18 Open Eye Test – The Top Ten of WCNQ

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first tournament is always interesting, especially when it comes to seeding everyone. This is a little bit of a blind draw, some teams are missing key players who have started their college careers, and others are picking up where they left off from last season. At this past weekend's WCNQ 18 Open, we had some really interesting pool combinations. Sometimes it's more than the matches you win, it's when you win and who else loses, and if you lose - how bad do you lose and to whom. Yes, it's complicated. That is why I'm throwing out the records and final finishes to present the WCNQ Eye Test based on what I saw from this past weekend's event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Sunshine 18 LA</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Wave 18-Juliana</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Mintonette m.81</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sunshine 18 LA </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":295144,"width":371,"height":247,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/DSC08811.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-295144" width="371" height="247" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='160313' first='Olivia' last='Babcock']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sunshine dropped a match on day one to NPJ Forefront. Forefront came out absolutely on fire, they are a team that nobody wants to play with their level of explosiveness and hype. Florida State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='97249' first='Kyleene' last='Filimaua'] </strong>and Oregon commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201009' first='Alex' last='Acevedo']</strong> put so much pressure on the other side of the net.  Sunshine seemed to be playing a few points behind the whole match and couldn't get that key run to break NPJ. Their day two pool was a gauntlet. Sunshine, Coast, Club V, and Legacy are arguably in the top 20 in the country and it was mind boggling two of these teams would be out of contention on day two. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='160313' first='Olivia' last='Babcock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='159523' first='Torrey' last='Stafford']</strong>, the pin attackers committed to Pitt were solid all weekend, but another attacker who found a way to score points during big times what Duke commit, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='163280' first='Grace' last='Thrower']. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wave 18 Juliana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a team like Wave, by match three of Saturday and Sunday they already had the next round gold division wrapped up. Wave is deep, they have a full bench where they can rotate players in and out and not miss a beat. There were times where I would stop by the court and Stanford commit <strong>Julia Blyahov</strong> was on the bench as well as Texas commit <strong>Auburn Tomkinso</strong>n. In certain matches they did need these athletes to put up a ton of swings, they didn't need Blyashov to play six rotations. I was extremely impressed with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='162805' first='Cayla' last='Payne']</strong> who is so dynamic out of the middle.  The Colorado commit is long, athletic, and so dangerous off one foot.  This squad played smart and strategic the whole time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":296011,"width":368,"height":246,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/DSC08968.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-296011" width="368" height="246" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='114513' first='Eloise' last='Brandewie']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mintonette m.81</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team is extremely solid and consistent with so much physicality.  They started the tournament 8-0, where they won four three set matches in a row.  Being on the sideline near this team, it comes at no surprise they can close when things get tight towards the end of a set.  They smile, they laugh, and above all they buckle down to finish.  Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114513' first='Eloise' last='Brandewie']</strong> (Ohio State) is such an impressive athlete with her blend of power, speed, and even some finesse.  San Diego commit<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='114523' first='Ella' last='Durham']</strong> is always an outlet and even out of system brings a heavy swing that scores points.  <strong>Lauryn Bowie </strong>had some big swings and a major blocking presence on the right side, she is heading to Virginia.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141690' first='Jonna' last='Spohn']</strong> provides a huge spark to this squad as the libero.  They got their bid, and they are going to win a lot of matches this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigCA/status/1615534609181065217?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigCA/status/1615534609181065217?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":4} --> <ol start="4"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Coast 18-1</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Club V </strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coast 18-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coast is right there with the top teams, not only from Windy City, but among the top teams in the country.  Their size and physicality is going to create a lot of problems for the other side of the net.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='161450' first='Noemie' last='Glover'] </strong>was so impressive.  The Oregon commit is dangerous in all rotations where the lefty right side can score from the front and backrow.  She also has a plethora of shots she can use as well.  This team stumbled a bit to start the day on Saturday with AVC which ultimately sent them to the gauntlet pool with Club V, Sunshine, and Legacy.  That's a day three championship pool at any qualifier.  They lost to Club V 16-14 in set three and dropped their match to Sunshine which sent them to Silver on Monday where they blazed through the bracket with wins over Metro and AVC. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1615093155023491078?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1615093155023491078?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Club V</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The athleticism on this team is something different.  They may not have the size and physicality of the teams I would consider to be ahead of them, but they are a mismatch nightmare.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='98983' first='Jordyn' last='Byrd'] </strong>on the outside is flying everywhere, she can do it from the front row and back row to score points, the Stanford commit is someone that the other side needs to recognize everywhere on the court.  Arkansas commit <strong>Olivia Ruy</strong> is another extremely dynamic athlete who packs such a punch. She plays with a fearless intensity and is tough to contain.  They finished in a three way tie in the gold pools, but lost out on a bid match to a tie breaker to Circle City. