The way the USAV GJNC has been playing out, no one knew what Day 3 of the 16 and 17s divisions would bring. Sunday started off with three-team pools and ended with challenge rounds to determine the top eight. The action did not disappoint, as drama ensued throughout the day. We’ll get to that stuff if you keep scrolling down. First, as usual, we begin with our Day 3 Show Stoppers.
Hannah Hankerson, OH, OT 16 Jason – A bit undersized, but Hankerson was playing big on the outside. She can get up in the air well and was taking aggressive swings and unloading on a few balls in a loud way.
Taylor Williams, OH, Vision 16 Gold – A key component on offense, Williams has a nice arm and has a good knack for tooling the block. She can power along the offense in stretches.
Cleo Hardin, RS, Vision 16 Gold – Hardin also can help carry the offense in spurts with her scoring touch. She’s long with a good arm and can go over or through blocks consistently.
Jadyn Livings, OH, TAV 16 Black – There were moments when Livings was flashing unbelievable potential that could make her a next-level star. She has a big arm and can really connect at time.
Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – Cornier brings a defensive presence and attitude to the lineup. She’s steady out of serve receive and has no issues hitting the floor to keep balls in play.
Janelle Green, S, KC Power 16-1 – An upbeat, energetic disher, Green is fun to watch do her thing. She has a smooth touch and hits her spots regularly.
Fallon Stewart, OH, OT 16 Roberto – Stewart – with her length – can spell trouble for smaller blockers. She can go right over them but she was also making plays in the back row defensively to extend rallies.
Juleigh Urbina, S, OT 16 Roberto – Urbina has nice hands and a consistent release. She’s accurate and puts her hitters in good spots.
Samantha Bowron, Top Select 16 Elite – When Bowron has it going, she’s difficult to slow down or cool off. She jumps well and isn’t afraid of challenging the block.
Carlie Cisneros, OH, Dynasty 16 Black – Cisneros has a great scoring touch. She has a fluid swing and can rip kills down or go off-speed and find open spots on the court to exploit.
Skylar Pierce, OH, Dynasty 16 Black – Pierce glides on the attacks. She’s smooth, sees the court well and is relentless in keeping the pressure on the defense.
Reese Messer, S, Dynasty 16 Black – Messer – a freshman playing up – has great touch and feel when it comes to dishing the rock. She sets a clean ball and is adept at going behind her and keeping defenses guessing.
Tanith Roush, RS, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold – A lefty, Roush was helping open up the attack with her scoring ability on the right side. She also delivered key blocks to slow down opposing attackers.
Lauryn Lambert, OH, Skyline 16 Royal – With her jump and arm, Lambert produced wow moments on offense. She pounded down a few balls that would attention grabbers.
Izzy Starck, S/RS, Co Jrs 16 Sherri – Starck brings so much to the court, from her skills to her competitive fire. She’s strong at everything she does, setting on point and delivering reliable and consistent offense across the front.
Ashley Repetti, OH, Seal Beach 16 Black – Seal Beach relies a lot on its outside duo, which includes Repetti. She’s a smart attacker who does well tooling blocks and finding empty space to take advantage.
Haylee LaFontaine, OH, Seal Beach 16 Black – LaFontaine is another heady scorer who does well taking what the defense gives. She can also connect and unleash at times as well for impressive winners.
Julia Hunt, MB, NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami – Hunt is a force on both sides of the ball. She changes the dynamic of the offense across the front with her ability to lineup and hit at different spots, as well as running the slide. She moves well too, helping her form a strong block.
Ryla Jones, MB, Metro 16 Travel – Jones is a difficult cover no matter who is on the other side of the net. She’s an athletic attacker who gets up and swings very well.
Amanda Saeger, S, Wave 16 Brennan – Wave is not going to overpower anybody and relies on Saeger to get hitters favorable matchups they can take advantage of. She connects well with her middles and does well spreading the ball around.
Brooklyn Briscoe, MB, Coast 17-1 – Briscoe was virtually unstoppable as Coast reached the top eight. She puts up a big block, but is most dangerous getting out on the slide and tormenting defenses with her big arm.
Koko Kirsch, L, Wave 17 Juliana – Kirsch was holding down the back row, passing well out of serve receive when challenged. She’s scrappy too, making hustle plays chasing down balls and keeping rallies alive.
