Sunshine Qualifier: 17 Open Study Guide
The Sunshine 17 Open field looks ridiculous. The talent level is deep. For example, Legacy 17 Adidas who was the Central Zone 17s runner up and final four finisher at Triple Crown is the 9th seed. Mizuno Long Beach 17…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Sunshine 17 Open field looks ridiculous. The talent level is deep. For example, Legacy 17 Adidas who was the Central Zone 17s runner up and final four finisher at Triple Crown is the 9th seed. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar who was in a power pool at Triple Crown is the 20th seed. A lot of these athletes will be playing for D1 schools in less than two years. These are some of the best athletes in the country. Who are the favorites? Who are some players to know heading into the 17 Open Sunshine Qualifier? What matches are ones to watch? We got it!
The Top Seed
Arizona Storm 17 Thunder is the top seed overall heading into this event. They are lead by a heavy dose of powerful outside hitters in the number one prospect in the 2025 Class by Prep Dig in Teraya Sigler. Sigler will continue her career at Nebraska. When she heads to the backrow, Devyn Wiest, the future Utah Ute, comes into the front row and will show her ability to make shots to score points. This team was the 16 Open national champions last year and finished in the final eight at Triple Crown before a quarterfinal loss to Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold.
The Texas Teams
Dallas Skyline 17 Royal
AVA TX 17 Adidas
Excel 17 National Red
HJV 17 Elite
TAV 17 Black Jon
Madfrog 17 N Green
Alamo 17 Premier
TX Performance 17s Black
Texas teams alone could claim the top three spots and ultimately grab the open bids. HJV 17 Elite just missed an open bid at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Minneapolis at the end of January. They will be in the hunt once again with the likes of Minnesota commit Jordan Taylor and Vanderbilt commit Sydney Bryant. Dallas Skyline 17 Royal is one of the more physically imposing teams in the country. When I saw them at Triple Crown, I thought there was no way this team is losing, and moments later they lost in three to Madfrog. Skyline has so much length and depth. The future Notre Dame duo of Sophia Thornburg and Chichi Nnaji are impressive. They are so athletic and physical where they really spread the frontline. Excel 17 National Red had an impressive performance at Triple Crown placing 10th. Alamo 16 Premier has Texas A&M outside hitter Megan Fitch. This team knows how to compete in big matches. There is always TAV. They too have a Texas A&M commit in Taryn Morris. Would it be too bold of a prediction to say two Texas teams take home an open bid? Or is the better question which ones?
Midwest Teams Looking To Heat Up
Circle City 17 Purple, Sky High 17 Elite, KC Power, HPSTL, Rockwood Thunder, Legacy, Mintonette, and TVC will be the Midwest teams looking to make an impact this weekend in Orlando. Circle City 17 Purple is the highest seed out of all of these teams with the 7th overall seed. This squad commands the court with ball control and will rely on dynamic six rotation outside in Oregon commit Logan Bell. She was so impressive at Central Zone. Sky High 17 Elite is riding the wave of their Triple Crown finish where they placed 13th. Ava Wysocki is a really dynamic right side attacker who is committed to Illinois. Legacy being the 9th team is a bit of a head scratcher. With Nebraska commit Campbell Flynn on the floor, that team always has a chance to win the big matches. We could have a potential matchup with future Nebraska teammate in Teraya Sigler of AZ Storm
Day One Matchups To Keep an Eye On
Tribe Elite 17 Cardinal vs. Metro 17 Travel
Tribe Elite 17 Cardinal finished 7th at Triple Crown and they have the 12th overall seed and might be the most dangerous team in the field. This team has a resume full of big wins over the past year. Kelly Kinney is a terminal six rotation outside hitter who can score from anywhere, she’s heading to Minnesota. Duke commit, Charlotte Glass does it all as a left handed setter who is always a threat when she jumps. One athlete who was really impressive is UCLA commit in pin attacker Mija Bendziute. Tribe will take on Metro 17 Travel who is always an open level team year in and year out. They will have multiple high powered D1 commits in the likes of Isabelle Bardin (Purdue) and Leni Stanton-Parker (Michigan). What a way to end the day for these teams.
Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite vs. KC Power 17-1
Two teams from opposite sides of Missouri get to go head to head in which is typically a key match between a two and three seed in a pool. I was able to see Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite at Northern Lights where they ran a very balanced offense and was in contention on day two. Jenna Cubbage will be a key point scorer on the outside, she will head to Wichita State. Alex Klukvin will be pacing the back control as the commander of the defense. She will stay close to home and head to K-State.
GP 17 Rox vs. Madfrog 17 N Green
I was able to see GP 17 Rox at the Northern Lights Qualifier and again at Triple Crown. This team has a well balanced lineup led by two high flying outsides in Elena Maynulet (Columbia) and Victoria Hill (App State). Their matchup with Madfrog 17 N Green could be a fun one with these two being accustomed to high level competition. Madfrog made a run at Triple Crown and will look to capitalize on that momentum. Britton Finley will be a key outside attacker for Madfrog, she’s heading to Texas State.