Triple Crown Round Table 17 & 18s Preview - Fitz's Version

We're ready to go LIVE! All Divisions are out to recruit this Presidents Day Weekend and our Prep Dig Scouts will be ready in full force. Michael DeLeon, Austin Kingsley, and myself will have our own take on what to look for this upcoming weekend. Follow our Twitter for live updates Saturday - Monday. Let's do it!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDig/status/1625615749258551312?s=20 </div></figure>   18s   What Teams Will Be Contending For a Championship On Day Three?   I was able to see Sunshine 18 LA at the Windy City 18s Qualifier in January and they were so impressive. The future Pitt players in [player_tooltip player_id='160313' first='Olivia' last='Babcock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='159523' first='Torrey' last='Stafford'] do it all for this squad. They score plenty of points are are always available to score points. However, I was extremely impressed with their libero [player_tooltip player_id='161466' first='Drew' last='Wright'], the Northwestern commit has such a great presence in the backrow where she keeps things simple and sharp for the California kids to stay in system.   Sticking with the California theme, I think Coast and Wave will be in the hunt on day three, a little bit of a flashback to Windy City.  Wave has very little weakness and are such a solid team.  Stanford commit [player_tooltip player_id='161445' first='Julia' last='Blyashov'] is so smooth and provides so much value for Wave in every rotation.  She's a point scorer, but also so solid with her serve receive and passing game where Wave always seems to be in system.  A player everyone needs to know about is [player_tooltip player_id='162805' first='Cayla' last='Payne'], the future Colorado middle blocker has plenty of length, but is so fast and explosive where she can score a lot of points.    Coast is a team that I think can win some big matches - so much offensive firepower. [player_tooltip player_id='161450' first='Noemie' last='Glover'] will be one of the top right sides in the field where she can score points from the pin and the right back, she's heading to Oregon.   <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/1614644175697514497?s=20 </div></figure>   I have to mention Drive Nation, A5 18 Marc, and MAVS KC 18-1 will be in the hunt come day three.  All of those teams have experience playing in some big time matches and have major college commits who are ready to compete against the best in the country.    What Non-Power Pool Teams Could Sneak Up On People?   Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite and Adversity 18 Adidas could be ones who could sneak up on people. I've seen them both live so far this season and are accustomed to competing against the top teams in the country. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite plays extremely clean, their ball control is on point, and they have multiple attackers who can score. Adversity 18 Adidas out of Chicago has some firepower with [player_tooltip player_id='225752' first='Catherine' last='Burke'] (Penn State), [player_tooltip player_id='109992' first='Lauren' last='Wallace'] (UTEP), Jada James (UMBC), and [player_tooltip player_id='225756' first='Ava' last='Nepkin'] (Loyola Maryland). I could see the makings of a really great team in early January and now that this team has had some time to gel they will be a scary matchup in February and March.   <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>   What Teams Could Be The Cinderellas of the Tournament?   NPJ 18 Forefront is a team I'll keep tabs on throughout the tournament.  Yes, they are a power pool team, but I don't think there were a ton of expectations for this team out of the Pacific Northwest heading into the season.  They were a four seed in their day one pool and all they did was go 3-0 that day, defeating Sunshine 18 LA.  This team is extremely explosive that features to of the top pins in the West.  [player_tooltip player_id='201009' first='Alex' last='Acevedo'] (Oregon) and [player_tooltip player_id='97249' first='Kyleene' last='Filimaua'] (Florida State) are legit.  They can serve receive, pass, and score points.  They do it in different ways.  Acevedo can sky above the block while Filimaua has so many shots and can use the block to her advantage.    Who are the big time commits who will be having a huge impact on the tournament?   [player_tooltip player_id='114513' first='Eloise' last='Brandewie'] from Mintonette m.81 is a middle blocker heading to Ohio State that is so fun to watch.  She brings such a physical, athletic style to the position that younger players can definitely look up to.  [player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] is one of the top setters in the game with how she can run a quick tempo to all of her attackers, she's heading to Kentucky where she will be a treat to watch in the SEC.  FC Elite 18 Elite is back again.  They were a final four team at 18 Open in Phoenix last year and return the top outside hitter in Wisconsin's Class of 2024. [player_tooltip player_id='122483' first='Ella' last='Demetrician'] will will her team to win and brings a lot of intensity to the court.    17s   What Teams Will Be Contending For a Championship On Day Three?   Dynasty owns the throne in the 17s age group.  They blazed their way to a Triple Crown title last season, have a national title to their resume, and are tough to beat in their hometown.  They have the top player in Prep Dig's 2024 Rankings in Nebraska commit, Skylier Pierce, but they also have two athletes who are some of the top 2025s in [player_tooltip player_id='153930' first='Abigail' last='Mullen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='154039' first='Reese' last='Messer'] making major impacts.  This team is extremely talented, but plays the game with a blue collar vibe where they aren't afraid to outwork the opposition.    