Our final Club National Rankings release continues on with the 16s division. You can find the 18s and 17s 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. MADFROG 16 GREEN (22 – previous ranking)
Madfrog put together an unbelievable run in winning the 16 Open gold medal at Junior Nationals. There was no way to predict Madfrog could pull off the unexpected the way the North Texas Region club did. Madfrog had a good but not great season heading into Indy. There was a 13th-place finish at Triple Crown followed by coming in 11th at the Salt Lake City qualifier. Madfrog then qualified by taking third at PNQ and finished off with a fifth at the Lone Star Classic qualifier. We had Madfrog ranked No. 22 heading into JN’s. Madfrog actually lost two of its first three outings in Indy, falling to MKE Sting 16 Gold and NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami with a victory over SG Elite 16 Rosh in between. But after the loss to NKYVC, Madfrog reeled off eight consecutive victories, including beating A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe in the second round of pool play and again in the gold medal match. Madfrog also topped AJV 16 Adidas in challenge play and then 1st Alliance 16 Gold in the quarterfinals and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold in the semis. Madfrog entered JN’s with seven victories against Open teams and surpassed that number with eight wins in Indy. Madfrog ends the season 15-12 against Open foes.
2. A5 MIZUNO 16 GABE (3)
It was a tough ending to a remarkable year as A5 fell one victory short of pulling off the double. Few teams had the overall consistent A5 displayed. The team never finished lower than fifth place, where it placed at Triple Crown. A5 ended first at Central Zone and Bluegrass, as well as winning the Sunshine Classic qualifier. A5 also earned second at Northern Lights and third at Big South. A5 went undefeated in winning 16 Open at AAU and then brought home the silver medal in 16 Open at Indy. It lost three times in Indy, twice to Madfrog and once to KC Power 16-1, which came in the last match of the first round of pool play after A5 already had the pool clinched. A5 earned a big victory over TAV 16 Black in challenge play and then topped original No. 1 seed Dynasty 16 Black in the semis. A5 posted a 27-7 mark against Open-qualified teams, as well as beating Munciana 16 Moana twice and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue once.
3. DYNASTY 16 BLACK (1)
If Junior Nationals carried equal weight as every other tournament this season, Dynasty would be the top team in the nation in our final rankings. No team put up better results heading into Indy than Dynasty. It included winning Triple Crown, MEQ, Windy City and Northern Lights, as well as taking third at Show Me and earning the bronze medal at JN’s. Dynasty started slow in Indy, losing two of its first three matches to OT 16 Roberto and TAV. It was surprising given Dynasty only lost two matches coming into the tourney – to TAV and NKYVC. Dynasty earned the bronze by beating NKYVC in the quarters before falling to A5 in the semis. Dynasty finishes 26-5 against Open opponents.
4. NKYVC 16-1 TSUNAMI (2)
NKYVC was remarkably steady and consistent all season and showed strong at Junior Nationals, losing only to Dynasty in the quarterfinals. NKYVC’s showing at Indy included beating eventual champion Madfrog in pool play. NKYVC didn’t finish lower than fifth at any event. NKYVC won Central Zone, took seconds at Show Me, Triple Crown and the JVA SummerFest, thirds at Bluegrass and NEQ and tied for fifth at MEQ. NKYVC went 21-8 against Open competition.
5. 1ST ALLIANCE 16 GOLD (7)
It was not surprising to see 1st Alliance tie for fifth place at Junior Nationals. Not after the season put together by the Great Lakes Region club. 1st Alliance lost to Metro 16 Travel in the first round of pool play and to MKE Sting 16 Gold in the second round of pool play, but defeated Seal Beach 16 Black in challenge play, as well picking up victories over Coast 16-1 and Co Jrs 16 Sherri. After coming in 29th at Triple Crown, 1st Alliance went on a tear and didn’t finish lower than second place until JN’s. It featured runner-ups at Sunshine, Windy City and MEQ. 1st Alliance finishes 16-14 against Open opponents.
