The Prep Dig Triple Crown NIT Roundtable
This weekend, Prep Dig’s duo of Chris Fitzgerald (Green Bay, WI) and Austin Kingsley (Lincoln, NE) traveled to Kansas City to team up for unparalleled coverage of, arguably, the most important club tournament of the season, the Triple Crown NIT.…
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Continue ReadingThis weekend, Prep Dig’s duo of Chris Fitzgerald (Green Bay, WI) and Austin Kingsley (Lincoln, NE) traveled to Kansas City to team up for unparalleled coverage of, arguably, the most important club tournament of the season, the Triple Crown NIT. These three have already posted a ton of reports springing out of the weekend but we’re coming together for the final word to answer some of the most pressing questions coming out of Kansas City.
What trends/patterns do you see in the top teams?
Chris Fitzgerald: Teams do not give away points. There are no free passes. At this high level of volleyball, points are earned and not given and if teams are making uncharacteristic errors, its extremely magnified at this level. At the 15s level, 1st Alliance coach, Jocelyn Birks talked about the importance of the serve pass game. For 1st Alliance 15 Gold, who won the 15 Elite title, they were extremely clean with aggressive serving and clean serve receive and passing. They have amazing, athletes, but volleyball is a game of skill, and if you aren’t getting the ball in system then it can be an extremely physical game. Along with the skill, teams need to close. If we were to go through each match, we’d see how many of these matches are separated by only a few points. Teams know how to push for that final run and capitalize when it really matters.
Austin Kingsley: I think we saw the value of having one (or two) left-side hitters who can terminate out of system.
Elia Rubin of Sunshine 18 LA was one of the best at doing this last weekend in Kansas City. The Stanford-bound outside hitter consistently found a way to hammer high balls that were sailing from behind her hitting shoulder. You could look across the net in the 18U championship and see Munciana’s Eva Hudson accomplishing the same. Turning an out-of-system play into an assertive swing is something that puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses. It’s that moment when you’re expecting a free ball, but you instead receive a tough ball that limits your own offense. Hitters that could force other teams into this scenario were bound to see themselves climbing through the Elite bracket on Sunday and Monday.
Elia Rubin (@StanfordWVB) just keeps hammering away, even out of system. pic.twitter.com/xk8EWT1RIQ
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 19, 2022
On the ball handling side, one big theme emerged: tempo, tempo, tempo. I really noticed this trend at last month’s Northern Lights Qualifier when MAVS KC 17-1 used their lightning-fast offense to secure a 17 Open bid in Omaha. Setting a fast ball to the outside was once again a key to success for many of Triple Crown’s most successful teams. Of course, quick offenses are also dependent on getting that good first contact, so you can just make an umbrella statement that ball control is crucial. No surprise there.
What teams are going to be ones to watch aside from the champions the rest of the season?
Fitz: So many teams and plenty of horses in the race this year. At the 15s level, I’ve seen Legacy 15-1 Adidas at Central Zone and Triple Crown, each time they have shown me they are going to be ones to watch. They have the size and physicality to compete with the likes of 1st Alliance 15 Gold who is definitely the front runner. At the 16s level, there are a lot of teams who weren’t even in the elite eight who I know can make an impact with a 16 Open level bid to USAV Nationals. Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold dropped a tough match to Roshambo 16 Elite while Gabriella Pitcel, a key middle blocker, went own with an injury. I was also able to cover Wave 16 Brennan take down a really tough NKYVC squad Saturday afternoon. They can pass and run the middles which will be key for them throughout the season. As for the 17s, 1st Alliance was squeaked out of the finals by Drive Nation. This team is full of power with the likes of Grace Egan, Kennedy Wagner, and Kamryn Chaney. At the 18s, Houston Skyline was one of the most physically imposing teams in the field. They will be a favorite enroute to the 18 Nationals in Phoenix late April.
Kingsley: Wow, there are a lot of great choices here. I’ll try to narrow it down to just a few.
Arizona Storm 15 Thunder has the skill and athleticism to compete with anyone in the 15s division. Even though they narrowly got tripped up early in bracket play, 15 Thunder still produced some of the most exciting volleyball at this event. Teraya Sigler was a consistent shot of energy for this team on the outside, and Kenna Cogill provided the same spark at the middle blocker spot.
I’ll climb up the age group ladder and mention WAVE 16-Brennan. This is a team that encountered some incredibly tough opponents in Saturday’s pools but managed to find a rhythm in bracket play. That positive momentum could carry into their upcoming slate of events.