Drive Nation, A5, and TAV have rosters that are loaded with big time college commits. Drive will have the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='155117' first='Ayden' last='Ames'] (Nebraska), [player_tooltip player_id='124113' first='Lauryn' last='“Lolo” Lambert'] (Arkansas), [player_tooltip player_id='124114' first='Grace' last='Carroll'] (Baylor), and [player_tooltip player_id='124102' first='Brianna' last='Watson'] (LSU) - and there's more. A5 has plenty of length and a whole lot of talent, they've won major qualifiers but are looking to win the top tournament in the country. [player_tooltip player_id='201006' first='Mia' last='Hood'] (Michigan State) and [player_tooltip player_id='201014' first='Logan' last='Wiley'] (Georgia Tech) will pace A5 out of the middle. TAV will be in the hunt and one of their top players is still in the Class of 2025 - [player_tooltip player_id='181296' first='Macaria' last='Spears'] played for Metro out of DC last year and is now in the Dallas area playing for TAV.   I think it's a Drive Nation vs A5 Final with at least two Texas teams in the final four.    <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/02/DSC03871.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-182309" width="293" height="195" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='162783' first='Taylor' last='Yu']</figcaption></figure>   What Non-Power Pool Teams Could Sneak Up On People?   Viva Capitanas!  Capitanas will be coming from Puerto Rico to compete against the best.  They were the Cinderella team of the Windy City Qualifier last year where they were in the gold pools on day three, taking Dynasty to a third set.  They play with a ton of ball control and intensity where some of these athletes are on track to be part of the Puerto Rican National Team.    SG Elite Roshambo will be a team to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='162783' first='Taylor' last='Yu'] is one of the top setters in the country and when she is on the court, they have a chance against a lot of these big time teams.    What Teams Could Be The Cinderellas of the Tournament?   I could make a case for a lot of these teams. I see a lot of Midwest and Mideast teams play, the Texas and California teams definitely have the flash, but there are a few who might not fit right into that category who will be ones to watch.   <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/1590860286785093632?s=20 </div></figure>   Colorado Juniors 17 Kevin is going to be a problem for a lot of teams.  They have the size and physicality to match up with the teams from California and Texas.  After seeing Izzy Starck play this fall, I think she is one of the top overall players in the Class of 2024.  She can set, swing, block, defend - she does it all. NORCO 17 Black and Rocky Elite 17 National will be another two Colorado squads who will be a threat.     1st Alliance 17 Gold has the potential to be an elite eight team. They have [player_tooltip player_id='135950' first='Grace' last='Nelson'] (Kansas) and [player_tooltip player_id='135954' first='Ellie' last='White'] (Michigan) are so tough to stop on the pin, they can score from anywhere on the court. This team is full of solid ball control and high IQ, they know how to win big matches.    Under the Radar: What Uncommitted Athletes Do Coaches and Spectators Need To Know?   There is still a lot of high level 2024s who will be competing this weekend.  Here is my quick rundown.    Setters   [player_tooltip player_id='122566' first='Emerson' last='Van Lannen'] - FC Elite 17 Navy    [player_tooltip player_id='122479' first='Emily' last='Bruss'] - MKE Sting 17 Gold    [player_tooltip player_id='311933' first='Calli' last='Kenny'] - 1st Alliance 17 Gold    [player_tooltip player_id='107552' first='Audrey' last='Kocon'] - Northern Lights 17-1   [player_tooltip player_id='119689' first='Ava' last='Martin'] - Pohaku 17-1   <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/1531040200423612420?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/11/DSC05347-scaled-e1669069116483.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-248736" width="261" height="200" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='122468' first='Rylea' last='Alvin']</figcaption></figure>   Middle Blockers   [player_tooltip player_id='119725' first='Tatum' last='Grimes'] - MAVS KC 17-1   [player_tooltip player_id='124142' first='Anna' last='Boatner'] - TAV 17-Black    [player_tooltip player_id='122468' first='Rylea' last='Alvin'] - MKE Sting 17 Gold   [player_tooltip player_id='136599' first='Berkeley' last='Ploder'] - Sky High 17 Elite       <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/12/53-Sophie-Ledbetter.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170339" width="317" height="238" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Sophie' last='Ledbetter']</figcaption></figure>   Libero   [player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Sophie' last='Ledbetter'] - Academy 17E Tsunami   [player_tooltip player_id='114578' first='Dakota' last='Henry'] - Tri State Elite 17 Blue   [player_tooltip player_id='229949' first='Bianca' last='Nistor'] - Northern Lights 17-1    [player_tooltip player_id='155119' first='McKenna' last='Brand'] - Dallas Skyline 17 Royal       Pins   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/DSC08413.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-313181" width="312" height="208" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Addie Kanouff</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='110512' first='Alaleh' last='Tolliver'] - Academy 17E Tsunami    [player_tooltip player_id='122499' first='Melia' last='Johnson'] - MKE Sting 17 Gold    Fiona Van Dyke - MAVS KC 17-1   [player_tooltip player_id='135965' first='Ana' last='Vetter'] - Adversity 17 Adidas   Addie Kanouff - COJRS 17 Kevin   [player_tooltip player_id='139302' first='Sydney' last='Waller'] - AVC 17 Red

We're ready to go LIVE! All Divisions are out to recruit this Presidents Day Weekend and our Prep Dig Scouts will be ready in full force. Michael DeLeon, Austin Kingsley, and myself will have our own take on what to look for this upcoming weekend. Follow our Twitter for live updates Saturday - Monday. Let's do it!