Prep Dig Chris: 17 Open Early March Bracketology Breakdown
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We’re taking a look at 17 Open. With qualifier season heating up, teams will start punching their bids, bids will start trickling down, and as always, we are in for an exciting month between teams qualifying for nationals as well…
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Continue ReadingWe’re taking a look at 17 Open. With qualifier season heating up, teams will start punching their bids, bids will start trickling down, and as always, we are in for an exciting month between teams qualifying for nationals as well those uncommitted 17s giving their verbal. Here are teams who are in, who are close, and the dark horses to watch for.
Bids Locked In
Houston Skyline 17 Royal – NLQ
Idaho Crush 17 Bower – NLQ
MKE Sting 17 Gold – NLQ
Arizona Storm 17 Thunder – Sunshine
AZ Sky 17 Gold – Sunshine
Dallas Skyline 17 Royal – Sunshine
A lot of familiar names in this group, however I don’t think many had AZ Sky 17 Gold getting an open bid this early. This group had an open bid their 15s year in 2022, but they caught fire at Sunshine last weekend where they were the 23rd overall seed coming into the event, finishing second. An all Arizona final was quite a statement with Storm taking the crown. The Texas teams that have qualified are no surprise. Houston Skyline 17 Royal has a core group that has played together the past few years led by one of the most dynamic setters in the country in Kentucky commit Kassidy O’Brien. Dallas Skyline 17 Royal might be one of the most physically imposing teams in the country. Sophia Thornburg (Notre Dame), Zoe Gillen-Malveaux (Duke), and Chichi Nnaji (Notre Dame) are quite the front line for this squad who will only continue to improve the rest of the season. Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold finished third at the Northern Lights Qualifier and won Triple Crown a few weeks ago in Kansas City.
Just Missed
Houston Juniors 17 Elite and TAV 17 Black John just missed out on a bid with a loss in the third place game at NLQ and Sunshine. These two clubs are perennial contenders in the open field of their age group. Typical Texas teams who bring a lot of size, physicality, and power. They will definitely be in the hunt for a bid at their next qualifier.
Day 3 Gold Teams
NLQ
1st Alliance 17 Gold
Club V 17 Ren Reed
Northern Lights 17-1
Nebraska One 17 Synergy
Adrenaline 17 Bed
MiElite 17 Mizuno
Dynasty 17 Black
Sunshine
Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar
Legacy 17-1 Adidas
Sky High Adidas 17 Elite
GP 17 Rox
Tribe 17 Cardinal
Houston Juniors 17 Elite
These are the day three gold pool teams from NLQ and Sunshine who were not able to advance to the final four. 1st Alliance is at the top of this list where they were the 16 Open USAV Runner-Ups last year and finished second at Triple Crown. Dynasty 17 Black out of Kansas City has a new look to this 17s year team where Abby Mullen and Reese Messer, the two USC commits stayed with their age group this year to play 17s. With those two in the lineup this team will always be in the hunt. The others are teams are accustomed to playing in the open field come July. However, one team who might be new to others, but not new to the Midwest is Adrenaline 17 Ben out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Two years ago they won 15 USA, just missed an open bid last year and were in the national division hunt, and this season they have the pieces to make a run. Chloe Meester, the Louisville commit headlines this team on the outside, but they have a batch of really athletic, gritty kids who will be sure to make a run for the open field in Vegas.
Up Next
Northeast Qualifier – Philadelphia March 8-10
Top Seeds
- Houston Skyline 17 Royal – *Qualified
- A5 17 Calvin
- Surfside Legends 17 Loria
- AJV 17 Adidas
- Metro 17 Travel
- NorCal 17-1
- Triangle 17 Black
- VA Elite 17s
- CoJrs 17 Kevin
- AVC Cleveland 17 Red
- CUVC 17 Open
This could be an interesting weekend in Philly. There is quite a combination of teams who typically don’t see each other with the teams from the west in Surfside, NorCal, and I’ll throw Colorado Juniors in that mix as well. I was able to see Surfside live at Triple Crown and NLQ and they definitely have the weapons to be in that mix, but will need to win some of those big day two and three matches to get themselves in contention. Star outside hitter Kaci DeMaria will be key to their success. Colorado Juniors poses some really interesting matchups with Erika Sayer out of the middle who might be one of the most dynamic middles in the country. Metro 17 Travel has a lot of talent, but will be looking to bounce back from a 26th place finish at Sunshine. The team I’m picking to qualify that might be a surprise is AVC Cleveland 17 Red. I saw this team at Central Zone in Indy, and I think they have a great make up of players where they have plenty of depth. Setter Belle Groomes, a San Diego commit can make a lot of plays and will need to do so in those matches that can punch them into gold.
Mideast Qualifier (MEQ) – Indianapolis, March 15-17
Maybe I have a bias for this tournament because I always make it a priority to be here, but this one is always stacked with high level talent. This is also one of the final qualifiers for the 18s. There will be teams coming from coast to coast to compete against some of the best in the country where getting a bid here might be one of the toughest. Circle City 17 Purple always performs well in their “Home” event where they have made a habit of winning big matches in the Indiana Convention Center. Other teams who I would expect to be in day three contention or highly seeded would be: A5 17 Scott, Adidas KiVA 17 Red, Adrenaline 17 Ben, Coast 17-1, Dynasty 17 Black, HPSTL 17 Royal, KC Power 17 Black, Legacy 17 Adidas, MiElite 17 Mizuno, MKE Sting 17 Gold (already qualified), OT 17 T Aaron, and Wave 17 Juliana.
There are plenty of scenarios of who could get bids coming out of Indianapolis. There very well could be someone outside of the teams mentioned who could sneak in there. For many of these teams it might not be about how well they play that weekend, but its can they fight through a lull in a must win match. All it takes is a trip up at the wrong time to knock them out of bid contention.