There are many things that make the Triple Crown NIT a one-of-a-kind tournament. The three-day event, taking place this coming weekend at the Kansas City Convention Center, unquestionably draws and attracts the best clubs from all around the country, whether those clubs play a USAV or JVA schedule, or attend USAV or AAU nationals. It can result in being the only place certain clubs can ever bump into one another and go head-to-head.
Something else that makes the event unique is the absence of multiple divisions. There is no such thing as Open, National, USA, etc. It’s very simple and straight forward. There is 18-and-under all the way down to 12-and-under. It means any team entered into its age group has an opportunity to walk away with the title regardless of starting position.
The power-pool format also contributes to the excitement and entertainment surrounding the tournament. While not every team is placed in a power pool, the fact that the top teams entered get to square off on Day 1 with no threat of being eliminated creates for high-level volleyball from the very first serve of the weekend.
If you are not familiar with Triple Crown, you may not know that after the opening day, the format switches to a single-elimination contest. That is very different from the standard tournament format that continues on with pool play on Day 2. It’s another part of what elevates the intensity and makes it an anything goes race to the finish line.
At the same time, it remains an early-season tournament and so much can transpire between now and nationals that it’s easy to jump to conclusions based on the results this weekend. But most of the teams approach this weekend as a way to gauge and prep for the remainder of the season, not as a destination.
Winning Triple Crown doesn’t guarantee any sort of success later on. Though it could serve as foreshadowing, we just don’t know. Let’s take last year for an example. Drive Nation 18 Red brought home the 18s title, however, finished third at nationals. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami was the 17s champion, yet took 11th in Chicago. Surfside 16 PV Legends reigned supreme in the 16s but was a distant 26th at nationals.
The younger age groups that we focus on found more success though in Skyline 15 Royal and TAV 14 Black. Both finished on top of their respective age groups a season ago at Triple Crown and both went on to grab the gold medal at nationals.
Enough about all of that, let’s get to our preview and predictions, which you can find below.
*****
18 OPEN
Number of Teams: 104
Power Pool A
• TAV 18 Black
• Hou Skyline 18 Royal
• Coast 18-1
• Madfrog 18 Green
• KC Power 18 Black
• Munciana 18 Samurai
• Triangle 18 Black
• 1st Alliance 18 Gold
Power Pool B
• Mintonette Sports m.81
• Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite
• OT 18 Roberto
• Vision 18 Gold
• Wave 18 Brennan
• Skyline 18 Royal
• SCVC 18 Roxy
• A5 18 Marc
Power Pool C
• MKE Sting 18 Gold
• Academy 18 Rage
• NPJ 18 Forefront
• Tri-State Elite 18 Blue
• City 18 Gold
• Club V 18 Ren Reed
• Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar
• Premier Nebraska 18 Gold
Power Pool D
• SPVB 18 Elite
• MN Select 18-1
• NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami
• FC Elite 18 Elite
• HJV 18 Elite
• OT 18 Tony
• Tstreet 18 Chandler
• Six Pack 18
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (45):
1. TAV 18 Black TX
2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold IL
3. Triangle 18 Black NC
4. Madfrog 18 Green TX
5. KC Power 18 Black KS
6. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite MO
7. Hou Skyline 18 Royal TX
8. Munciana 18 Samurai IN
9. Coast 18 Ozhan CA
10. OT 18 O Roberto FL
11. Wave 18 Brennan CA
12. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold NE
13. SCVC 18 Roxy CA
