It didn’t take long for the first jolt to hit on the opening day of the 14s and 15s divisions at USAV GJNC in Indy. Top-seeded Madfrog 14 Green was upset in opening round by Tstreet 14 Carson. Top-seeded Arizona Storm 15 Thunder nearly suffered the same fate before sneaking past AJV 15 Adidas by winning the third set, 17-15. We’ll get to those things and much more if you keep scrolling on down. Before that though, we want to introduce our Day 1 Show Stoppers featuring the players who stood out the most to us during an entertaining day of volleyball.
Jaidyn Hartsfield, S/RS, Madfrog 14 Green – Hartsfield is a key cog in the lineup with her contributions setting and hitting. She delivers a clean ball and goes behind her with accuracy to keep defenses honest. Though she’s a bit undersized she’s aggressive on the attack and doesn’t intimidated.
Emmerson Champagne, MB, Tstreet 14 Carson – Champagne was instrumental in Tstreet’s tournament-opening upset of top-seeded Madfrog. She was an unstoppable force and burnt Madfrog over and over with her scoring ability. She also makes great reads and can deliver one-on-one blocks.
Audrey Dyas, MB, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami – With her length, opponents better hope Dyas is not able to get on top of the ball. When she does watch out, she can put it down in a hurry with plenty of pop.
Peytyn Pyle, MB, TAV Houston 14 Adidas – Pyle is lanky and can get out and run the slide effectively. She has a good arm and it makes her a difficult cover, especially against smaller blockers.
Henley Anderson, OH, AP 14 Adidas – Anderson’s height is a major weapon. She easily goes over blocks for points but does a good job tipping to open spots as well. AP will get her involved in various ways, including running her on combos out of the middle.
Vivian Hickman, S/RS, AZ Sky 14G – There was plenty to like about what Hickman was bringing. She’s an aggressive attacker who comes with it on the right side. Back row, she’s a capable setter with sound location and a solid release.
Skylar Brady, MB, OP2 14-1 – We liked the group of middles we witnessed on Day 1, with Brady part of it. She’s another one who can run the slide well. She has a nice swing too and it makes her a threat who defenses have to respect.
Sophia Davila, OH, Skyline 14 Royal – Davila was bringing it as much as anyone we saw. She has a strong, powerful arm and doesn’t hold back too often. She showed a great knack for tooling blocks as well.
Brooklyn Bailey, MB, Skyline 14 Royal – Bailey gets up well and she gets up in a hurry. She showed a strong scoring touch with her ability to put balls down. She can also get in the way of attacks, touching balls coming her way from opposing hitters.
Genevieve Harris, S, Academy 14 Diamond – It was a tough day overall for Academy, but Harris was a bright spot. She demonstrated a great touch and release. Her sets were almost always clean and she was spotting well.
Kalli Lipo, L, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder – Similarly, it was a rough day as well for Storm but Lipo was strong in the back row. She was nails in serve receive, though she doesn’t get served very often as teams purposely keep the ball away from her.
Kaiya Kearney, OH, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder – Kearney can bring heat when the opportunity is there. She’s an aggressive swinger and doesn’t back down.
Catherine Palmi, OH, GP 14 Rox – There’s a different sound when Palmi catches one full force. She’s a powerful hitter who hits a heavy ball with her hammer of an arm.
Paisley Pavliska, OH, Alamo 14 Premier – A bit undersized, Pavliska gets up well and has a whippy swing. It helps her generate plenty of pace on her shots to beat defenses with.
Danielle Whitmire, S/RS, TAV 14 Black – Whitmire is another two-way player and valuable with her ability to set and hit. She possesses a good touch and carries a nice arm.
Hannah Lee, MB, Flyers 14 Anthony – A middle who doesn’t necessarily look like she can bang like she does, Lee had impressive kills as she crushes balls. She can unload on 1s and slides alike and forces defenses to stay on her.
Cassidy Bruns, L, MKE Sting 14 Gold – Bruns was an anchor in the back row. She’s a steadying presence who doesn’t rattle. She was on point in serve receive, rarely missing her target.
Natalie Surges, OH, MKE Sting 14 Gold – An outside with a hammer, watch out for Surges. She keeps coming and is relentless.
Milly McGee, S, SCVC 14 Roxy – McGee was dishing a clean ball. She consistently was giving her hitters balls to work with and was one of the few setters who was jump setting.
Olga Nikolaeva, L, SCVC 14 Roxy – Nikolaeva showed her defensive prowess. She made great ups as balls were banged at her.
Kylie Parker, OH, SG Elite 14 Rosh – Parker is a bit undersized but plays big. She gets up well, swings hard and unloads with a fury. She’s also a strong back row player with her passing and defending, making her a valuable all-around contributor.
