After two days of action at the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, paths to the Open bids are clear. Let’s start with 17 Open, where eight teams – split between two pools – remain in the hunt for the gold medal. Half of those teams – Dynasty 17 Black, Drive Nation 17 Red, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and OT 17 Felix – are already qualified.
That means that between TAV 17 Black, KC Power 17 Black, Skyline 17 Royal and VCNebraska 17 Elite, three are going home with bids while one is simply going home. While we have seen more dramatic setups when it comes to chasing bids, here’s where it gets fun!
Dynasty – ranked No. 2 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – No. 3 Drive Nation and No. 4 TAV are in Pool 1 together, along with OT 17 Felix. I really wish I could just sit at this court Day 3 and watch all the insane action that’s going to be taking place.
TAV is in an interesting spot, not having a bid. It was actually OT Felix which kept TAV from a bid at Sunshine. That was TAV’s only loss in Florida and payback is sure to be on TAV’s mind. The path to a bid for TAV looks like this. As long as Premier Nebraska doesn’t finish in last place in Pool 2, TAV is guaranteed one match for a bid no matter what happens in pool play. If both Premier Nebraska and TAV finish third or better, TAV qualifies.
Being in Pool 2 is not bad, as KC Power, Skyline and VCNebraska all have a great opportunity. It’s possible that no matter what happens in the pool, that one of them still gets to play for a bid. But, two of three are assured of qualifying, while it’s possible all three earn bids, however a long shot that might be.
It’s crazy how the pools broke in 16 Open when it comes to Day 3 qualifying. One four-team pool features AJV 16 Adidas, Iowa PowerPlex 16 515, Northern Lights 16-1 and MAVS KC 16-1. None of them have bids and that’s certainly about to change, as two of the four should qualify.
The other pools features already-qualified Nebraska One 16 Synergy, along with TAV 16 Black, Skyline 16 Royal and Six Pack 16. We know trickle down can’t go past fourth place, and that’s if Nebraska One finishes second or better. It’s pretty straight forward if that happens, as the the first or second-place team in Nebraska One’s pool along with the other top-two finishers in Pool 1 qualify.
Where it gets wild is if Nebraska One doesn’t finish in the top four. In that scenario, the pool winners will qualify, with a third-place match for the final bid between the two second-place squads.
MAVS KC had a big day, winning a must-win clash with Dynasty 16 Black. Both teams were 1-1 with the winner reaching the gold pools. MAVS is currently ranked No. 44, while Dynasty sits at No. 30.
The only other team in 16 Open with a bid in Premier Nebraska 16 Gold finished in a three-way tie with Tulsa Power 16-1 and Six Pack 16 at 1-2. Premier Nebraska took third and is out of gold pools. Six Pack took second, while Tulsa Power took fourth a day after upsetting top seed Nebraska One.
The format is different in 15 Open. Instead of two, four-team pools, there are two, three-team pools. What really matters though is that both Skyline 15 Royal and TAV 15 Black are both qualified and are in separate pools. Skyline is matched with MAVS 816 15-1 and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold. TAV is with Pohaku 15-1 and OP2 15-1.
But, with just two bids available instead of three trickle down can extend to fourth place. No further. Skyline is the top team in the country, so there’s a good chance Skyline wins its pool. Same goes for TAV. In that situation, the second-place finishers would both qualify. Should neither TAV nor Skyline win their respective pools, then the two pool winners would both qualify.
DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: A 4-star Marquette recruit, Long helped VCNebraska remain in contention for an Open bid. She’s a smooth disher with a strong grip on the offense. She can set tempo and doesn’t miss her spots very often.
Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red: Given the considerable talent in the 17 Open division, to say Lambert, to say Lambert had the biggest hammer of them all isn’t an understatement. The 4-star Arkansas high-flier was denting the floor at times.
Ava Martin S Pohaku 17-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – and her Pohaku teammates had a rough day and were eliminated from contention after going 0-3. Martin does well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack.
Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A 3-star Lipscomb commit, Bredenberg and Northern Lights were also knocked out of bid contention after going 0-3. She’s often asked to pass half the court in serve receive and does a fine job defending the back row.
Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: It was tough at times to get Ptacek involved with Northern Lights struggling to pass, but when she was able to get set she produced. The 3-star Kansas commit takes up a lot of space at the net and does well finding open space to exploit.
McKenna Brand L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Brand – a 3-star Connecticut commit – helped Skyline advance to the gold pools with her backrow effort Sunday. She was passing soundly in serve receive and keeping Skyline in system.
Mia Tvrdy MB Premier Nebraska 17 Gold: Tvrdy and her Premier Nebraska teammates are already qualified and could play a factor in trickle down as they made the gold pools. Tvrdy was a problem in the middle for opposing defenses. She’s strong, gets off the floor well and can rocket kills with ease.
Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors: Harden – a 5-star Florida recruit – and Rev won’t be around for the gold pools unfortunately, but we are guaranteed to see them in Open as they are already qualified. Harden is such an offensive weapon. She’s very long and hits with pace right over the block, making her tough to dig as well.
Payton Petersen OH Six Pack 17: Petersen – a 3-star Louisville commit – and her teammates missed advancing after going 1-2 Sunday. Still, Petersen was impressive. She carries a cannon for an arm and blasts big kills down repeatedly.
Janelle Green S KC Power 17-1: Green – a 4-star Cincinnati commit – helped KC Power reach the gold pools. Green is such a sparkplug and a high IQ setter with infectious energy. She does very well setting bad balls and still allowing her hitters to get a good swing in.
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Hadley Hardersen S/RS Iowa PowerPlex 17 Black: Hardersen was doing her best to help PowerPlex advance but it wasn’t meant to be as the Iowa club went 1-2. Hardersen is a key piece in the lineup with the versatility she brings. She’s a solid setter with nice hands.
Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black: Stucky – a 4-star Tennessee commit – and her teammates didn’t reach the gold pools with a 1-2 day but Stucky’s play is remarkable. She’s a on-point setter and her height allows her to have a big impact at the net block and being able to score on two.
Audrey Waterman S MN Select 17-1: Waterman and her MN Select teammates were fighting to stay in contention but came up just short. Regardless, Waterman is an energetic setter who with soft hands and a clean release.
Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 17 Black: The 5-star USC commit dominates at the net with her strength and physicality. She’s a lights-out blocker who can turn around and pound down a kill as hard as anyone in the gym.
Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 17 Black: Pitts – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – controls the back court like few do. She’s an athletic libero who moves very well. Combined with her ability to read, she’s usually ahead of the play.
Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 Felix: A 4-star outside committed to Cincinnati, Stewart is a true go-to outside with the ability to terminate at a high rate. She’s long, can easily go over the block or simply power through it. Either way, she’s a tough cover.
Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix: Russ is a quick libero who flies around the court covering and picking up balls. She was digging very well and making plays all over.
Olivia Hasbrook L/DS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite: Hasbrook – a 3-star Ohio State commit – and her Rockwood Thunder teammates finished in a three-way tie but were on the wrong side of the outcome and won’t be around for Day 3 gold pools. Hasbrook was playing very well, passing on point out of serve receive and easily picking up cross-court coming her way.
Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite: Smith – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – has a presence at the net. She’s very long and it allows her to put up a nice block. She’s also capable of going right over the block and sending balls down.
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Alexandra Myers MB PVA 16 Elite: PVA ran into a very difficult Day 2 pool and was knocked from bid contention. Myers stood out with her all-around play as a middle. She stays in for six rotations and even passes in serve receive.
Hadley Porter L/DS Dynasty 16 Black: Porter – a 3-star recruit – and her Dynasty squad had a tough ending when they fell to MAVS KC 16-1 and were eliminated from making gold pools. Porter is a feisty, competitive libero who does well patrolling and defending the back row.
Keri Leimbach L/DS Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Nebraska One bounce back from a Day 1 loss and went 3-0 on Day 2, as Leimbach shined at libero. She is fiery and doesn’t back down from any challenge. She’s a sound passer who rarely misses her target.
Malorie Boesiger S Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Boesiger did well running a 5-1. She has a nice, consistent delivery and though Nebraska One is a bit undersized overall she does well putting her hitters in good spots to score.
Leni Stanton-Parker MB Metro 16 Travel: Stanton-Parker – a 4-star recruit – had a position change on Day 2, as we saw her not at her usual outside spot but in the middle. Though she’s a bit undersized for the position, she did a great job providing a scoring punch and putting balls away.
Bella Ocampo OH Skyline 16 Royal: Ocampo – a 4-star recruit – and her Skyline teammates were nearly eliminated with a loss to Metro 16 Travel but hung on and will look to get a bid on Day 3. Ocampo is a six-rotation mainstay who passes well and takes aggressive swings.
Simone Baskin MB AJV 16 Adidas: Baskin and AJV went 3-0 on Day 2 and are in Monday’s gold pools. Baskin gets up and puts it down in style. She had a couple loud, impressive kills including one she sent straight down inside the 10-foot line.
Takyla Brown S AJV 16 Adidas: Brown – a 3-star recruit – is a bit undersized but is quick and gets to the ball very well. She also has a clean, consistent release and locates well.
Carly Slusser MB Northern Lights 16-1: Slusser and Northern Lights remain alive for a bid. She made her presence at the net felt. She’s a physical player who uses her strength to her advantage both blocking and attacking.
Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black: Young – a 5-star recruit – and TAV are in the gold pools. Young is another physical player at the net who commands attention. She puts up a wall of a block and swings and hits with power.
