Dark Horse USAV Nationals Contenders: 16 Open

We’re less than a month out from USAV Nationals. Time to start prognosticating. It’s hard to know where to start with all these Nationals previews, but this might be a good way to kick things off. This feature series will look at the "dark horse" teams -- teams that aren’t necessary consensus favorites to win it all, but certainly have the talent and experience to surprise people and perhaps make a run at the top. Got it? Good. Let’s get it rolling with 16 Open!   Triangle 16 Black 16 Black can surely make some noise in Indianapolis. Some high-flying hitter talent has buoyed some impressive tournament showings for Triangle this year. Take your pick here. Kiarrah Horne and Asia Thigpen have been electric on the left side. Alayna Smith is finding her stride on the right. Meanwhile, Emily Bobbitt is a setter-opposite hybrid that you’ll want to see from this North Carolina group, and she’s been connecting well with Ashlyn Philpot in the middle. This lineup impressed us in some early-season events, and they’ve kept up the momentum with top-five finishes at NEQ and Sunshine. 16 Black could do a few spots better at Nationals. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Triangle 16 Black certainly looks the part in power pools right now. Asia Thigpen swinging away on the left pin. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TCVolleyballNIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TCVolleyballNIT</a> <a href="https://t.co/SD1ABysc16">pic.x.com/SD1ABysc16</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1495095484960198658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Premier Nebraska 16 Gold Why not Premier? In most circumstances, it’s hard to consider Premier Nebraska a dark horse pick in any age division. This club has built quite a championship reputation. However, it was never a sure bet that 16 Gold would be in this 16 Open Nationals conversation. This squad has endured injury adversity from the beginning of the season, and it took a while for the roster to find a stable footing in 2022. [caption id="attachment_198162" align="alignright" width="400"]<img class="wp-image-198162" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/03/IMG_8191-crop-3366x2210-1653790159-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="263" /> Tvrdy attacks for 16 Gold.[/caption] Then NLQ happened. It was an incredible weekend that showed 16 Gold’s true potential. [player_tooltip player_id="109603" first="Mia" last="Tvrdy"] was one of the most dominant players in the entire gym, while [player_tooltip player_id="168153" first="Aowyn" last="Schrader"] took another step forward on the left pin. [player_tooltip player_id="109586" first="Reagan" last="Hickey"]’s consistent setting meshed well with [player_tooltip player_id="104984" first="Faith" last="Frame"]’s lockdown defense from the libero spot. The result was a breakthrough podium finish and a spot in the 16 Open field. 16 Gold has the talent to compete with anyone. Let’s see if the team can catch fire again.   Colorado Juniors 16-Sherri You could argue that this Colorado Juniors team is not a dark horse. If anything, this is my chance to 16-Sherri the hype it deserves. It’s a team that first caught my eye at Triple Crown NIT in February. Colorado Juniors has stacked up one of the tallest, most physical 16s squads in the country with multiple must-see athletes anchoring the frontcourt. Izzy Starck is a do-it-all setter-opposite that glues the team together. On the other pin, Addie Kanouff and Paityn Chapman are collectively one of the most intimidating outside duos in 16 Open. 16-Sherri’s dark horse status may have slightly wavered after winning a division title at SLC. Even still, you’ll want to keep tabs on this hard-hitting bunch. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> No shortage of length and physicality for Colorado Juniors 16-Sherri. Izzy Starck can do it all as a setter/opposite. <a href="https://t.co/hzRE9jtI0u">pic.x.com/hzRE9jtI0u</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1495085341421756422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar T Most Nationals previews wouldn’t be complete without heading out to California. 16 Rockstar T has assembled an impressive track record of tournament finishes in 2022. Its resume includes a 16 Open championship at Pacific NW and second place at Red Rock. Not only do we have a good sample of results, but Mizuno Long Beach can claim some of the 2024 talents on the West Coast. [player_tooltip player_id="159534" first="Babi" last="Gubbins"] is one of the most physically imposing left sides we’ve seen this year. Speaking of physicality, [player_tooltip player_id="162772" first="Charlie" last="Fuerbringer"] is a setter who can certainly hold her own in the frontcourt. And, to give some credit to those who hold the line on defense, Summer Suppik and Kaia Herweg have formed quite a tandem on the end line.   Madfrog 16’s N Green Let’s get Madfrog in the mix. The depth of Texas prep volleyball just keeps growing, and Madfrog will be a club to watch across several different divisions. In 16 Open, 16’s N Green enters the Nationals field after a top-three finish at Pacific NW. It’s pin talent aplenty for this group. Big surprise, right? [player_tooltip player_id="124102" first="Brianna" last="Watson"] has been one of my favorite 2024s to watch this season, and [player_tooltip player_id="124144" first="Lainee" last="Pyles"] will also produce highlight moments on the left side. Of course, we can’t overlook the big role that [player_tooltip player_id="155121" first="Avery" last="Baughman"] has taken on in the back row. Her defensive prowess has been on full display in the libero jersey. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="124102" first="Brianna" last="Watson"] has made such a huge impact for <a href="https://x.com/MADFROGVBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MADFROGVBALL</a> this weekend. Big-time 2024 outside hitter. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TCVolleyballNIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TCVolleyballNIT</a> <a href="https://t.co/lNKeuAKGLz">pic.x.com/lNKeuAKGLz</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1495427580895371268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Flyers 16 APX-Dylan Why not stay in Texas for the feature finale? [caption id="attachment_194531" align="alignright" width="257"]<img class="wp-image-194531" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/Paloma-Gonzalez-e1651875824725-232x300.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="332" /> Gonzalez (9) puts up the block for Flyers.[/caption] Flyers may be in my dark horse feature, but it’s now impossible to ignore this bunch from the Lone Star State. A podium placement at Sunshine punched their ticket to Indianapolis this summer, and I’ll be watching this roster closely. [player_tooltip player_id="155123" first="Paloma" last="Gonzalez"] has shown an impressive ability to flex between middle blocker and opposite, while [player_tooltip player_id="180535" first="Ava" last="Steffe"] has done a lot of the same as an eye-popping 2025. Also, don’t lose sight of [player_tooltip player_id="197976" first="Emilee" last="Prochaska"]’s contributions in the libero jersey. In the wide field of Texas teams coming to Nationals, someone is going to emerge and surprise us all. It could be Flyers.