Of the eight 15 Open quarterfinalists at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago, seven hail from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 20. The lone exception? It is AVC Cle 15 Red, which continued its march from No. 34 overall seed to the top eight!! AVC sits at No. 31 in our current Top 50, so it’s not like AVC was under-seeded. The club has simply performed when it matters most and that’s what this time of season is all about.
AVC split pool matches, losing to TAV 15 Black but beating Club V 15 Ren Reed to advance to the challenge rounds. There, AVC seemed to run into the end of its road when it bumped up against Austin Skyline 15 Royal. Austin Skyline is a Top-10 team, coming into the tourey ranked No. 9 in our Top 50. Yet, AVC pulled off the surprise in winning in three, 15-25, 25-23, 15-13.
The quarterfinals are set and look like this:
- Skyline v AVC
- Hou Skyline v Legacy
- Pohaku v Arizona Storm
- Wave v Mintonette
Though Wave 15 Brennan is ranked No. 15 in the country, it pulled a shocking upset when it swept past No. 7 TAV 15 Black in challenge play. Wave struggled a bit in the first round of pool play, then lost its first match on Day 3 to Austin Skyline. Wave bounced back to beat Aspire 15 Premier and eventually advance to the challenge rounds, where it took advantage of its opportunity and sent TAV packing.
Another mini-upset took place with No. 18 Pohaku 15-1 outlasting No. 14 SCVC 15 Roxy in three in their challenge rounds. SCVC hadn’t lost in its first seven contests and it’s always tough when your first defeat keeps you from contending for a medal. However, Pohaku was resilient and now is one victory away from medaling.
With Pokahu taking on No. 12 Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – which narrowly swept No. 13 Forza1 North 15 One in challenge play – in the quarterfinals, one of them is guaranteed to reach the podium.
Outside that, the top contenders are still in the mix in top-ranked Skyline 15 Royal, No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51, No. 4 Hou Skyline 14 Royal and No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. It’s going to take a monumental upset from Wave, Storm, Pohaku or AVC to keep one of those four clubs from hoisting the championship trophy.
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DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS
Lyla Stewart RS Mintonette Sports m.51: Stewart continues to impress on the right side. She’s made large strides from last season and has helped open the attack with her scoring ability. She has a very fast arm and can generate a ton of pace.
Christa Wilburn OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Wilburn is a six-rotation contributor with a lively arm. She’s a threat front and back row and can blast balls from corner to corner.
Riley Malloy OH Austin Skyline 15 Royal: Malloy is half of the outside duo that makes Austin Skyline so tough to deal with. She’s very, very long and can extend way up and hit at ridiculous angles. She too is also a threat front or back row.
Abigail Lesagonicz RS Wave 15 Brennan: Lesagonicz had a helping hand in Wave reaching the quarterfinals. She brings much-needed size to the front row. She puts up a big block and she’s is able to score when called upon.
Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Ward – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – is in a class of her own. She’s a next-level talent who presses well over the net on her block and gets way up on the attack and rockets winners.
Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Foster is a six-rotation mainstay who does it all at an above-average level, from her passing to her defending to her attacking.
Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – part of the Class of 2025 – is such a force at the net and game changer when she checks in. She skies and can absolutely crush balls.
Skylar Jackson RS Skyline 15 Royal: Jackson was moved to the right side and was performing at a high level. She has a great arm and was hitting hard angled-shots consistently.
Natalie Langston OH Academy 15 Diamond: Langston shoulders the offensive load and carries it well. She has a powerful arm capable of blasting straight through blocks.
Avery Poulton OH Club V 15 Ren Reed: Poulton has a very bright future. She’s very lanky and is still figuring some things out, but watch out for her was she continues to develop as she flashed serious potential.
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Brooke Christoffersen RS Club V 15 Ren Reed: Christoffersen is another one to keep tabs on. She’s similar to Christoffersen in that she too is lanky and was showing plenty of upside.
Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Nwabueze was owning the net on both sides of the ball in helping Legacy reach the quarterfinals. She was getting up on quick sets and hammering balls down. She then would turn around and deliver a solo emphatic stuff block to lift her team in that manner.
Bella Lopez RS Madfrog 15 Green: Lopez is a rising star with insane athleticism and endless upside. She is a huge leaper with a lively arm and get up and send down impressive kill after impressive kill.
Simone Heard RS Madfrog 15 Green: Heard is another athletic right side who keeps the attack going across the front row. She too gets up and smacks balls down with ease.
Brooklyn Jenkins OH AZ Sky 15G: Jenkins is a physical attacker who brings the hammer down on the attack. She can simply overpower blockers at times.
Grace Martin OH Pohaku 15-1: Martin had a huge role in Pohaku’s run to the quarterfinals and downing SCVC. She has a whippy arm and can send balls flying from sideline to sideline. She’s relentless too. She keeps coming and stays aggressive.
Julia Anisimova L Pohaku 15-1: Anisimova was sensational in Pohaku’s victory over SCVC. She made huge digs and covered the court with all-out hustle.
