Not all, but most of the drama on the opening day of the Lone Star Classic in Dallas didn’t come from pool play action but rather from the competition that followed afterward. Between 15, 16 and 17 Open, there were third-place challenge brackets as well as crossover matches in order to stay in the hunt.
The third-place challenge matches went down in 15 Open, where four teams which finished in third-place had an opportunity to play themselves back into contention after being unable to break pool. Kairos 15 Alpha and 1United 15 Dylan were two teams which capitalized. Kairos beat Triangle 15 Black, 25-20, while 1United ousted Drive Nation 15 Red, 25-22. At No. 25 in our Top 50, Drive Nation was the highest-ranked team eliminated on Day 1. Triangle wasn’t far behind at No. 33.
Joining Kairos and 1United were TAV Houston 15 Adidas and 1st Alliance 15 Gold. 1st Alliance actually had the toughest road having to win not one but two challenge brackets to 25. 1st Alliance beat High Tide 15 Elite then downed Coqui VBC 15U. TAV Houston defeated Arete 15 Navy Telos in its game to 25 to remain in the mix.
The other big news in 15 Open came out of Pool 2 when Dynasty 15 Black upset national No. 4 Madfrog 15 Green to win the pool. That result did little to impact anything on Day 1, as both were guaranteed to move on. However, it does shake up the seedings for Day 2 as now Madfrog becomes the No. 4 team in Pool 6. That pool features No. 6 AZ Sky 15G and No. 13 Hou Skyline 15 Royal. Madfrog and Hou Skyline have bids, but AZ Sky does not. And now Sky’s path to breaking pool Saturday just became that more challenging.
Northern Lights 15-1 did well in upsetting Drive Nation in pool play. That not only knocked Drive Nation to the challenge bracket but it allowed Northern Lights to finish 2-1 and move on as the No. 3 team in the pool.
You know the Lone Star qualifier is different based on what went down in 16 Open on Day 1. That’s because there was a must-win clash between No. 31 Skyline 16 Royal and No. 39 Alamo 16 Premier in crossover action. We haven’t seen that elsewhere.
Skyline went 0-2 in pool while Alamo went 1-1 and that left them squaring off in a contest in which the winner advanced and the loser was eliminated. It was lights out for Alamo as Skyline swept to keep its bid chances alive. Alamo already had a bid and becomes the first qualified team out of contention. So now there are nine teams with bids in 16 Open.
Other must-win crossovers saw AJV 16 Adidas sneak past TAV 16 Platinum, 25-20, 20-25, 15-11, and Excel 16 National Red clip Flyers 16 APX Ed, 27-25, 25-23, as both stayed in the upper pools.
None of the top seeds lost on Day 1 in 16 Open, except in crossover play for seeding purposes. One example was Arizona Storm 16 Thunder beating Austin Skyline 16 Royal after both won their three-team pools. Rancho Valley 16 Premier had the best day for the lowest seed, as Rancho Valley advanced as the No. 4 team in Pool 6. Rancho Valley beat both Tulsa Power 16-1 and MuscleVB 16 Black to advance. FRBVC 16-1 Black, Arete 16 Navy Telos and 915 16 Gilbert all advanced as No. 3 teams after going 2-1.
In 17 Open, there was a big-time upset when CHAVC 17 Black took down Drive Nation 17 Red. Drive Nation now becomes the No. 4 team in Pool 4, with Triangle 17 Black, AJV 17 Adidas and Northern Lights 17-1. While Drive Nation, Triangle and AJV all have bids, it does mean one won’t advance to the top 12 for gold pools and that could ultimately impact trickle down. As it stands, CHAVC takes over the No. 2 seed and is in Pool 2 with HJV 17 Elite, Madfrog 17 Black and Arete 17 Navy Telos. That pool would look drastically different with Drive Nation on top instead of in another pool altogether.
But like 15 and 16 Open, most of the drama came late. Northern Lights was pushed to the brink before prevailing against Supernova 17 All-Stars, 24-26, 25-8, 16-14, to keep its bid chances in tact. Alamo 17 Premier had a chance to win its pool but fell to HJV in three sets and was forced to a crossover to remain in contention. Alamo edged KC Power 17 Red, 24-26, 25-19, 16-14, to move on.
DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS
Grace Lee OH High Tide 15 Elite: It was a tough day overall for High Tide, which was knocked out after dropping a challenge match but Lee did well in her role as a six-rotation outside. She was carrying the offense in stretches and was also defending well in the back.
Kaylee Maikranz L/DS High Tide 15 Elite: Maikranz had her hands full against strong hitters and was scrappy keeping rallies going and keeping her team in points.
Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Andrews – a 4-star recruit – and her Legacy teammates had a solid day finishing 3-0 and holding seed. Andrews was making plays on both sides of the ball, disrupting attackers while giving Legacy a reliable point scorer in the middle.
Eva Long S Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Long – a 3-star recruit – is an under-control setter who moves well. She’s consistent with her accuracy and has nice hands.
Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier: Pavliska – a 4-star recruit – is relentless on the outside and a very high IQ attacker. She can let it fly and rip balls or frustrate defenders with her off speed and roll shots.
Addison Polivka OH 1United 15 Dylan: Polivka is the go-hitter for 1United and she does well in that capacity. She has a nice swing and she extends well. She was taking strong swings in powering the attack.
Claire Nelson MB Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Nelson has a lively arm and can send it down when the opportunity is there. She was providing Austin Skyline offense in the middle and a real threat helped open up the attack.
Blaire Bowers OH Madfrog 15 Green: Bowers – a 3-star recruit – was bringing it on the attack. She was taking aggressive, hard swings and pressuring the defense in providing a steady, reliable option.
Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green: A 4-star recruit, Rodriguez flies all over the court in making plays. She’s quick and covers well and was giving Madfrog a defensive presence.
Lily Mae Buerkle S OJVA 15-1 Gold: Buerkle showed her upside in running the show. She has a steady, clean release with nice hands and she was locating well.
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Nikolija Bulotovic S 1st Alliance 15 Gold: Though it was a tough day for 1st Alliance, Bulotovic was among the setters who caught our attention. She’s hard working and intense setter with a clean release and soft touch.
Coco Natarajan S Drive Nation 15 Red: A 3-star recruit, it ended up being a rough day for Natarajan and teammates as Drive Nation was knocked out of bid contention. She’s a smooth setter who gets to the ball well and has nice hands.
Sara Bowcutt OH Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Bowcutt was performing in her role as a six-rotation outside. When the chance was there, she was really connecting and letting big kills fly.
Brooke Harwood MB Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Hardwood – a 5-star recruit – moved from the right side to the middle during Day 1 action and helped Storm advance. She brings size to the front row and is effective scoring off of one foot.
Kalli Lipo L/DS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Lipo – a 3-star recruit – was among the liberos who was holding it down. She was passing consistently out of serve receive and was making plays around her.
Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier: Fitch – a 5-star recruit – and Alamo continue its up-and-down season. After recently qualifying in 16 Open, Alamo won’t be around the next two days as it was bumped in a crossover loss. Still, Fitch and her big arm were booming balls throughout the day and providing punch to the lineup.
Elly Stewart MB Alamo 16 Premier: Stewart was active in the middle, working hard to make herself available. She rewarded Alamo with strong scoring when called upon.
Morgan Inemer OH Madfrog 16 Green: Inemer was coming with it. She was aggressive attacking and really challenging the block as she helped Madfrog to a perfect day.
Kamden Mitchell S OJVA 16-1 Gold: Mitchell was consistent with her release and was spotting the ball well while giving her hitters good looks.
Halle Jameson OH Excel 16 National Red: Jameson was clutch when we caught Excel. She was providing key offense with tough swings. She was tooling blocks or finding gaps as she kept swinging away.
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Addyson Rebmann OH CSDP 16 National: It was our first time catching CSDP this season and Rebmann was playing well as a six-rotation outside. She was taking swings from the front and back row and has a solid swing.
Cecilia Vance OH ARVC 16 Adidas: Vance – a 3-star recruit – is an athletic outside who jumps very well and carries a lively arm. She can spring up and drill it in delivering her share of offense for ARVC.
Sophie Diouf MB ARVC 16 Adidas: A 3-star recruit, Diouf makes herself known at the net and seemingly comes out ahead on tight plays. She’s a strong hitter and blocker who brings physicality to the front row.
Tea Kalajdzic OH ARVC 16 Adidas: Kalajdzic is a long outside with a loose arm. She extends nicely and hits at a high point and with it hits with plenty of pace.
Petra Fritz OH DCVA 17 Hong: Fritz is part of a solid outside duo for Duke City. She has a nice arm and was going at the block.
Ella Parker OH DCVA 17 Hong: Parker – a 3-star recruit – is the other half of the outside duo who does a lot for Duke City. She has a very nice arm and can let it loose.
Myia Mccoy OH Ozark Jrs 17 Elite: Mccoy is a bit undersized at the pin but athletic and jumps very well. She’s physically strong and is able to hit with power.
Coley Shiflet L/DS Triangle 17 Black: Shiflet was holding it down with sound defense. Her first touches were consistent and on point.