14. Mintonette Sports m.81 OH
15. Skyline 18 Royal TX
16. HJV 18 Elite TX
17. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar CA
18. Six Pack 18 IA
19. Vision 18 Gold CA
20. City 18 Gold CA
21. A5 18 Marc GA
22. MN Select 18-1 MN
23. Tri-State Elite 18 Blue OH
25. Club V 18 Ren Reed UT
26. MKE Sting 18 Gold WI
27. NPJ 18 Forefront OR
28. Academy 18 Elite Rage IN
29. FC Elite 18 Elite WI
30. SPVB 18 Elite IL
31. MAVS KC 18-1 KS
32. Pohaku 18-1 KS
33. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami KY
34. Tstreet 18 Chandler CA
35. Momentous 18 Dan CA
36. OT 18 T Tony FL
37. Far Out 18 Black MI
39. KiVA 18 Red KY
40. Team Pineapple 18 Black IN
42. AVA TX 18 Adidas
43. Actyve 18 Black CA
44. VCNebraska 18 Elite NE
46. Sky High Adidas 18 Elite IL
47. Tribe 18 Elite Cardinal FL
48. Legacy 18-1 Adidas MI
49. Boiler Jrs 18 Gold IN
5-Star Players in the Field:
Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (South Dakota)
Morgan Gaerte OH Team Pineapple Black (Notre Dame)
Faith Frame L/DS Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (Cincinnati)
Lauren Harden OH Academy 18 Rage (Florida)
Charlie Fuerbringer S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Wisconsin)
Favor Anyanwu MB TAV 18 Black (USC)
Jadyn Livings RS TAV 18 Black (USC)
Camille Edwards S TAV 18 Black (Michigan)
Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 18 Royal (Florida)
Elizabeth Andrew MB Athena 18 Gold (Stanford)
Hannah Benjamin OH A5 18 Marc (Kentucky)
Taylor Yu S SG Elite 18 Rosh (Stanford)
Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 18 Roxy (2025, USC)
Cari Spears OH TAV 18 Black (2025, Texas)
Gillian Pitts L/DS TAV 18 Black (2025, Houston)
Suli Davis OH TAV 18 Black (2025, BYU)
Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 18 Black (2025, Nebraska)
Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 18 Black (2025, Ohio State)
Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025, Texas)
Samara Coleman OH Hou Skyline 18 Royal (2025, Pitt)
Mak Miller MB Pohaku 18-1 (2025)
Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 18 Royal (2025, Texas AM)
Addison Tindall OH Munciana 18 Samurai (2025, Purdue)
Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 18-1 (Indiana)
Outlook: As we said in the intro, the field is absolutely stacked with 45 of the Top 50 teams in our national rankings in attendance. Additionally, 21 clubs have earned 18 Open bids to the USAV GJNC in April so far. Of those clubs, 20 are participating this weekend, with Metro 18 Travel the lone exception. That gives you an idea of the type of competition you can expect. 1st Alliance 18 Gold, KC Power 18 Black (twice), TAV 18 Black, Coast 18-1, Triangle 18 Black and Wave 18 Brennan have all captured qualifier titles so far and all are here this weekend and all are in Power Pool A minus Wave. Will the tournament title go to one of them? TAV enters as the top-ranked team in the country and is certainly the favorite. KC Power is the only team to win two qualifiers thus far but didn’t make gold pools recently at Ohio Valley. The outsider, so to speak, is Munciana 18 Samurai. While Munciana is definitely a team to watch out and is capable of winning it all, the team has taken two losses so far in its Mideast Power League, with those coming to Team Pineapple 18 Black and Tri-State Elite 18 Blue. Both of those clubs are also here. In a tournament where anything can start to happen on Day 2 with single-elimination, we’ll see how it all plays out.
Prediction: There’s plenty of picks that could be made. One is going with the perceived best team in TAV. They remind me of Drive Nation last year in that Drive Nation was playing well and continued on at Triple Crown. However, we are going with 1st Alliance to beat TAV in the final and win it all. Munciana and Triangle wind up in third.
