The final National Rankings release party continues on with the 15s divisions below. You can find the 18s, 17s and 16s that were already put out by clicking on the links.
There are lots of factors to take into consideration when formulating a list like this. It leaves plenty of room for debate as these rankings are ultimately subjective. There are power league results, qualifier results, national tournaments like Triple Crown and of course the USAV Girls Junior Nationals and AAU national championships. All these come into play. We put more weight on what happened at Junior Nationals than a qualifier because the whole season is built toward peaking at JN’s. We also had one steadfast rule we didn’t break no matter the circumstances. That rule was if Team A defeated Team B in a gold challenge match or gold bracket match at JN’s, Team A is always going to be ranked ahead of Team B. That’s because everyone comes to JN’s to win a gold medal and if Team A eliminates Team B from contention, it won at the absolute right time.
It can make for some skewed overall rankings as a team might be too high or low overall but what’s the point if the biggest head-to-head matches of the season aren’t the most important ones? The Top 25 teams have comments to hopefully give some insight as to why they are ranked where they are. A select few from 26-50 have comments as well but not all.
1. ALAMO 15 PREMIER (19 – previous ranking)
Alamo is the perfect example of the beauty that is Junior Nationals. The only at-large team in the field, Alamo stormed its way to the 15 Open gold medal. Alamo showed flashes during the season. One instance was taking fifth at the Salt Lake City qualifier. Alamo also finished seventh at the Sunshine Classic, but came in 11th at the Lone Star Classic and 17th at Triple Crown. While Alamo was most assuredly deserving of the lone at-large, there was hardly a case to be made for Alamo winning it all. The Lone Star Region club came into the tourney with a 9-14 mark against the Open field then reeled off nine victories to finish on top, including beating Arizona Storm 15 Thunder in the championship match. Alamo ends the year with a 18-17 mark against Open teams.
2. ARIZONA STORM 15 THUNDER (1)
There’s no doubt Storm was the best, most consistent team throughout the club season. However, Storm’s only loss at Junior Nationals happened to come in the championship match to Alamo. Storm’s year included a ninth-place finish at Triple Crown and winning both the Salt Lake City and Red Rock Rave qualifiers, as well as the JVA West Coast Cup. Storm lost just four matches to teams in its age group – Dynasty 15 Black, Aspire 15 Premier, Seal Beach 15 Black and Alamo. It finishes the season with a 30-2 record against Open opponents.
3. TAV 15 BLACK (3)
TAV is well deserving of a Top 5 ranking after the season it turned in. The North Texas Region club wrapped up an incredible year with a bronze medal at Junior Nationals after falling to Storm in the semis. It capped a year in which TAV never finished lower than fifth place, which came at the Lone Star Classic. TAV finished first at NEQ and third at Red Rock and finishes with an impressive 28-7 clip against Open-qualified clubs.
4. DRIVE NATION 15 RED (21)
With its remarkable run at Junior Nationals, Drive Nation makes a huge leap in our final rankings and climbs inside the Top 5 after taking home the bronze medal in Indy. Drive Nation upset Hou Skyline 15 Royal in the quarterfinals before falling to Alamo. Along with Alamo winning gold, it was one of the most surprising results in 15 Open. Drive Nation entered JNs with a 5-14 mark against the Open field but reminded everyone that it’s not how many but when the victories come that matters most. Drive Nation finishes the season with an 11-19 mark against Open teams, but most importantly it earned itself hardware.
5. HOU SKYLINE 15 ROYAL (2)
For Hou Skyline it was simply a case of losing at the wrong time as the Lone Star Region club was upended by Drive Nation in the quarterfinals and settled for a fifth-place finish at Junior Nationals. Regardless, it was an incredible year for Hou Skyline, which never finished lower than fifth place. It included coming in first at both the Northern Lights and Sunshine qualifiers, as well as a third at Lone Star and fifth at Triple Crown. Hou Skyline ends with a hefty 20-6 record against Open teams.
6. 1ST ALLIANCE 15 BLACK (6)
Another club which showed tremendous consistency all season, 1st Alliance was in position to medal at Junior Nationals but came in fifth after falling to Alamo in the quarterfinals. Among the results this past spring for 1st Alliance include winning Triple Crown, taking second at MEQ, third at Windy City and fifth at Sunshine. 1st Alliance finishes with a great 20-8 mark playing Open opponents.
7. LEGACY 15 ADIDAS (8)
The AAU 15 Open champions had its medal hopes dashed at Junior Nationals after losing to TAV in the challenge round. Overall, Legacy turned in a strong year, coming in third at Triple Crown, second at the Sunshine Classic and fourth at MEQ, as well as winning the JVA SummerFest. Legacy went 22-13 against Open teams.
