Reality set in for a group of teams as the 16s and 17s divisions continued on at Day 2 of the USAV GJNC in Indy. That’s because with the first round of pool play completed not everyone remains in contention any longer. The flip side to that is there are still plenty of clubs with a shot of hoisting the championship trophy and get to continue that quest when play resumes on Day 3. We’ll get to the news and notes of the day if you keep scrolling downward. But first, we introduce our Day 2 Show Stoppers highlighting the players who we noticed the most Saturday.
Ellie White, S/RS, 1st Alliance 16 Gold – White fills a valuable role hitting and setting and also having a tough serve. She was showing off her arm with big kills on occasion to go along with her steady ball handling.
Grace Nelson, OH, 1st Alliance 16 Gold – A go-to on the left, Nelson carries a large offensive load. She has a good arm and a strong knack for scoring to help pace the offense.
Elizabeth Tabeling, L, NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami – Tabeling is a defensive stalwart, bringing a steadying and calming presence to the back row. She’s a consistent passer who doesn’t miss her target often.
Jadyn Wilgus, MB, AJV 16 Adidas – An explosive middle, defenses better not lose track of Wilgus or they’ll pay the price. She gets up in a hurry and can send it down with authority.
Madison Quest, OH, MKE Sting 16 Gold – Quest is a lanky outside with a whippy swing. She was taking aggressive cuts and putting pressure on defenses to make plays.
Charlie Fuerbringer, S/RS, Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar – Fuerbringer can do it all, running a 5-1 or hitting and setting depending on what matchup Long Beach prefers. She’s an incredible setter with tremendous hands and shows a high-level IQ when attacking.
Isabella Lee, L, OT 16 Jason – Lee was putting in work and helping to keep OT in rallies. She hit the ground a few times in hopes of getting balls ups.
Jaidyn Jager, OH, Coast 16-1 – A freshman playing up, Jager is a six-rotation glue piece. She has great ball skills in the back row and lots of smarts when it comes to scoring.
Kierstin Remensperger, S, Coast 16-1 – Remensperger is a fun setter to watch do her thing. She’s quick with a smooth and accurate delivery and can fling the ball around with the best of them.
Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red – Another freshman playing up, Davis is a flat-out stud. She’s a powerful and physical hitter with a booming arm making her tough to keep in check.
Macaria Spears, OH, Metro 16 Travel – Spears is also a freshman playing up and has unbelievable upside. She’s another strong, physical hitter whose power can overwhelm defenders.
Maya Evens, L, Wave 16 Brennan – Evens helps give Wave its defensive identity. She seems to be everywhere at once controlling the back row and causing attackers headaches.
Jenna Hanes, MB, Wave 16 Brennan – Defenses have to lock in on Hanes. She’s a terrific scorer who excels at finding the gaps. She’s also a capable blocker who can score points in that capacity as well.
Grace Carroll, RS, Alamo 16 Premier – Carroll is a game-changer across the front row. Her height changes the dynamic of the offense with her scoring prowess and ability to go over blocks and provide key offense.
Emily Bobbitt, S, Triangle 16 Black – Bobbitt has nice hands and sets a clean ball. She’s accurate and does well moving the ball around and keeping defenses on their toes.
Samantha Blackett, OH, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – Blackett is an athletic, wirey outside who gets off the ground quick. She has a fast swing and can generate real heat on her shots.
Zoey Burgess, MB, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – Burgess is a game-changing middle with her ability to control both sides of the net. She’s a phenomenal attacker with a big arm. And with her size, she can put up a wall of a block.
Nayeli Gonzalez, OH, Alamo 17 Premier – Gonzalez is a crucial piece to the puzzle for Alamo. She’s the team’s most consistent, reliable scoring threat who can score front and back row.
Ella Swindle, S, KC Power 17-1 – Swindle has such control and command of the offense she’s a marvel to watch. She has a clean, consistent release and is difficult to read when in system.
Noemie Glover, RS, Coast 17-1 – Glover is an explosive attacker. There are times when she gets up and unleashes sharp angles with such force it defies logic.
Julia Blyashov, OH, Wave 17 Juliana – There are things Blyashov does that very few can do. With her length and swing she can blast balls tight inside the line or simply go over blockers and attack the deep cross court corner.
Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – We wrote about Murray during Legacy’s time at AAU. It’s more of the same, with her high-level IQ and ability to impact a match from anywhere on the floor.
Sarah Vellucci, L, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – Vellucci helps hold down serve receive with her consistent and sharp passing. She also does well making tough digs and keeping her team in points.
Tehani Ulufatu, L, Absolute Black 17 – Opponents don’t target Ulufatu in serve receive too often. She’s nails in that department and case pass half the court at times.
Ava Sarafa, S, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno – A smooth setter who is deceptive and tough to read, Sarafa gets her hitters good matchups and is among the best at exploiting blockers.
Cristin Cline, S, CUVC 17 Premier – Cline has a quick release and can run tempo with the best of them. She’s strong at setting against the flow and catching defenses off guard.
Stella Swenson, S, MN Select 17-1 – Swenson continues are run of standout setters. A sophomore playing up, she’s a true quarterback who knows exactly what she’s doing.
Eloise Brandewie, MB, Mintonette m.71 – Teams are best served getting Brandewie out of the front row as quick as possible. She’s a two-way threat, who can get out on the slide or score on 1s, as well as deliver points with her blocking ability.
Zeta Washington, MB, OT 17 John – Washington changes the look of the attack when she’s front row. She’s a quick, powerful scorer who’s effective running slides and opening up the offense.
Jordyn Harvey, OH, Club V 17 Ren Reed – Harvey is a six-rotation star. She’s such an explosive attacker with a monster arm and ability to score in so many ways. She’s also a solid back row defender who can keep rallies alive.
Olivia Babcock, RS, Sunshine 17 LA – it doesn’t matter if Babcock is front or back row, she remains a threat regardless. She’ll get set all over and with her jump and swing she’s a force to be reckoned with.
Claire Little, OH, Coast 17-1 – Little is a glue piece who can carry the offensive load for stretches. She’s a smart hitter who can menace defenses with her shot variation.
Reese Robins, MB, Drive Nation 17 Red – Robins has a huge arm and can drill kills like no one else. She’s a physical presence on both sides of the ball.
Blaire Bayless, OH, Madfrog 17 Green – Defenses can never relax when it comes to Bayless. With her length and high contact point she’s a threat whether front or back row and is the go-to hitter for Madfrog.
***
There was drama all over in 16 Open. Only two of the six pools didn’t have a tiebreaker scenario determining a team advancing or not. And even then Pool 1 had its own adventure. We knew Pool 1 was going to be among the most intriguing pools when the draw was released and it contained Dynasty 16 Black, Co Jrs 16 Sherri and TAV 16 Black together.
Top-seeded Dynasty had a slow start, falling to OT 16 Roberto and TAV on Day 1 and entering Day 2 at 1-2. Dynasty took both contests Saturday, beating Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite and Co Jrs to finish 3-2.
TAV – at 4-1 – took first place. TAV lost its last outing to OT but already had first place wrapped up regardless. But it proved a critical victory for OT, which ended 3-2 as a result and avoided a tie with Rockwood Thunder at 2-3. Considering RT beat OT head-to-head, OT would not have advanced with a loss to TAV. Co Jrs also finished at 3-2. The way the tiebreakers shook out, Dynasty took second, OT third and Co Jrs fourth.
The wildest pool was Pool 6, which featured a three-way tie at 3-2 and a three-way tie at 2-3. Triangle 16 Black, Vision 16 Gold and Capitanas 16-1 all finished 3-2. All three advanced, with Triangle going first, Vision second and Capitanas third. With Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar, Alamo 16 Premier and Top Select 16 Elite all going 2-3, only one could advance. Fourth place went to Top Select, which beat both Long Beach and Alamo head-to-head to earn that spot and remain alive.
A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe had Pool 2 won before its final outing, which it lost to KC Power 16-1 to finish 4-1. But since A5 already beat Premier Nebraska 16 Gold head-to-head it didn’t matter, as Premier Nebraska took second at 4-1. It was a big victory for KC Power, however, which ended up 3-2 and avoided a three-way tie at 2-3 with Flyers 16 Anthony and Seal Beach 16 Black. As it went down, Seal Beach grabbed fourth place and advanced since it beat Flyers head-to-head.
