The MEPL Shakedown After Round 2: 15/16s Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Round 2 of the Mideast Power League is now over, and the final pools are set for round 3 come February 22nd. The sixty-four team field in the 15/16s Division has now competed for four days total, with two remaining, to see who will come out on top once all is said and done. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this power league and seeing some great talent from the Midwest compete, especially from Indiana.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get YOU caught up on where everyone stands, who you should be watching in the final round, and how I think it's all going to shake out come February 23rd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elite Bracket A (top 15/16s bracket)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Academy 16-1 Yeti</strong> came out as the overall champion of the weekend, taking home the victory in the championship game versus [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 16 Blue (16-1s team) in a tight, three-set match. On their way to the championship on Sunday, they had three straight wins, beating [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 15-1s team, Lex United 16 Elite (16-1s) and then Tri-State's 16s squad. It isn't surprising that this Academy VBC squad took first place during round 2 of the MEPL, seeing as they have a very balanced attack, great setters and solid defense. You can read more about some of those players ([player_tooltip player_id='443857' first='Kenna' last='Robinson'], Mya Woodley) in this article: <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/02/mepl-round-2-day-one-15-16s-standouts-from-indiana/">MEPL Round 2, Day One 15/16s Standouts from Indiana | Prep Dig</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tying for third in this top bracket was the Munciana 16 Mustangs (16-1s) and Lex United 16 Elite. Rounding out the top 8, were the top 15s teams from both Munciana (Munciana 15 blue) and [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] ([program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 15 Blue), followed by the top 16s team at KIVA and Far Out VBC. These eight teams will now make up the top seeds of the eight Elite Pools in the third and final round of the MEPL on 2/22-2/23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elite Bracket B</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KIVA 15 Red</strong> came out on top in the B bracket, topping Boiler Juniors top 16 team (16 Gold) in two straight sets. No doubt KIVA was led by Kayleigh Rogers, an absolutely incredible player who I would invite you to watch if you get a chance - she does it all as just a freshman and is bound to be a top recruit in the class of 2028. Coming in third was Monon 16-1 Pegasus after defeating Far Out 15 Black (15-1s team) in three during the third-place match. Rounding out the B bracket was [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 16 White coming in 5th place after beating Munciana 16 Cardinals in the fifth-place game. All 6 of these teams will head to the Elite Pools on February 22nd as either second or third place seeds in their respective pools based on how they finished on Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":748175,"width":"308px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/8E5BD74B-CB1C-4AD8-9D22-D130C23C008D-crop-970x637-1738685707.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-748175" style="width:308px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: KIVA Instagram</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elite Bracket C</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The eventual winner of the six team Elite Bracket C was <strong>K2 15 Elite</strong> (15-1s team), as they defeated Far Out 16 Gold in an exciting three set win, with the last set going 16-14. With the win, K2 secured a three seed in one of the Elite Pools for round 3 of the MEPL at the end of February. All of the rest of the teams that were competing in Elite Bracket C will also move on to one of the eight EPs come the last round of this power league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Bracket A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were twelve teams to start Open Bracket A on Sunday and the top 8 finishers will be moving up to the eight Elite Pools for round 3 and bottom four finishers will stay in the six Open Pools, becoming the top seeds in their respective pools. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 15 White</strong> took home the crown of this Open Bracket by defeating KIVA 16 Black in three sets, with KIVA 15 White and Academy 15-1 Venom tying for third place. Rounding out the top 8 finishers that will be moving up to the EPs to fill in the final remaining spots are: Munciana 16 Giraffes, Alpha A.61, CVBC 16-1 Orcas, and Munciana 15 Vipers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":747760,"width":"281px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/IMG_4427.jpg?w=906" alt="" class="wp-image-747760" style="width:281px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Instagram</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Bracket B</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This six team playoff bracket was eventually won by <strong>Boiler Juniors 16-2 Black</strong> after defeating Academy 16-3 Banshees in straight sets. These top two finishing teams in this bracket will round out the top seeds in the six Open Pools for the next MEPL round at the end of this month. MetroVBC 15 Black took home third place in this OB after defeating Academy 15-2 Vipers in a hotly contested three set (18-16 third set) win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Bracket C</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CVBC 15-1 Elite</strong> defeated Munciana 15 Warriors in three sets gaining them the championship of Bracket C. Both of these teams will stay in the Open Pools at the next round along with the other four teams who made up this bracket. Joining them to round out the remaining Open Pools will be the top four teams from the National Bracket A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":747765,"width":"348px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/IMG_5359-crop-768x505-1738598593.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-747765" style="width:348px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Cougar VBC</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">National Bracket A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alpha A.62</strong> ended up beating Monon 16-2 Medusa in straight sets to claim the National Bracket A crown on Sunday, allowing them both to move up the Open Pools for the final round of the MEPL. Ended up tied for third place in this bracket was Academy 15-3 Copperheads and EliteVBTC 15 Blue. Both of these teams will move up to the Open Pools to round out the six pools and all other National Bracket finishers will stay in the National Pools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Round 3 Preview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Elite Pools, the clear front runners appear to be [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 16 Blue, Lex United 16 Elite, Academy 16-1 Yeti and Munciana 16 Mustangs. I look for one of these four teams to take home the final Elite Championship on February 23rd. For the Indiana teams, be sure to watch Munciana players [player_tooltip player_id='489598' first='London' last='Evans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='494521' first='Shania' last='Rhamy'], as well as Academy players [player_tooltip player_id='529468' first='Brooklyn' last='Wake'] and [player_tooltip player_id='482446' first='Caroline' last='Hanchar']. If these four can have big weekends, an Indiana team could very well take home the overall win!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Open Pools, EliteVBTC 15 Blue, KIVA 16 Silver and Boiler Juniors 16-2 Black all look like favorites to me based on their win-loss record and who they have played previously. In these pools I would keep your eye on freshman [player_tooltip player_id='603158' first='Rachel' last='Bonde'] from CVBC 15-1 Elite. She is a long, strong middle blocker with a ton of potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lastly, in the National Pools look for Munciana 16 Tigers and MetroVBC 15 Black to finish the highest and with the best records in these pools. They both come in with strong win-loss records so far in the MEPL and have defeated some solid opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Catch Round 3 of the Mideast Power League on February 22nd and 23rd at the Academy Volleyball Club in Indianapolis, IN</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->