Two-day tournaments come and go so fast! By the time the first day is over we are already in championship mode by the start of Day 2. That’s the case at the JVA Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland, where part of the vballrecruiter.com team is this weekend to witness the action on the chilly shores of Lake Erie.
The big headline from Saturday came from 17 Open, where AVC Cle 17 White upset top-seeded Legacy 17-1 Adidas in three, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7, to win Pool 1 and take over the top spot. Right behind was EliteVBTC 17 Black. As the No. 3 team in Pool 2, Elite upset No. 2 overall seed Maverick 17 Elite, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16, to move up as well. In fact, it was a trend on Day 1 in 17 Open.
Rock City 17-1 was the only No. 1 team out of six pools to win its pool. Rock City went 3-0 to hold seed. But in Pool 3, No. 2 VolleyFX 17 Rapture took first and No. 3 Legacy 16-1 Adidas – playing up – grabbed second as both advanced to Sunday morning’s challenge matches for a spot in the gold bracket. The madness continued in Pool 4 as OPVC 17 Day, Summit 17 Blue Elite and HRVC Hurricanes all finished 2-1. However, OPVC – the No. 1 team in the pool – took third based on tiebreakers as HRVC finished first and Summit second. As for Pool 5, it was Preds 17U Strive, the No. 2 team, and NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, the No. 4 team, finishing 1-2 and advancing.
The chaos was mainly reserved for 17 Open, as 16 Open was much calmer. L2 16-1 was the only No. 1 team not to advance after finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Defensa 16 Purple and Nexus United 16 Gold. In Pool 3, the No. 1 team in Southwest 16 Ashley went 2-1 and finished second behind 3-0 EliteVBTC 16 Black, the No. 2 team, but still advanced.
Before getting to the Day 1 Show Stoppers, let’s shine the light on a few contenders.
METRO 16 TRAVEL: After taking fifth in 15 American last summer one goal of this Metro group this year is to qualify into Open. I’m curious if Metro can make it happen and it’s something to follow as qualifying season plays out. Metro definitely looks improved from a year ago. One key piece is Isabelle Bardin. She’s a stalwart on the court, setting in the back and hitting across the front. Metro was using Ryan Hicks to set in the back row when Bardin came across the front. Metro is plenty offensive with Jada Aksu on the right when she’s front row and Bardin setting back row. Aksu gets up quickly and can really rip it. Another area of strength comes on the outside with Madison Smith and Leni Stanton-Parker. Stanton-Parker is new to the roster this year and certainly adds more firepower with her lively arm and ability to blast balls down. Smith is a hard-hitter as well, bringing some physicality to the attack with it. In the middle it was Kristen Moore and Caitlin Johnson holding it down while Evie Huang was steady at libero. Metro, the top seed in 16 Open, had a light day Saturday, going 2-0 in a three-team pool where they played three sets no matter what. Metro went 5-1 in sets, sweeping Dead Frog 16 Black and going 2-1 against HRVC Hurricanes.
OPVC 16 ROBINSON: Seeded No. 2 behind Metro, OPVC wrapped up its day going 3-0 overall and 6-1 in sets as OPVC needed three to down Pitt Elite 16 Elite. I’m not sure OPVC can crack Open this spring but I can see this team having a high finish in National or USA. There are definitely pieces to work with. Two of the best are on the left in 6-2 Kaylie McIntosh and 5-10 Mariah Gaines. McIntosh is tall with a solid arm. Gaines has a good arm too and hits with power. They are nice 1-2 punch on the outside. Zari Gillispie adds excitement across the front row as a middle. She’s springy and quick. Another option in the middle is 6-1 Reagan Waller. Tori Cravens was setting and hitting while Lilliana Gentes was setting in the back row.
PITT ELITE 16 ELITE: While Metro and OPVC looked appropriately seeded and are favorites to meet for gold on Sunday, how about a sleeper team? Why not Pitt Elite? The group took OPVC to three sets in the 1 v 2 contest to end Pool 2 Saturday, dropping the third 15-10. Helping Pitt Elite challenge OPVC for first in the pool was the duo of Natalie Carr (2026) and Ella Koziara on the outside, as well as Isabelle Hoppe (2026) setting and Cassidy Trahan defending at libero.
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DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS
Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently.
Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies.
Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry.
Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch.
Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation.
Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack.
Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive.
Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well.
Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to take off balls and set when she’s front row and she was getting her share of touches at the net.
Madison Smith OH Metro 16 Travel: Smith has a big arm and it was opponents paying the price. She smacked a few balls down with authority. She’s also a six-rotation player who helps out in serve receive quite a bit.
Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel: Stanton-Parker is an athletic outside who jumps well. If the block is late or the gap is too big, watch out. Stanton-Parker can get up and bury it straight down.
Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: Rothe – a 4-star Florida commit – and her 6-3 frame were on display. She’s a handful, to say the least. She hits on the left, middle and right as she moves across the front row. With her size and length, she can easily go over blocks and was scoring at will as Elite went 3-0.
Keely Culler OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Legacy is playing up and is still in the mix. Culler caught our attention with her play. She was really going for it, taking aggressive swings and getting up nicely.
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn – a 5-star recruit – is a game-changer at the position with her ability to direct the offense and also be an aggressive scoring threat going on 2 when at the net. She does well taking off balls and turning them into quality sets and still giving Legacy looks at it.
Taylor Smith S Five1 17 Black: Smith was doing her best to keep Five1 hanging against tough competition. She has good hands and sets a clean ball with consistency.
Jersey Loyer OH Summit 17 Blue Elite: Loyer was one of the more entertaining players we caught Saturday. She’s 5-11 with a nice jump and lively arm. She let loose on a few balls for impressive kills. She was also steady in serve receive and was passing on point.
Lydia Werling S Summit 17 Blue Elite: Werling was in control of the offense, that was for sure. She showed a nice touch with consistent location and did well riding the hot arm of Loyer.
