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Post by vbtalk on Jan 20, 2023 9:18:44 GMT -5
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Post by n00b on Jan 22, 2023 16:25:04 GMT -5
Bid winners: Mavs (Kansas City) Mintonette (Windy City) Premier Nebraska (Kansas City) Sunshine (Windy City) Wave (Windy City) Lone Star Bids: 1. Drive Nation 2. A5 3. Dallas Skyline |
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 22, 2023 22:12:10 GMT -5
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Post by lotstodo2023 on Jan 23, 2023 7:01:10 GMT -5
They don't and neither does Florida Fest. |
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 23, 2023 9:14:49 GMT -5
They don't and neither does Florida Fest. Forgot NLQ used TM2 previously |
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Post by latebloomer on Jan 23, 2023 18:33:46 GMT -5
Haven’t had a chance to sit down and recap the first couple of events for the Arizona club teams, but for those curious about what’s what and who’s who in the Grand Canyon State, I made a few observations.
Arizona 16s, 17s and 18s have played two tournament-like events. I say tournament-like because Arizona uses a 2-day seeding event, basically two days of pool play and then you end up with a rough idea of who the best teams are, even though they don’t actually play one another just yet. The second event is the 3-day Fiesta MLK Tournament that finished up on Jan. 16.
I think the top two teams in the state kind of showed themselves during those two events. AZ Rev 18 Premier finished up as the No. 1 seed, going 6-0 in the opening event with only one dropped set. Rev has well-known talent at the OH position. Kendal Murphy (Baylor), Eryn Jones and junior (playing up) Evan Hendrix (both TCU commits) and a new face on the Revolution team, Kamryn Gibadlo (Utah) are all OH, which begs the question: “Are there enough sets to go around with this talented position group?” The setters are solid, as well, with Lexi Yoza (Temple) and 2024 NC State commit Alyssa Forelli running a two-setter system. Where Rev may be susceptible is in the middle. They lost Grace “GG” Greenlee (Northern Arizona) for the season with a knee injury, which took away a big presence for them. If their other middles can be solid on defense, Rev has enough offensive firepower at the OH position to make up for it. Rev 18 is definitely a contender in the Open division at nationals.
After going 6-0 to start the season, Rev was 7-0 to begin the Fiesta MLK tournament before running into Arizona Storm 17 Thunder in the semis. Storm 17 won a 3-set battle to advance to the finals where their older clubmates were waiting. Storm 18 Thunder, which also went 6-0 during the seeding tournament, rolled through the Fiesta MLK Classic, going 9-0 and losing just one set to open the club season 16-0 with just one lost set. They beat Storm 17 in the finals (25-13, 25-21) right after handing AZ Sky 17G its first loss of the young season (25-22, 25-19) in the semis. Storm 18 Thunder has a very solid lineup, with high-level talent at each position. Ali Wiest (Weber St.) and Avery Burks (Tulane) are both true six-rotation outsides and both were efficient and had very few errors in the matches I watched. What I think made Storm 18 stand out was its service reception, which has been on point so far. Storm 18 also has probably the top middle in Arizona, Ella Lomigora (Long Beach St.), who isn’t one of those overpowering hitters, but she uses angles and quickness to her advantage. And, anything hit down the middle is likely to be sent back when Lomigora is at the net. Storm 18 has two strong options at RS in Sarah Wadsworth (Marshall) and lefty Ella Swansiger (McNeese St.) They can play big and run a 6-2 with setters Gabi LeBlanc and Ava Larkin running the office. If they opt for a 5-1 attack, Larkin, a 5-11 lefty, also gives them a dangerous weapon of a setter who can swing. I saw her go over on two a couple times and teams were left flat-footed. Overall, this team could surprise people on the national level with its defense and ball control keeping it in matches.
Other challengers to Rev 18 and Storm 18 are East Valley Juniors 18’s, which features Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year OH Neomi Beach (San Diego), AZ Sky 17G, Storm 17 and Storm 16. Both Rev 18 and Storm 18 will be in Salt Lake City this weekend for the Salt Lake Showdown qualifier. I’d be surprised if one of those teams doesn’t secure an Open bid.