*****
17 OPEN
Number of Teams: 120
Power Pool A
• Arizona Storm 17 Thunder
• Hou Skyline 17 Royal
• Skyline 17 Royal
• ID Crush 17 Bower
• 1st Alliance 17 Gold
• Adidas KiVA 17 Red
• MKE Sting 17 Gold
• Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal
Power Pool B
• Excel Nation 17 Red
• Dynasty 17 Black
• HJV 17 Elite
• A5 17-1 Calvin
• Coast 17-1
• Mich Elite 17 Mizuno
• HPSTL 17 Royal
• Legacy 17-1 Adidas
Power Pool C
• Co Jrs 17 Kevin
• OT 17 Aaron
• AVC Cle 17 Red
• Northern Lights 17-1
• TAV 17 Black
• Surfside 17 Legends
• Austin Skyline 17 Royal
• Wave 17 Juliana
Power Pool D
• Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar
• A4 Volley 17 Joaco
• Nebraska One 17 Synergy
• VCNebraska 17 Elite
• Madfrog 17 Green
• GP 17 Rox
• Alamo 17 Premier
• MAVS KC 17-1
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (46):
1. Hou Skyline 17 Royal TX
2. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder AZ
3. MKE Sting 17 Gold WI
4. 1st Alliance 17 Gold IL
5. ID Crush 17 Bower ID
6. Adidas KiVA 17 Red KY
7. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno MI
8. Surfside 17 Legends Loriann CA
9. Northern Lights 17-1 MN
10. Nebraska One 17 Synergy N
11. Excel 17 National Red TX
12. Skyline 17 Royal TX
13. Legacy 17-1 Adidas MI
14. OT 17 Aaron FL
15. Dynasty 17 Black KS
16. Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal FL
17. HJV 17 Elite TX
19. TAV 17 Black Jon T
20. AVC Cle 17 Red OH
22. A5 17 Calvin G
23. Drive Nation 17 Red TX
24. Wave 17 Juliana CA
25. Austin Skyline 17 Royal TX
26. VCNebraska 17 Elite NE
27. Madfrog 17 Green TX
28. MAVS KC 17-1 KS
29. GP 17 Rox FL
30. NorCal 17-1 Black CA
31. Coast 17 Rodrigo CA
32. Vision 17 Gold CA
33. HPSTL 17 Royal MO
34. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar CA
36. OT 17 O Felix FL
37. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue OH
38. Alamo 17 Premier TX
39. Spike and Serve 17-1 HA
40. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite MO
41. AJV 17 Mizuno TX
42. Sports Academy 17 Jen Premier CA
43. Co Jrs 17 Kevin CO
44. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami KY
45. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold NE
46. Club V 17 Ren Reed UT
47. AVA TX 17 Adidas TX
48. Rage 17 Greg CA
50. SG Elite 17 Rosh CA
5-Star Players in the Field:
Addy Horner S/RS 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Wisconsin)
Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 17 Gold (Texas)
Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 17-1
Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 17 Synergy (Wisconsin)
Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (Minnesota)
Charlotte Glass S Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal (Duke)
Amina N’diaye OH OT 17 Aaron
Kassidy O’Brien S Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Kentucky)
Bayleigh Minor MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal
Bailey Warren OH Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Wake Forest)
Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Wisconsin)
Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Louisville)
Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 17 Legends
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Nebraska)
Jordan Taylor HJV 17 Elite (Minnesota)
Addison Gaido RS Austin Skyline 17 Royal (Texas)
Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 17 Gold (Wisconsin)
Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 17 Red (San Diego)
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Skyline 17 Royal (Duke)
Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black (USC)
Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black (USC)
Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (Nebraska)
Megan Fitch OH Alamo 17 Premier (Texas AM)
Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (2026)
Outlook: The 17s field features 46 teams from our Top 50 national rankings. That’s an impressive number. It features all three qualified teams which picked up bids at Northern Lights in Hou Skyline 17 Royal, ID Crush 17 Bower and MKE Sting 17 Gold. All are in Power Pool A, along with Central Zone champion Adidas KiVA 17 Red. Hou Skyline is coming off a perfect 7-0 weekend at the Tour of Texas, as well as winning the Northern Lights Qualifier. It’s what has Hou Skyline ranked No. 1 in our Top 50. While that group of teams has seen strong competition already, Arizona Storm 17 Thunder – ranked No. 2 in the country and the USAV 16 Open gold medalist – will be seeing a major uptick in that regard. While it stands to reason that the winner will emerge from Power Pool A – among those teams not mentioned yet being 1st Alliance 17 Gold, Skyline 17 Royal and Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal – the depth of Power Pool B can’t be overlooked. Excel 17 National Red, HJV 17 Elite, Dynasty 17 Black, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno and Legacy 17-1 Adidas are at the very least capable of pulling off upsets and shaking up the draw. The overall depth of the field can furthermore be evidenced by teams like Northern Lights 17-1, TAV 17 Black Jon and Surfside 17 Legends being in Power Pool C, as well as Nebraska One 17 Synergy and Madfrog 17 Green being in Power Pool D.
