15U AES Gateway Top 5
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Wrapping up the glance at the AES rankings for the region and identifying the top 5 programs heading into the postseason. We shared in other writings, AES isn’t necessarily the voice of junior volleyball but it is a system in…
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Continue ReadingWrapping up the glance at the AES rankings for the region and identifying the top 5 programs heading into the postseason. We shared in other writings, AES isn’t necessarily the voice of junior volleyball but it is a system in place that generally does a good job of keeping accurate results for those who participate in events where AES is the scheduling system. Also, it allows the team the opportunity to add results. We understand the placement could be skewed based on who plays Open vs America at qualifiers but we shall proceed. We do a region search and then add “National Rankings”. For example, in just a regional search, a totally different team could be the top team. So for now, we will use it to identify the top teams based on records and percentages in the Gateway Region.
HPSTL 15 Orange
HPSTL has two teams in the mix with Orange having the highest ranking nationally at 65. They hold a 52-14 record in the system. They have an ample number of top 5 finishes between bid events and qualifiers. They earned their national bid at MEQ in the Liberty Division with a second-place finish. Kathryn Teepe Kathryn Teepe 5'10" | RS St. Joseph Academy | 2026 State MO is one of the setters on this roster making things happen.
Rockwood Thunder 15 White
Rockwood Thunder 15 White has a 54-16 record, good for a top 100 ranking at 98th. They are showing finishing every event in AES in the top 10 this year. This is not counting any tournaments where TM2 or Sportswrench were the platforms of choice. They earned the region’s bid for the Freedom Division at nationals this summer. The team has found success as Rachel Breidenbach runs the offense from the setter position.
Rockwood Thunder 15 Navy
15 Navy follows up the White team at 110 in the national rankings while holding a 38-19 record. They played quite a few qualifiers in the USA Division and found local success in their region’s bid event where they walked away with an American bid. Audrey Hackney Audrey Hackney 5'7" | S Eureka | 2026 State MO is a name we know in the setter position. She is also joined in the role by Lucy Ellsworth Lucy Ellsworth 5'7" | S Ursuline | 2026 State MO .
HPSTL 15 Royal
The highest-ranked team in actual region events comes in at 160 in the national rankings. We talked about this in our opening. 15 Royal essentially dominated local play but plays a tougher national schedule, which answers to their ranking. They have a 31-27 ranking overall in the system but 16-0 regionally. They have four top-fifteen finishes in Open qualifiers. They. missed on an Open bid but will represent the region in the National Division. Elena Ruble Elena Ruble 5'7" | S St. Pius X (Festus) | 2026 State MO and Grace Holtz Grace Holtz 5'7" | S Howell Central | 2026 State MO run the offense.
Pursuit 15 National
Rounding out the national top five is Pursuit 15 National at 198th. Their 40-12 record includes three tournament championships in the year. They also have a 5th-place finish in the American division at MEQ. Ava Wessel and Claudia Jones Claudia Jones 5'9" | S Cape Notre Dame | 2026 State MO are two 2026 setters on this roster helping the offense flow smoothly.
Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite
We mention Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite due to them being the second team in the region rankings and acknowledging their Open level play. They have a record of 38-32 and an 11th-place finish on their resume at MEQ. They will play in the National division at Juniors Nationals. Watch the offense to flow via solid passing and then decision-making from setters Abigail Schoene Abigail Schoene 5'11" | S Timberland | 2026 State MO and Elizabeth Koenig Elizabeth Koenig 5'7" | S Ursuline | 2026 State MO .