Chloe Chicoine, OH, Circle City 17 Purple – We could write about Chicoine every single match. There’s not an area she doesn’t make a significant impact. She’s as competitive as they come and has so many shots she can throw at defenses.
Elizabeth Goodenow, RS, MAVS KC 17-1 – MAVS is still in the hunt, in part to the play of Goodenow. The lefty has a quick arm and can generate plenty of pace. She’s a threat both front and back row and draws a lot of attention from defenses.
Drew Wright, L, Sunshine 17 LA – Wright brings stability to the position for Sunshine. She’s a steady passer with strong ball control skills.
Sarah Gooch, OH, Top Select 17 Elite – Gooch was trying to lift Top Select into the final eight as the at-large team flirted with the quarterfinals. She has a nice swing and brings heat at times to punish defenses.
Bianna Muoneke, OH, HJV 17 Elite – A high-flying outside, Muoneke dazzles at times. She gets up and hammers with authority.
Molly Tuozzo, L, Hou Skyline 17 Royal – Tuozzo is a scrappy libero with good range. She was doing well covering tips and touches and keeping the ball up.
Ava Harrington, MB, Hou Skyline 17 Royal – Harrington had moments in the middle. She’s capable of connecting and putting it down.
Lauryn Bowie, RS, Mintonette m.71 – A big right-side blocker, Bowie can slow down opposing outsides with her physicality. She’s also an offensive threat who helps open up the attack.
Alanna Bankston, RS, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold – The offense can come from just about anywhere with Premier and Bankston is one of those pieces. She can get up on the right and has a strong arm to blast balls with.
Grace Heaney, RS, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold – Heaney’s length is a problem. The lefty attacker hits with nice extension and a high contact point and does well tooling blocks or going over them.
Safi Hampton, OH, Metro 17 Travel – Hampton is an explosive hitter. She has a quick jump and fast arm and is difficult to time up.
Kendal Murphy, OH, AZ Rev 17 Premier – Murphy is a consistent, reliable scoring threat. Defenses have to keep tabs on her all over the court as she’s an effective attacker front and back row.
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Let’s start with the final eight in 17 Open:
- Madfrog v Coast
- 1st Alliance v Premier Nebraska
- MN Select v AZ Rev
- Club V v Circle City
In such a deep division, we already knew there were going to be a few powerhouses left out. That’s not the surprising part. What was a bit of a shocker was how early some big-name clubs were out of the running.
Legacy 17-1 Adidas, Drive Nation 17 Red and A5 Mizuno 17 Jing were eliminated in morning pool play and didn’t reach the challenge rounds! Talk about the unpredictable happening. All three have been among the best all year. Perhaps one not making it, sure. But all three out before the final 16? Unbelievable.
Most of the excitement on Day 3 stemmed from the three-team pools. The challenge round was a bit anticlimactic, as most of the eight were one-sided affairs. The two most thrilling showdowns came between Coast 17-1–Wave 17 Juliana and AZ Rev 17 Premier–HJV 17 Elite.
Coast – playing Sunday without star outside Claire Little – found a way to remain in the hunt and should be a real factor on Day 4 with the return of Little to the lineup.
Coast survived its three-team pool after fending off Drive Nation in three, 25-21, 18-25, 15-13. AJV 17 Adidas rose up and defeated both Coast and Drive Nation, leaving Coast and Drive Nation in the must-win clash.
Coast drew So Cal rival Wave in the challenge round to make the top eight. Wave figured to have the advantage with Coast playing short-handed but middle Brooklyn Briscoe was unstoppable and tormented Wave over and over. Coast dug deep, pulling out the victory in three, 20-25, 25-21, 15-13.
HJV and AZ Rev put on an equivalent show. AZ Rev edged HJV in three, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13, and is a victory away from medaling. AZ Rev was part of a wild pool earlier, as Legacy, AZ Rev and 1st Alliance 17 Gold all finished 1-1. 1st Alliance took first, AZ Rev second and Legacy third. AZ Rev pushed Legacy to three games in the opener before falling, then upset 1st Alliance in three to remain in it. 1st Alliance downed Legacy to create the tiebreaker scenario.