8. OT 15 RANDY (7)
OT Randy finished with a silver medal in 15 Open at AAU before heading to Junior Nationals, where it came in fifth after going down to Arizona Storm in the quarterfinals. This is another club that was steady and consistent throughout the season, never finishing lower than fifth. It featured winning the Big South qualifier, as well as taking second at Triple Crown, third at Sunshine and fifth at MEQ. On the year, OT Randy was 22-9 against Open foes.
9. SURFSIDE 15 PV LEGENDS (10)
Surfside remains in the Top 10 after its 11th-place showing at Junior Nationals. All four losses in Indy came to teams ranked ahead of Surfside in Alamo, TAV, 1st Alliance and Legacy. It was 1st Alliance which beat Surfside in the challenge round to keep Surfside from advancing. Surfside finishes up 21-10 against Open opponents.
10. COAST 15-1 (14)
Coast deserves tons of credit for the improvement and growth from the beginning to the end of the season, which it tied up with a fifth-place effort at Junior Nationals. Coast had a good run through the first round of pool play and continued on by beating Nebraska One 15 Synergy in the challenge round. Coast’s run was stopped by TAV in the quarterfinals and as a result Coast rounds out the Top 10. Coast went 22-22 against Open teams.
11. NEBRASKA ONE 15 SYNERGY (16)
With a 13th-place showing at Junior Nationals, Nebraska One jumps up five spots in the final rankings. Nebraska One lost to Coast in challenge play in Indy or it would’ve been in the Top 10. For the season, Nebraska One went 16-8 against Open-qualified clubs.
12. CIRCLE CITY 15 PURPLE (5)
Circle City is a victim of circumstance, because after the season it put together the Hoosier Region club deserves to be in the Top 10. However, the only two matches Circle City lost at Junior Nationals came in the second round of pool play – to Nebraska One and Absolute Black 15 – and prevented Circle City from advancing to the challenge round. Other results on the year featured winning Windy City, third at Show Me at MEQ, second at Central Zone and seventh at Bluegrass. Circle City had a terrific mark against Open teams, going 23-6.
13. HJV 15 ELITE (9)
After finishing 18th at Junior Nationals, Houston Jrs slides a few spots down in the final rankings. Back in February, HJV finished 33rd at Triple Crown but then put together a consistent qualifier season by taking fifth at MEQ, seventh at Sunshine and fifth at Windy City. HJV concludes the season 19-16 against the Open field.
14. MIZUNO LONG BEACH 15 ROCKSTAR (11)
It wasn’t the best performance for Long Beach at Junior Nationals, where the So Cal club came in 22nd. The main culprit was losing both matches in the second round of pool play and not advancing to the challenge round. For the year, Long Beach was one of the better teams, coming in 11th at Triple Crown, second at Salt Lake City, third at PNQ and second at Far Western. Beach also played one of the tougher scheduled, compiling a 24-19 mark against the Open field.
15. AUSTIN SKYLINE 15 ROYAL (13)
One thing about Austin Skyline – which came in 19th at Junior Nationals – is the Lone Star Region club played a strong schedule. It was undone in Indy when it landed in a three-team pool with Arizona Storm and 1st Alliance. It was the third time Austin Skyline ran into Storm on the year, along with facing Legacy, TAV and OT Randy twice each. Austin Skyline ends with a 14-20 record against Open competition.
16. AZ SKY 15 GOLD (29)
AZ Sky makes a big move in our final rankings, jumping up 13 spots into the Top 20. AZ Sky tied for ninth at Junior Nationals after being defeated by OT Randy in challenge play. AZ Sky picked up impressive victories over eventual champion Alamo, 1st Alliance and Absolute in Indy. On the year, AZ Sky went 11-10 against the Open field.
17. ABSOLUTE BLACK 15-1 (15)
Absolute topped off its season with a 11th-place showing at Junior Nationals. Absolute advanced to the challenge round but fell to Hou Skyline in straight sets. Among the season’s highlights for the Nor Cal club was taking third at Triple Crown and winning PNQ. Absolute ends the year with a 13-12 record against Open clubs.
18. DYNASTY 15 BLACK (4)
Dynasty had a strong season up until Junior Nationals when the Heart of America club stumbled to a 24th-place finish. It was a surprise ending for a team which won MEQ and took second at both Show Me and Windy City, as well as fifth at Triple Crown. Dynasty went 15-17 against Open competition.
19. MICHIGAN ELITE 15 MIZUNO (25)
Before finishing 13th at Junior Nationals, Mich Elite earned a bronze medal in 15 Open at AAU. Among its victories in Orlando including topping Munciana before falling to OT Randy in the semis. Mich Elite was in contention for a medal in Indy before losing to eventual champ Alamo in the challenge round. Mich Elite wound up 12-18 against Open teams.