Kassidy O’Brien, S, Hou Skyline 15 Royal – O’Brien – a four-star recruit – was one of the smoother setters we came across. She has a soft touch and consistent delivery. She hits her mark on the regular and has plenty of pieces to work with.
Lauryn Mack, OH, Drive Nation 15 Red – There were thundering kills coming off the arm of Mack. When this three-star recruit is hitting like that, she is difficult to slow. Drive Nation moves her around too in keeping the defenses guessing.
Zoe Baliva, OH, HPSTL 15 Royal – Baliva missed time at the Show Me and Big South qualifiers but is back and that’s really good news for HPSTL. She was showing great extension with a high contact point and putting balls down in style.
Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 15 Royal – It’s not saying there weren’t others, but Krueger was the only libero we came across who was passing half the court in a two-person serve receive. She’s a fantastic passer and dares teams to come at her.
Tristen Raymond, S/RS, AZ Rev 15 Premier – Raymond brings a lot to the lineup with her setting and hitting abilities. She has strong, consistent release and is typically on point. She’s also a springy attacker who gets up well and can rip winners.
Jordyn Dugi, L, AZ Sky 15G – Dugi was sharp in the back row. She was picking up cross court shots at left back with ease and putting balls right on the setter’s hands.
Naya Salfiti, RS, Madfrog 15 Green – A lefty attacker, Salfiti was a reliable scoring option on the right side. A three-star recruit, she has a fluid swing but does well in catching defenses sitting back with her tips. She’s also a good blocker who can slow down opposing outsides.
Karson Barclow, OH, Madfrog 15 Green – A bit undersized on the left, Barclow – a three-star recruit – can explode up and unload.
Lily Wedman, S/RS, MAVS KC 15-1 – Wedman showcased her value to the lineup as a two-way player. She has nice hands and sets a consistently clean ball. Though she’s a bit undersized she’s not afraid to challenge blockers.
Molly LaBreche, L, Surfside 15 PV Legends – LaBreche was passing dimes out of serve receive. She was also hustling all over the court chasing balls and extending plays.
Kaci Demaria, OH, Surfside 15 PV Legends – A three-star recruit, Demaria is trouble to defenses. With her length, she has no issues going over blocks and with her swing brings lots of pace with it.
Keri Leimbach, L, Nebraska One 15 Synergy – Leimbach brings an upbeat energy to the court. She was solid passing and defending and did well covering on tips and touches.
Paulina Baillie, L, Coast 15-1 – Coast had a really strong day. Part of it was the play of Baillie. She was a machine passing and defending. She rarely missed a play and regularly putting balls on target.
Ava Poinsett, OH, Coast 15-1 – Poinsett is a key component, as she’s the team’s most consistent scorer. She also showed up well in the back row defending.
Julia Marinesi, OH, Coast 15-1 – Coast opened up with a key victory over Dynasty. Marinesi was clutch in that contest, providing valuable offense with her scoring touch.
Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 15 Elite – A five-star recruit, there is not a more frightening site for defenses than Taylor getting out on the slide. With her height and arm, she’s virtually impossible to stop.
Parker Duncan, OH, AJV 15 Adidas – A wirey outside, Duncan gets up well and carries a loose arm. She was showing a smart shot selection, scoring cross court or off speed down the line.
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The only opponent to defeat Madfrog on national stage in 14 Open so far this season was Elevation 14 Molly. It happened back in February at Triple Crown. Be it nerves, feeling a bit of pressure as the top seed here in Indy, the terrific play of Tstreet or all the above, Madfrog did not get out of the gate well Monday morning. Tstreet took the contest, 20-25, 25-14, 15-10.
Tstreet was neck-and-neck in the first set until Madfrog pulled away late. But it was Tstreet which was in control the rest of the way, forcing Madfrog to play from behind and make up deficits.
Madfrog bounced back to finish 2-1, defeating High Tide 14 Elite and TAV Houston 14 Adidas. Tstreet sits at 3-0, along with NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami, in Pool 1. NKYVC survived a scare against TAV Houston before prevailing in three.
Madfrog wasn’t alone in terms of being a No. 1 team in its pool and struggling some. Only No. 2 overall seed Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – the AAU 14 Open gold medalist – and No. 3 overall seed MKE Sting 14 Gold finished 3-0 as No. 1 teams in their respective pools.
Wave 14 Brennan – the No. 4 seed – and Flyers 14 Anthony – the No. 6 seed – joined Madfrog in going 2-1 on Day 1. Pohaku 14-1 – the No. 5 seed – wasn’t even that fortunate and finished 1-2 and faces possible elimination on Day 2.