Prediction: Hou Skyline is on a hot stretch, but that’s not our pick to win it all in 17s. We are going with 1st Alliance rising up and beating Storm in the final in a rematch of last year’s 16 Open final. Skyline and Hou Skyline tie for third.
*****
16 OPEN
Number of Teams: 120
Power Pool A
• Skyline 16 Royal
• TAV 16 Black
• Wave 16 Scott
• SCVC 16 Roxy
• Mintonette Sports m.61
• NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
• Legacy 16-1 Adidas
• Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Power Pool B
• AZ Sky 16G
• Coast 16-1
• Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar
• Elevation 16 Goller
• Hou Skyline 16 Royal
• Madfrog 16 Green
• A5 16-1 Gabe
• Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
Power Pool C
• Pohaku 16-1
• GP 16 Rox
• Austin Skyline 16 Royal
• WPVC 16 Armour Black
• Team Pineapple 16 Black
• MKE Sting 16 Gold
• Vision 16 Gold
• Boiler Jrs 16 Gold
Power Pool D
• Academy 16 Diamond
• Premier Nebraska 16 Gold
• 1st Alliance 16 Gold
• SPVB 16 Elite
• OT 16 JP
• Club V 16 Ren Reed
• AVC Cle 16 Red
• Forza1 North 16 One
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (44):
1. Skyline 16 Royal TX
2. Mintonette Sports m.61 OH
3. TAV 16 Black TX
4. Hou Skyline 16 Royal TX
5. Austin Skyline 16 Royal TX
6. SCVC 16 Roxy CA
7. Legacy 16-1 Adidas MI
8. Team Pineapple 16 Black IN
9. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami KY
10. Madfrog 16 Green TX
11. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold IN
12. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder AZ
13. Elevation 16 Goller OH
14. Wave 16 Scott (CA)
15. A5 16 Gabe GA
16. Pohaku 16-1 KS
17. GP 16 Rox FL
18. MKE Sting 16 Gold WI
19. Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar CA
20. AZ Sky 16G AZ
21. AVC Cle 16 Red OH
22. WPVC 16 Armour Black FL
23. Club V 16 Ren Matt CA
24. Vision 16 Gold CA
25. 1st Alliance 16 Gold IL
27. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue OH
28. Forza1 North 16 One CA
29. Dynasty 16 Black KS
30. SPVB 16 Elite IL
32. Northern Lights MN
33. Far Out 16 Black MI
34. Triangle 16 Black NC
35. OT 16 T JP FL
36. MN Select 16-1 MN
37. Academy 16 Diamond NC
38. Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal FL
39. Premier Nebraska 16 Gold NE
40. KiVA 16 Red KY
42. HJV 16 Elite TX
43. Top Select 16 Elite FL
44. TAV Houston 16 Adidas TX
46. Drive Nation 16 Red TX
49. Alamo 16 Premier TX
50. Academy 16 Yeti IN
5-Star Players in the Field:
Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal
Brooke Harwood MB Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Ayanna Watson OH Vegas Aces 16 UA
Henley Anderson OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal
Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal
Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline 16 Royal
Genevieve Harris S Academy 16 Diamond
Rayna Christianson S/RS Northern Lights 16-1
Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas
Gabby Divita OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas
Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1
Layla Austin OH Madfrog 16 Green
Kinsley Young MB TAV 16 Black
Keoni Williams MB Skyline 16 Royal
