USAV 15 Open First Impressions - The Notes App is Open

The heat is on (even though some would say it is near freezing in the convention center). 15 Open is no joke. These are the best teams in the country and they came to play with something to prove. These teams have been going head to head all season and we get to see who is on top of the mountain come Thursday. Here is a quick look into my “Notes App” and what I all saw from Day 1 of 15 Open. I did cover 15 Open and 15 National and I saw nearly ever team take the court in 15 Open. However, the week is young and I’ll come back fresh tomorrow as the pools start to shake out and we see who will be advancing to power pools come Wednesday. <h4><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1172470046887941&type=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USAV 2022 – Day 1 – 15 Open/National Photos</a></h4> The Physicality of the Attackers [caption id="attachment_204876" align="alignright" width="363"]<img class="wp-image-204876" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/DSC06442.jpg" alt="" width="363" height="242" /> Sigler[/caption] Teraya Sigler - Arizona Storm 15 Thunder This was stop number one in seeing the overall number one seed take the court. The first player I noticed was outside hitter Teraya Sigler. Her strength and physicality on the pin was special. She hits it square with a lot of pop that makes it tough for the other side of the net to stay in system. However, as the match progressed, I saw more shots where she was going line, a deep roll, using the arms of the blockers. Storm went 3-0, surviving their first match, going 17-15 to Austin Juniors in set three. Ava Poinsett - Coast 15-1 Coast came in as the 23 seed and rattled off three victories today that included an opening win against number two seed, Dynasty. This team is incredibly organized and doesn’t let the ball drop. They also have a relentless attacker in Ava Poinsett who plays with such maturity. With a heavy swing and always an outlet from middle back, she somehow finds a way to score points. If she’s not scoring points, she is keeping the other side of the net out of system. With Poinsett on the court, its as if this squad just knows things are going to be ok. Definitely the “California Chill” type of vibe. [caption id="attachment_204877" align="alignright" width="356"]<img class="wp-image-204877" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/DSC06583.jpg" alt="" width="356" height="237" /> Loper[/caption] Staying in California, there were a few more pin hitters who make it happen for their squad. Kaci Demaria of Surfside 15 PV Legends, Quinn Loper of Tstreet 15 Curtis, Lucy Chertock and Abigail Krause of NorCal Black 15-1. At this level, the outside hitters can hammer. Put them in a free ball situation and they are going to terminate, it’s automatic. However with these attackers they were able to do something with the ball when it was out of system. There could be a scramble play and on the third contact they are hitting the ball hard. They may not be scoring points every time, but they are preventing the other side from getting a free ball. At the open level, its all about capitalizing and preventing your opponent from getting an easy opportunity to score. These athletes are always going to be dangerous when they take the court.   What Teams Looked Real Strong Arizona Storm doesn’t have a weakness. They have a really gritty libero in Izabella Mahaffey and setter, Kaia Pixler who has great hands and has a major presence at the net as well. However, another Arizona team that looked strong this morning knocking off 1st Alliance as AZ Sky where they had two attackers in Georgi Stein and SaMya Dorsey. [caption id="attachment_204879" align="alignright" width="347"]<img class="wp-image-204879" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/DSC06579.jpg" alt="" width="347" height="231" /> Morgan Madison[/caption] Then there’s Houston Skyline. They did drop their first match to HPSTL, but this team has depth and a lot of unique weapons to their lineup that are going to be tough to stop. Madison Morgan at libero is so solid. She commands the backrow and is uber athletic. Bailey Warren and Taylor Porter are two lethal pins who are extremely explosive where they have a violent approach and an even more ferocious arm swing. Porter is a six rotation right side who is extremely dynamic and is so different than other right sides where she has to be recognized to matter where she is on the court. Legacy 15-1 Adidas went 3-0 today, continuing their roll from winning an AAU 15 Open title last week. Being extremely transparent, I’ve seen this team play so much from Central Zone back in January to qualifiers throughout the year that I think I’ve taken for granted how strong they are. The same can be said about Circle City where I’ve seen them play in a lot of the same tournaments as Legacy. They went 3-0 like it was another early round in a qualifier (which it is definitely not). These teams are so consistent, playing error free ball that they can take teams quickly out of they routine. [caption id="attachment_204880" align="alignright" width="344"]<img class="wp-image-204880" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/DSC06490.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="229" /> OT 15 Randy[/caption] Alamo 15 Premier was really strong today. Whenever I watch an Alamo team play, I know they are going to compete and play really solid and consistent volleyball. Megan Fitch was a big time attacker for this team today. OT 15 Randy sure likes to make things interesting. A lot of close sets with a team who is a little bit banged up after a final four finish at AAUs. However, with their depth and balance I wouldn’t count them out of any match. They are extremely gritty. They were the runner up at Triple Crown and had a really solid qualifier season. Another 3-0 team I didn’t get to today is Mizuno Long Beach…they are first on the list for tomorrow.   Other Notes: [caption id="attachment_204881" align="alignright" width="348"]<img class="wp-image-204881" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/DSC06574.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="232" /> Beauford[/caption] Austin Juniors setter Takyla Brown was so smooth. She made a lot of really difficult sets look easy. She has a lot of length and athleticism to go with a polished skill set. She definitely stood out among the setters in this division. Hannah Beauford of Drive Nation is a setter, but was playing her front row base out of the middle. That’s real tough, but she made it work. A gritty athlete. 1st Alliance 15 Gold is a team that I have watched consistently since Triple Crown in February. Two athletes who had big moments and have really improved throughout the season is Sydney Buchanan and LaDonna Trantham. They had major moments today of being key contributors. Lastly, I love it when a defensive specialist can come into the match and have an instant impact. Reagan Brumfield of NorCal came in and served two aces, forced a timeout, and ultimately closed out the set win. The key spark!