15 USA Contenders to Watch at USAV Nationals

Time to venture back into the world of 15s. Our preview tour of the USA divisions at GJNC has stopped at 16 USA and 17 USA already. It’s totally feasible that a USA division champion could be a team not discussed in those features. That’s the unpredictable nature of Nationals, and I think we’ll continue to build on that theme with today’s 15s feature. So, here are just a few 15 USA teams to follow in a field full of title contenders.   Jacksonville Skyline 15 Royal Bring on the NLQ champions. Jacksonville Skyline has surged to the forefront of the USA division after an outstanding weekend all the way up in Minneapolis. That Florida representation heads north once again as 15 Royal competes for a national championship. This team’s balance is immediately apparent on film. Cassidy Miskowiec and Amaria King are two hitters who are always a threat to score regardless of rotation. Many of this team’s blocks will be credited to Emily Topp, a physical middle blocker who has a knack for filling in seams and putting a lid on opposing attackers. Finally, Ariel Ross ties everything together as both an attacker and a key defender who frequently keeps the Jacksonville offense in system. With all its wide-ranging strengths, 15 Royal should have no problem getting back in the championship discussion.   MKE Sting 15 Black What a year for MKE Sting. 15 Black just may be able to add another championship to the club’s growing list of accolades. Sting finished second in the 15 USA in that aforementioned NLQ weekend won by Skyline. My longest in-person look at this club came later at the Prep Dig Open, where 15 Black dominated en route to a 15 Club championship in Cleveland. Anyone on this Sting team can take over a match at any time. [player_tooltip player_id="178045" first="Myla" last="Unterweger"] has had a particularly strong season and can hit a variety of patterns from the left-side hitter position. Dynamic offense can also be seen in the middle, where [player_tooltip player_id="178040" first="Karsyn" last="Goetzke"] and [player_tooltip player_id="178037" first="Morgan" last="Festerling"] have made their presence known. Sting’s well-rounded onslaught is complete with [player_tooltip player_id="178044" first="Isabella" last="Perkins"] at libero and [player_tooltip player_id="178041" first="Elise" last="Hohenwalter"] at setter. If late-season results are an indicator, MKE Sting may be finding its right stuff at the right time for 15 USA Nationals. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 🏆CHAMPIONS🏆 MKE Sting 15 Black takes home the 15 Club Championship Title at the <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/PDTheOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PDTheOpen</a> 🏐 <a href="https://t.co/j9K9PR8rEf">pic.x.com/j9K9PR8rEf</a> — Prep Dig Events (@PrepDigEvents) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigEvents/status/1520824687177216002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   KC Power 15-1 It’s nothing new to see a big presence from KC Power at Nationals. Depth is seemingly never a problem for this bunch, and we’ll see that depth on display in 15 USA. KC Power’s bid-earning triumph was a runner-up finish at Show Me. 15-1 has shown that it’s capable of not just competing well in a home-like atmosphere, though, and I’ll be very interested to see how things come together at Nationals. Kansas City’s Class of 2025 is in good hands, too. Ayla Klingenberg is an impressive left-side attacker who also handles a lot of backcourt responsibilities for KC Power. Speaking of that backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id="173386" first="Skyler" last="Holmes"] has great command of the libero jersey and gets great help from other natural defenders like [player_tooltip player_id="173388" first="Maren" last="Carter"] and McKenna Jacquin. [player_tooltip player_id="173387" first="Emma" last="Sales"] has emerged as the 15-1 setter and should continue to grow in this high-pressure environment. So, if you’re looking to follow KC Power’s parallel journeys in Indy, you’ll need a lot of eyes on a lot of different courts.   PVA 15 Elite Let’s get another KC-area team in the mix here. The city will surely give us a lot to talk about. PVA joins the 15 USA field after a top-three finish at NLQ. Like a few other teams on this feature, 15 Elite also has some Open division experience and will be battle-tested for this trip to Indy. The core of PVA’s physical frontcourt is setter Marly Burbach, whose aggression on the second contact leads to a lot of scoring opportunities for her team. 15 Elite can capitalize on those opportunities with hitters like Allison Herold and Lillian Wahoff. Meanwhile, Summer Anderson will keep doing work at libero to ensure everything runs smoothly from the first touch. This might be a good venue to prove why PVA should not be forgotten among the widespread club dominance currently exhibited by Kansas City teams.   HJV 15 Premier After this whole series of USA division features, it’s clear that there’s no hiding from Texas. 15 Premier has had a dominant stretch of tournament wins from the Lone Star Region and beyond. A Sunshine Classic championship in a huge field of 80 teams surely cements HJV’s status as a club to watch in 15 USA. This is a large roster full of players who could make a big impact in Indy. The middle duo of [player_tooltip player_id="201144" first="Kennedy" last="Jones"] and Warner Stahlbaum has been consistently effective this year, with both athletes connecting well with setter Keyun Zhang. Opposite is another spot with multiple contributors; Caelyn Dumas and Ope Aladetimi can each take on this huge role within the offense. Also, keep an eye on Ava Vargas’ steady leadership as a six-rotation left side. Regardless of the lineup deployed at Nationals, HJV looks poised to be in the title hunt by the end of the 15s wave.   [caption id="attachment_189960" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-189960" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/04/Kynli-Kirkendoll-e1649437293100-255x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="353" /> Kirkendoll[/caption] Tulsa Power 15-1 The 2022 season has offered plenty of evidence that the Oklahoma prep volleyball scene is on the rise. Tulsa Power 15-1 has certainly helped that case. I got a live look at this Sooner State squad when it competed in the Open division at Show Me. Tulsa Power preceded this tournament appearance with a 15 USA championship at MEQ, so I commend this club for seeking new horizons after locking up a Nationals bid. Tulsa gets much of its firepower from the middle blocker spot, with Juliana Borchers and [player_tooltip player_id="156869" first="Kynli" last="Kirkendoll"] taking on big roles throughout the year. Arriana Brown also brings her high-flying attack to the left pin, while lefty opposite Ava Wilson will do the same on the right. In short, don’t overlook the Oklahoma squads that make the trip to Indy.