It’s not unusual to see disparity in pools on the second day of a national qualifier, as was the case Saturday at MEQ in Indianapolis. The luck of draw played a factor as teams competed for spots in gold pools on the final day.
Let’s look at 16 Open, where Pool 1 was gnarly. Circle City 16 Purple, the top seed overall and ranked No. 11 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50, went 3-0 on Day 1 and was “rewarded” by drawing both No. 17 Austin Skyline 16 Royal and No. 19 AVC Cle 16 Red. With only room for two, someone was going to be left out.
After all three finished tied at 2-1, it was Circle City advancing in first place followed by Austin Skyline in second. Austin Skyline opened the pool with a clutch victory over Circle City but lost control of the pool when it fell to AVC before downing USA South 16 Purple. Circle City earned first by sweeping AVC in the 1 v 2 contest and thus eliminating AVC.
Pools 4 and 5 were two more pools that were tougher than others. Pool 4 featured No. 8 A5 16 Gabe, No. 12 Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and No. 23 Adidas KiVA 16 Red. It was another case of one must go and it turned out to be the highest-ranked of the trio in A5, which finished 1-2 after losing to both Mich Elite and KiVA. Mich Elite made it out on top at 3-0, followed by KiVA at 2-1. Somewhat surprisingly, Mich Elite beating KiVA in three sets was the only match of the six from the pool to go the distance.
It was No. 14 MKE Sting 16 Gold, No. 16 Legacy 16-1 Adidas and No. 44 GP 16 Rox together in Pool 5. GP had a safety net known as already having a bid which it earned at the Sunshine Classic. It was Sting coming out ahead, grabbing first at 3-0. Legacy followed at 2-1, leaving GP at 1-2 and now out of contention for creating any trickle down.
With GP and HPSTL 16 Royal – which went 1-2 on Day 1 and was eliminated – not among Day 3’s gold pools, it leaves No. 18 Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal as the lone previously-qualified team. That’s big in that we now know trickle down in 16 Open can’t exceed fourth place, so teams must win their gold pools at the very least to have a chance at qualifying. Tribe went 3-0 in Pool 6 on Day 3.
Some of the other pools in 16 Open opened the door and allowed teams to take advantage. One such case was Pool 3, which was composed of unranked Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, No. 38 Co Jrs 16 Shannon, unranked Adversity 16 Adidas and unranked EliteVBTC 16 Black. It was the No. 4 team in EliteVBTC rising up and going 3-0. Co Jrs was second at 2-1 as both advanced.
In Pool 2, No. 15 Dynasty 15 Black and No. 43 No Name 16 Sarah were with unranked foes in CUVC 16 Beast and KC Power 16 Black. While it seemed like Dynasty’s pool to win, it was actually No Name (at 3-0) and CUVC (at 2-1) advancing while Dynasty was knocked out after going 1-2 with losses to both.
In 17 Open, it was a different story as the top five seeds combined to go 15-0. Only Pohaku 17-1 lost as the No. 1 team in a pool, but managed to advance still after taking second in a three-way tie at 2-1. Pohaku tied with both No. 11 Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite and No. 21 Academy 17 Tsunami. Rockwood Thunder was the odd team out based on tiebreakers and took third. It makes Rockwood Thunder the highest-ranked team from our Top 50 missing out on gold pools.
Both Pools 2 and 5 came down to three-way ties at 1-2 behind the first-place finishers. While No. 8 Co Jrs 17 Kevin went 3-0 in Pool 2, No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red and unranked teams in Michio 17 National and Mintonette Sports m.71 tied at 1-2. KiVA earned second based on the best set percentage of the trio.
Second-ranked Dynasty 17 Black went 3-0 in Pool 5, where No. 19 Metro 17 Travel, No. 37 Elevation 17 Ulland and No. 38 Circle City 17 Purple all finished at 1-2 behind Dynasty. Elevation took second on tiebreakers, leaving Metro eliminated. Metro – along with Dynasty and No. 5 Triangle 17 Black – owned a bid prior to MEQ. While Metro being bumped won’t impact Metro it does eliminate another possible trickle-down spot. And with Dynasty and Triangle positioned to win their Day 3 pools, that would have trickle down extend to fifth place.
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DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Messer is silky smooth with her delivery and sets at a high-level from her hands to her placement. She connects well with all her hitters and moves the ball around as well as any setter.
Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black: A 4-star UNLV commit, Ingram was having a big day in the middle. She seemed close to unstoppable, beating defenders on 1s and slides while banging down balls.
Ava Grevengoed OH Michio 17 National: Grevengoed is a bit undersized on the left but takes plenty of swings as one of the main attackers. She has a nice arm and did well helping her team compete against higher-ranked opponents.
Gabriella Woltman RS Michio 17 National: Woltman held it down on the right. She adds some power to the lineup and was taking hard swings.
Renee Jones RS Metro 17 Travel: Jones – a 3-star recruit – puts up a wall of a block and can be imposing for smaller attackers. She’s also part of the offensive plans, able to deliver points with her lefty swing.
Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin: Starck – a 5-star Penn State commit – is one of the more exciting players to watch because she does everything on the court at a high level. She’s a strong setter who gets to the ball and sets up well. She’s also a dynamic attacker who beats defenses with a wide variety of shots.
Ella Vogel L/DS Co Jrs 17 Kevin: A 3-star Florida commit, Vogel is a tenacious defender who gets after it in the back row. She’s a strong passer out of serve receive and does well on first touches.
Hannah Pattie S AVC Cle 17 Red: A 3-star Campbell commit, Pattie did well running the offense. She has a clean and consistent deliver and didn’t miss her spots too often.
Ana Vetter RS Adversity 17 Adidas: The lefty right side Wake Forest commit was unleashing her whippy arm and tormenting defenses from the right side in providing an offensive lift.
Kelsey Schenck S MAVS KC 17-1: Schenck – a Lipscomb commit – is a gritty setter with nice hands. Her delivery is regularly on point and she does well setting behind her.
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Elise Marchal OH/RS Elevation 17 Ulland: It doesn’t matter the position, Marchal is a baller. The 3-star Appalachian State recruit played middle on Day 1 and both outside and right side on Day 2. She’s a skillful attacker with a lively arm and it doesn’t matter where she’s swinging from – left, middle, right or back row – she’s a legit threat.
Janelle Green S KC Power 17 Black: Green – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – is an energetic, high-octane setter who is in total control of the show. She’s very consistent with her location and does well putting hitters in favorable positions.
Mya Bolton L/DS KC Power 17 Black: Bolton – a 3-star Michigan State commit – is another libero who was showing her defensive knack for the ball. She’s a gamer who covers and passes well.
Jillian Huckabey RS KC Power 17 Black: A 3-star Florida International recruit, Huckabey is a weapon anytime she’s swinging. She can bang the ball and it can come from the left, right or back row as she was a key part of the attack.
Kirrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black: Horne – a 4-star recruit – is a high-flying outside who can bring the thunder when she connects. She’s another attacker who is a threat front and back row and she helps make up one of the most explosive offenses in the division.
Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Another 4-star recruit, Tolliver has springs for legs. She gets up quickly and is another explosive hitter who can send balls straight down with authority.
Taylor Smith S Five:1 17 Black: Smith is an under-the-radar setter who does well dishing the rock. She has a clean release and puts up a nice hittable ball.
Abbey Emch MB/OH Infinity 17 Green: Emch is under-the-radar and still a bit raw, but she’s part of the Class of 2025 and has tremendous upside. She’s very long but is already showing a decent platform and passing well in the back. She’s definitely one to keep tabs as she develops.
Avery Freeman L/DS Circle City 16 Purple: A 3-star recruit, Freeman is a backrow anchor. She’s poised and always under control. She covers a wide swath of court and her passing is typically on point.
Addison Burke OH CUVC 16 Beast: Burke is a six-rotation outside who fills a key role for CUVC. She has a good arm and was swinging aggressively.
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Jumana Martin L/DS CUVC 16 Beast: Martin is a scrappy libero who moves well and makes up ground quickly.
Amelia Robinson MB Austin Skyline 16 Royal: A 3-star recruit, Robinson was active in the middle on both sides. She did well getting her hands on balls on slowing down opposing swings. She was also providing a scoring punch as well.
Jacy Carrejo S Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Carrejo has her share of options to incorporate and does well getting all her hitters involved. Not only does she locate well she’s also a scrappy defender.
Lydia Chinchar S/RS No Name 16 Sarah: Chinchar is a solid two-way player, especially considering she’s a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027! She’s a setter who puts up a nice ball and also more than capable of providing offense across the front row.
Alex Klukvin L/DS KC Power 16 Black: Klukvin makes up a ground in a hurry and is another scrapper who gets after with hustle plays.
Sofia King S USA South 16 Premier: King does very well running a 5-1. She’s a bit undersized but has a clean and consistent release and plays strong defense.
Aubrey Anders OH AVC Cle 16 Red: A couple weeks ago Anders was filling in at middle and with her arm it’ll shine at any position. On the left in Indy, Anders showed off that lively arm that can generate lots of pace.
Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Haggard is a fiery competitor who despite being a bit undersized gets after it on the attack. With her jumping and swinging ability it leads to big kills.
Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Makun – a 4-star recruit – only gets better and better. She’s a presence at the net with her length and reach. She closes well on the block and when it comes to hitting, she can go straight down with it over smaller blockers.
McKenna Payne L/DS Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Payne was part of a strong group of liberos standing out as Day 2 Show Stoppers. She’s a strong defender who does well picking off any ball near her.
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Jessica Costlow OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Costlow has moved back to her normal position of outside after playing middle last year. She’s a sound six-rotation outside who plays good defense in the back row. She’s also a heady attacker capable of frustrating blockers with off-speed shots and tips.
Raegan Waller MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Waller was making plays in the middle slowing down balls with touches and also giving her team points by making herself an option on the attack.
Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: Gaines – a 3-star recruit – is an athletic outside who jumps very well. She has a strong arm and combined she delivers loud kills over and over.
