We began releasing our National Rankings this month. We have already put out the 18s, 17s and 16s divisions. We now release our 15s Top 50 National Rankings. At the conclusion of the national championships we will release our final rankings. There are lots of factors to take into consideration when formulating a list like this. It leaves plenty of room for debate as these rankings are ultimately subjective. The Top 25 teams have comments to hopefully give some insight as to why they are ranked where they are. A select few from 26-50 have comments as well but not all.

1. ARIZONA STORM 15 THUNDER

Comment: Storm’s only loss this season on a national stage was to Dynasty 15 Black at Triple Crown, where Storm placed ninth. Storm’s results to date also include winning two qualifiers – the Salt Lake City Showdown and Red Rock Rave. The team has posted an 18-1 overall mark against the field.

2. HOU SKYLINE 15 ROYAL

Comment: Hou Skyline is 13-4 against the Open field. Seven of those victories have come against teams ranked in the Top 10, including HJV 15 Elite (twice), Dynasty, 1st Alliance 15 Gold, OT 15 Randy, Legacy 15-1 Adidas, TAV 15 Black and Surfside 15 PV Legends. It has also lost to 1st Alliance and HJV, as well as Austin Skyline 15 Royal and Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar.

3. TAV 15 BLACK

Comment: Two of TAV’s five losses against the Open field have come against AZ Storm and Hou Skyline. The other teams to beat TAV are HJV, AJV 15 Adidas and Wave 15 Scott. TAV owns victories over all three of those squads, as well as Surfside and Drive Nation 15 Red (three times). In all, TAV has 18 wins against the field.

4. DYNASTY 15 BLACK

Comment: Playing at Triple Crown, MEQ, Show Me and Windy City, Dynasty has gone 12-8 against the Open field. While that record isn’t as standout as some others in the Top 10, Dynasty’s worst finish in those four tournaments was fifth at Triple Crown. It took runner-up at Windy City and Show Me and gold at MEQ. Some of its top victories include beating No. 1 AZ Storm, 1st Alliance, Circle City 15 Purple (twice), OT Randy, HJV and Legacy. Among its losses are Absolute Black 15-1, Hou Skyline, HJV, Skyline 15 Royal, Austin Skyline, MAVS KC 15-1, Nebraska One 15 Synergy and Circle City.

5. CIRCLE CITY 15 PURPLE

Comment: The early part of the season saw Circle City struggle some, as the Hoosier Region club took losses to Adidas KiVA 15 Red, ECJ 15-1 and A5 Mizuno 15 Bob. The latter two didn’t qualify for Open while KIVA doesn’t play national qualifiers. All three losses were before qualifying season began. Circle City also owns two victories over ECJ and is 1-1 against A5. Qualifying season is when Circle City started taking off. Circle City finished first at Windy City, and took third at both Show Me and MEQ. It has a 15-4 record against the field, including wins over Legacy (three times), 1st Alliance and Dynasty, which Circle City is 1-2 against. Circle City is also 2-2 against HPSTL 15 Royal.

6. 1ST ALLIANCE 15 GOLD

Comment: 1st Alliance has proven itself among the best in the country. The Great Lakes Region club is 13-4 against the field playing at Triple Crown (first place), MEQ (second), Sunshine (fifth) and Windy City (third). It has just one loss to a non-Open team in Union 15-1 UA, which 1st Alliance is 1-1 against. The four losses against the field are all to teams ranked in the Top 10 in Dynasty, Hou Skyline, OT Randy – which 1st Alliance is 2-1 against – and Circle City.

7. OT 15 RANDY

Comment: The Big South champs are 14-5 against the Open field. Of those five losses, four are to teams ranked higher in 1st Alliance (twice), Dynasty and Hou Skyline. The other loss is to Surfside, a team OT has also beaten. OT also owns a victory over 1st Alliance, as well as Long Beach.

