Let’s take a look at the upcoming Mideast Qualifier this Fri-Sun in Indianapolis. It’s a bit different than past years in that the feature ages are just 16s and up. The 15s are no longer part of this weekend and have moved to their own weekend. As it stands, that leaves us seeing how 16-18 Open might play out in Indy as teams continue their qualifying schedule.
18 OPEN
Number of Teams: 48
Number of Bids Available: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (14): 1st Alliance 18 Gold; AVC Cle 18 Red; Circle City 18 Purple; CUVC 18 Titan; EC Power 18 Royal; Metro 18 Travel; Mintonette Sports m.81; MKE Sting 18 Gold; MN Select 18-1; OT 18 John; Paramount 18 VBC; Skyline 18 Royal; Triangle 18 Black; VC United 18 Elite
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (21):
- 8. AVC Cle 18 Red
- 9. 1st Alliance 18 Gold
- 10. Mintonette Sports m.81
- 13. Skyline 18 Royal
- 14. A5 18 Marc
- 15. Circle City 18 Purple
- 16. Metro 18 Travel
- 19. Legacy 18-1 Adidas
- 20. Adidas KiVA 18 Red
- 22. OT 18 John
- 23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue
- 24. Paramount 18 VBC
- 30. Elevation 18 Spinney
- 31. MN Select 18-1
- 33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami
- 36. Topeka Impact 18-1
- 37. MKE Sting 18 Gold
- 39. FC Elite 18 Elite
- 40. Triangle 18 Black
- 45. Union 18-1 UA
- 47. VC United 18-1
5-Star Athletes To Know
- Brooke Bultema MB Elevation 18 Spinney (Kentucky)
- Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State)
- Nya Bunton OH/MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Texas)
- Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky)
- Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Mizuno (LSU)
- Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)
4-Star Athletes To Know
- Gabby Dean MB Adidas KiVA 18 Red (Illinois)
- Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia)
- Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1 (Clemson)
- Olivia Swenson OH MN Select 18-1 (Minnesota, 2024)
- Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati)
- Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina)
- Milan Rex S Metro 18 Travel (UCSB)
- Laurece Abraham MB Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Yale)
- Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia)
- Kate Thibault L/DS MN Select 18-1 (Oregon)
- Ceci Gooch RS Skyline 18 Royal (Georgia)
- Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern)
- Jordan Dailey MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky)
- Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU)
- Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson)
- Erin Kline S Legacy 18-1 Adidas (Mississippi State)
- Harley Kreck S Skyline 18 Royal (Baylor)
- Becca Kelley OH Skyline 18 Royal (Oregon)
- Brooklyn DeLeye OH Topeka Impact 18-1 (Kentucky)
- Kaia Caffee MB MN Select 18-1 (2024)
Outlook/Prediction: These later qualifiers for the 18s are getting a bit ridiculous. With 16 qualifiers on the schedule and most already played, we see a whopping 14 teams in the field which have already qualified. It’s even more than the 11 we saw with bids last weekend at the Red Rock Rave. Trickle down only goes to eighth place so it’s possible we don’t see a single team qualify and three more at-large bids created. Legacy 18-1 Adidas, at No. 19, and No. 20 Adidas KiVA 18 Red are the two highest-ranked teams without bids. KiVA is interesting because it usually doesn’t play in qualifiers but has the past two seasons at MEQ. This KiVA group is good enough to finish in the Top 8 and qualify. Legacy has some big wins and a few questionable losses, so Legacy can go either way. At No. 23, Tri-State Elite 18 Blue is playing its lone qualifier this season but will be challenged to finish in the Top 8. Elevation 18 Spinney – ranked No. 30 nationally – is coming off its victory at Bluegrass and doesn’t have a bid. Elevation could possible sneak into the Top 8. In the end, A5 beats OT John for gold. KiVA finishes Top 8 and qualifies. Two at-large bids go back into the field.