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":6} --> <ol start="6"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Legacy 18-1 Adidas</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Circle City 18 Purple</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Legacy 18-1 Adidas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":296012,"width":420,"height":280,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/DSC09145.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-296012" width="420" height="280" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Legacy</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a lot of question marks for Legacy heading into the season.  Anytime a team doesn't have one of the top players in the nation there are going to be questions as to how that affects the whole group.  National Gatorade Player of the Year, Harper Murray is off to Nebraska where she was always the top option for this group.  Seeing Legacy this past weekend, there is definitely a different look…and I like it.  There was so much balance for this team, they still have the athleticism and physicality to compete with the top teams in the country.  Middle blocker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66291' first='Laurece' last='Abraham']</strong> (Yale) was connecting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66313' first='Erin' last='Kline'] </strong>(Mississippi State) while Kline continued to distribute to all attackers.  Outside hitters,<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell'] </strong>(UNC-Greensboro) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66325' first='Abigail' last='Reck'] </strong>(Northeaster) score a lot of points, they are so fast to the ball and were able to find ways to score points in big matches.  I had seen Loyola-Chicago commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66302' first='Olivia' last='Gardner'] </strong>play, but I really liked her on the right side where she could terminate off one foot.  They defeated Wave on day one to be a top seed in their day two pool which happened to be the toughest pool in the entire weekend.  They went 1-2, but yet swept Sunshine.  Flip a coin when it comes to these top teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Circle City 18 Purple</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Circle City is in a similar situation as Legacy where this group is learning how to playing without another top player in Chloe Chicoine.  Chicoine is starting her career at Purdue this semester and has been back and forth with Murray as one of the top players in the Class of 2023.  Legacy played with a lot of physicality and explosiveness, where Circle City played really clean, libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85921' first='Molly' last='Urban'] </strong>(Louisville) was really solid all weekend.  This team just found a way to keep advancing.  On day one, they held off Sting 18 Gold to finish 2-1 in their pool to stay in gold pools.  On day two, they had three, three set matches going 2-1 to advance to the gold pools, and survived again winning the tiebreaker in their gold pool going 1-2.  They play really clean volleyball, this team is still finding their go-to point scorer, and it's a sneaky team to play against. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614299564944642048?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614299564944642048?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":8} --> <ol start="8"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>NPJ 18 Forefront</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NPJ 18 Forefront</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a wild weekend for the team out of the Pacific Northwest.  I knew seeing them as a four seed in their pool on day one would be a little misleading, but they went 3-0 defeating Sunshine in three sets.  This squad played with so much energy and fire, it was a tough matchup for everyone.  The outside hitters are a problem for opposing teams.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='97249' first='Kyleene' last='Filimaua'],</strong> the Florida State indoor and beach commit was something special.  She found so many different ways to score points where she can use her shots, use the block, and blast with whatever opening the defense gave her.  Oregon commit<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='201009' first='Alex' last='Acevedo'] </strong>got better as the weekend progressed, each match I saw her play, she seemed to be contacting higher.  She was impressive, but she also showed an upside that could be scary at the next level.  I believe this team is very capable of earning an open bid. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":9} --> <ol start="9"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>FC Elite 18 Elite</strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614322282016706561?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614322282016706561?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":296016,"width":367,"height":244,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/DSC08884.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-296016" width="367" height="244" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='277430' first='Peyton' last='Carlson']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams had a great match in day one pool play where Rockwood Thunder won in three sets.  Rockwood Thunder played clean, efficient volleyball all weekend.  They don't have the physicality of some of these California teams, but they run an efficient offense and stay in system.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='123459' first='Mia' last='Berg']</strong> (Nebraska-Kearney) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102554' first='Juliette' last='Myrick'] </strong>(Army) had plenty of solid connections all weekend.  They won their first seven matches on the event until running into Circle City and Sunshine to be on the outside looking in for the final four. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FC Elite started out as  the 20th seed and just kept winning matches they were supposed to.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='122483' first='Ella' last='Demetrician']</strong>, the Michigan commit is a 2024 outside hitter that has been playing on this 18 Elite squad since her freshman year.  She is the top option where she is attacking from the front and backrow while also receiving a lot of service receptions.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='122502' first='Bryn' last='Janke']</strong> is another returning from the 18 Open final four squad in 2022 and is able to run a quick tempo offense.  She's committed to Ohio and does a great job of staying neutral, putting up a great ball for all attackers, and is so savvy.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91911' first='Meghan' last='Scholz']</strong>, a new player for FC Elite and a DePaul commit, came up with some big swings all weekend from the right side.  At libero is a prospect to put a star next to in 2026 athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='277430' first='Peyton' last='Carlson']</strong> who was the 16 National USAV MVP when the FC Elite 16 Navy squad were national division champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614434371213365248?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1614434371213365248?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->