Last week was split between multiple qualifiers and Bluegrass but the main focus this week is centered on Part 2 of the Red Rock Rave featuring 16s and up. There are no other qualifiers or major national tournaments. vballrecruiter.com is making the journey for the three-day event. This event usually takes place later on the calendar. With it getting moved up earlier, it’s going to change the trickle-down situation in 16 and 17 Open. There are usually multiple teams with bids in the field but since the tournament is early this season only one team across the two divisions is previously qualified in Hou Skyline 17 Royal. Let’s take a look at the Open divisions and how they might play out.

18 OPEN

Number of Teams: 34

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (11): A4 Volley 18 Joaco; A5 18 Marc; Arizona Storm 18 Thunder; AZ Rev 18 Premier; AZ EVJ 18 Elite; Club V 18 Ren Reed; Hou Skyline 18 Royal; MAVS 18-1; Sunshine 18 LA; Tstreet 18 Chandler; Wave 18 Juliana

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (13):

2. Coast 18-1
4. MAVS 18-1
5. Sunshine 18-1
6. HJV 18 Elite
11. Wave 18 Juliana
12. Club V 18 Ren Reed
14. A5 18 Marc
18. AZ Rev 18 Premier
21. Hou Skyline 18 Royal
27. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder
28. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar
44. Legacy Girls 18 Elite
50. Tstreet 18 Chandler

5-Star Athletes To Know:

Noemie Glover RS Coast 18-1 (Oregon)
Jurnee Robinson OH A5 18 Marc (LSU)
Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt)
Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt)
Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford)
Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana
Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed (2025)
Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower (BYU, 2024)

4-Star Athletes To Know:

Brooklyn Briscoe MB Coast 18-1 (UCLA)
Koko Kirsch L/DS Wave 18 Juliana (Stanford)
Bianka Lulic MB Coast 18-1 (Miami)
Claire Little OH Coast 18-1 (BYU)
Ava Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Notre Dame)
Tori Davis MB Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Baylor)
Lois Hansen RS Tstreet 18 Chandler (UCSB)
Eva Travis OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (UCSB)
Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma)
Zoe Rachow S Coast 18-1 (Tulane)
Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia)
Fatimah Hall S Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (San Diego State)
Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers)
Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale)
Auburn Tomkinson RS Wave 18 Juliana (Yale)
Arya Jue L/DS A5 18 Marc (Yale)
Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana (Maryland)
Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana (Colorado)
Cindy Tchouangwa OH HJV 18 Elite
Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor)
Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy Girls 18 Elite (Long Beach State, 2024)
Evan Hendrix OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (TCU, 2024)

Outlook/Prediction: The 18s are in a different spot with qualifying going on since January. That’s why there are 11 teams already qualified. Trickle down can only go to eighth place, so it’s possible that no bids go out at all. Of course, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There are a couple highly-ranked teams in No. 2 Coast 18-1 and No. 6 HJV 18 Elite have yet to earn their bids and I’m going out on a limb to say both will place at least in the Top 8 to qualify. At No. 28, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar is the only other team from Vballrecrutier.com’s Top 50 in the field without a bid. Considering the depth of field, it’s going to take work for Long Beach to crack the Top 8. Coast gets its bid by winning it all, downing MAVS 18-1 in the final. HJV also bids with the third going into the at-large pool.

***

17 OPEN

Number of Teams: 39

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 17 Royal

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12):

3. Drive Nation 17 Red
13. Hou Skyline 17 Royal
14. AZ Sky 17G
15. Momentous 17 Dan
16. Wave 17 Juliana
18. Vision 17 Gold
20. Coast 17-1
22. SCVC 17 Roxy
32. Club V 17 Ren Matthew
35. SG Elite 17 Rosh
46. AZ Rev 17 Premier
49. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder

5-Star Athletes To Know:

Zoey Burgess MB Club V 17 Ren Matthew (Kansas)
Jaela Auguste MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal (Florida)
Taylor Yu S SG Elite 17 Rosh
Ayden Ames MB Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska)
Jaidyn Jager OH Coast 17-1 (2025)
Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC 17 Roxy (2025)

4-Star Athletes To Know:

Taylor Williams OH Vision 17 Gold
Jenna Hanes MB Wave 17 Juliana (Michigan)
Isabel Clark OH Momentous 17 Dan (San Diego)
Cymarah Gordon RS Momentous 17 Dan
Lolo Lambert OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Arkansas)
Bethanie Wu S Drive Nation 17 Red (Yale)
Grace Carroll RS Drive Nation 17 Red (Baylor)
Blaykli Bobik OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (BYU)
Lillian Croshaw MB Drive Nation 17 Red
Levani Key-Powell OH Club V 17 Ren Reed (Utah)
Amanda Saeger S Wave 17 Juliana (DePaul)
Camden Bolane MB Wave 17 Juliana (Yale)
Shelby Burris MB Drive Nation 17 Red (2025)
Lauren Lynch L/DS SG Elite 17 Rosh (2025)
Maya Evens L/DS Wave 17 Juliana (2025)
Maya Baker S Vision 17 Gold (2025)

Outlook/Prediction: By all indications, this division is going to be a wild ride. Hou Skyline 17 Royal, having qualified last weekend at NEQ, is safe from the chaos but could definitely factor into the final outcomes by creating trickle down to fourth place. Drive Nation 17 Red enters has the highest-ranked team in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 yet is anything but a lock. While Drive Nation finished tied for third at Triple Crown, it has been vulnerable at times. It’s a tournament where I see nine of the ranked teams having a legit shot at earning bids, down to No. 35 SG Elite 17 Rosh. The final two Top-50 teams in No. 46 AZ Rev 16 Premier and No. 49 Arizona Storm 17 Thunder would be surprises to me if they qualify. It makes coming up with a prediction tough. But a pick is needed, so the it is AZ Sky 17G beating Drive Nation 17 Red in the final as both earn bids. The third-place match and final bid comes down to Coast 17-1 over Momentous 17 Dan.

***

16 OPEN

Number of Teams: 40

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12):

1. Surfside 16 PV Legends
3. Drive Nation 16 Red
6. HJV 16 Elite
7. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
10. TAV 16 Black
13. Coast 16-1
21. AVA TX 16 Adidas
26. Wave 16 Kevin
27. ID Crush 16 Bower
28. Madfrog 16 Green
35. Absolute 16 Black
49. AZ Sky 16G

5-Star Athletes To Know:

Suli Davis OH Drive Nation 16 Red
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Drive Nation 16 Red
Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 16 PV Legends
Jordan Taylor MB HJV 16 Elite
Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Tenesyn Frye S ID Crush 16 Bower

4-Star Athletes To Know:

Izzy Mahaffey L/DS Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Sydney Bryant OH HJV 16 Elite
Sarah Mendoza L/DS Drive Nation 16 Red
Sydney Black L/DS HJV 16 Elite
Naya Salfiti RS Madfrog 16 Green
Kenna Cogill MB Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Kennedi Rogers OH AVA TX 16 Adidas
Alex Richter OH/RS Drive Nation 16 Red
Aaliyah Smith OH HJV 16 Elite
Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 16 PV Legends
Taryn Morris MB Drive Nation 16 Red
Sophia Thornburg OH Drive Nation 16 Red
Maddie Smotherman L/DS Madfrog 16 Green
Ruby Hill OH Wave 16 Kevin
Quinn Loper OH Wave 16 Kevin
Devyn Wiest OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder
Brooklyn Hardy MB ID Crush 16 Bower (2026)
Elizabeth Bower L/DS ID Crush 16 Bower (2026)

Outlook/Prediction: The one known is there is no trickle down, so it’s going to take finishing in the top three and that’s going to be fun to watch play out in a loaded field. It includes five Top-10 teams in vballrecruiter.com’s national rankings headlined by Triple Crown and No. 1 Surfside 16 PV Legends. That’s a great place to start, as no doubt the rest of the field is going to want a piece of Surfside, especially if it means beating Surfside for a bid. Drive Nation 16 Red is a talented team capable of beating anyone and it would be a shock if Drive Nation didn’t make a deep push toward qualifying. HJV 16 Elite – ranked No. 6 – and No. 7 Arizona Storm 16 Thunder are two more top contenders who are not only capable of qualifying but winning it all. With No. 10 TAV 16 Black and No. 13 Coast 16-1 among a total of 12 teams from the Top 50 the chase for the bid won’t disappoint. The pick to win it all is Arizona Storm, which beats HJV in the final. The third-place match and last remaining bid goes to Coast in a victory over TAV.