20. MUNCIANA 15 LORAX (26)
Munciana joined Mich Elite as a bronze medalist in 15 Open at AAU. Muncie doesn’t compete at Junior Nationals but proved itself worthy of being in the top half of the final rankings. Among Muncie’s results was finishing 10th at Triple Crown and second at both Bluegrass and the JVA World Challenge.
21. FAR OUT 15 BLACK (N/R)
Far Out was a victory away from medaling in 15 Open at AAU, where it lost to Legacy in the quarterfinals. Far Out defeated Legacy at the JVA SummerFest, as well as picking up a victory over Mich Elite in Orlando.
22. WAVE 15 SCOTT (23)
Wave made it out of the first round of pool play at Junior Nationals with victories over AJV, MAVS KC 15-1 and Top Select 15 Elite but was undone with losses to GP 15 Rox and Legacy in the second round of pool play. Wave’s season mark against Open club stands at 12-19.
23. NORTHERN LIGHTS 15-1 (40)
The final month of the season saw Northern Lights finish ninth in 15 Open at AAU and 13th in 15 Open at Junior Nationals. It was a strong finish for a team that showed continual improvement throughout the season.
24. HPSTL 15 ROYAL (24)
The season came to close with HPSTL coming in 25th at Junior Nationals. After placing 23rd at MEQ in March, HPSTL came alive. The Gateway Region club finished fifth at Show Me, second at Big South and third at NEQ. HPSTL ends the season with a 13-16 record against Open competition.
25. AJV 15 ADIDAS (33)
Austin Juniors slides into the Top 25 after with its 21st-place finish at Junior Nationals. AJV made it out of its first round pool but was topped by AZ Sky and Alamo in the second round and missed out on the challenge round. Among the highlights for AJV was coming in fifth at the Lone Star Classic.
***
26. MAVS KC 15-1 (12)
27. AZ REV 15 PREMIER (30)
28. GAME POINT 15 ROX (42)
Game Point made a big jump with a strong finish to its season. The Florida club tied for 13th at Junior Nationals, where it upset Legacy in the second round of pool play then beat Wave to advance to the challenge round. There, it fell to Drive Nation.
29. MADFROG 15 GREEN (35)
30. NORCAL 15 BLACK (31)
31. TOP SELECT 15 ELITE (49)
32. ID CRUSH 15 BOWER (34)
33. BOILER JRS 15 GOLD (37)
Boiler Jrs finished in fifth place in 15 Open at AAU. It picked up key victories over SPVB 15 Elite and KiVA 15 Red to help itself advance that far.
34. KIVA 15 RED (27)
35. SKYLINE 15 ROYAL (17)
36. MINTONETTE M.51 (39)
Mintonette was a border Open team but couldn’t quite breakthrough. At Junior Nationals, Mintonette brought home the gold medal in 15 American by going undefeated.
37. TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE (N/R)
38. TSTREET 15 CURTIS (20)
39. EXCEL 15 NATIONAL RED (18)
40. NE ELITE 15 MATRIX (22)
41. SIX PACK 15 (28)
42. ROCKWOOD THUNDER 15 ELITE (45)
Rockwood Thunder was another borderline Open team which couldn’t quite get its bid. However, Rockwood Thunder went to Junior Nationals and captured the gold medal in 15 National.
43. CLUB V 15 REN ADAM (38)
Club V ended with a bronze medal in 15 National at Junior Nationals.
44. ASPIRE 15 PREMIER (32)
Aspire capped its season with a bronze medal in 15 National at Junior Nationals.
45. NKYVC 15-1 TSUNAMI (48)
46. FC ELITE 15 ELITE (N/R)
FC Elite breaks into our final rankings on the strength of its effort at Junior Nationals. The Badger Region club finished with the silver medal in 15 National.
47. CO JRS 15 SHANNON (N/R)
48. MKE STING 15 GOLD (43)
49. PREMIER NEBRASKA 15 GOLD (41)
50. SPVB 15 Elite (N/R)
***
ON THE CUSP
- A5 Mizuno 15 Bob
- OT 15 Meg
- Flyers 15 Ed
- ARVC 15-1
- Tribe 15 Elite
- MAVS 816 15-1
- BVA 15 Mizuno
- ECJ 15-1
- Union 15-1
- Vision 15 Gold
- Rage Westside 15 Jen
- Elevation 15 Crofton
- Elite VBTC 15 Black
- Metro 15 Travel
- Triangle 15 Black
- AVC Cle Rox 15 Red
- Tulsa Power 15
***
Teams Into the Rankings
Far Out 15 Black
Tri-State Elite 15 Blue
FC Elite 15 Elite
Co Jrs 15 Shannon
SPVB 15 Elite
Teams Out of the Rankings
A5 Mizuno 15 Bob (36)
Tulsa Power 15 (44)
OT 15 Meg (46)
Flyers 15 Ed (47)
ARVC 15-1 (50)