6. PREMIER NEBRASKA 16 GOLD (18)
Premier Nebraska makes a huge leap into the Top 10 in our final national rankings, moving up 12 spots from No. 18. Perhaps the Great Plains Region club deserved to be higher after finishing third at both Show Me and Northern Lights after a 29th-place showing at Triple Crown. In Indy, Premier Nebraska lost to A5 in the first round of pool play, then to Gainesville Jrs 16 Black in the second round of pool play. Premier Nebraska ended in third after beating Top Select 16 Elite in the quarterfinals and falling to Madfrog in the semis. Premier Nebraska posted a 15-11 record against the Open field.
7. TAV 16 BLACK (6)
TAV’s lower-than-expected 13th-place at Junior Nationals was in part due to bad luck having to run into A5 in the challenge round after A5 lost to Madfrog in its three-team pool. With A5 winning the challenge meeting, TAV missed out on the top eight. Plenty of teams would’ve lost to A5 in that scenario and it doesn’t take away a strong season produced by TAV. The North Texas Region team took home first at the Lone Star Classic, fifth at NEQ and seventh at Triple Crown among its results. For the year, TAV was 17-14 against the Open field.
8. TRI-STATE ELITE 16 BLUE (10)
It was a strong year for Tri-State Elite, which finished runner up in 16 Open at AAU. Other results included taking first at the JVA World Challenge, winning the Mideast Power League for the 15-16s and taking third at the JVA SummerFest, as well as 17th at Triple Crown and 13th at Bluegrass. In a limited schedule against Open-qualified teams, Tri-State went 7-7. Three of those losses came to NKYVC and another to A5 in the final at AAU. Open teams it beat include Co Jrs, Circle City 16 Purple, OT 16 Jason and Triangle 16 Black.
9. CO JRS 16 SHERRI (4)
There were up-and-down moments for Co Jrs on the year but ultimately the club showed it was one of the best in the country. Co Jrs tied for fifth at Junior Nationals and faced one of the tougher line up of teams considering TAV and Dynasty were in its first round of pool play. Co Jrs lost to both, as well as 1st Alliance in the second round of pool and to A5 in the quarters. Co Jrs picked up key victories over MKE Sting in pool and Vision 16 Gold in the challenge round. Among the highlights of Co Jrs’ season was winning the Salt Lake City qualifier and coming in second at NEQ. Co Jrs finished 14-15 against Open opponents.
10. MUNCIANA 16 MOANA (11)
Like Tri-State Elite, Munciana is a JVA club making an appearance in the Top 10 after moving up one spot. Munciana finished tied for fifth in 16 Open at AAU, losing only to the Puerto Rican club Capitanas 16 in the quarterfinals. Among Muncie’s other results are taking second at the JVA World Challenge, second at Bluegrass and 19th at Triple Crown. In a limited schedule against the 16 Open field from Indy, Munciana went 7-4. It featured victories over Top Select (twcie), Circle City, NKYVC and MKE Sting. Except for three losses against Tri-State, Munciana could have been even higher in the rankings.
11. OT 16 JASON (8)
After a ninth-place showing at Junior Nationals, OT Jason slips just outside the Top 10 in our final rankings. Unfortunately, OT was missing one of its top attackers in right side Bailey Higgins in Indy. OT took home a bronze medal in 16 Open at AAU, losing only to Tri-State in the semis. Without Higgins, Indy was more of a grind yet OT managed to pull off an impressive victory over Metro 16 Travel in the second round of pool play to make the challenge round, where OT lost to Premier Nebraska. OT finished off Day 4 in Indy by beating both Wave and Vision. On the year, OT went 16-10 against Open competition.
12. METRO 16 TRAVEL (13)
As the season wore on, Metro was getting stronger and stronger and entered Junior Nationals as a major X factor. Metro finished seventh at Sunshine, first at NEQ and third at Windy City and then won the JVA SummerFest. Metro was one of two teams – along with NKYVC – to go 5-0 through the first round of pool play and was looking like a real contender. However, Metro was uprooted by OT Jason and Dynasty in the second round of pool play and missed out on the challenge round. Metro went an impressive 17-6 against Open teams.
13. VISION 16 GOLD (19)
Vision wound up tied for 11th at Junior Nationals after going down to Co Jrs in challenge play. A few season highlights include winning the Far Western qualifier and coming in third at the Red Rock Rave, plus a 19th-place showing at Triple Crown. Vision finished the year 14-11 versus Open foes.