The rest of the challenge matches weren’t that close. Madfrog handled Top Select. Circle City 17 Purple had no issues with OT 17 John. MN Select 17-1 was too much for Mintonette m.71. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold swept past KC Power 17-1. 1st Alliance owned MAVS KC 17-1. And Club V 17 Ren Reed rolled past AJV.
Pool 4 was one of the more entertaining parts of the morning, as Premier Nebraska, Mintonette and Hou Skyline 17 Royal finished tied at 1-1. It actually took a one-game playoff to 15 to decide second place, as Mintonette beat Hou Skyline to finish behind Premier Nebraska.
A5 had a shot to advancing but couldn’t take advantage. After losing to HJV, A5 needed to beat MAVS to finish second. Yet, MAVS ended A5’s hopes in three sets, 25-18, 22-25, 17-15.
The initial seedings of the final eight are a bit all over the place. 1st Alliance started as the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Circle City at No. 2. Club V began at No. 4, followed by No. 7 Coast, No. 10 Premier Nebraska, No. 15 MN Select, No. 20 Madfrog and No. 21 AZ Rev.
In terms of our 17s National Rankings, we also had 1st Alliance at No. 1 and Circle City at No. 2. The rest of the final eight measures out with No. 4 Coast, No. 8 Club V, No. 11 Premier Nebraska, No. 12 AZ Rev, No. 13 MN Select and No. 21 Madfrog.
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Here’s how the 16 Open quarterfinals look:
- A5 v Co Jrs
- Dynasty v NKYVC
- Top Select v Premier Nebraska
- 1st Alliance v Madfrog
The day took a big twist when Madfrog 16 Green upended A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe in pool play. Both teams were assured of moving on but Madfrog won the pool over A5 as a result. It sent A5 into a challenge match with TAV 16 Black. TAV lost its first match of the day in pool play to Coast 16-1 and needed to beat AJV 16 Adidas to move on. Surely, TAV was not expecting to see A5 so soon as two of the top teams in the division had to fight each other for a spot in the top eight. A5 swept, 25-21, 25-17, to end TAV’s run.
Madfrog kept its run going, sweeping AJV in its challenge round.
One of the more surprising results of the day came when Top Select 16 Elite clipped Wave 16 Brennan in three, 26-24, 20-25, 16-14, in challenge play. Two other challenge contests went the distance. In one, Co Jrs 16 Sherri outlasted Vision 16 Gold, 25-16, 22-25, 15-10. In the other, 1st Alliance 16 Gold downed upstart Seal Beach 16 Black, 25-20, 21-25, 15-9.
The rest of the challenge matches were sweeps. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami looked sharp in dispatching Club V 16 Ren Wayne. Dynasty 16 Black was all business in defeating Triangle 16 Black. And Premier Nebraska 16 Gold downed OT 16 Jason.
The three-team pools were full of drama. Counting TAV’s pool that finished 1-1, a total of four pools finished in three-way ties. In Pool 6, Triangle, Premier Nebraska and Gainesville Jrs 16 Black all ended 1-1. Premier Nebraska took first based on set percentage, followed by Triangle.
Seal Beach, Vision and Skyline 16 Royal were all 1-1 in Pool 7. Seal Beach won the pool, leaving Vision and Skyline having to play a one-game playoff to 15 to decide second.
In Pool 8, 1st Alliance, MKE Sting 16 Gold and Co Jrs knotted up at 1-1. Co Jrs took first based on set percentage, with 1st Alliance getting second.
Metro 16 Travel joined NKYVC as the only two undefeated teams after the first round of pool play. However, Metro fell to both Dynasty and OT Jason in its three-team pool and didn’t reach the challenge rounds.
Looking at the initial seedings, here’s how the final eight stacked up when things started: No. 1 Dynasty, No. 2 A5, No. 10 NKYVC, No. 11 Co Jrs, No. 14 Premier Nebraska, No. 17 1st Alliance, No. 20 Top Select and No. 28 Madfrog.
Our 16s National Rankings look a lot different. Our top four teams are actually in the top half of the gold bracket together in No. 1 Dynasty, No. 2 NKYVC, No. 3 A5 and No. 4 Co Jrs. The other four teams stack up with No. 7 1st Alliance, No. 18 Premier Nebraska, No. 22 Madfrog and No. 27 Top Select.