8. LEGACY 15-1 ADIDAS

Comment: Legacy – which is 13-10 against the Open field – hasn’t found a way to get past the top teams. Nine of those 10 losses are to teams ranked ahead of Legacy, including 1st Alliance (three times), AZ Storm, Circle City (three times), Hou Skyline and Dynasty. The only Open team outside the Top 10 to beat Legacy is Six Pack 15. KiVA, as well as MKE Sting 15 Gold, also own victories over Legacy, though Legacy has also defeated MKE Sting.

9. HJV 15 ELITE

Comment: With a 12-12 mark against the Open field, HJV hasn’t put up the best record. Still, it has a couple of impressive wins over TAV and Hou Skyline, as well as Dynasty and Long Beach. Most of the losses have been quality ones as well, falling to Hou Skyline (twice), TAV, Circle City, Legacy, Dynasty and 1st Alliance. It has also gone 1-1 against AJV, GP 15 Rox and Alamo 15 Premier. It has two losses to teams not qualified for Open in AVA TX 15 Rox – which HJV has beaten twice – and SCVC 15 Roxy.

10. SURFSIDE 15 PV LEGENDS

Comment: Surfside took seventh at Triple Crown and second at NEQ. It stumbled at PNQ, taking ninth. In part, it helped Surfside build a 15-6 record when facing Open opponents. Four of those losses are to Top 10 teams in Hou Skyline, Legacy, OT Randy and TAV. The other two came against ID Crush 15 Bower and Madfrog 15 Green. Surfside also has two defeats to non-Open clubs in Vision 15 Gold and Tribe 15 Dean. Some of its Open victories are over OT Randy, Long Beach (twice) and Coast 15-1 (three times).

11. MIZUNO LONG BEACH 15 ROCKSTAR

Comment: There’s been plenty of action against the rest of the Open field for Long Beach, which has gone 17-13 in such matches. The So Cal club finished 11th at Triple Crown, runner up at both Salt Lake and Far Western and third at PNQ. It carries a victory over No. 2 Hou Skyline and hasn’t lost to a non-Open squad.

12. MAVS KC 15-1

Comment: MAVS, which has gone 11-8 against the field, might be ranked a little high. At the same time, it might not be. MAVS has beaten Dynasty and Austin Skyline. It has quality losses to HJV, Legacy (twice), OT Randy (twice), Circle City and Surfside. It has lost three times to teams not qualified for Open in AVA, Club One AZ 15 Platinum and KiVA (a JVA/AAU club).

13. AUSTIN SKYLINE 15 ROYAL

Comment: We are at that point in the rankings where only a few teams left have winning records against the Open field. Austin Skyline, at 10-14, does not but comes in at No. 13 based on a couple factors. It does have two victories over Top 10 opponents in Dynasty and Hou Skyline. It also owns head-to-head victories over both Coast and Absolute. And it has only lost once – to Union – to a non-Open club. Also, 10 of its 14 losses are to teams ranked higher.

14. COAST 15-1

Comment: Coast is an interesting team and a hard one to rank. It’s played a whopping 33 matches against the Open field, going 14-19. Among the positives for Coast is going 2-3 against Long Beach, as well as victories over both Absolute, Drive Nation, Skyline and Excel 15 National Red. Also, 11 of those 19 losses are to teams ranked higher. Some of the negatives are going 1-2 against Tstreet 15 Curtis, plus losses to non-Open teams in A4 Volley 15 Purple, Club V 15 Adam, MKE Sting 15 Gold and Viper 15 Mauro. Coast has beaten A4 and does own two victories over Viper.

15. ABSOLUTE BLACK 15-1

Comment: With an 8-7 mark against the Open field, Absolute has been solid enough so far. It does own a victory over Dynasty and Long Beach, which it is 1-1 against. Among the quality losses are to OT Randy, Austin Skyline and Coast. It has only one loss to a non-Open team in Club V.

16. NEBRASKA ONE 15 SYNERGY

Comment: A couple tough losses for Nebraska One include going down to non-Open teams in Co Jrs 15 Shannon and MAVS 816 15-1. But it is one of the few teams remaining with a winning record against the Open field at 9-4. It features victories over both Dynasty and Skyline. Among its quality losses are Legacy and Long Beach.