Other teams which finished 3-0 on Day 1 included Forza1 North 14 UA (Pool 2), Elevation (P5), SG Elite 14 Rosh (P5) and Mintonette m.41 (P6). While Boiler Jrs was dominant in Pool 2 and didn’t drop a set, Forza North did go three in beating AP 14 Adidas.
Elevation and Mintonette joined Boiler Jrs in not dropping a set Monday. Elevation swept past AZ Rev 14 Premier, Premier Nebraska 14 Gold and Drive Nation 14 Red. Mintonette was perfect against Rev 14-1 Fuego, HPSTL 14 Royal and SF Tremors 14 Wolverines.
Though MKE Sting went 3-0 in Pool 3, it was pushed to three in its last outing against SCVC 14 Roxy. It would’ve been a huge win for SCVC, which instead is at 0-3 along with AVC Cle Rox 14 Red in the pool.
Pool 4 is the most convoluted pool. Six of the nine contests went the distance, including Alamo 14 Premier outlasting Wave in three, 21-25, 25-16, 15-11, in the final round as both Wave and Alamo ended the day 2-1. Also 2-1 in the pool are GP 14 Rox and Skyline 14 Royal. GP downed Skyline in three, 25-23, 19-25, 15-7, in the last round as well to help create the tie.
The saying goes it gets late early, and that’s the case with Day 2 ahead. It’ll be lights out for 12 teams Tuesday, as four of the top six in each pool advance. For teams sitting 3-0, they aren’t guaranteed anything yet because tiebreakers can come into play for teams finishing 3-2. But for the 3-0 teams, winning one of the final two pool matches on Day 2 does guarantee they advance.
For teams which started 0-3, it’s not technically over. But typically it requires teams to win both matches on Day 2 plus receive help somewhere else. Though we have seen three-way ties at 1-4 where one team places fourth to make it out. Now that teams have settled in and played off the first-day jitters, we’ll see what’s in store Tuesday.
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Everything that was just said above about teams advancing whether being 3-0 or 0-3 remains true for 15 Open as well. No need to rehash that again for this division.
It was a turbulent day and a reminder of why this tournament is so unpredictable. Teams spend all season getting better and wanting to prove themselves on this stage. Being a top seed doesn’t guarantee a team anything and we saw that play out all over the place on Day 1.
Only two of the six No. 1 teams in their respective pools finished Monday at 3-0 – top-seeded Arizona Storm and No. 3 Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar. Storm narrowly survived AJV in the opening round, fighting off two match points against in the final set. Beach didn’t drop a set.
In fact, Pool 3 – Beach’s pool – was the only pool where the top two teams finished 3-0, as Legacy 15-1 Adidas – the 15 Open AAU gold medalist – also went 3-0.
Only four others joined in going 3-0 – OT 15 Randy (Pool 6), Circle City 15 Purple (P5), Alamo 15 Premier (P4) and Coast 15-1 (P2). Alamo – which received the lone at-large bid into the field – was the lowest-seeded team to remain unbeaten after starting off at No. 28.
Second-seeded Dynasty 15 Black needs to dig out of a 1-2 hole after dropping matches to Coast and Skyline 15 Royal. Dynasty lost to both Wave 15 Scott and Coast last month at the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach. It had a shot at redemption by drawing Coast in its opening match here, but Coast again had Dynasty’s number. Coast joined Beach, Legacy, Alamo and Circle City in not dropping a set Monday.
Upsets continued in Pools 4, 5 and 6. Absolute 15 Black scored a huge victory in sweeping No. 4 overall seed TAV 15 Black. Not only did it prevent TAV from going 3-0, it put Absolute at 1-2 and upped the Nor Cal club’s odds for advancing on Day 2.
AZ Sky 15G struck quickly in Pool 5, upending No. 5 overall seed 1st Alliance 15 Gold in straight sets. AZ Sky, 1st Alliance and Madfrog 15 Green are all tied at 2-1, behind 3-0 Circle City.
Similarly, in Pool 6, HPSTL 15 Royal stunned Hou Skyline 15 Royal, 16-25, 25-19, 16-14, in the opening match and both are tied at 2-1 behind 3-0 OT Randy.
While Alamo was the lowest seed to have the best day, Wave and Madfrog weren’t far behind. Wave, the No. 25 seed, and Madfrog, at No. 29, both went 2-1 as No. 5 teams in their respective pools.
The No. 6 teams in their respective pools did struggle as they combined to go 3-15 on Day 1. The No. 1 teams combined to go 13-5. It was actually the No. 2 teams combining for the best mark on the day at 15-3.