Finley Krystkowiak OH Wave 16 Scott
Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.61
Ella Florez S Pohaku 16-1
Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 16 Black
Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 16 Royal
Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy
Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 16 Gold (2027)
Outlook: Only six teams from our Top 50 National Rankings are not in the field. The 16s have not had any qualifiers yet. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami is riding the wave of winning Central Zone and that helped push the club into Power Pool A, along with Mintonette Sports m.61, which owns two victories over NKYVC to date. Skyline 16 Royal is coming off winning the second Tour of Texas stop last weekend, while Legacy 16-1 Adidas is out for redemption after a lower-than-expected finish at Central Zone. Both SCVC 16 Roxy and Wave 16 Scott have performed well during regional play in So Cal. Toss in TAV 16 Black and Arizona Storm 16 Thunder and Day 1 should be exciting. Central Zone runner-up in Elevation 16 Goller is part of Power Pool B, which also includes both Hou Skyline 16 Royal and Madfrog 16 Green, as well as A5 16-1 Gabe and Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal. Austin Skyline 16 Royal had a strong showing in going 4-1 this past weekend on the Tour and is among the teams highlighting Power Pool C, along with Team Pineapple 16 Black and Boiler Jrs 16 Gold. Teams like AVC Cle 16 Red and Forza1 North 16 One are part of Power Pool D and are certainly capable of making waves. The thing about this division is there is no clear-cut favorite, but rather a handful of teams which could possibly leave victorious.
Prediction: It’s a tough call in a division with many choices. We’ll go with Mintonette beating Arizona Storm in the final. Skyline and SCVC tie for third.
*****
15 OPEN
Number of Teams: 104
Power Pool A
• TAV 15 Black
• Hou Skyline 15 Royal
• A5 15-1 Kelly
• Mintonette Sports m.51
• Arizona Storm 15 Thunder
• Wave 15 Brennan
• Legacy 15-1 Adidas
• Tstreet 15 Naseri
Power Pool B
• Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar
• OT 15 Randy
• AZ Rev 15 Premier
• Skyline 15 Royal
• 1st Alliance 15 Gold
• Tri-State Elite 15 Blue
• Munciana 15 Blue
• Elevation 15 Tony
Power Pool C
• Forza1 North 15 One
• AZ Sky 15G
• Vision 15 Gold
• HPSTL 15 Royal
• Madfrog 15 Green
• KC Power 15 Black
• Kairos 15 Alpha
• Northern Lights 15-1
Power Pool D
• WPVC 15 Armour Black
• Absolute 15 Black
• Top Select 15 Elite
• Forza1 15 One
• Club V 15 Ren Kalee
• PVA 15 Elite
• VCNebraska 15 Elite
• TAV 15 Fifer
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (46):
1. Tstreet 15 Naseri CA
2. Arizona Storm 15 Thunder AZ
3. TAV 15 Black TX
4. Wave 15 Brennan CA
5. Skyline 15 Royal TX
6. Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar CA
7. Legacy 15-1 Adidas MI
8. Elevation 15 Tony OH
9. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue OH
10. OT 15 Randy FL
11. A5 15-1 Kelly GA
12. Munciana 15 Blue IN
13. Excel 15 National Red TX
15. PVA 15 Elite KS
16. Top Select 15 Elite FL
17. Hou Skyline 15 Royal TX
18. Madfrog 15 Green TX
