Just wow! Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow!
The more you know, the more you really realize you know nothing at all. Or at least that’s how I feel after what transpired on Day 2 of the Triple Crown NIT on Sunday in Kansas City. What happened was impossible – I mean IMPOSSIBLE – to predict. Not in a million years!
How in the world are we entering Day 3 of the most prestigious non-national championship tournament of the season and the top three teams in the country in the 17s division did not make the Top 8?!?
In the latest vballrecruiter.com 17s Top 50 National Rankings released earlier this month, A5 17 Jing topped the list, followed by Dynasty 17 Black at No. 2 and TAV 17 Black at No. 3. Yet, inexplicably, none have a shot at winning the 17s here, not after all three bowed out Sunday evening.
It seemed like a very safe pick to guess one of the big three (if that term still even applies?) would leave Kansas City with the title. But it is mind-boggling the quarterfinals will take place Monday morning and none are going to be involved.
The good news is you can still catch two of them playing each other on Day 3. In fact, TAV faces A5 in the 9th-place Elite Division bracket. Meanwhile, you have to scroll down to the 17th-place Elite Division bracket to find Dynasty.
The biggest shock – and it’s so big it might hold up throughout the entire season as the biggest shock (at least in the 17s) – came when Miami Hype 17 Emilio upset Dynasty in three, 25-21, 16-25, 16-14. Look at Dynasty’s season last year. It doesn’t lose to anyone but other top contenders, so this was something I never saw coming. No one did.
As for A5, it ran into a buzzsaw called NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami in the Round of 16. NKYVC took it to A5, sweeping, 25-22, 25-19. At least TAV was taken down by arguably the best opponent that the big three faced, as national No. 6 Co Jrs 17 Kevin outlasted TAV in three, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10.
Obviously, this development totally throws a wrench into the 17s division and opens it wide up for someone to take advantage. I don’t even want to begin thinking about – although I already have – what impact this is going to have on the next set of updated Top 50 National Rankings for that age group. Let the chaos begin!
Something similar happened in 15s, but the 15s division is where you expect unexpected results because of the age. Still, I was surprised to see top-ranked Mintonette Sports m.51 and No. 2 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold shown the exit before reaching the Top 8. Austin Skyline 15 Royal showed up strong, sweeping Mintonette in the Round of 16 before reaching the Top 8. Boiler Jrs was taken down by AZ Sky 15G, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14. Boiler Jrs barely survived SG Elite 15 Rosh the round before, winning in three, 26-24, 28-30, 16-14.
It leaves No. 3 Skyline 15 Royal as the highest-ranked team still alive. Madfrog 15 Green, at No. 5, and TAV 15 Black, at No. 7, are the only other teams from the Top 10 still in the hunt. But No. 12 Legacy 15-1 Adidas and No. 13 Austin Skyline 15 Royal are just outside of the Top 10 and still in it.
In the 16s, our top-ranked team in Arizona Storm 16 Thunder is still in the mix. As is No. 3 1st Alliance 16 Gold, No. 5 Hou Skyline 16 Royal and No. 8 Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. One result that did surprise was national No. 16 A5 16 Gabe upsetting fourth-ranked Drive Nation 16 Red.
Here’s how the quarterfinals for the 15-18s and semis for 14s stack up for Day 3:
18s
- Drive Nation 18 Red v NPJ 18 Forefront
- Legacy 18-1 Adidas v Munciana 18 Samurai
- Coast 18-1 v Club V 18 Ren Reed
- OT 18 John v MAVS KC 18-1
17s
- Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite v OT 17 Aaron
- Co Jrs 17 Kevin v Drive Nation 17 Red
- NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami v Premier Nebraska 17 Gold
- Momentous 17 Dan v AZ Sky 17G
16s
- Surfside 16 PV Legends v Nebraska One 16 Synergy
- 1st Alliance 16 Gold v A5 16 Gabe
- Coast 16-1 v Hou Skyline 16 Royal
- Mich Elite 16 Mizuno v Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
15s
- Legacy 15-1 Adidas v Austin Skyline 15 Royal
- Madfrog 15 Green v Skyline 15 Royal
- SCVC 15 Roxy v Pohaku 15-1
- TAV 15 Black v AZ Sky 15G
14s
- Drive Nation 14 Red v Skyline 14 Royal
- Arizona Storm 14 Thunder v TAV 14 Black
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TEAM SPOTLIGHTS
DRIVE NATION 14 RED: With TAV 14 Black and Arizona Storm 14 Thunder squaring off in one semifinal, it’s a great chance for Drive Nation to reach the final and take its shot at an upset. Drive Nation rolled through Day 2 action, sweeping Munciana 14 Chipmunks, SASVBC 14-1 and GP 14 Rox without allowing more than 19 points in any set. Outsides Lexi Martin and Landri Trice carry a load, as does libero Callie Gardner.
AZ SKY 15G: Without question, AZ Sky deserves a ton of credit for still being one of the eight teams that can still win gold in the 15s division. AZ Sky escaped GP 15 Rox, winning in three, 17-25, 25-20, 17-15, before delivering a big upset over Boiler Jrs. One strength of this group comes in the middle with Jordyn Joppru and Leylah Duran. Libero Marianne Garcia is quick and gets around the court making plays as well, while Brooklyn Jenkins is a promising outside.
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DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks, a 5-star recruit, is super fun to watch with everything she brings to the court. She’s a smooth disher and does well getting under the ball. She’s also a sharp attacker capable of punishing defenses.
Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 16-1 Black: A 3-star middle, Kelly was a force at the net! She was hurting opponents off the slide as well as blasting balls down from the right side. She’s also puts up a huge block and is a game-changer across the front row for NorCal.
Macey Hughes RS Alamo 16 Premier: Hughes – a 3-star lefty right side – flew under the radar this past high school season playing for Cornerstone Christian, which finished No. 2 in the nation. However, she seems poised for a breakout club campaign. She times her blocks well and she’s also a capable scorer who really can help balance out the attack.
Alexis Haury S NPJ 18 Forefront: A 4-star setter from the Class of 2024 who is committed to Washington, Haury’s play helped keep NPJ in the hunt in the 18s division as they made the top eight. She has a very smooth release and delivers a clean, soft ball for her hitters to work with.
Anna Jelinek OH Nebraska One 16 Synergy: A bit undersized, Jelinek was doing a bunch in helping her team reach the quarterfinals in the 16s. She was attacking aggressively against bigger blocks and was also playing sound defense and passing well.
Hailey Goebel RS MKE Sting 16 Gold: The way Goebel was swinging away was hard to miss. She was coming hard and sent down a couple loud kills.
Parker Duncan OH AJV 16 Adidas: Duncan was another we couldn’t ignore, not after seeing the way she was getting up and unleashing! She gets off the ground in a hurry and with her whippy arm she can blast balls.
Chloe Elarton S Co Jrs 16 Shannon: Elarton was running the show well, spreading the ball well and helping lead Co Jrs to an upset victory over GP 16 Rox in challenge play. Elarton has a nice touch as well.
Victoria Hill OH GP 16 Rox: Hill doesn’t have to carry as much of the offense load as she does last year. While that may be great for her, it’s not so great for fans. Hill is an explosive outside who elevates in a hurry and rips away.
Jordyn Dugi L/DS AZ Sky 16 Gold: Dugi was a borderline Show Stopper on Day 1 and when we caught her doing her thing again I had to make sure to include her. She’s a sound defender who was making all the plays there were to make and keeping her team in system with her ball control.
Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe: A5 is still in the hunt for the 16s title thanks in part to Harvey. There are times when it seems unfair that she can be allowed to torch the ball the way she does. She’s the definition of an explosive hitter who can bang balls straight down and leave defenses helpless.
Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura: OT had TAV 14 Black on the ropes before TAV rallied to win in three. Lawrence, a 3-star recruit from the Class of 2026, was simply overpowering at times. She’s a physical attacker who isn’t afraid to get after it.
Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura: Dostic was doing well feeding the hot hand and keeping the pressure on. She has nice hands and was showing consistent location.
Emerson Butler S/RS AP 14 Adidas: I spotlighted AP in the Day 1 write up. AP backed me up by upsetting Tstreet 14 Carson before falling out of contention with a three-set loss to Skyline 14 Royal. Butler was doing a great job in her role setting and hitting. I liked the way she was swinging away and being a factor in the attack.
Jenna Tello L/DS AP 14 Adidas: Tello was just making hustle plays and keeping rallies alive.
Dakota Huynh L/DS Skyline 14 Royal: I also spotlighted Skyline in the Day 1 recap and the North Texas Region club has made the top eight of the 14s. Huynh can turn in spectacular defensive plays, providing the spark of energy that teams need.
Bryn Meyer OH Mintonette Sports m.41: I wrote about Meyer at Central Zone and caught more of her in action Sunday in KC. She has a huge ceiling and you can see it in flashes. She’s long and when she extends and catches one, watch out. She will send it straight down.
Alexis Rodriguez OH Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB: Rodriguez was impressive, to say the least. I hadn’t seen her play before and wow, she jumps out of the gym and bangs the heck out of the ball. She’s also a sound passer out of serve receive.
Paisley Pavliska OH Alamo 15 Premier: Pavliska is such an integral piece. She’s a real six-rotation outside who passes and hits well. She’s the go-to on the left and carries a big load all around.
Camdyn Stucky S Shockwave 17 Black: Stucky is a phenomenal talent with the ability to control the match. With her size and aggressiveness, she’s a threat at the net to go on two. She’s also deceptive and hard to get a read on.
Ava McBride S/RS Actyve 15 Black: McBride is a versatile player with next-level talent. She’s a strong attacker who can score in a variety of ways and she’s also a solid setter.
Morgan Sears MB MAVS KC 816: Sears was a scoring factor, as she was putting away balls when her number was called. She has a whippy arm and hitting well.
Taylor Cook S Skyline 16 Royal: Cook owns the setting position, directing the attack with her poise on the court. She delivers a great ball too.
Anna Blamires RS Co Jrs 16 Shannon: Blamires is a lefty who defenses need to be prepared for. She can get up and pound the ball as she has a really good arm.
Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 16 Royal: O’Brien is another setter who is fun to watch run the show. She has a ton of weapons and knows how to utilize them.
Jacy Carrejo S Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Lund was dishing well, mixing it up and keeping defenses off balanced.
Callie Krueger L/DS Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Krueger is a vacuum in the back row, scooping up everything around her. She’s a tenacious defender who doesn’t quit on plays.
Teagan Cooling MB Vision 15 Gold: Cooling was showing off her strong arm, powering down balls when she got set.
Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura: Puleo is a physical presence in the lineup and she was a factor in the team’s success. She puts up a big block and also came through with clutch kills.
Emerson Van Lannen S FC Elite 17 Navy: Van Lannen showed her nice touch and was locating with consistency.
