Gateway Region 17U Power 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I shared last week we would take a gander through the AES [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] Rankings and check out where the teams stand. The AES rankings are a system popular to look at but don't include all matches a team may play in. They do include tournaments that were played using the system as well as matches entered by teams on an individual basis. They don't include standings for the most part from tournaments using any of the other entering/scheduling programs such as SportsWrench or TM2. Nonetheless, this is a chance to use a system to see how teams stack up in the country and region. Today we take a look at the 17U Gateway top 5 teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 17 Royal (12-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17 Royal had a busy spring playing most of their competition in the 17 Open Division. Their qualifier performances include a 5th-place finish at Sunshine Classic, a 26th at MEQ, and a 15th at Windy City. They earned their national bid in region bid play with a 1st place finish. [player_tooltip player_id='124225' first='Sammi' last='Bergjans'] continues to run the show from the setter position and the team has gotten good production from [player_tooltip player_id='150037' first='Grace' last='Killion'] and [player_tooltip player_id='124849' first='Nadia' last='Wasilewski'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Elite (9-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockwood is possibly the strongest team in the region if you throw rankings out the window. They will play in the Open Division at this year's national championships after earning a bid at Windy City in early April after just missing out in March at the Northeast Qualifier. Another highlight of their season was a 7th-place finish at Triple Crown. The roster is full of stars with players like [player_tooltip player_id='153929' first='Maya' last='Witherspoon'], [player_tooltip player_id='153933' first='Jordan' last='Smith'], and [player_tooltip player_id='124215' first='Olivia' last='Hasbrook']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] 17 Navy (27-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There weren't many teams as busy though as [program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] this fall playing in USAV, JVA, and AAU events plus a few others. They finished first in the Stratman Series in March and April. The President's Day Classic in St. Louis saw them grab a 5th place finish in 17 Open. They are set to play in both AAU and USAV championships next month. Abbey Freund has been sharp in the libero jersey along with [player_tooltip player_id='150044' first='Kylie' last='Surratt'] on the pin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STL Crossfire 17 ST1 (34-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like [program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'], STL Crossfire bounced around between different entities to get their competition this spring and will play in both championships in June. They opened their season taking 3rd in the AAU MLK Grand Prix then followed with good showings at the AAU STL Crossfire Super Regionals with a 1st and 2nd place finish. Abby Burford has been steady from the setter position and finding hitters Kierstin Miller and [player_tooltip player_id='216460' first='Olivia' last='Green'] in the middle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 17 Orange (18-7)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Orange played their qualifier events in the Liberty Division and will play in the American Division at nationals after earning the region bid. In their qualifiers, they finished 9th, 9th, and 3rd respectively. The team is solid defensively with the back-row play of Addison Berger leading the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->