14. TRIANGLE 16 BLACK (14)
It was a steady overall year for Triangle, which finished 13th at Junior Nationals. Triangle advanced to the challenge round in Indy but was stopped in straight sets by Dynasty. For the year, Triangle finished first at Big South, fifth at NEQ, Sunshine and JVA SummerFest and 13th at Triple Crown. Triangle posted an 18-16 mark against the Open field.
15. TOP SELECT 16 ELITE (27)
Top Select made the rankings process difficult with its performance at Junior Nationals, where it tied for fifth after falling to Premier Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Top Select made it that far on the strength of a victory over Wave in the challenge round. Based on how we rank, that meant Top Select needed to be ahead of Wave and thus jumped way up to No. 15 from No. 27. For the season, Top Select was 11-11 against fellow Open squads.
16. WAVE 16 BRENNAN (5)
It was a terrific season for Wave but the So Cal club lost one match at the wrong time and tumbled out of the Top 10 as a result. Other than the loss to Top Select in the challenge round at Junior Nationals, Wave put together a Top-10 season. It finished first at Red Rock and second at Big South. Wave also took fifth at Triple Crown. At 27-10, Wave had one of the best records against the Open field and tied A5 for the most such victories.
17. AJV 16 ADIDAS (20)
Austin Jrs was one of four clubs to tie for 13th at Junior Nationals. AJV actually lost its first two matches before winning four straight and advancing to the challenge round, where it fell to Madfrog. AJV finished second at both the Lone Star Classic and PNQ, as well as 25th at Triple Crown. For the season, AJV was 16-21 against Open competition.
18. COAST 16-1 (16)
Coast was one of the steadier teams with consistent results. It just lost one match at Junior Nationals to AJV that kept Coast from advancing to the challenge round so Coast slip a couple spots rather than rising a few. Coast finished 17th at Junior Nationals. Other finishes included 10th at Triple Crown, third at Salt Lake, fourth at Red Rock and winning the JVA West Coast Cup. Coast ends with a strong 23-14 mark against Open teams.
19. KC POWER 16-1 (9)
A strong year didn’t end quite like KC Power would’ve preferred as the Heart of America Region club finished 21st at Junior Nationals. KC Power had a tough loss to Top Select in the second round of pool play then fell to NKYVC to miss out on the challenge round. KC Power did pick up a nice victory against A5 during the first round of pool play. For the year, KC Power took third at Triple Crown, third at MEQ, fifth at Show Me and first at the MidWest Pre-National tourney. It helped KC Power go 17-14.
20. MIZUNO LONG BEACH 16 ROCKSTAR (15)
The way Long Beach played this season no doubt the club was looking to finish better than 27th at Junior Nationals. Long Beach had a tough first round of pool play with losses to Alamo 16 Premier, Top Select and Triangle and wasn’t able to advance after starting off 2-0. Beach came in 13th at Triple Crown, fifth at Salt Lake, second at Red Rock and took first at PNQ. Long Beach played a lot of matches against Open teams, going 23-20 overall.
21. NORCO 16 BLACK (41)
Norco made a giant leap in the final rankings, climbing 20 positions. Norco didn’t have the same type of season leading into Junior Nationals as others, but showed up with a few big victories in Indy on its way to taking 25th. Among them were beating MKE Sting, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite and Drive Nation 16 Red. Norco finished with a 10-11 record against Open clubs.
22. MKE STING 16 GOLD (25)
One thing about Sting is the club showed improvement as the season went on. Before finishing 23rd at Junior Nationals, Sting started off 17th at MEQ, then 13th at Show Me before taking third at Windy City and qualifying. Sting went 11-12 against Open opponents.
23. GAINESVILLE JRS 16 BLACK (29)
At Junior Nationals, Gainesville came through with big victories over Circle City, Wave and Premier Nebraska to help the club climb inside the Top 25. Gainesville entered Indy with just two victories against the Open field and finishes the year 8-14 against such opponents.
24. ROCKWOOD THUNDER 16 ELITE (30)
Rockwood Thunder steadily improved throughout the year but was stuck in a difficult first round pool and Junior Nationals and eventually finished 28th. Rockwood Thunder lost pool matches to TAV, Co Jrs, and Dynasty and lost out on a tiebreaker for fourth place to OT Roberto and didn’t advance. On the year, Rockwood went 11-19 against Open competition.