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 23, 2023 19:44:00 GMT -5
Haven’t had a chance to sit down and recap the first couple of events for the Arizona club teams, but for those curious about what’s what and who’s who in the Grand Canyon State, I made a few observations. Arizona 16s, 17s and 18s have played two tournament-like events. I say tournament-like because Arizona uses a 2-day seeding event, basically two days of pool play and then you end up with a rough idea of who the best teams are, even though they don’t actually play one another just yet. The second event is the 3-day Fiesta MLK Tournament that finished up on Jan. 16. I think the top two teams in the state kind of showed themselves during those two events. AZ Rev 18 Premier finished up as the No. 1 seed, going 6-0 in the opening event with only one dropped set. Rev has well-known talent at the OH position. Kendal Murphy (Baylor), Eryn Jones and junior (playing up) Evan Hendrix (both TCU commits) and a new face on the Revolution team, Kamryn Gibadlo (Utah) are all OH, which begs the question: “Are there enough sets to go around with this talented position group?” The setters are solid, as well, with Lexi Yoza (Temple) and 2024 NC State commit Alyssa Forelli running a two-setter system. Where Rev may be susceptible is in the middle. They lost Grace “GG” Greenlee (Northern Arizona) for the season with a knee injury, which took away a big presence for them. If their other middles can be solid on defense, Rev has enough offensive firepower at the OH position to make up for it. Rev 18 is definitely a contender in the Open division at nationals. After going 6-0 to start the season, Rev was 7-0 to begin the Fiesta MLK tournament before running into Arizona Storm 17 Thunder in the semis. Storm 17 won a 3-set battle to advance to the finals where their older clubmates were waiting. Storm 18 Thunder, which also went 6-0 during the seeding tournament, rolled through the Fiesta MLK Classic, going 9-0 and losing just one set to open the club season 16-0 with just one lost set. They beat Storm 17 in the finals (25-13, 25-21) right after handing AZ Sky 17G its first loss of the young season (25-22, 25-19) in the semis. Storm 18 Thunder has a very solid lineup, with high-level talent at each position. Ali Wiest (Weber St.) and Avery Burks (Tulane) are both true six-rotation outsides and both were efficient and had very few errors in the matches I watched. What I think made Storm 18 stand out was its service reception, which has been on point so far. Storm 18 also has probably the top middle in Arizona, Ella Lomigora (Long Beach St.), who isn’t one of those overpowering hitters, but she uses angles and quickness to her advantage. And, anything hit down the middle is likely to be sent back when Lomigora is at the net. Storm 18 has two strong options at RS in Sarah Wadsworth (Marshall) and lefty Ella Swansiger (McNeese St.) They can play big and run a 6-2 with setters Gabi LeBlanc and Ava Larkin running the office. If they opt for a 5-1 attack, Larkin, a 5-11 lefty, also gives them a dangerous weapon of a setter who can swing. I saw her go over on two a couple times and teams were left flat-footed. Overall, this team could surprise people on the national level with its defense and ball control keeping it in matches. Other challengers to Rev 18 and Storm 18 are East Valley Juniors 18’s, which features Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year OH Neomi Beach (San Diego), AZ Sky 17G, Storm 17 and Storm 16. Both Rev 18 and Storm 18 will be in Salt Lake City this weekend for the Salt Lake Showdown qualifier. I’d be surprised if one of those teams doesn’t secure an Open bid. Quality update for those of us who don't get to see the western teams much. AZ EVJ 18 Elite was in Texas this past weekend and looks like they finished 14th at 5-3. |
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 24, 2023 8:06:42 GMT -5
16-18 now has updated brackets |
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Post by latebloomer on Jan 25, 2023 15:20:52 GMT -5
Pools up for Salt Lake Showdown 18s qualifier. Open looks very top-heavy with five legit potential qualifiers. Not sure about what Hive can do, but they are the 6 seed. Top five seeds are: Sunshine 18 LA Club V 18 Ren Reed Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar AZ Storm 18 Thunder AZ REV 18 Premier With Sunshine already holding a bid, it'll come down to the next four (or another surprise team that jumps up) battling to get into the semis. results.advancedeventsystems.com/event/PTAwMDAwMjk4NDg90/divisions/136519/overview |
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 26, 2023 6:50:26 GMT -5
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 27, 2023 12:14:46 GMT -5
Iowa Rockets with a nice start in 18 Open at NLQ, 2-0 with wins over Dynasty & FC Elite. They won the Liberty division at Windy City but that's a bit of a jump to Open.
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 27, 2023 15:27:04 GMT -5
1st Alliance over already qualified Mintonette in cross pool action at Florida Fest
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Post by silverchloride on Jan 28, 2023 10:51:21 GMT -5
1st Alliance over already qualified Mintonette in cross pool action at Florida Fest 1st Alliance won the GJNC as 17s last year, no? Very dynamic with great defense, and they run a very fast offense; potential repeat? |
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Post by definitelymaybe on Jan 28, 2023 12:36:48 GMT -5
Matches going according to seed today in Utah with the exception of Long Beach losing their first match of the day
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Post by silverchloride on Jan 28, 2023 16:45:31 GMT -5
Matches going according to seed today in Utah with the exception of Long Beach losing their first match of the day AES is showing that Mizuno went 3-0 today (Open)?
EDIT: My Bad, I was looking at yesterday. Today, 1-2.
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