The Big South Qualifier is part of a busy weekend that also features three more qualifiers taking place. Like Windy City, Big South is contested over the course of one weekend, with all age groups competing. We take a glance below and offer a brief outlook, nationally-ranked teams, players to know plus make our predictions.

17 OPEN

Number of Teams: 40

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (2): OT 17 Aaron; AZ Sky 17 Gold

Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (7):

9. OT 17 T Aaron FL
20. A5 17-1 Calvin GA
23. AZ Sky 17 Gold AZ
29. CUVC 17 Open NC
33. Triangle 17 Black NC
35. GP 17 Rox FL
39. OT 17 O Felix FL

5-Star Players to Know:

Amina N’diaye OH OT 17 Felix (Miami)

4-Star Players to Know:

Gabby Nichols MB Triangle 17 Black (Penn State)
Elena Maynulet OH GP 17 Rox (Columbia)
KK Green S/RS GP 17 Rox (Holy Cross)
Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 17-1 Calvin (Cal)
Abigail Li A5 17-1 Calvin (SMU)
Izzy Mogridge S OT 17 Aaron (Oregon)
Riley McCloskey RS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Memphis)
Ava Tilden OH NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami (Xavier)
Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 17 Travel (Michigan)
Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 17 Elite (2026)

Outlook: With four qualifiers taking place this coming weekend in 17 Open, the teams are spread around and that makes for a great chance for teams without a bid yet. OT Aaron and AZ Sky are safe, having already qualified. Looking at the rest of the ranked teams, this is the time to step up and make it happen by earning a bid. Three bids will be going out, so teams like A5, CUVC, Triangle, GP and OT Felix figure to be in the mix. The question is can any unranked teams breakthrough? This is definitely the weekend to surprise.

Prediction: OT Aaron has been playing well, tying for fifth at Sunshine and winning MEQ. We are calling for OT Aaron to go back-to-back and win Big South, beating CUVC in the final. A5 and GP tie for third and earn the remaining bids.

*****

16 OPEN

Number of Teams: 48

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (2): GP 16 Rox; A5 16-1 Gabe

Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (10):

7. A5 16-1 Gabe GA
14. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami KY
17. Elevation 16 Goller OH
20. GP 16 Rox FL
25. Metro 16 Travel DC
26. WPVC 16 Armour Black FL
27. Academy 16 Diamond NC
36. TAV Houston 16 Adidas TX
39. EC Power KOP 16 Empire PA
47. Jupiter Elite 16E FL

5-Star Players to Know:

Nadiya Johnson RS Metro 16 Travel
Genevieve Harris S Academy 16 Diamond

4-Star Players to Know:

Kendall Northern MB Elevation 16 Goller
Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 16 Goller
Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 16 Goller
Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 16 Goller
Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
Morgan Williams OH Metro 16 Travel
Ryan Sadler OH A5 16-1 Gabe
Sofia Guerrero-Wilson A5 16-1 Gabe
Kalyssa Taggart S A5 16-1 Gabe
Leilani Lawrence OH OT 16 JP
Elle Mottola S WPVC 16 Armour Black

Outlook: That only two teams are qualified and the field is maxed-out at 48, getting the job done this weekend in 16 Open is no small task. GP and A5 are the two teams who don’t need to sweat it, but the rest is up against it. The thing about the other ranked teams, they have been somewhat up-and-down this weekend and that makes for plenty of unpredictability. Any of them can get hot at the right time and pull through. NKYVC and Elevation might be slightly ahead of the pack, but there is no guarantees either will qualify. Metro is getting better after playing at Sunshine and MEQ. WPVC and Academy Diamond are both capable of earning bids as well.

Prediction: A5 showed well at Sunshine then qualified at MEQ. This is the weekend A5 wins a qualifier, beating Elevation in the final. NKYVC and TAV Houston tie for third and qualify as well.

*****

15 OPEN

Number of Teams: 38

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (1): A5 15-1 Kelly

Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (6):

4. OT 15 Randy FL
6. A5 15-1 Kelly GA
16. Excel 15 National Red TX
43. GP 15 Rox FL
44. Elevation 15 Tony OH
48. AZ Sky 15G AZ

5-Star Players to Know:

Marissa Jones S A5 15-1 Kelly

4-Star Players to Know:

Kailey Leonard L/DS A5 15-1 Kelly
Kylee Evans MB A5 15-1 Kelly
Natalie Norton OH Excel 15 National Red
Kamryn Mullican S/RS Excel 15 National Red
Hailey Mueller OH Triangle 15 Black
Sophie Puleo OH OT 15 Randy
Mia Diouf RS GP 15 Rox
Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 15 Tony

Outlook: The 15 Open race is wide open. A5 is the only team, surprisingly, with a bid. That means trickle-down can’t extend past fourth place. OT Randy is a top contender and a team to watch out for the most in terms of qualifying. Excel is another one to follow. After that, there is a big gap in the rankings but that only means it’s a great opportunity for another team or two to pull through. There’s always the chance of an unranked team getting a bid too. It’s really anyone’s game the way this division is set up.

Prediction: I’m going with OT Randy holding seed and winning it all. Excel finishes runner-up, while A5 and Elevation tie for third. AZ Sky beats out Academy Diamond for the final bid.

*****

14 OPEN

Number of Teams: 24

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a

Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (6):

3. A5 14-1 Helen GA
5. OT 14 Laura FL
12. Elevation 14 Molly OH
13. AZ Sky 14G AZ
30. CJV 14 Mizuno NC
44. ARVC 14-1 Adidas NM

5-Star Players to Know:

Leilani Lamar OH OT 14 Laura

4-Star Players to Know:

Jamie Carnes MB CJV 14 Mizuno
Molly Monday S/RS OT 14 Laura
Izzie Penrose L/DS OT 14 Laura
Bethany Benjamin L/DS A5 14-1 Helen

Outlook: Of the Open divisions, 14 is the smallest field. The interesting part is that there is no teams at Big South with a bid already. That’s very unusual for this event. It means finishing in the top three to earn a bid. There’s no question A5 and OT are the favorites to qualify. If it plays out that way, the real questions becomes which team joins them? At this age, anything can happen and it’s likely upsets on Days 1 and 2 is going to create mismatches on Day 3.

Prediction: The pick is Elevation upsetting OT in the final. A5 outlasts CJV for third and the final bid.