie Langer (Central Wyoming/Norfolk State/Aspire) EASTERN KENTUCKY: TR L Lucy Malone (Rutgers/Union) PENN STATE: GR OH Jess Mruzik (Michigan/Legacy) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR S Rylie Romero (Nevada/SA Juniors) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR L Kendall Mahaney (Lubbock Christian) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI: TR OH Rylee Achzehn (Southern Utah/AZ Sky) EASTERN MICHIGAN: TR S Hannah Kivett (Florida Gulf Coast/Evansville United) USC: TR L Ellie Geoghegan (San Diego State/Sunshine) UCONN: TR S Ayva Cebollero (Oregon/Hive) TULANE: TR S Laura Fiabane (Salt Lake CC) TULANE: GR MB Orsula Staka (San Francisco) CINCINATTI: TR S Katelyn Lefler (Illinois State/Motion Volleyball Program) GEORGIA TECH: TR MB DeAndra Pierce (Texas/Austin Juniors) SAINT KATHERINE: TR OH/Opp Daniela Jimenez (Arizona Western College) CREIGHTON: GR MB Ellie Bichelmeyer (Rice/KC MAVS) INDIANA PENNSYLVANIA: TR OH Kat Warpinski (Loyola Chicago/M1) BETHUNE COOKMAN: TR MB Alyssa King (UTEP/Wildfire VBA) MONTCLAIR STATE: TR OH Rachel Curran (Eastern University/Garden State Elite)   BEACH   2024 UTAH: Jayda Van Alfen (Tamarack)   TRANSFERS WILLIAM CAREY: TR Mary Katherine Ashburn (Tusculum/501 Volley)   BOYS   2023 WILLIAM PENN: Luka DeJong (Ohana VBC) RUTGERS NEWARK: S Willy Wang (MVVC)  

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15s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

From a rankings standpoint, the 15s divisions is likely to fluctuate a bunch as the season wears on. More so than the older age divisions. We already released those ones, starting with the 18s then moving to the 17s and 16s. Below, we give you our initial Top 50 National Rankings for the 15s division! vballrecruiter.com Top 50 National Rankings 1. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (IN) 2. Madfrog 15 Green (TX) 3. Mintonette Sports m.51 (OH) 4. Skyline 15 Royal (TX) 5. TAV 15 Black (TX) 6. Hou Skyline 15 Royal (TX) 7. Elevation 15 Tony (OH) 8. Wave 15 Brennan (CA) 9. SG Elite 15 Rosh (CA) 10. Austin Skyline 15 Royal (TX) *** 11. Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) 12. HPSTL 15 Royal (MO) 13. MKE Sting 15 Gold (WI) 14. Forza1 North 15 UA (CA) 15. Alamo 15 Premier (TX) 16. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami (KY) 17. SCVC 15 Roxy (CA) 18. Austin Performance 15 Adidas (TX) 19. HJV 15 Elite (TX) 20. Drive Nation 15 Red (TX) *** 21. A5 15 Bob (GA) 22. AZ Sky 15G (AZ) 23. Pohaku 15-1 (KS) 24. Premier Nebraska 15 Gold (NE) 25. Tstreet 15 Curtis (CA) 26. TAV Houston 15 Adidas (TX) 27. Dynasty 15 Black (KS) 28. GP 15 Rox (FL) 29. AVC Cle 15 Red (OH) 30. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder (AZ) *** 31. Northern Lights 15-1 (MN) 32. Far Out 15 Black (MI) 33. AZ Rev 15 Premier (AZ) 34. Rev 15-1 Fuego (IN) 35. High Tide 15 Elite (FL) 36. NC Academy 15 Diamond (NC) 37. WPVC 15 Armour Black (FL) 38. Top Select 15 Elite (FL) 39. Co Jrs 15 Sherri (CO) 40. Actyve 15 Black (CA) *** 41. Iowa Rockets 15R (IA) 42. Tribe 15 Elite (FL) 43. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) 44. Circle City 15 Purple (IN) 45. TVC 15 Black (OH) 46. MN Select 15-1 (MN) 47. Coast 15 Luis (CA) 48. Jupiter 15 Elite (FL) 49. Team Pineapple 15 Black (IN) 50. Triangle 15 Black (NC)

