New Names, Cinderella Teams Take Over MEQ 16 Open

There is just the feel of March Madness in the air.  The restaurants in Indianapolis have opened their patios for plenty of visitors to enjoy some basketball with the final four coming to town in a couple of weeks.  But first, we have some “Bid”ness to attend to at the Mideast Qualifier.     I was able to watch plenty of courts from 16 Open today that brought big performances as well as some upsets along the way.    The Cinderella Teams   Here are teams who upgraded their seed in pool play and will still be in contention for gold.    <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/03/RG1A2272.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-956775" style="aspect-ratio:1.5014953078271631;width:360px;height:auto"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Avery Minor, MN Select 16-1</figcaption></figure>   MJVA 16 Elite Black - 25th to 23rd    MN Select 16-1  - 22nd to 3rd    Premier Nebraska 16 Gold - 20th to 5th    Iowa Premier 16-1 - 19th to 6th    Mintonette m.61 - 18th to 7th    FC Elite 16 Elite - 40th to 16th    Kiva 16 Red - 14th to 11th    Dynasty 16 Blue - 38th to 14th    Topeka Saints 16 Gold - 36th to 13th    There were plenty of “upsets” on day one of MEQ 16 Open which created a lot of movement with teams improving their seed heading into day two.    MN Select 16-1 came out on top of their pool that ended with a three way tie at 2-1. They won five sets ahead of TAV Houston and MVA Rise who were at four. An athlete to know for MN Select 16-1 would be Avery Minor. She is an explosive right side attacker with a big lefty swing. She shows flashes of MN Select alum Carly Gilk who is currently playing at Minnesota.    FC Elite 16 Elite out of Appleton, WI came in as the 40th seed, a four seed in their pool. They started the morning with a big win over PVA in two sets and survived a three set thriller against Iowa UTD 16 Timmerman 21-19 in set three.    The Kansas teams flexed a bit today with Dynasty 16 Blue and Topeka Saints 16 Gold Dynasty 16 Blue is the clubs 2s team for their 16s age group and is proving they can compete at a high level. They survived a 2-1 three way tie to advance on. Topeka Saints won two three set thrillers over Munciana and MiElite 16 Mizuno to advance in gold pools.    BSVBC 16 Black is Blue Steel volleyball out of O'Fallon, Illinois with a population of just over 30,000 East of St. Louis in Illinois. What an exciting team. They are proving themselves going against some of the top powers in the country. They dropped a tough match against Iowa Premier, but will still be in the hunt for gold on Saturday.    New Names To Know   When I come to a tournament this large I usually have a focus for the day.  Today was 16 Open new names.  Who are the athletes I haven't seen before?  I do cover quite a bit of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, but today I was watching with a national lens.  These new names could have been one play that was impressive, consistently strong skills, or even something that's an intangible - helping their team with their effort and energy.     When it comes to setters, it all comes down to how they manage the court. Kelsey Green is a QB1 for Elevation 16 Renfro. She is so quick with her feet, but completely under control where she plays with plenty of poise and maturity. The game slows down for her where she knows how to get her attacker in position to be successful. I saw her run a 5-1 where she also defends her position well and has great control along the net. Elevation will be in gold pools for 16 Open on Saturday.     Full transparency being from Wisconsin, i haven't followed high school volleyball too closely in Alabama, but maybe I should. Madison Mayo was so impressive for Alabama Performance. The Class of 2028 six rotation outside showed she can score on both pins and take some rips out of the back row. She is so steady, cool and calm no matter what situation her team is in. Her ability to score points is what sets her apart, but she also has very positive intangibles in her favor as well.     Buy stock in Harper Whitworth now! Theresa Class of 2028 setter is a small town Illinois athlete with a huge game. She plays for Blue Steel 16 Black who will be advancing in gold pool 16 Open play. She brings size and physicality to the net and ass a left handed setter she puts a ton of pressure on the defense. Every time she jumps the defense has to be ready. She is able to score on her own or dish to an open attacker where she's part of a well balanced offense. Really exciting player and who doesn't play for a big club, but she is one you can't miss.     So explosive! Jentelle McNairl is a six rotation outside hitter for Alliance 16 Ren. She has already picked up two state titles for Valor College Prep out of Nashville and has plenty left in the tank for more hardware. She can serve receive, pass, and is always an outlet to score points. When she makes hand contact, it just sounds different. Combine that with a fast approach and she is so touch for a defense to slow down.    Caitlyn Gutt - Academy 16 Yeti   Carsyn Chitty - Mintonette m.61    Sophia Basham - Mintonette m.61   Ellyson Fogle - TPV 16 Maverick    Jorden Robinson - TPV 16 Maverick    Ela Hernandez - PGH Elite 16 Elite    Addison Corbett - PGH Elite 16 Elite    Vivienne Deily-Nelson - PGH 16 Elite    Kelsey Green - Elevation 16 Renfro    Addyson Wolfer - Elevation 16 Renfro    Madison Mayo -Alabama Performance 16N Red    Olivia Rossi - Alabama Performance 16N Red   Nivieah Sheppard - Alabama Performance 16N Red   Logann Dostal - Premier Nebraska 16 Gold    Ava Nowling - Premier Nebraska 16 Gold    Ava Lane - Apex 16 National Navy    Lucy Schmoke - Alliance 16 Ren   Jentelle McNairl- Alliance 16 Ren    Kaylee Ballard - Dynasty 16 Blue    Kamiyah Harris - Dynasty 16 Blue    Alaina Ortiz - Dynasty 16 Blue    Addison Casey - Cape Coast 16 Titan    Charlotte Patton - Tri State Elite 16 Blue    Mya Bosse - Tri State Elite 16 Blue    Lauren Williams - Tri State Elite 16 Blue    Jaslyn Rasmussen - Iowa UTD 16 Timmerman   Avery Minor - MN Select 16-1    Finley Grashuis - MVA Rise Academy 61    Stella Polavin - MVA Rise Academy 61    Heidi White - MVA Rise Academy 61   Annika Hueller - MN Select 16-1    Caroline Anetipa - MN Select 16-1    Kara Schubert - Sky High 16 Elite    Emerson Zovistoski - Sky High 16 Elite    Lydia Weaver - Boiler JRs 16 Gold    Caroline Brown - Boiler JRs 16 Gold    Hailey Schmidtlein - Topeka Saints 16 Gold   Quincy Cook - Topeka Saints 16 Gold   Kaelyn Rinehart - Iowa UTD 16 Timmerman   Jaya Morrow - Iowa UTD 16 Timmerman   Harper Whitworth - BSVBV 16 Black    Kinze Reese - BSVBC 16 Black    Lela Stinson - BSVBC 16 Black

There is just the feel of March Madness in the air. The restaurants in Indianapolis have opened their patios for plenty of visitors to enjoy some basketball with the final four coming to town in a couple of weeks. But first, we have some “Bid”ness to attend to at the Mideast Qualifier.