19. Club V 15 Ren Kalee UT
20. Dynasty 15 Black KS
21. Absolute 15 Black CA
22. Forza1 North 15 One CA
23. SA Jrs 15 Adidas TX
24. 1st Alliance 15 Gold IL
25. Drive Nation 15 Red TX
26. Forza1 15 One CA
27. Vision 15 Gold CA
28. KiVA 15 Red KY
29. Mintonette Sports m.51 OH
30. City 15 Gold CA
31. AZ Rev 15 Premier AZ
32. HPSTL 15 Royal MO
33. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami KY
34. AZ Sky 15G AZ
35. STVA 15 Mizuno TX
36. Academy 15 Diamond NC
37. Premier Nebraska 15 Gold NE
38. Kairos 15 Alpha SD
39. WPVC 15 Armour Black FL
40. Austin Skyline 15 Royal TX
41. KC Power 15 Black KS
43. MN Select 15-1 MN
44. Northern Lights 15-1 MN
45. VCNebraska 15 Elite NE
46. GP 15 Rox FL
47. Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite MO
48. AVC Cle 15 Red OH
5-Star Players in the Field:
Peyton Kubik S/RS Dynasty 15 Black
Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 15 Blue
Shaye Witherspoon OH Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite
Allie Hudgins OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal
Naomi Livings OH/RS TAV 15 Black
Nyla Livings MB TAV 15 Black
Brynn Stephens S/RS TAV 15 Black
Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 15 Thunder
Marissa Jones S A5 15-1 Kelly
Outlook: In keeping with the theme, the 15s field features 46 teams from our Top 50 Rankings. One change with the qualifying schedule this year was Northern Lights adding the 15s, so for the first time a team in this age group arrives with a bid secured in Hou Skyline 15 Royal. The Lone Star Region club finished runner up to NE Elite 151 last month. NE Elite is not among the teams competing this weekend in KC. Hou Skyline followed its bid performance up by going 4-2 last weekend at the second stop of the Tour and tying for third with Skyline 15 Royal. TAV 15 Black finished first at the Tour and is certainly a major contender. A surprise team at last weekend’s Tour was Excel 15 National Red, which came in second. Excel, however, didn’t make one of the power pools but could be poised to make a run anyway. Meanwhile, TAV and Hou Skyline are joined in Power Pool A by Central Zone champion Legacy 15-1 Adidas, as well as last year’s USAV 14 Open runner up Arizona Storm 15 Thunder. Another team to watch for is Tstreet 15 Naseri, which actually enters as our top-ranked team in the country. With a revamped roster, Wave 15 Brennan is another team to track out of Power Pool A. Power Pool B contains teams which fared well recently at Central Zone in runner up Elevation 15 Tony and third-place finishers Munciana 15 Blue and Tri-State Elite 15 Blue. That trio can certainly make noise, as can Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar and Skyline 15 Royal. Power Pool C features Madfrog 15 Green, which has had an up-and-down season. The team has struggled at times but has flashed its potential with two victories over TAV.
Prediction: Last season saw TAV, Arizona Storm and Tstreet separate themselves from the rest. It’s difficult to imagine someone outside the trio prevailing here. Therefore, we are going with Tstreet to beat TAV in the final. Arizona Storm and Long Beach end up tied for third.