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First 18 Open Bids Awarded

The opening 18s national qualifiers of the season this past weekend not only produced the first bids for Columbus, but it also tested our national rankings for the first time. In Chicago at the Windy City Qualifier, 16 of the 30 teams in the field appeared in our initial Top 50 Rankings, including five teams from the Top 10. It was a smaller field in Kansas City for the MLK Tournament, with just 13 clubs vying for two bids as a result. Despite the size, eight of the teams were nationally ranked, including four from the Top 12. In the end, it was No. 11 MAVC KC 18-1 and No. 4 Premier Nebraska 18 Gold securing 18 Open bids after finishing 1-2 in a four-team pool that also featured No. 12 MN Select 18-1 and No. 40 KC Power 18-1. As for the three 18 Open bids in Chicago, they went to tournament champion and national No. 10 Sunshine 18 LA, No. 3 Wave 18 Juliana and No. 35 Mintonette Sports m.81. The field there was loaded, featuring national No. 1 Coast 18 Ozhan, No. 9 Metro 18 Travel, No. 14 Club V 18 Ren Reed and No. 16 Circle City 18 Purple. Coast’s hopes at earning a bid in its first try ended when it was eliminated with Day 2 losses to Club V and Sunshine. Day 3 came down to two, four-team pools between Sunshine, Mintonette, Adversity 18 Adidas and No. 36 FC Elite 18 Elite in one and Wave, No. 33 Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite, Circle City and Club V. The top-two teams from each pool would advance, with the pool winners earning bids and the second-place teams playing off for the final bid. Sunshine and Wave both went 3-0, with Sunshine beating Wave, 28-26, 25-22, for the championship. Mintonette wound up facing Circle City for third and swept, 25-20, 25-21, for the final bid. Here’s how the final standings looked compared to our rankings: 1. Sunshine (10) 2. Wave (3) 3. Mintonette (35) 4. Circle City (16) 5. Club V (14) 5. FC Elite (36) 7. Adversity (n/r) 7. Rockwood Thunder (33) 9. Coast (1) 10. AVC Cle (27) 11. Metro (9) 11. Mich Elite (29) 13. NPJ Forefront (30) 14. Paramount (43) 15. Legacy (26) 15. Union (49) 17. Top Select (n/r) 18. VC United (n/r) 19. Rev 18-1 (37) 19. MKE Sting (24) 22. Absolute (38) The final day in Kansas City came down to the four-team pool of MN Select, Premier Nebraska, KC Power and MAVS KC. MAVS came out strong, sweeping both Premier Nebraska and MN Select. With KC Power going 0-2, MAVS had first place secured before facing KC Power in the 3 v 4 match and with it one of the two Open bids. The real drama came in the pool’s last match, a clash between Premier Nebraska and MN Select. Both were 1-1, with the final bid going to the winner. Both needed three to get past KC Power, so it was anyone’s guess what would happen. It turned out Premier Nebraska swept, 27-25, 25-22, to take second and join MAVS in bidding. Here’s how the standings there stack up with our national rankings: 1. MAVS (11) 2. Premier Nebraska (4) 3. MN Select (12) 4. KC Power (40) 5. Topeka Impact (42) 6. Dynasty (31) 7. OT John (8)

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16s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

