16 Open Bracketology – Upper Midwest Locks, Next Up, & Questions
March Madness is around the corner for NCAA Basketball and there are always the predictions on what teams are going to be the top seeds, what teams are on the bubble of making it into the tournament, and who has…
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Continue ReadingMarch Madness is around the corner for NCAA Basketball and there are always the predictions on what teams are going to be the top seeds, what teams are on the bubble of making it into the tournament, and who has to watch the tournament on TV. Why not do this with volleyball? I’m going to take a closer look at some of the Midwest teams first and what I think they could be projected at in regards to grabbing a 16 Open bid. This will be evolving throughout the season, but with qualifier season around the corner lets take an early look at who are the locks, who is most likely in, who could be on the bubble, and who are the question marks.
Locks
1st Alliance 16 Gold
Legacy 16 Adidas
MN Select 16-1
Boiler Juniors 16 Gold
These teams are accustomed to open level bids. Legacy 16 Adidas is coming off a Triple Crown 16 Elite title which is an early measuring stick to be the number one team in the country. Kayla Nwabueze and Gabby DiVita headline this group out of Detroit, but they have balance and ball control across the board. Middle blocker Ella Andrews is big time, she is a force with her block and can score points. Setter Eva Long was outstanding all weekend.
1st Alliance 16 Gold is a new look this year, adding some new athletes that really complement the returners from a 15 National Division Runner-Up. Elle Schara from Crown Point, Indiana and previously played at Michio in Chicago was a big time six rotation outside hitter who can really score points for this group.
MN Select 16-1 is another group that has some new pieces to their team where they will only continue to improve. They went 8-1 at Triple Crown with their only loss coming to Arizona Storm. Elena Hoecke made a big statement among some of the top middle blockers in the 16s age group and 2027 setter Ellery DeBoer was so good running the show as a 5-1 setter.
Boiler Juniors 16 Gold has quite a resume of wins from USAV and AAU/JVA tournaments. They have plenty of fire power and ball control to compete among the best. They have Lexi Shondell running the show who has maturity beyond her years with how she can find the open attacker or attack herself. They also have one of the top 2027s in the country with Caroline Ward who can do some special things on the pin.
Next Up
Team Indiana Elite 16.1
MKE Sting 16 Gold
Northern Lights 16-1
Vital 16-1 Gold
I was able to see all of these teams live in the past couple of weeks at Central Zone or Triple Crown. Team Indiana Elite 16.1 has the size and physicality to compete against the top teams in 16 Open. Lydia Stahley is impressive, she is a 6’2 attacker who can play six rotations and has a huge upside. MKE Sting 16 Gold had a tough start to Triple Crown losing their first four matches, but bounced back to win four of their last five. They have the pieces, it will be a matter of putting it together at the right time. Northern Lights is always a threat to be an open team. They have great training, discipline, and athletes who can contribute in multiple positions. Vital 16-1 Gold was a team I was really impressed with at Triple Crown. They came out of their power pool with a 3-0 record and defeated OT out of Tampa to guarantee themselves a top 32 finish. Harper Goldsmith runs a great offense for this team where she can get her middles involved and shoot it to the pin.
Outside Shot
Academy 16E Yeti
Circle City 16 Purple
Teams out of Indy I feel like always have a shot to qualify in the open field. Academy 16E Yeti has a very balanced team after seeing them at Central Zone. I’ll see them at MEQ in March as well. Circle City 16 Purple is always more dangerous as the season progresses. They got knocked out of the St. Louis Presidents Day 16 Open field by Toledo Volleyball Club who is going to be a sneaky good team all season. TVC beat Legacy at Central Zone at the beginning of February.
Question Marks
Iowa Rockets 16R
Iowa Select 16 Mizuno
Team Pineapple 16 BlackL
Illini Elite
Iowa Rockets 16R has the pieces to compete at the 16 Open level. They made it to the gold bracket of the St. Louis Presidents Day Tournament without one of their top attackers in Isabelle Kremer who was in the heart of Iowa high school post season basketball. She will play for Pleasant Valley in the Class 5A state tournament next week. Once Kremer takes the court again in March, they will be a team who can defend in score in multiple ways.
Iowa Select 16 Mizuno were the 16 Open Champions in St. Louis with gold bracket wins against Team Indiana and Toledo in the championship. This team is gnarly with a lot of top 2026s in Iowa. Ellah Derrer is a force out of the middle and their two pins in Kenzie Moeller and Maren Ouellette can defend and score with anyone. I saw on AES they are registered for 16 USA in Kansas City and MEQ and are not playing in the Iowa Regional which typically means they are going the AAU route. Either way, they have the studs to compete at the 16 Open level.
Team Pineapple 16 BlackL is definitely an open level team, however I’m not sure if they are going that route this year. Taking a look at their schedule they don’t have any USAV events listed and will be a threat at AAU 16 Open Nationals. Illini Elite 16 Cardinal is typically a JVA/AAU team, but will be playing 16 Open at MEQ. That is one tough tournament, but last year KIVA played one qualifier and ended up punching their ticket to USAV Nationals.