17. SKYLINE 15 ROYAL

Comment: Among Skyline’s best victories are triumphs over Dynasty and Austin Skyline. They are part of Skyline’s 7-11 record against the Open field. Among the quality losses are Surfside, AZ Storm, 1st Alliance, HJV and Hou Skyline. Skyline has also fallen to KiVA, MKE Sting, ARVC 15 Adidas and Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite, none of which are in Open. Skyline does carry a victory over ARVC as well.

18. EXCEL 15 NATIONAL RED

Comment: Excel holds a 9-13 mark against Open-qualified teams. Teams it has beaten include Austin Skyline (twice), Madfrog 15 Green, Drive Nation and Alamo. It has also lost to Alamo, as well as Austin Skyline, Long Beach, TAV (three times), AZ Storm, Hou Skyline and Skyline (twice). It does have one loss to a non-Open team in SA Jrs 15 Adidas.

19. ALAMO 15 PREMIER

Comment: Alamo was awarded the lone at-large bid into Open. Alamo is 9-14 playing Open opponents. It has a couple good wins over Austin Skyline – which Alamo is 1-2 against – and HJV – which Alamo is 1-1 against. Alamo is also 1-1 facing Excel. Alamo hasn’t lost to a non-Open team, with quality losses coming to TAV (three times), Legacy (twice), AZ Storm, 1st Alliance, Hou Skyline and OT Randy.

20. TSTREET 15 CURTIS

Comment: The rankings are starting to get really mixed and mashed in terms of results. Tstreet has posted a 9-15 record against Open-qualified clubs. Thirteen of the losses are to teams ranked higher. The exception is Wave, which Tstreet is 1-2 against. Also included in Tstreet’s record is going 2-1 against Coast, 2-0 facing Drive Nation, 1-2 against Long Beach and 1-1 against Excel. It does have some losses against teams not in the Open field that include A5 (twice), Vegas Aces 15 UA, Aspire 15 Premier and Club V.

21. DRIVE NATION 15 RED

Comment: Like the rest of the teams in the rankings, Drive Nation has put up mixed results when it comes to the Open field. Among some of its victories are beating Wave, NE Elite and Nebraska One. It has taken its share of quality losses, going down to TAV (three times), Absolute, AZ Storm, HJV and Hou Skyline. It does have some losses to teams outside the Open field in Valley Venom 15 Red – which Drive Nation is 1-1 against – Premier 15 Black, Flyers 15 Ed and Premier Nebraska 15 Gold.

22. NE ELITE 15 MATRIX

Comment: With a 4-8 mark playing Open teams, NE Elite hasn’t had a lot of results against the field. It does carry a victory over one team ranked higher in Coast, as well as two teams ranked lower in HPSTL and Mich Elite 15 Mizuno. Among the quality losses are defeats against Nebraska One (twice), Dynasty and Long Beach. It has losses to Tulsa Power 15-1, Kairos 15 Adidas, A5 and Vision – none of which made Open.

23. WAVE 15 SCOTT

Comment: Wave has some things working in its favor. Among them are victories over Coast (twice), Long Beach, Tstreet (twice) and TAV. It has also lost to TAV, Coast (twice), Tstreet and Long Beach (twice), as well as Surfside, Skyline, AZ Rev, Drive Nation and Excel. It is also 2-2 against Viper, 1-1 against Oaks 15 Gold and 1-1 against Club V, none of which qualified for Open. It also has losses to more non-Open teams in A4, Seal Beach 15 Black and SG Elite 15 Rosh.

24. HPSTL 15 ROYAL

Comment: HPSTL has posted better results as the season has worn on. It holds a 7-10 record against Open teams. Among its better victories are a pair of triumphs against Circle City, as well as a win over MAVS. On the flip side, HPSTL has also lost to Circle City twice, is 2-2 against Mich Elite, 2-1 against Rockwood Thunder. It also has quality losses to TAV, OT Randy, Surfside and Nebraska One. Besides Rockwood Thunder, it does have two additional losses to teams outside of Open in ECJ and MKE Sting.