Let’s get on with it. After releasing our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings followed by the 17s division, it’s time to take our first look at the 16s Top 50. With the season getting underway and all the tournaments ahead, we know these rankings are going to change throughout the season. It’ll be fun to see how they measure up at the end of the year! vballrecruiter.com’s 16s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (AZ) 2. HJV 16 Elite (TX) 3. Drive Nation 16 Red (TX) 4. A5 16 Gabe (GA) 5. Hou Skyline 16 Royal (TX) 6. TAV 16 Black (TX) 7. Surfside 16 PV Legends (CA) 8. Alamo 16 Premier (TX) 9. Circle City 16 Purple (IN) 10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) *** 11. Austin Skyline 16 Royal (TX) 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno (MI) 13. OT 16 T JP (FL) 14. HPSTL 16 Royal (MO) 15. Legacy 16-1 Adidas (MI) 16. Coast 16 Luis (CA) 17. Dynasty 16 Black (KS) 18. AZ Sky 16G (AZ) 19. Wave 16 Kevin (CA) 20. Madfrog 16 Green (TX) *** 21. Absolute 16 Black (CA) 22. MAVS KC 16-1 (KS) 23. Northern Lights 16-1 (MN) 24. AJV 16 Adidas (TX) 25. ID Crush 16 Bower (ID) 26. Excel 16 National Red (TX) 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold (WI) 28. Nor Cal Black 16-1 (CA) 29. OT 16 O Roberto (FL) 30. Skyline 16 Royal (TX) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar (CA) 32. OT 16 J Will (FL) 33. Mintonette Sports m.61 (OH) 34. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite (MO) 35. Munciana 16 Blaze (IN) 36. Top Select 16 Elite (FL) 37. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold (NE) 38. GP 16 Rox (FL) 39. Adidas KiVA 16 Red (KY) 40. Tribe 16 Elite (FL) *** 41. AVC Cle 16 Red (OH) 42. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami (KY) 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon (CO) 44. FC Elite 16 Navy (WI) 45. Triangle 16 Black (NC) 46. Vision 16 Gold (CA) 47. Tstreet 16 Naseri (CA) 48. Club V 16 Ren Wayne (UT) 49. Elevation 16 Goller (OH) 50. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue (OH)

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Tour of Texas: First Stop Full Of Fun