In Pool 3, Wave 16 Brennan overcame a loss on Day 1 to Gainesville Jrs 16 Black to finish in first place at 4-1. AJV 16 Adidas, Skyline 16 Royal and Gainesville wound up tied at 3-2, with all three advancing. Skyline took third, AJV third and Gainesville fourth.
OT 16 Jason – the top team in Pool 4 – snuck by. OT finished 2-3 and tied with Norco 16 Black, managing fourth place based on their head-to-head outcome. It was NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami going 5-0, only one of two undefeated teams left, and taking first. MKE Sting 16 Gold and Madfrog 16 Green went 3-2, with Sting getting second and Madfrog third.
In Pool 5, Metro 16 Travel went unchallenged and finished on top at 5-0. 1st Alliance Gold, at 4-1, was second, and Coast 16-1, at 3-2, was third. Fourth place came down to a three-way tie between Drive Nation 16 Red, Club V 16 Ren Wayne and OT 16 Will. All three went 1-4, with the nod going to Club V based on set percentage.
Club V was one of four No. 5 teams from their respective pools to advance. Joining Club V were Seal Beach (Pool 2), Skyline (P3) and Madfrog (P4). Two No. 6 teams moved on in Gainesville (Pool 3) and Capitanas (P6). The two highest-seeded teams not moving on are Long Beach (No. 7) and Circle City 16 Purple (No. 9).
***
Surprisingly, the first round of pool play in 17 Open played out remarkably clean. By that we mean we mostly avoided tiebreaker chaos. Of the six pools, only one featured a tie when it came to determining if a team advanced or not. Other than that, it was straight forward.
The only tiebreaker to come into play was in Pool 4, as AZ Rev 17 Premier and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite both ended at 2-3. But with it being a two-way tie, it was easy to sort as AZ Rev won the head-to-head matchup and thus took fourth place in the pool as Rockwood Thunder ended in fifth and thus failed to advance. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold wound up in first place at 4-1, gaining the top spot in the pool on the strength of its head-to-head over Club V 17 Ren Reed, which also finished 4-1. Sunshine 17 LA came in third at 3-2.
Only two teams remain undefeated through five matches – Circle City 17 Purple and Legacy 17-1 Adidas. Circle City – despite being pushed to three sets three times – took first in Pool 2 at 5-0. MAVS KC 17-1 was next in line at 4-1, followed by 3-2 Mintonette m.71 and 2-3 AJV 17 Adidas. TAV 17 Black, playing without star outside Kyndal Stowers, went 1-4 and didn’t break pool.
In Pool 5, Legacy swept Wave 17 Juliana to close out Day 2 and finish 5-0. Wave landed in second as a result at 4-1. Alamo 17 Premier, at 3-2, and KC Power 17-1, at 2-3, advanced as well.
Pool 1 featured a pair of ties among the top four teams. OT 17 John lost its opening match of the tourney to Metro 17 Travel but rebounded to win its next four contests. OT tied with 1st Alliance 17 Gold at 4-1, taking first based on their head-to-head. Dynasty 17 Black and Metro tied at 3-2, with Dynasty gaining third with its head-to-head triumph over Metro.
In Pool 3, MN Select 17-1 lost its last match to Tstreet 17 Naseri to finish 4-1. However, MN Select already had first place secured no matter the result of that one. That’s because MN Select owned the head-to-head victory over Drive Nation 17 Red, which also finished 4-1. Top Select 17 Elite followed at 3-2, then HJV 17 Elite at 2-3.
Like Pool 1, Pool 6 had a pair of ties among the top four finishers. A5 Mizuno 17 Jing swept Coast 17-1 in both teams’ final outing and finished in first after both tied at 4-1. Madfrog 17 Green rallied past Hou Skyline 17 Royal in three games to gain the head-to-head edge over Hou Skyline as both ended up 3-2.
The seeding held up relatively strong. None of the six No. 6 teams in any pool advanced. Three No. 5 teams did though in Metro (P1), Top Select (P3) and Mintonette (P2). The three teams among the top four in their respective pools who failed to advance were TAV (P2), Skyline 17 Royal (P1) and Tstreet (P3).