25. MUNCIANA 15 LORAX

Comment: The JVA club is the first non-Open team to break into the rankings. Munciana hasn’t played very many Open teams, holding a 2-5 mark against such opponents. The victories are over AZ Sky and Top Select, with losses to 1st Alliance, AZ Storm (twice), Hou Skyline and Surfside. It is also 4-1 against KiVA.

***

26. ADIDAS KIVA 15 RED

Comment: With a 5-4 mark against Open opponents, KiVA could be ranked higher. It holds victories over four teams ranked higher in Circle City, Legacy, MAVS and Skyline. But working against KiVA is a 1-4 record against Munciana, which made it hard to rank KiVA above Munciana.

27. MICH ELITE 15 MIZUNO

Comment: Among the quality losses for Mich Elite are setbacks to Legacy, Absolute, Austin Skyline, HJV, 1st Alliance, Circle City, Skyline (twice) and Nebraska One. It also holds a 2-2 record against HPSTL, as well as victories over Six Pack and Northern Lights.

28. SIX PACK 15

29. AZ SKY 15 GOLD

30. AZ REV 15 PREMIER

Comment: The Far Western champs carry a 5-5 record against the Open field. Among its best victories is beating Absolute and Long Beach, as well as Wave. It has losses to Open teams in AZ Storm, Alamo, TAV, AZ Sky and NE Elite, as well as non-Open teams KiVA and ARVC.

31. NORCAL BLACK 15-1

32. ASPIRE 15 PREMIER

Comment: Aspire is the first team that plays a USAV schedule that didn’t qualify for Open to crack the rankings. Aspire is 5-11 against the Open field, with wins against Tstreet, ID Crush (twice), Madfrog and AZ Sky, which Aspire is 1-2 against.

33. AJV 15 ADIDAS

Comment: AJV does own some impressive victories, beating the likes of HJV and TAV. But it also has lost to AZ Sky and NorCal, as well as non-Open teams in Hou Stellar 15 Elite and Austin Skyline 15 Black.

34. ID CRUSH 15 BOWER

Comment: After a slow start to the year, ID Crush has been playing better of late. It beat both Long Beach and NE Elite at Far Western and owns a victory over Surfside at PNQ. But it has lost to Aspire (twice), AZ Sky, AZ Rev and NorCal.

35. MADFROG 15 GREEN

36. A5 MIZUNO 15 BOB

Comment: A5 didn’t make the Open field, but is 7-11 against teams that did. It has some nice wins over Circle City, Tstreet (twice) and NE Elite, but has lost to non-Open teams in Metro 15 Travel, BVA 15 Mizuno, OPVC 15 Wagner and Triangle 15 Black.

37. BOILER JRS 15 GOLD

Comment: Another team that wasn’t able to get into Open, but Boiler Jrs is 7-14 against such opponents.

38. CLUB V 15 ADAM

Comment: Club V has played a tough schedule and has gone 5-15 against Open teams. Victories have come against Mich Elite, Wave, Coast, Tstreet and Absolute.

39. MINTONETTE M.51

40. NORTHERN LIGHTS 15-1

41. PREMIER NEBRASKA 15 GOLD

42. GP 15 ROX

Comment: With a 6-11 mark against the Open field, GP has a couple of nice victories that include beating Excel, Skyline and HJV. But it has losses to Mintonette (twice), Premier Nebraska and ACAD 15 Red.

43. MKE STING 15 GOLD

44. TULSA POWER 15-1

45. ROCKWOOD THUNDER 15 ELITE

46. OT 15 MEG

47. FLYERS 15 ED

48. NKYVC 15-1 TSUNAMI

49. TOP SELECT 15 ELITE

50. ARVC 15-1 ADIDAS

***

ON THE CUSP

FC Elite 15 Navy

Tribe 15 Dean

MAVC 816 15-1

BVA 15 Mizuno

ECJ 15-1

Union 15-1 UA

Tri-State Elite 15 Blue

Vision 15 Gold

Rage Westside 15 Jen

SA Juniors 15 Adidas

Elevation 15 Crofton

Far Out 15 Black