The 14s division has been the slowest of the age groups to get going. There has been just one qualifier so far – the Sunshine Classic – to award bids. That changes this coming weekend with three qualifiers on the schedule. It includes the SCVA Red Rock Rave for the younger age groups, including 14 Open. We take a look at the field below, with nationally-ranked teams, players to know, as well as offer predictions on how it might unfold.

14 OPEN

Number of Teams: 26

Number of Bids: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a

Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (9):

6. Coast 14-1 CA
18. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder AZ
20. Tstreet 14 Tara CA
29. SG Elite 14 Rosh CA
33. Wave 14 Tammy CA
34. Absolute 14 Black CA
38. Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar CA
47. Sunshine 14 Westside CA
48. SASVBC 14 Kevin HI

4-Star Players to Know:

Milan Hendrickson OH Absolute 14 Black
Piper Coady OH Tstreet 14 Tara
Bella Turcios L/DS Tstreet 14 Tara

3-Star Players to Know:

Lila Liimatta OH Aspire 14 Premier
Zoe Keaney MB SASVBC 14 Kevin
Samantha Saba L/DS Coast 14-1
Alice Burgett S Coast 14-1
Emilie LaSala OH Coast 14-1
Kennedy Wilkinson L/DS Wave 14 Tammy
Brooke Badorek S/RS Tstreet 14 Tara
Abby Moffett S/RS Tstreet 14 Tara
Amari Frazier MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
Annabelle Ross MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
Jade Smith S Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
Nikolina Djordjevich OH Arizona Storm 14 Thunder
Riley Stringer S Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar
Carolina Delaney OH Absolute 14 Black
Abigail Lennon OH Sunshine 14 Westside
Caira Tasi MB SF Elite 14 Saga

Outlook: Most of the teams in 14 Open have only played one national tournament to date and that was Triple Crown. It’s hard to believe, but that was over a month ago. No doubt teams learned from their time in Kansas City and all have improved since then. That makes this coming weekend’s event in Las Vegas wide open in my opinion. Coast did the best of anyone in the field at Triple Crown, but that offers no assurance of performing well in Vegas. A factor that heavily shapes the three-day event is the absence of trickle down. There are no teams which have qualified previously, so taking home a bid means finishing in the top three. A scenario like that always creates plenty of drama and intense conclusions. Not all that surprising is the field is West Coast heavy, with all the ranked teams competing from California, Arizona and Hawaii.

Prediction: It’s tough to call results in the 14s, because the play can be so back-and-forth. I’m picking Tstreet to beat Arizona Storm in the final, as both qualify. SG Elite outlasts Coast in the third-place contest to grab the last bid.