When it came to the 14 and 15 Open divisions at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago the top-ranked teams were safe through the first round of pool play. That’s not to say none of them lost, but none failed to break pool and not advance.
That’s where 16 Open starts to deviate. There was a major development on Day 2 as No. 2 overall seed Surfside 16 PV Legends – which is ranked No. 3 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – finished at 2-3 and tied with MAVS KC 16-1. Since MAVS started off Tuesday by sweeping Surfside, 25-23, 25-23, that gave MAVS the head-to-head edge and thus fourth place in their pool. With Surfside coming in fifth, any chance at advancing and medaling are gone.
After losing to MAVS, Surfside still had an opportunity to move on but either needed to beat Adidas KiVA 16 Red or have MAVS lose to Triangle 16 Black. With MAVS rolling against Triangle by only giving up 25 total points in two sets, Surfside needed to win against KiVA but fell in the third set, 15-12, to the AAU 16 Open champs and are out of contention.
Did anyone see that one coming? Very likely not.
The second round of pool play is going to be interesting, in part because top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Silver also lost its final pool match to OT 16 JP and finished second behind OT.
While Drive Nation 16 Red went 5-0 in Pool 3, No. 4 overall seed Hou Skyline 16 Royal lost twice and finished in second place behind Mich Elite 16 Mizuno, one of two at-large recipients. HJV 16 Elite also lost as the No. 5 overall seed but still finished in first place in a tiebreaker with A5 16 Gabe as both were 4-1.
Arizona Storm 16 Thunder went 5-0 as the No. 6 overall seed. ID Crush 16 Bower – which received the No. 7 overall seed – went 2-3 and finished in a three-way tie and made it out as the fourth-place finisher.
Surfside losing was shocking in its own right, but it also led to a bigger trend that’s likely never happened before at a USAV GJNC and that’s the fact that no Southern California Region club advanced to the Top 24. Surfside was obviously the top candidate to do so, but Wave 16 Kevin, Coast 16-1 and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar all finished fifth or lower in their respective pools and did not advance either.
Long Beach was playing without its star in Layli Ostovar and was one of three teams which earned its Open bid at the Salt Lake City Showdown. Vegas Aces 16 UA and OT 16 Roberto also qualified there, but none of the three broke pool.
Meanwhile, Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal, which opened as the No. 14 overall seed, joined Drive Nation and Arizona Storm as the only squads to make it through the first round of pool play without a loss. Tribe beat KiVA, Surfside and Austin Skyline 16 Royal to help fuel its run so far.
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DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
KK Green S/RS GP 16 Rox: GP remains in the hunt in part with the contributions of Green in her dual role as a setter and hitter. She does well with both. She’s a hard-hitter on the right side who does well tooling blocks. She’s also an above-average setter with strong hands and the ability to locate her sets with accuracy.
Julia Oster L AVC Cle 16 Red: Oster was making play after play when we caught her in action. And they were just ordinary plays, She was picking off rockets launched her way and doing so without any struggle.
Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Mich Elite has come alive during its time in Orlando and now in Chicago. Busignani is the go-to left side who can deliver in the clutch. She has height and extends high up. Combined with her fluid swing, she can rip it.
Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: MAVS did well to break pool, with Parks playing a big factor in that. She’s a next-level talent who attracts the big-name college coaches to her court. She’s a pure athlete who can jump high, swing hard and set at a high level.
Keri Leimbach L Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Leimbach is a high-energy, outgoing libero who gets the job done with ease. She passes lights-out and she’s quick and can cover ground in a hurry.
Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Sigler – a 5-star Nebraska commit – is among the most physical players in the division. But she’s so much more than a big arm on the outside. She can pass and defend at a really high level as well.
Devyn Wiest OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Wiest is a lanky outside who continues to improve and get better. She can crush balls when she extends and catches one.
Ava Poinsett OH Coast 16-1: Coast was knocked out but Poinsett did her best to not let it happen. She’s a six-rotation mainstay with a powerful arm. She can blast balls front and back row and put them on a defender in a hurry.
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn – also a 5-star Nebraska recruit – is a big reason why Legacy, an at-large recipient, broke pool. She’s a tall setter with smooth hands and consistent location. She’s also a viable threat front row because her size allows her to be aggressive by going on two.
Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: Quest – a 5-star Wisconsin recruit – was showcasing her skills all over the court. She has the ability to score equally well front and back row. She’s another tall outside who extends way up. Matched with a lively arm, she has no issues letting it fly.
Olivia Durst L MKE Sting 16 Gold: Durst was sensational the times we saw her. It seemed like she didn’t miss one play or mishandled one pass. She was really sharp with her first-ball contact.
Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 16 PV Legends: It’s wild to think Demaria won’t be going toe-to-toe with the top outsides in the division as Surfside was eliminated. Still, Demaria is more than a handful. She continues to add power and strength to her already long frame. It makes her a nightmare for opponents to deal with.
