A trilogy anyone? If there’s any possible way imaginable to get a third national championship showdown between the top two teams in the country we have to go all in toward making it happen! For the second time in less than two weeks top-ranked Skyline 15 Royal and No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51 stared across the net at each other with a gold medal in the balance.
Mintonette outlasted Skyline 11 days ago in Orlando and with the three-set victory captured the AAU 15 Open championship. Arriving in Chicago, Mintonette was seeking a double-double of sorts. As last year’s 14 Open champions, Mintonette was looking to go back-to-back in winning USAV national championships, plus adding to the its national championship toll in 2023 by claiming another gold medal and establishing itself as the undisputed best squad in the nation.
That we as fans were lucky and fortunate enough to see the two best teams in the country work their way through four days of competition to earn a championship rematch was remarkable in itself.
Other than the location, not much changed in terms of the matchup between the two sides. Mintonette desperately needed to win the serve and pass battle as it did in Orlando. But Skyline played much cleaner volleyball, which allowed Skyline to run its offense more effectively and put more pressure on Mintonette. It led to a tight sweep, 26-24, 25-21, as Skyline evened the national championship series.
It’s a shame we won’t get a third clash. And though Mintonette did win the AAU championship, given the depth and strength of field in Chicago, we fully expect Skyline to end the season as the No. 1 team in our Top 50 National Rankings.
Joining Skyline and Mintonette on the podium were bronze medalists Hou Skyline 15 Royal and Arizona Storm 15 Thunder. Hou Skyline entered the four-day event ranked No. 4 in our Top 50 and performed accordingly. Hou Skyline gave Skyline a major fight in the semifinals before Skyline narrowly pulled out the sweep, 26-24, 25-23. Hou Skyline positioned itself to play for a spot in the final after holding back Legacy 15-1 Adidas in the quarterfinals, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12. It prevented Legacy from adding another medal to its haul after earning bronze in Orlando.
The other semifinal was close too, with Mintonette fending off Arizona Storm, 26-24, 25-22. Storm capped a late-season surge with an impressive run culminating with a bronze medal. Storm was a late Open qualifier, earning its bid at the very competitive Lone Star Classic qualifier in April. That was a sign that Storm was on the rise and the squad kept it going on the biggest stage.
Storm held off upstart Pohaku 15-1 in the quarterfinals, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11. Pohaku handed SCVC 15 Roxy – which finished 9-1 and in ninth place overall – its only loss of the tournament with a dramatic three-set victory during challenge play on Day 3.
Skyline had no issues in its quarterfinal, topping AVC Cle 15 Red in two, 25-14, 25-12. AVC was the biggest surprise of the gold bracket. The club came in ranked No. 31 in our Top 50 and received the No. 34 overall seed before coming out and playing its way to the top eight.
Meanwhile, Mintonette had its hands full against Wave 15 Brennan in its quarterfinal contest. Wave pulled off a big upset in challenge play, taking down TAV 15 Black and reaching the top eight for the second year in a row. It just so happened that Wave also lost to Mintonette in three sets in the 14 Open quarterfinals a year ago. This go around, Mintonette prevailed, 25-12, 22-25, 15-9.
When we wrote the 15 Open Preview and Predictions we speculated how amazing would it be for Skyline and Mintonette to meet again for a national championship. While it seemed like a possibility, it was hardly guaranteed or assured. We know the fickle nature of the sport, especially at the younger age groups and how crazy upsets happen all the time.
We only have to look as far as last year in 15 Open when the lone at-large recipient in Alamo 15 Premier upset top-ranked Arizona Storm 15 Thunder for the gold medal. That both Skyline and Mintonette navigated the minefield that is the 15 Open division and set up a rematch is nothing short of incredible.
Skyline winning a gold medal keeps an impressive run going for a trio of players in Madison Victoriano, Georgia Whann and Keoni Williams. They were part of Flyers 13 APX Bill’s gold medal effort in 13 Open at the 2021 USAV GJNC. The three were also on Flyers 14 APX Anthony last year when the club captured silver in 14 Open after falling to Mintonette. Also on the team a year ago were Skylar Jackson and Taylor Clarke. What’s impressive beyond that is the fact this is Victoriano’s fourth Open medal and she just wrapped up competing in 15 Open!!
They all moved over from Flyers to Skyline this season. Skyline had just two holdovers from its 14s team a season ago in Megan Nguyen and Armie Hall. Layla Austin, Kiley Brooks, LeVariya Pinder and Reese Poerner were all newcomers who helped make up the redesigned roster. A roster that ends the season on top of the volleyball world.
