POV - Prep Dig Chris Windy City Qualifier Observations

Another Windy City is in the books.  This year brought talent from across the country to Chicago. We see the scores on AES, we take a look at the social media - it's hard to miss.  What went down at Windy City that is beyond the scores?  Here are a few notes and observations from the weekend at the Windy City Qualifier.    What's The Vibe?   There is a different vibe at the Windy City Qualifier than what I feel at other tournaments. That starts with SPACE! There are 150 courts between two different convention halls and what I really enjoy is the space to move around. At some events I feel like I'm always doing the Midwest saying of “Ope, let me scootch right past ya” all the time. At this qualifier there is definitely space to move around from court to court. I told someone that sometimes I feel like a bee just bouncing from flower to clower going from court to court in the best way possible. I also feel like with this space there there isn't as much noise in the facility. This is speaking from a photographer POV, but the lighting at the McCormick is ideal. Whenever I take pictures here, they are some of the best to use for graphics and articles.   Qualifiers are now expanding to multiple weekends and some multiple cities.  What I enjoy about the Windy City Qualifier is the chance to see all age groups in one spot.  I was able to see the 17 Open while heading over to watch some of the 15 USA, see a lot of Illinois 2028s while even getting a chance to watch some friends coach at the 14s level, and some former players I had from last year at the 13s level.  I know Easter weekend can be tough, but as far as a tournament there is a great feel (after navigating parking and uber and any other means of transportation).    California Standing On Business   California had some of the top teams in each open field. Chicago is a great spot for a clash of the Midwest versus the rest. Wave out of SoCal and Vision out of NorCal were two of the headliners where their teams are accustomed to competing for a title come day three. In 17 Open, Wave 17 Juliana took home the title with Vision 17 Gold finishing as runner up. Wave 16 Scott finished runner up in 16 Open and Wave 15 Brennan finishing on top of the 15 Open Division.   Other California teams who made the trip were LOVB 17 Angel who is headlined by top prospect Kendal Omoruyi and USC commit McKenna McIntosh, Actyve, and T-Street.     Circle 16s Continue Strong Season   Circle City out of Indianapolis has a tradition of producing high level athletes who have gone on to successful collegiate careers. These teams are accustomed to playing with discipline, they lock it down on defense, and find a way to win the big points - consistently. The Circle City 16 Purple team wears down their opponents. They don't give away free points and when it comes to the big matches they find a way to get it done. They did drop a match on Saturday to Tstreet to start the day which put them in must win mode the rest of the weekend. They would advance to the final gold pool, going 2-0 against 1st Alliance 16 Gold and Mintonette m.61 that would set up them in the final four. They swept Union and took down Wave 16 Scott in the title. They came in as the number one seed and went home on top of the podium. They will continue to build momentum this season where they will look foward to hosting USAV Nationals in Indianapolis this summer.   Tie Goes To The “Heartbreaker”   There were some wild finishes in some of these pools.  Day two of a tournament I like to call “Separation Saturday” where teams are looking to break through to the final gold pools/bracket which puts them into bid contention.  In 17 Open, Michio 17 Blue Smoke was able to advance out of their day two gold pool going 1-2 where the tie went in their favor over Top Select and Pineapple.  On the final day, their pool of Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, Metro 17 Travel, and 1st Alliance 17 Gold.  Everyone went 1-1, with Metro going 3-2 in sets which sent them to the final four.     16 Open had quite a second day with teams shuffling all over the place.  Four of the six pools had a three way tie.  I think the worst is when a team goes 2-1 and someone gets left out.  PineappleHP 16U escaped their pool going 1-2 over Dynasty and Circle City 16 Black. 1st Alliance 16 Gold, Actyve 16 Navy, and Metro 16 Travel all went 2-1 with 1st Alliance and Metro advancing.  Pool 4 had Wave 16 Brennan as the top seed and would eventually finish second overall, but survived a three way tie with KC Power 16-1 and Union.  