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17 OPEN
Number of Teams: 48
Number of Bids Available: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Dynasty 17 Black; Metro 17 Travel; Triangle 17 Black
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (17):
- 2. Dynasty 17 Black
- 5. Triangle 17 Black
- 7. 1st Alliance 17 Gold
- 8. Co Jrs 17 Kevin
- 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami
- 11. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite
- 17. KC Power 17 Black
- 19. Metro 17 Travel
- 21. Academy 17 Tsunami
- 25. Miami Hype 17 Emilio
- 27. Skyline 17 Royal
- 31. AVC Cle 17 Red
- 37. Elevation 17 Ulland
- 38. Circle City 17 Purple
- 40. Adidas KiVA 17 Red
- 41. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold
- 50. Team Pineapple 17 Black
5-Star Athletes To Know
- Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple 17 Black (Notre Dame)
- Emerson Sellman Metro 17 Travel (Ohio State)
- Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Penn State)
- Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gol (Purdue)
- Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black (Wake Forest)
- Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black (Arizona)
- Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black (Nebraska)
- Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (2025)
- Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (2025)
- Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black (2025)
- Lameen Mambu Metro 17 Travel (2025)
4-Star Athletes To Know
- Ellie White S/OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Michigan)
- Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Kansas)
- Asia Thigpen OH Triangle 17 Black (Kentucky)
- Kiarrah Horne OH Triangle 17 Black
- Ashlyn Philpot OH Triangle 17 Black (Illinois)
- Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black (Iowa State)
- Calli Kenny S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold
- Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold
- Mya Ball S Team Pineapple 17 Black (Central Florida)
- Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Kevin (Tennessee)
- Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Norte Dame)
- Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1 (Cincinnati)
- Erin Debiec S Metro 17 Travel (Colorado State)
- Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Ball State)
- Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Washington)
- Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami
- Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple
- Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black (Purdue)
- Jada Ingram MB Dynasty 17 Black (UNLV)
- Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025)
- Maya Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (2025)
Outlook/Prediction: The two highest-ranked teams in No. 2 Dynasty 17 Black and No. 5 Triangle 17 Black are both qualified. That opens up a path to a bid in a big way. There’s a chance both teams could finish in the top four and create trickle down to fifth place. That would be an interesting scenario with four-team gold and silver brackets in play because in that case a team would have to win the silver bracket to get fifth. That would be high drama. For now, all eyes start on top seed and ninth-ranked NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. NKYVC is on a run, having won both Triple Crown and Bluegrass consecutively and will now look to keep it going at MEQ. Seventh-ranked 1st Alliance 17 Gold and No. 8 Co Jrs 17 Kevin are among the other top contenders. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, at No. 11, No. 17 KC Power 17 Black and No. 21 Academy 17 Tsunami all figure to be in the mix on the final day. Metro 17 Travel, at No. 19, is another team with its bid which can possibly help create trickle down. It’s a packed field and if we learned something from Red Rock there’s a very good chance of a team ranked in the 20s or 30s which will breakthrough and qualify. That would make No. 25 Miami Hype 17 Emilio, No. 27 Skyline 17 Royal and No. 31 AVC Cle 17 Red possible candidates to pull that off. It boils down to Dynasty coming in to make a point after Triple Crown, with Dynasty beating Co Jrs in the final. NKYVC outlasts Triangle for third place. With Co Jrs and NKYVC getting bids, the last one goes to 1st Alliance by winning the silver bracket.
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16 OPEN
Number of Teams: 48
Number of Bids Available: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (3): GP 16 Rox; HPSTL 16 Royal; Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (20):
- 8. A5 16 Gabe
- 11. Circle City 16 Purple
- 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno
- 14. MKE Sting 16 Gold
- 15. Dynasty 16 Black
- 16. Legacy 16-1 Adidas
- 17. Austin Skyline 16 Royal
- 18. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
- 19. AVC Cle 16 Red
- 23. Adidas KiVA 16 Red
- 29. Team Pineapple 16 Black
- 30. HPSTL 16 Royal
- 31. Alamo 16 Premier
- 32. KC Power 16 Black
- 38. Co Jrs 16 Shannon
- 40. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
- 42. Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite
- 43. No Name 16 Sarah
- 44. GP 16 Rox
- 46. Illini Elite 16 Cardinal
5-Star Athletes To Know
- Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
- Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas
- Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold
- Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red
- Megan Fitch OH Alamo 16 Premier
- Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe
- Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black
- Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
- Ella Florez S/RS Dynasty 16 Black (2026)
4-Star Athletes To Know
- Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox
- Zoey Matias L/DS Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
- Callie Krueger L/DS Austin Skyline 16 Royal
- Lily Dee Davis OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal
- Kayden Green S/RS GP 16 Rox
- Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
- Riley McCloskey OH NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
- Carly Gilk RS MN Select 16-1
- Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple
- Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red
- Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple
- Katie Gielas OH Elevation 16 Ulland
- Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
- Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno
- Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 16 Gold
- Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe
- Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe
- Addison Gaido RS Austin Skyline 16 Royal
- Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red
- Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe
- Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black
Outlook/Prediction: This division is going to be fun to follow, as so much can happen. A5 16 Gabe is the only current Top-10 team in the field. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno, at No. 12, is the only other team besides A5 to finish in the Top 8 at Triple Crown. Circle City 16 Purple is the top seed and ranked No. 11, but is coming off a less-than-impressive outing at Bluegrass and will need to step it up to get a bid at home. A big group of teams that includes No. 14 MKE Sting 16 Gold, No. 15 Dynasty 15 Black, No. 16 Legacy 16-1 Adidas, No. 17 Austin Skyline 16 Royal and No. 19 AVC Cle 16 Red are all teams to follow in terms of bidding. One question is how will the teams with bids already in No. 18 Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal, No. 30 HPSTL 16 Royal and No. 44 GP 16 Rox factor in? I don’t think any of the three is going to finish high enough for there to be any trickle down. One of the three would have to make the gold bracket to create any sort of trickle down and that’s going to take a strong effort from one. The pick is Mich Elite beating Circle City in the final as both qualify. The last bid goes to A5 after beating Austin Skyline for third.