Staying out west for my 17s choice: COAST 17-1. It was a combination of aggressive setting and frontcourt power that really stood out for COAST, and it led the team to a huge win over Drive Nation in the pool round. When this team is on, look out.
New Names: Which players did you see for the first time that made a strong impression?
Fitz: I’ve seen a lot of these teams in short snippets even going back to 2021. I’m going to focus on California and Texas for this one, having not seen these teams at all much the past couple years. Logan Lednicky of Houston Skyline 18 Royal was an absolute force (I did make an error on Twitter with one of her highlights looking at the Dallas Skyline roster). I definitely know now. Lednicky has a major swing from the right side that is so heavy and a ton of pace. She’s heading to Texas A&M. Ella Rubin of Sunshine I had not seen live. She’s lightning in a bottle with how explosive she is and is extremely efficient from every rotation. She is always under control and has plenty of positive touches where she is always bettering the ball or flat out scoring. TAV 16 Black is going to be another team to watch this season, especially with middle blocker Ayden Ames. She is really physical at the net with a high touch being 6’4, but her ability to move and get her hands up to take up space is really high level for someone at the 16s level.
Kingsley: With this question in mind, I paid close attention to clubs that don’t make regular trips to the Midwest.
TAV 17 Black has plenty of uncommitted athletes that made a big impression in Kansas City. Middle blocker Stephanie Gutierrez regularly made big plays that helped spur scoring runs for her team. She’s strong behind the setter and works hard in transition to always be available in the offense.
This was also my first in-person look at A5 Mizuno 16-Gabe, and they’re quite an intimidating bunch. Logan Wiley certainly stood out for her presence at the net, and she brought her high-impact game to a team that will have plenty of heralded 2024 athletes.
Lastly, I have to give a shoutout to the spectacular pin-hitting duo of Olivia Babcock and Grace Thrower for Sunshine 17 LA. They helped prove that Sunshine’s championship-caliber volleyball does not just come from their 18s team. Meanwhile, Carly Greskovics helped anchor the backcourt at libero and continues to be an exciting defender to watch.
The best of the best. What teams, athletes, or positions were you blown away by?
Fitz: I am amazed at the Kansas City clubs. Dynasty, KC Power, MAVS, and PVA – they all found a ton of success over the weekend. The Dynasty 16s have so many stars, there is no weakness on that team. KC Power 16-1 is pure grit, led by setter Janelle Green, they are tough to stop. MAVS KC 17-1 is so fun to watch. They are going to be outsized in almost every match they play at the open level, but they play with such tempo and have extremely crisp ball control where they can do a lot of special things. I’m still in awe of the teams from A5. They play with such a confident swagger. The 17 Elite championship match between Drive Nation and A5 was one for the books. Ashley Sturzoiu and Jurnee Robinson are special. Robinson is a highlight every time she swings and Sturzoiu is going to hammer the line and tool the block where she can score a lot of points. They took home the Triple Crown title last year and are on the path to more podiums in 2022.
2025 setter Reese Messer is so active, comfortably jump setting every ball, she uses a lot of her own momentum and is connecting well with Sky Pierce, Abigail Mullen, and Campbell.
Big game experience in favor of @dynastyvbc early! @TCVolleyballNIT
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 21, 2022
Kingsley: As I mentioned before, pin hitters really came to the forefront at this event. I’ll have a full feature on that soon.
To answer this question, I want to give a shoutout to some of the clubs that really showed their strength in multiple age groups. The depth of some of these clubs is really astounding, and Triple Crown’s results showed that clubs can have more than one team shine on a big stage.
Madfrog brought a ton of athletes that I really enjoyed watching. This club just keeps improving and will be a major force in the Texas volleyball scene for a while.
Of course, there are obvious choices here. A5 is stacked. Premier Nebraska placed a team in every power pool. We also have to recognize the talent that Dynasty has accumulated over the past few years, and it helped culminate in a 16U championship.
Now, let’s not forget OTVA. We heard from them at this event embracing their “underdog” status, and it seems to be working. In particular, OT 17 J John looked to be getting even better since the last time I saw them at NLQ. They’ll keep rising.
This @OTVAvolleyball 17 J John team has just kept improving since I saw them at NLQ.
Semifinals berth clinched! #TCVolleyballNIT pic.twitter.com/DBwBeB3RZE
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 21, 2022