25. ARIZONA STORM 16 THUNDER (17)
Earning the lone at-large bid into 16 Open, Storm wound up 33rd at Junior Nationals. Storm opened up with victories over Skyline 16 Royal and Circle City but then lost outings to Wave, Gainesville and AJV and didn’t break pool. Results on the year include seventh at both Triple Crown and the Red Rock Rave and fourth at Salt Lake. Storm ends 12-13 against Open foes.
***
26. SEAL BEACH 16 BLACK (38)
Going 5-5, Seal Beach was one of the bigger surprises at Junior National with a ninth-place finish. It helped Seal Beach move up 12 spots in our final rankings.
27. SKYLINE 16 ROYAL (21)
28. DRIVE NATION 16 RED (26)
29. CIRCLE CITY 16 PURPLE (12)
After a really strong year, a key injury hurt Circle City at Junior Nationals as the Hoosier Region club came in 31st. It made it challenging to rank Circle City, which won Show Me and Central Zone, came in fifth at Bluegrass and third at NEQ.
30. MOMENTOUS 16 DAN (33)
Momentous had a case to be selected as an at-large to 16 Open at Junior Nationals but didn’t receive. Momentous competed at 16 Open at AAU, coming in fifth place after falling to Tri-State Elite in the quarterfinals.
31. CLUB V 16 REN WAYNE (34)
32. OT 16 ROBERTO (24)
33. HOU SKYLINE 16 ROYAL (43)
34. SG ELITE 16 ROSH (23)
35. FLYERS 16 PRENTICE (28)
36. ALAMO 16 PREMIER (N/R)
37. FC ELITE 16 ELITE (N/R)
FC Elite was on the cusp of making our Top 50 in May and winds up making it this go around after winning the 16 National division at Junior Nationals.
38. ABSOLUTE BLACK 16-1 (36)
Absolute was another team that was in consideration for the 16 Open at-large but wound up in 16 National, where the Nor Cal club took fifth. Its only setback came to FC Elite in the quarterfinals and kept Absolute from being ranked higher.
39. CITY VOLLEYBALL 16 GOLD (37)
40. VCNEBRASKA 16 ELITE (N/R)
41. AZ EPIC 16 ELITE (N/R)
42. MIAMI HYPE 16 EMILIO (N/R)
43. SCVC 16 ROXY (39)
44. OT 16 WILL (42)
45. SIX PACK 16 (47)
46. POHAKU 16-1 (32)
47. SHOCKWAVE 16-1 (N/R)
Shockwave had a great showing at 16 Open at AAU, coming in fifth after going down to A5 in the quarterfinals.
48. NORTHERN LIGHTS 16-1 (N/R)
49. HJV 16-1 (46)
50. NE ELITE 16 LOKAHI (35)
***
ON THE CUSP
- Team Pineapple 16 Black
- MAVS KC 16-1
- DaKine Warriors 16 Surf
- HPSTL 16 ROYAL
- OJVA 16-1 Gold
- Union 16-1
- Elevation 16 Butcher
- ROCKC 16-1
- ECJ 16-1
- Maverick 16 Elite
- Paramount VBC 16
- Upward Stars 16 Amy
- Madfrog 16 Black
- Rancho Valley 16 Premier
- Rocky Elite 16 National
- Tribe 16 Elite
- Rev 16-1 Fury
- Boiler Jrs 16 Gold
- Mintonette m.61
- AVC Cle 16 Rox
- Legacy 16 Adidas
- Athena 16 Gold
***
Teams Into the Rankings
Alamo 16 Premier
VCNebraska 16 Elite
AZ Epic 16 Elite
Miami Hype 16 Emilio
FC Elite 16 Elite
Shockwave 16-1
Northern Lights 16-1
Teams Out of the Rankings
HPSTL 16 Royal (31)
Elevation 16 Butcher (40)
OJVA 16-1 Gold (44)
MAVS KC 16-1 (45)
Tribe 16 Elite (48)
Rev 16-1 Fury (49)
Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (50)