MKE Sting 16 Gold was the odd team out in a three way tie going 2-1 with HPSTL 16 Royal and Premier Nebraska 16 Gold.    KC Power 16-1 and MKE Sting 16 Gold have been so close to grabbing an open bid being in contention on day two and even day three.  They will both be at Show Me in Kansas City this upcoming weekend.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/WCQ1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-961770" style="aspect-ratio:1.5014953078271631;width:557px;height:auto"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Shayla Rautenberg of Nebraska One 17 Synergy </figcaption></figure>   Future Recruiting Classes Coming Together   I didn't watch a ton of 17 Open this weekend, mostly focusing on 16s and 15s, but with how my brain operates I can't help but notice what some of these future recruiting classes come together.  Nebraska stands out right away with Kendall Omoruyi of LOVB 17 Angel, Shaye Witherspoon of Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite, and Maisie Boesiger of Nebraska One 17 Synergy.  Missouri had two athletes in Maizy Agnello of Sky High 17 Adidas and Lucky Fasavalu of LOVB 17 Angel.  Seeing two electric pins who will be heading to Michigan is exciting in Maggie Kurpeikis of Adversity 17 Adidas and Luca Bombacino of Michio 17 Blue Smoke.     In 17 Open there are two athletes in particular where volleyball fans will be watching closely from the Class of 2028.  Shayla Rautenberg of Nebraska One 17 Synergy and Cala Haffner of PineappleHP 17U are two of the best.  They are part of the USAV U19 National Team and the best at their position in the Class of 2028.  Rautenberg has deep connections to Nebraska with her mother, Lisa Reistma being a Nebraska Volleyball Hall of Famer and the Husker volleyball staff being at her basketball games (which she was named Max Preps Nebraska Basketball Player of the Year). She also plays with Maisie Boesiger who is committed to Nebraska.    Great Lakes Teams Find Success in 16 USA   With a large update coming to the Prep Dig Illinois Class of 2028 rankings, I spent a lot of time watching 16 USA this weekend.  1st Alliance 16 Silver took home the title where they have had a huge month, they also won the 16 USA title at MEQ a couple of weeks ago.  The Great Lakes Region had five teams competing in 16 USA Day two gold pools.  A team that has been climbing up the rankings is Attack VBC 16 Select who finished 5th overall.  They have a 2028 outside hitter to keep tabs on with Katy Zumerchik who has had a huge club season.     <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/04/WCQ2-crop-3188x2093-1775501670.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-961768" style="width:508px;height:auto"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Darci Meyer officiating 17 Open</figcaption></figure>   The Officials and Coaches   An event of this capacity is not possible without officials.  These officials are on the stand nine to ten matches a day and just like athletes - they need to be locked in through both waves.  Have a tough play, set, or match?  They have to move on quickly because the next play is coming.  These officials travel across the country, it's a great network of people.  The officials who are on the stand for the open level matches have worked their way to be in that position.  They go through evaluations, they go to clinics, they are doing what they can to improve their craft.  Be sure to thank an official…especially on those late PM waves and the day three afternoons of a qualifier.    I am such a fan of these coaches.  I come to watch the players with my evaluation hat on, but I am also on the sideline learning from some of the best. Many of these coaches have been at the collegiate level (some still are), some have won state titles, others have dedicated their time to the youth level where they are providing a building block of fundamentals, and at all levels finding joy in the game - even when the scoreboard doesn't go in their favor.  The end of March and the start of April can be a tough spot for coaches.  The season is a grind, the qualifier season is winding down, but yet nationals is still three months away.  Hang in there coaches, I see you - you got this!

Another Windy City is in the books. This year brought talent from across the country to Chicago. We see the scores on AES, we take a look at the social media - it's hard to miss. What went down at Windy City that is beyond the scores? Here are a few notes and observations from the weekend at the Windy City Qualifier.