The final weekend of MEQ – unless they’ve added a fourth and fifth weekend we aren’t aware of – takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Louis. Typically, 15 Open is part of the older age group weekend, but the tournament was divided into three weekends this year and as a result 15 Open is now on its own weekend, separate from the rest of the Open divisions. That doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still bids on the line and below we take a look at which clubs might qualify this weekend.
In addition to MEQ, we also take a look at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, which is hosting its second weekend in Spokane, with 14 and 15 Open previews and predictions.
MIDEAST QUALIFIER
15 OPEN
Number of Teams: 24
Number of Bids Available: 3
Previously-Qualified Teams (2): Mintonette Sports m.51; Austin Skyline 15 Royal
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (8):
- 2. Mintonette Sports m.51
- 3. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- 7. Austin Skyline 15 Royal
- 20. Elevation 15 Tony
- 28. TAV Houston 15 Adidas
- 34. Michio 15 National
- 37. Team Pineapple 15 Black
- 50. HPSTL 15 Royal
5-Star Athletes to Know:
- Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal
- Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal
- Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold (2027)
4-Star Athletes to Know:
- Cala Haffner L/DS Team Pineapple 15 Black
- Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony
- Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony
- Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold
- Sydney Lund S Austin Skyline 15 Royal
- Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51
- Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51
- Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple
Outlook/Prediction: Normally, 15 Open is a full field at MEQ with 48 teams. However, with multiple qualifiers happening this weekend, the field has been slashed in half. That’s okay, because three bids are still going out and it’s a better chance for those involved to get it done. Two of the heaviest hitters in Mintonette Sports m.51 and Austin Skyline 15 Royal are the only teams in the field with bids and I suspect both are going to help created trickle down to fifth place. I think both finish in the top three. It makes Boiler Jrs 15 Gold the top qualifying contender. After that, who knows? Elevation 15 Tony has been a little up-and-down so far this season but can steady out with a bid at MEQ. TAV Houston 15 Adidas can certainly get it done. As for Michio 15 National, the team has been on the rise and climbed up to No. 34 in our latest Top 50 and could be poised to qualify. Another team to watch for could be HPSTL 15 Royal. HPSTL hasn’t found its stride yet, but like we’ve seen with other teams at other qualifiers, this weekend could be the moment HPSTL finds it. Mintonette beats Boiler Jrs in the final as Boiler Jrs gets its bid. Elevation and Michio also qualify along with Boiler Jrs.
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUALIFIER
15 OPEN
Number of Teams: 21
Number of Bids Available: 2
Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Madfrog 15 Green
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4):
- 4. Madfrog 15 Green
- 30. SG Elite 15 Rosh
- 39. Coast 15-1
- 42. Sunshine 15 Westside
4-Star Athletes to Know:
- Gabi Rodriguez L/DS Madfrog 15 Green
- Piper Chylinski S/RS SG Elite 15 Rosh (2027)
- Kylie Parker OH SG Elite 15 Rosh
Outlook/Prediction: If you know something about PNQ, then you know this qualifier isn’t typically the deepest or hardest qualifier of the year. This year’s field is a bit smaller than normal and because of it there are only two bids on the line. Madfrog 15 Green – the top overall seed and highest-ranked team in the field at No. 4 nationally – already has a bid and that’s a big deal. Madfrog is a heavy favorite to win it all, or at the very least make it to the final. That should help trickle down reach fourth place. It’s not a deep field and a trio of So Cal teams in SG Elite, Coast 15-1 and Sunshine 15 Westside are among the top contenders for the two bids. Is it going to play out like that or are we going to see something unexpected? I’m going with the straight forward pick, as Madfrog beats SG Elite for gold. Sunshine beats Coast for the final bid.
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14 OPEN
Number of Teams: 16
Number of Bids Available: 2
Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (4):
- 4. Madfrog 14 Green
- 8. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar
- 40. City 14 Gold
- 48. ID Crush 14 Bower
4-Star Athletes to Know:
- Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar
Outlook/Prediction: With only 16 teams participating, just two bids are in play. And with Madfrog 14 Green in the field and unqualified, that essentially means there is one other bid to be had. It’ll take a major upset from keeping Madfrog from the bid. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar is the only team in the field with a bid and recently defeated Madfrog at Red Rock. But Madfrog beat Long Beach twice at Triple Crown, so I fully expect for the two sides to meet up a fourth time. Probably in the final. City 14 Gold and ID Crush 14 Bower are the only other teams from the Top 50. These are the times another club can step up and take advantage of the smaller field, but like I said I think it’s going to take coming in third place to qualify. Long Beach beats Madfrog in the final. Madfrog qualifies, as does Vision 14 Gold after beating City in the third-place match.
