New USA Volleyball Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USA Volleyball is trying something new this year with a ranking system. As with every attempt at trying something new, there are questions, but the primary headline is their rankings are based only on USA-sanctioned events. They list a few takeaways that come with the system and future goals. One reason they state is for teams to see how they stack up against other teams across the country. Another idea is that tournament hosts can utilize these rankings when seeding teams. In the future, they see the rankings being used to award at-large berths for championship events. Today, we look at some of the teams in Missouri and Kansas making a splash in the top 50. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The winner of two qualifiers, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 18 Black</strong> is the top-ranked team in the nine spot. They are fresh off a deep run in the Triple Crown NIT and have a team of top-notch athletes like [player_tooltip player_id='119708' first='Rachel' last='Van Gorp'] and [player_tooltip player_id='119724' first='Jillian' last='Huckabey']. Their posted record of 25-7 puts them at a 78% winning percentage in USA events. Down in the 17th position, <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Elite</strong> holds strong with a 26-11 record. They are also open-qualified after earning a bid in the first qualifier of the year for them in Kansas City. They are another team with an experienced and deep roster featuring [player_tooltip player_id='153933' first='Jordan' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='124215' first='Olivia' last='Hasbrook']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 18 Red</strong> earns a spot in the 25th position. They have their Liberty bid after winning the ASICS MLK tournament in January. After winning a bid, their other tournament play has been in attempts to advance their division at nationals. [player_tooltip player_id='216375' first='Brynn' last='Stowell'] has been instrumental in helping them boast a 20-5 record against USA teams. Another St. Louis area team makes the rankings with <strong>HPSTL 18 Royal</strong>. They are another team nationals bound after clinching a USA bid at MLK. A 33-8 record is good for a top 40 ranking at 39th. Morgan Dumm has been a valuable addition to this team in the setter position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three teams round out the top 50: <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 18 Blue</strong>, <strong>Mizuno Club North 18 Ang</strong>, and <strong>Mavs KC 18-2. </strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] won the gauntlet that is the American division in Salt Lake City. They come in at 42nd and sport<strong> </strong>a 27-13 record. They went 7-1 in their first qualifier but were able to get it done their next time out. [player_tooltip player_id='216402' first='Delaney' last='Cahill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='261296' first='Emily' last='Jones'] have been instrumental pieces. Club North and Mavs come in at 48th and 49th. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Elite</strong> currently has the highest ranking among teams in Missouri and Kansas, coming in at six. Their record of 22-10 shows the level of competition they face with the ten losses being the most amongst teams in the top 15. They are one of few teams in the 17s division with a bid earned, qualifying in the Freedom division from their region. They will continue to work to upgrade that bid in the qualifying season. [player_tooltip player_id='174285' first='Avery' last='Helms'] and [player_tooltip player_id='169896' first='Ellie' last='Witthaus'] will help lead the way. Local foe <strong>HPSTL 17 Royal </strong>shows in the top 20 at 16. They have faced stiff competition, evidenced by their 12 defeats to USA teams. The team returns a strong nucleus from a year ago with Harper Highfiill, [player_tooltip player_id='169895' first='Tara' last='Greenberry'], and [player_tooltip player_id='168037' first='Hannah' last='Leftridge']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kansas Networks 17 Showtime</strong> is a smaller club in central to north Kansas but has had a successful winter. They had a good showing recently at the President's Day tournament in Omaha and won the 17 club division at MLK in January. They are currently ranked at 33rd with a 14-5 record. They have a team of all-state and all-league players from their region with [player_tooltip player_id='173379' first='Delainee' last='Dexter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='520294' first='Kenzy' last='McArtor'] pacing the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have a couple of teams in the top 50 currently and expect quite a few more once the qualifying season gets going and teams start playing more competition outside of their region. <strong>HPSTL 16 Royal</strong> shows up with a 19-9 record and holds the fourth spot presently. They captured their Freedom bid by winning the regional event to lock in a trip to nationals this summer. They are a team that should be in the mix for an open bid behind players like [player_tooltip player_id='222058' first='Katherine' last='Byergo'] and Isabella Sohl on their roster. <strong>Blue Steel Volleyball 16 Black</strong> went 6-2 in the same Gateway bid event and currently sits in the 40th position in the USA Volleyball rankings. As a Gateway team, they are based in Illinois. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we stated with the 15s, expect the rankings to look much different on March 28th than on February 28th. Two St. Louis teams hold a spot in the rankings, <strong>HPSTL 15 Royal</strong> and <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 15 Elite</strong>. With an 18-10 record, Royal comes in at 23rd. This follows a 9-1 record in their region's bid event, where they went 2-1 in matches against Rockwood. Speaking of Rockwood, they check in at 27th while holding a 19-11 record. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->