The path to the Open bids is clear with just the final day remaining of the Red Rock Rave qualifier in Las Vegas. While the top-ranked teams are still in contention in 16 Open, the same can’t be said about 17 Open after the Day 2 results shook up the final-day pairings.
We knew something had to give in Pool 1 in 17 Open, as national No. 3 Drive Nation 17 Red, No. 13 Hou Skyline 17 Royal and No. 14 AZ Sky 17G shared the same four-team pool. It came down to Hou Skyline sweeping AZ Sky for second place behind Drive Nation. AZ Sky is the highest-ranked team in 17 Open out of contention but not by much.
Momentous 17 Dan – ranked No. 15 nationally – was upset by both unranked A4 Volley 17 Tyler and No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh and finished third in its pool. Momentous had a chance to advance after losing to A4 but fell to SG in three games. Had Momentous defeated SG it would’ve earned the second-place tiebreaker over A4 but instead joins AZ Sky in the exit line.
The winners of Monday’s four three-team pools advance to the four-team gold bracket where the Open bids will be ultimately determined. Hou Skyline, the only team with a bid so far, is in Pool 4 with No. 16 Wave 17 Juliana and No. 22 SCVC 17 Roxy. If Hou Skyline wins its pool, the other three pool winners will pick up bids before playing a gold-bracket match. But if Hou Skyline fails to advance, then teams must win in the semifinals and/or third-place match to qualify.
Drive Nation is matched with Absolute 17 Black and Seal Beach 17 Black in Pool 1. It’s Arizona Storm 17 Thunder, Vision 17 Gold and A4 in Pool 2. Pool 3 is likely to come down to SG Elite and Coast 17-1, but TAV Houston 17 Adidas is certainly capable of the upsets.
It was calmer in 16 Open, at least in regards to the national rankings. On Day 1, No. 35 Absolute 16 Black was the highest-ranked team to be eliminated. On Sunday, it was No. 28 Madfrog 16 Green being shown the door after losing to No. 21 AVA TX 16 Adidas. In addition, No. 49 AZ Sky 16G was also eliminated Sunday.
It leaves all the top-ranked teams in the hunt for Monday. Pool 1 is an all-So Cal fight between No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends, No. 13 Coast 16-1 and No. 26 Wave 16 Kevin. Coast was upset by Temecula Viper 16-1 Costa in pool play and needed to beat Muscle 16-1 in crossover action to advance. Wave, meanwhile, finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 with A4 Volley 16 Cassie and AZ Rev 16 Premier but managed to take second based on tiebreakers.
Seventh-ranked Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is favored in Pool 2 with No. 27 ID Crush 16 Bower and unranked Vision 16 Gold. Vision took Drive Nation 16 Red to three games in pool play before falling Sunday and will look to play spoiler on Day 3.
As for Drive Nation, the third-ranked team in the country is in Pool 3 with Temecula and AVA TX. The final pool is No. 6 HJV 16 Elite, No. 10 TAV 16 Black and unranked Club One 16 Platinum. HJV is 1-0 against TAV this season, so TAV will look to even the score and win the pool. There is no trickle down in 16 Open, so teams must win the pool and advance to the gold bracket to stay alive.
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DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Sophia Meyer L/DS Coast 17-1: Coast is still in the mix but worked for it after beating both Tx Peformance 16-1 and Club V 17 Ren Matthew in three games before losing to SCVC in crossover. Meyer was solid throughout, holding down the back row and consistently making plays.
Makayla Gates OH Momentous 17 Dan: Gates is a six-rotation outside who gets off the ground well and has a fluid swing. The 6-0 outside was doing well tooling blocks.
Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan: A 4-star right side, Gordon puts up a massive block! She gets her hands over the net and forms a wall. She can also turn it around and send down booming kills.
Victoria Leyva L/DS TX Performance 17-1: Leyva helped TX Performance upset Club V in pool play but was eventually eliminated with a loss to Absolute 17 Black in crossover. She is an energetic libero who is fast and makes up ground quickly.
Amar’e Stout RS TX Performance 17-1: Stout’s big arm is a key part of the attack. Defenders need to be ready because Stout will get the ball and isn’t afraid to go for it.
Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana: Evens was part of a perfect 3-0 day as Wave didn’t drop a set. The 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 scoops up everything near her in the back row and is a lights-out passer in serve receive.
Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy: Another 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Deckert is a cool character in the back row. She’s always under control and doesn’t rattle while making plays look effortless.
Kendall Beshear OH SCVC 17 Roxy: A 3-star recruit, Beshear explodes on the attack and hits a heavy ball. Beshear carried a big load as SCVC went 3-0 on the day and remains in the running for a bid.
Zada Sanger OH Absolute 17 Black: It was a tough go for Absolute in pool play with losses to SCVC and Vision but Sanger and company beat Tx Performance in crossover to stay alive. Sanger was taking aggressive swings and not backing down.
Dylan Whisenant L/DS Absolute 17 Black: Whisenant was getting after it defensively with lots of hustle and keeping rallies going.
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Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red: Drive Nation didn’t lose a set in going 3-0 and the 4-star Baylor commit was a key part. Carroll and her length gives defenders fits as she goes over the block or powers through it.
Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold: Williams – a 4-star Duke recruit – is long and extends nicely. She has a fluid swing capable of plenty of pace and she’s becoming more of a back row threat.
Whitney Wallace L/DS Vision 17 Gold: A 3-star recruit, Wallace is sound and rarely off target with her passing.
Aubrey Goodere MB AZ Sky 17G: Though it was a tough day for AZ Sky overall, the 3-star Grand Canyon commit did well putting up a strong block. She also sees the floor well and can score in a variety of ways.
Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal: The 5-star Florida commit is without a doubt a presence in the middle. Her length and agility is a big-time disrupter and she has extra hangtime that can be difficult to time.
Ava Napierski RS Club V 17 Ren Matthew: A 3-star Utat State commit, Napierski is a lanky right side who uses her length to her advantage. She did well getting her hands on balls and slowing down attacks while also being a reliable scoring threat on offense.
Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew: The 5-star Kansas commit is such a factor across the front row. She moves very well and can lineup from any spot along the net to unleash her strong arm on opponents.
Avery Stones OH Club One 16 Platinum: A big, strong hitter, Stones was challenging blockers as she carried her share of the offensive load. She delivered impressive kills and in part helped Club One stay in the hunt for Day 3.
Naya Salfiti RS Madfrog 16 Green: Salfiti – a 4-star recruit – has a nice swing and can extend over the block. She hits with pace as well and is key part of the attack.
Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 16 Bower: A 3-star recruit from the Class of 2026, Beus has lots of upside and potential. She’s springy with a strong swing and can blast balls.
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Eliana Urzua OH Oaks 16 Gold: Urzua is a physical hitter taking big swings from both the front and back row. She’s strong and can power through blocks.
Manaia Ogbechie MB Oaks 16 Gold: Though Oaks fell from contention, Ogbechie showed what she can do. She puts up a very strong block and gets her hands over the net well. It allowed to shut down a few big attackers at times.
Gracie Trulson RS Muscle 16-1: Trulson is a lefty who hits a heavy ball. She gives Muscle a legit right-side option who opponents need to be concerned about.
Melanie Hewlett S Temecula Viper 16 Costa: Hewlett did well in guiding the attack and helping Temecula win its pool and advance to gold pools. She’s consistent with her location and has a nice touch.
Addison France S/RS AZ Sky 16G: France does a lot for AZ Sky. She’s a strong setter in the back row and can deliver on the right offensively.
Tristen Raymond S/RS AZ Rev 16 Premier: Raymond is a 3-star recruit who provides valuable versatility. She has nice hands and locates well dishing. The lefty is also a viable scoring threat as well across the front.
Kennedy Washington MB TAV 16 Black: Washington – a 4-star recruit – can rip it with the best of them! She unloaded one more than one ball ferociously.
Sophie Diouf MB ARVC 16-1 Adidas: Diouf is a strong, powerful hitter and a key part of the attack. She brings a different dynamic to the front row and opponents to need to be ready.
Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas: Rogers – a 4-star recruit – doesn’t hold back when the opportunity presents itself. She gets in the air and crushes with her big swing.
Quinn Loper OH Wave 16 Kevin: A 4-star recruit, Loper can extend high and with her fluid swing provides her share of offense.