*****
14 OPEN
Number of Teams: 78
Power Pool A
• TAV 14 Black
• Madfrog 14 Green
• HPSTL 14 Royal
• Dynasty 14 Black
• A5 14-1 Helen
• OT 14 Laura
• Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal
• Tstreet 14 Tara
Power Pool B
• Hou Skyline 14 Royal
• Skyline 14 Royal
• Munciana 14 Chipmunks
• Legacy 14-1 Adidas
• MAVS KC 14-1
• Borinquen 14-1
• AZ Sky 14G
• SG Elite 14 Rosh
Power Pool C
• HJV 14 Elite
• NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami
• Elevation 14 Molly
• AVC Cle 14 Red
• Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
• SAS 14 Kevin
• Wave 14 Tammy
• Coast 14-1
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (27):
1. HPSTL 14 Royal MO
2. Madfrog 14 Green TX
3. TAV 14 Black TX
4. OT 14 T FL
5. MAVS KC 14-1 KS
6. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami KY
7. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal FL
8. Dynasty 14 Black KS
9. A5 14 Helen GA
10. Hou Skyline 14 Royal TX
11. AVC Cle 14 Red OH
12. SG Elite 14 Rosh CA
13. Elevation 14 Molly OH
14. Mintonette Sports m.41 OH
15. Legacy 14-1 Adidas MI
16. Wave 14 Tammy CA
19. Skyline 14 Royal TX
20. Coast 14 Luis CA
21. Munciana 14 Chipmunks IN
23. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar CA
24. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold NE
25. Adidas KiVA 14 Red KY
26. MKE Sting 14 Gold WI
27. Lions 14-1 IL
28. Tstreet 14 Tara CA
29. HJV 14 Elite TX
30. CJV 14 Mizuno NC
Players to Watch in the Field:
Sarah Albers RS HPSTL 14 Royal
Sarah Floyd OH/RS TAV 14 Black
Maya Ogbogu OH Madfrog 14 Green
Jensen Kubik OH Dynasty 14 Black
Lucy Waleskowski S/RS NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami
Jada Skinner OH Hou Skyline 14 Royal
Grace Regula OH AVC Cle 14 Red
Carsyn Chitty L/DS Mintonette Sports m.41
Ashlyn Pelon L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas
Elizabeth Goodlett RS Skyline 14 Royal
Abbie Powell MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks
Kayleigh Rogers OH Adidas KiVA 14 Red
Tegan Loechler RS MKE Sting 14 Gold
Sade Bello OH HJV 14 Elite
Leilani Lamar OH OT 14 Laura
Bethany Bemjamin OH A5 14-1 Helen
Lia Ray OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal
Brooke Badorek S/RS Tstreet 14 Tara
Jaelyn Jordan S MAVS KC 14-1
Anabella Valentin-Miranda S Borinquen 14-1
Jade Smith S Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
Kaedyn Blotzer S Wave 14 Tammy
Baylee Wilson OH Coast 14-1
Cadence Talega L/DS Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar
Ella Zieske OH Northern Lights 14-1
Lauren Williams MB Tri-State Elite 14 Blue
Outlook: The 14s division is slightly different than the rest, featuring three power pools instead of four. It doesn’t change the fact that the competition remains fierce. The field contains 27 teams from our Top 30 rankings, which will be expanded to the Top 50 after the tournament. Absent from the action is Central Zone champ Circle City 14 Purple. However, Central Zone runner-up AVC Cle 14 Red, as well as third-place finisher Munciana 14 Chipmunks, is here. Also present from Central Zone is Elevation 14 Molly, Legacy 14-1 Adidas, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami, Mintonette Sports m.41, MKE Sting 14 Gold and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue. None of them are in Power Pool A though, but instead split between Power Pool B and C. Power Pool A features Madfrog 14 Green, which went a perfect 7-0 at last weekend’s Tour of Texas stop. TAV 14 Black is also in Power Pool A, as is HPSTL 14 Royal and Dynasty 14 Black. HPSTL and Dynasty traveled to play in the first stop of the Tour in Dallas in January and both fared really well. Madfrog, Dynasty, TAV and HPSTL, as well as MAVS KC 14-1 – featured in Power Pool B – and Munciana should factor into the mix and be major players when it comes to determining a winner.
Prediction: The 14s age group can be so unpredictable because of the youth and inexperience but a pick still needs to be made. We are going with Madfrog to get past HPSTL in the final. TAV and Dynasty tie for third.
