The Seven”TEA”n Open Notes From NLQ – It’s Sizzling
Through tournament weekends, we all look at AES, VBSchedule.com, Sports Wrench, we can see who wins, who losses, and can get a feel for what happens on tournament weekend. I’ll do that with tournaments across the country, but there is…
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Continue ReadingThrough tournament weekends, we all look at AES, VBSchedule.com, Sports Wrench, we can see who wins, who losses, and can get a feel for what happens on tournament weekend. I’ll do that with tournaments across the country, but there is something just a little more special about being live at a tournament. The Northern Lights Qualifier is the perfect measuring stick for a lot of these teams to see where they stack against each other.
PHOTOS – NLQ 2024 – The 17s
Here’s just a bit of the tea from the weekends where I tried to watch as many 17s as possible.
How do I cover a tournament of this size?
This is my sixth year of covering events and I can confirm that you learn by a little bit of trial and error and from that comes some failure. The 17s are a priority to me right now. I have the Iowa 2025 rankings coming up and 2025 national rankings update coming. I wanted to get pictures of as many players as possible that we could tag to their profiles. I also wanted to make sure and see teams that I know I probably won’t get a chance to see very often. I’m based out of the Midwest and know I won’t get a chance to see the teams from Florida, Texas, and Idaho. I will see the Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota teams more often. What I have found out is that by trying to cover everything, I essentially see nothing. I wanted to make sure I stayed at courts longer, being present, and looking at far beyond the physical skills and seeing the intangibles as well.
The Depth of 17 Open Teams
First off, this 17s field was extremely deep. There were 13 teams in this field who qualified in the 16 Open field, including 1st Alliance, Nebraska One, Drive Nation, Houston Skyline, Northern Lights, and Michigan Elite who were in the top ten. I tweeted at the end of Saturday that of the remaining teams, I was having a hard time thinking about which ones wouldn’t qualify at the Open level. All of them are legit contenders and sometimes it comes down to the right matchup at the right time.
It’s Not How Many Games You Lose – It’s Which Ones
Looking at the pool with Game Point, Adrenaline, Surfside, and RVA, I had a feeling that Adrenaline out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa would be a problem for a lot of teams over the weekend. They were returning Chloe Meester (Louisville) and Sydney Maue (Arkansas) and have added Molly Shafer and Kate Shafer, the twin combo committed to Northern Iowa along with North Texas libero commit Dakota Hendricks. They also added an really explosive middle blocker in 2025 uncommitted prospect in Kate Passmore. They knocked out Game Point out of Florida who would then go on to blaze the competition Saturday and Sunday, finishing 19th overall. GP will be legit contenders this season.
1st Alliance came into NLQ as a clear cut top seed, finishing 2nd in 16 Open at USAV GJNC last summer and returning everyone from their squad. However, this past weekend they lost the wrong match at the wrong time when they dropped a match to Houston Skyline 25-22, 25-23 in their Sunday gold pool. Houston Skyline dropped a match to Milwaukee Sting in their Saturday gold pool, but all they needed to do was finish second. Sunday there was no room for error and Houston Skyline came out on top. Kassidy O’Brien is one of the top setters in the Class of 2025 where she makes so many plays and can will her team to a victory. H Skyline also has one of the top athletes in the country in Bayleigh Minor where she is a lethal middle blocker, but has ran a 53.05 400 meter dash, one of the best in the country.
The Length and Physicality of Houston Juniors
Houston Juniors is just different. They have multiple athletes who are touching ten feet when they approach and their length was giving a lot of problems all weekend. I remember seeing this team as 15s and the pieces were definitely there. They are now finding their groove. The 6’5 Minnnesota middle blocker commit Jordan Taylor was so impressive. She moves well, she establishes great position on the block, but I think what I was most impressed with was her commitment to defense when she was serving. She could pass extremely well and even put up a beautiful set to the outside. Goes to show every rep, every touch makes a difference.
A New Look Dynasty
Dynasty 17 Black is going to be a tough match this year. They just play with a spark and a grit where they have athletes who are going to find a way to win. However, this is a new combination of athletes. USC commits Reese Messer and Abigail Mullen have always played an age group up and now they are playing with their 2025 classmates. I’ve never seen these athletes play without the likes of Skyler Pierce, Carlie Cisneros, or Ryan McAleer. They look different, but I love their style. Hadley Porter at libero and Lauren Lopez on the outside are ones to watch who can really compete – uncommitted 2025s.
Core Groups Who Stick Together, Win Together
Nebraska One Synergy, Michigan Elite, Milwaukee Sting, and Northern Lights are teams where they have had the same core group for years. Of course there will be small tweaks each year, but they’ve played as the same group. I think the Nebraska One team has been playing since they were in lower elementary school. I’ve seen this Sting team play the past couple seasons and they just seem to have such a natural chemistry together. Madison Quest, the Wisconsin commit is definitely a headline recruit, but the balance, depth, and chemistry of this team really sets them apart. They took home third place and got their open bid. Northern Lights and Michigan Elite had a huge year in 2023 and it looks like we can expect the same in 2024.
Watchout for the Orange Crush – Idaho Crush
Idaho Crush 17 Bower was LEGIT. I saw them at nationals as 16s and yes, they were good, they were in the open field, but this past weekend there was another level of explosiveness. Tenesyn Frye (Houston) has the athleticism and length to run a great offense as a setter. Her footwork and hands are chef’s kiss. Lefty right side, Kate Hayhurst is a Kansas commit who was big time with her block and swing – she can score points. However, the talk of the tournament was 2026 outside hitter Bellamie Beus. The six rotation outside plays with a fierce intensity, she can serve receive, pass, and is so explosive with her swing. She has an aggressive approach and explosive arm swing. This is going to be a dangerous team. They are bringing back home a runner-up finish and a 17 Open USAV bid.