Sunday in Austin proved to be a wild ride! A ton of great teams were squaring off right from the get go as the Invitational divisions started off the day with a crossover match for Gold.  The 17 Invitational final featured A5 17-Jing against HJV 17 Elite. HJV defeated TAV 17 Black in three the match before squaring off against Houston Skyline 17 Royal in the semis and winning another three-set match. A5 faced Skyline 17 Royal in the first round of the bracket, winning in three, followed by Madfrog 16 Green. A5 captured that match in straight sets. Two athletes that were the heart and soul of their teams in the finals were A5 libero Gabi Cornier and HJV libero Alice Volpe. Of course, we all love to see amazing defense but liberos who are also calm and can control the serve receive leads teams to massive success. A5 ended up winning in two, 25-20, 25-12.   The 16 Invitational division had HJV 16 Elite facing off against A5 16-Gabe. HJV’s path included a first round against Alamo 16 Premier which they won in three. Next was Drive Nation 16 Red, which HJV swept. A5 started off their bracket play against Houston Skyline 16 Royal, which A5 took in three before beating TAV 16 Black. In the final match, HJV ended up defeating A5 in straight sets. HJV was led by middle Jordan Taylor and outside Aaliyah Smith. A5 was led by setter Abigail Li and libero Francesca Popescu.  The 15 Invitational featured Madfrog 15 Green meeting Skyline 15 Royal in the finals. Madfrog’s path to the final included a first-round in-bracket against Austin Skyline 15 Royal, which Madfrog won in three. Madfrog then swept Alamo 15 Premier. Skyline’s road included a first round win in two against TAV 15 Black followed by a sweep over Houston Skyline 15 Royal. The final match was definitely entertaining with a Skyline victory in three. Madfrog was paced by libero Gabi Rodriquez and outside Kennedy Crayton. Skyline was led by the outside duo of Layla Austin and Skylar Jackson and middle Keoni Williams.  In 14 Invitational TAV 14 Black captured the championship over Madfrog 14 Green in straight sets. Madfrog’s path to the championship match included sweeping Houston Skyline 14 Royal in the first round and doing the same to Excel 14 Red in the next round. TAV’s path included a first round win in two against Austin Skyline 14 Royal followed by another sweep over Skyline 14 Royal. The final match ended up with TAV defeating Madfrog, 25-13, 25-13. TAV’s S/OHs Sophee Peterson and Brynn Stephens anchored a loaded squad while Madfrog was led by setter Charlotte Cavin and outside hitter Vanessa Glenn. While the Invitational divisions get a lot of the focus we wanted to give a shout out to the National division winners. In 18 National, Alamo 18 Premier ended up winning the title over Mexico team NLJuvenil Mayo in two. In 17 National, Houston area clubs Houston Stellar 17 Elite faced off against Katy United 17 Adidas, winning in three. Roots 161 Green defeated SA Xtreme 16U in two in the 16 National division. In 15 National, Houston Skyline 15 Black defeated Texas Legacy 15 Elite in two. And in the 14 National division, Premier 14 Black (Texas) defeated SA Elite 141 Navy in straight sets.  Before we share the weekend’s Show Stoppers we must put out that there were many more athletes that could have been featured in this loaded tournament but with tons of divisions I am sharing the athletes who stood out this weekend in their respective age divisions.  Weekend Show Stoppers  Outside/Opposite Hitters Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 17 Jing Macaria Spears, OH/Opp, TAV 17 Black Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red Taylor Porter, OH/Opp, Houston Skyline 16 Royal Sydnee Peterson, OH/Opp, TAV 16 Black Lauryn Mack, OH, TAV 16 Black Aaliyah Smith, OH, HJV 16 Elite Megan Fitch, OH, Alamo 16 Premier Henley Anderson, OH, AP 15 Adidas Kennedy Crayton, OH, Madfrog 15 Green Skylar Jackson, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Layla Austin, OH, Skyline 15  Royal 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 Halle Thompson, OH, Houston Skyline 15 Royal 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 Lucky Fasavalu, OH, Austin Skyline 14 Royal Riley Koshkin, OH, Excel 14 Red Liberos Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 17 Jing Alice Volpe, L, HJV 17 Elite Gillian Pitts, L, TAV 17  Black Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 16 Royal Gabriella Rodriquez, L, Madfrog 15 Green Francesca Popescu, L, A5 16-Gabe Middle Blockers Logan Wiley, A5 17 Jing Zoe Humphrey, MB, HJV 17 Elite Favor Anyanwu, MB, TAV 17 Black Ayden Ames, MB,  Drive Nation 17 Red Jaela Auguste, MB, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 16 Elite Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, MB, Drive Nation 16 Red Keoni Williams, MB, Skyline 15  Royal Nyla Livings, MB, TAV 14 Black Setters Grace Agolli, S, A5 17-Jing Savannah Skopal, S, Austin Juniors 17 Adidas  Kirra Musgrove, S Houston Skyline 17 Royal Abigail Li, S, A5 16-Gabe Blair Thiebaud, S, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Sophee Peterson, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Charlotte Cavin, S, Madfrog 14 Green Nafanua Alofipo, S/Opp, Austin Skyline 14 Royal

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17s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

The annual game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey continues on with the release of our initial 17s Top 50 National Rankings. The first set of rankings are obviously going to change radically throughout the season. Identifying the top teams doesn’t take much, but filling out a Top 50 list certainly does. Even with identifying the top teams an easier process than completing the list is, that doesn’t always matter. Take what already happened with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We placed Coast 18 Ozhan as the No. 1 team in the country. Coast took bronze in 17 Open and while other top 18s teams lost players, Coast actually added to its roster from last year. That made enough sense to place Coast at No. 1. Of course, Coast went 5-3 at the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago and didn’t earn one of the three Open bids (those went to Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana and Mintonette Sports m.81). That’s just something to keep in mind as you go down the 17s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Dynasty 17 Black (KS) 2. TAV 17 Black (TX) 3. A5 17 Jing (GA) 4. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) 5. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (CO) 6. Triangle 17 Black (NC) 7. HJV 17 Elite (TX) 8. Wave 17 Juliana (CA) 9. Hou Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 10. Metro 17 Travel (DC) *** 11. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NE) 12. NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) 13. Drive Nation 17 Red (TX) 14. Vision 17 Gold (CA) 15. Coast 17 Rodrigo (CA) 16. Circle City 17 Purple (IN) 17. SG Elite 17 Rosh (CA) 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (OH) 19. Madfrog 17 Green (TX) 20. OT 17 O Felix (FL) *** 21. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) 22. KC Power 17-1 (KS) 23. Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 24. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (AZ) 25. AJV 17 Adidas (TX) 26. AVC Cle Red 17 Rox (OH) 27. Club V 17 (UT) 28. OT 17 T Aaron (FL) 29. Momentous 17 Dan (CA) 30. Top Select 17 Elite (FL) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) 32. MAVS KC 17-1 (KS) 33. HPSTL 17 Royal (MO) 34. Alamo 17 Premier (TX) 35. NORCO 17 Black (CO) 36. Northern Lights 17-1 (MN) 37. Rev 17 Raptors (IN) 38. City 17 Gold (CA) 39. Shockwave 17 Black (KS) 40. MKE Sting 17 Gold (WI) *** 41. Absolute 17 Black (CA) 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red (KY) 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 (OH) 44. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL) 45. Team Pineapple 17 Black (IN) 46. VCNebraska 17 Elite (NE) 47. Academy 17 Tsunami (IN) 48. Pohaku 17-1 (KS) 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (IN) 50. Rock City 17-1 (OH)

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JVA Rock’N Rumble Show Stoppers

It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways. Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack. Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along. Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor. Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively. Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect. Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing. Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role. Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend. Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back. Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC. Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space. Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well. Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to

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Rock’N Rumble: Pitt Elite Surprises And More

With the seedings tossed in the air on a wild Day 1, who knew what the conclusion of 17 Open was going to look like as the JVA Rock’N Rumble wrapped up in Cleveland on Sunday? As for 16 Open, a mild Day 1 quickly gave way to a big upset to open Day 2. A couple of thoughts I walked away from Saturday with was Metro 16 Travel was a true No. 1 seed in 16 Open and should be able to hold it all the way through. Another centered around Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Despite being the No. 15 seed overall, Pitt Elite looked like a dark horse or sleeper team which could rise up and surprise. As the draw happened to break in 16 Open, it was Metro and Pitt Elite matched up against each other in one of the eight challenge matches Sunday morning, with the winner getting a spot in the gold bracket quarterfinals. Something had to give though, either Metro knocking out a potential sleeper or Pitt Elite delivering the upset and looking to keep it rolling. After a true thriller with Pitt Elite escaping, 21-25, 25-17, 23-21, we had part of our answer. Now, could Pitt Elite finish the deal? Pitt kept it going by downing Defensa 16 Purple, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10, and Southwest 16 Ashley, 27-25, 25-18, to reach the final, where another surprise team was waiting in AVC Cle 16 White. AVC opened as the No. 12 overall seed, going 2-1 on Day 1 with a loss to Pakmen 16U Gold. Yet, AVC got hot on Day 2 and was playing very well, taking out Rock City 16-1 in challenge play then upsetting both EliteVBTC 16 Black, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8, and OPVC 16 Robinson, 28-26, 25-19, to set up the unexpected clash for the title. It was Pitt Elite hoisting the trophy after outlasting AVC in three, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11. Last year, Pitt Elite took 33rd in 15 National in Indy and with most everyone back will look to jump up the charts this season. Winning Rock’N Rumble is a great start, especially beating an Open hopeful like Metro on the way to the championship. In 17 Open, it was No. 6 overall seed Rock City 17-1 sweeping its way to the championship, including taking down HRVC Hurricanes 17, 25-13, 25-22, in the final. Rock City scored a solid victory in the semifinals, sweeping original top seed Legacy 17-1 Adidas in the semifinals. Legacy was upset by AVC Cle 17 White on Day 1, part of an afternoon full of them. However, AVC was unable to make it past Sunday morning’s challenge bracket, falling to Maverick 17 Elite, 25-22, 25-21. Meanwhile, Legacy fended off EliteVBTC 17 Black, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12, while Rock City swept NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, 25-20, 25-15, as both advanced. In 18 Open, Pakmen 18 Gold swept EliteVBTC 18 Black, 26-24, 29-27, in the championship match. Pakmen went 6-0 on the weekend. CVC 18 Black and Premier Academy 18 Onitsuka finished tied for third. We’ll have our tournament Show Stoppers from Rock’N Rumble out this week as well, so check back for that.

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