Top Teams And Players To Watch At JVA SummerFest

The 2017 JVA SummerFest in Columbus, Ohio, is the last JVA tournament of the season. Most of the nation's top volleyball players are getting ready to head off to college in the fall, but the level of competition at this June 3-4 event isn't slowing down a

May 30, 2017 by Megan Kaplon

Top Teams And Players To Watch At JVA SummerFest

The 2017 JVA SummerFest in Columbus, Ohio, is the last JVA tournament of the season. Most of the nation's top volleyball players are finished with school and looking ahead to big summer plans or getting ready to head off to college in the fall, but the level of competition at this June 3-4 event isn't slowing down a bit.

Here's what to expect at JVA SummerFest.

18 Open

In the 18 Open division, you'll definitely want to keep an eye on K2 18 Adidas Jota. The No. 6-ranked squad from Louisville, Tennessee, took sixth at the incredibly competitive Triple Crown Sports National Invitational, ended up fifth at the Ultra Ankle Bluegrass tournament, and finished runner-up at the JVA World Challenge and the JVA West Coast Cup. Nicklin Hames (Setter, Nebraska, 2018), Lily Felts (Outside, Tennessee, 2018), and Logan Kael (libero, Ole Miss, 2017) are key players to watch.

Lexington United 18 Adidas won the JVA Buckeye Battle earlier this year and will be looking to add a second Ohio JVA title to its resume this weekend in Columbus. With Penn State commit Kaitlyn Hord in the middle and high-flying outside hitter and USF commit Doris Carter taking swings from the pins, this team is dangerous.

17 Open

The 17 Open division at JVA SummerFest features four teams ranked in our Flo50, but the squads most likely to contend for the title are KIVA 17 Red and Legacy 17 Elite.

KIVA's top 17s team won the Ultra Ankle Bluegrass Tournament and the JVA World Challenge and last weekend finished on top at the Mizuno Sports Performance National Junior Classic, defeating Metro 17 Travel in three sets. This squad is led by a pair of big-time outside hitters: Kentucky-bound Alli Stumler and Western Kentucky recruit Allyson Cathey.

Legacy 17 Elite won the Central Zone Invitational and the Motor City Madness tournament and finished fifth at MEQ. The Michigan-based team is equally talented on offense and defense, with scrappy back row players Jennifer Chupinsky and Madeline Appleton and big-time hitters Solei Thomas, Abbey Malinowski, and Chandlar Duff. Michigan-bound setter Erin O'Leary quarterbacks the offense.

Additional teams worth watching include Elevation 17 Reilly, which took third at the JVA World Challenge and Windy City, and Academy for Volleyball Cleveland 17 National Meredith, which finished fourth at MEQ and won the JVA Rock 'N Rumble.

16 Open

Competition only gets more fierce in the 16 Open division with nine Flo50 teams in the field. Mintonette m.61 will be the favorite after winning MEQ, coming in second at Big South, and finishing fifth at Windy City.

Don't count out KIVA 16 Red, however. The Kentucky team posted top three finishes at the JVA Rock 'N Rumble, Bluegrass, and the JVA World Challenge. Five of the athletes on the team are already verbally committed to Division I programs, including setter Camille Nazor (Duke), libero Anna Burke (Northern Kentucky), middle Emma Monks (Michigan State), outside/middle Lauren Myrick (Lipscomb), and middle Rylee Rader (Ohio State).

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Team D 16 Red, Elevation 16 Balicemo, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue, and Circle City 16 Purple will also be teams in contention for the title.

15 Open

A Mintonette team once again holds down the spot of highest-ranked team in the division. Mintonette m.51 won MEQ earlier this season, finished third at the Windy City qualifier, and claimed another third-place finish at the JVA West Coast Cup. Setter Scottee Johnson leads a talented squad that includes defensive prodigies Sarah Morbitzer and Madyson Chitly and big hitters Raina Tery and Maya Hendricks.

Circle City 15 Purple finished fifth at MEQ, Show Me, and Windy City. SummerFest will be the Plainfield, Indiana, squad's final tournament before USA Volleyball's Girls' Junior National Championships.

Flo50-ranked teams KIVA 15 Red, AVC 15 National Harvey, Legacy 15 Elite, Milwaukee Sting 15 Gold, PNK 15, and Elevation 15 Luning will also be gunning for big-time pre-nationals victories.

14 Open

In the 14 Open division at SummerFest, we're keying in on three teams: Milwaukee Sting 14 Gold, Mintonette m.41, and Rockwood Thunder 14 Mizuno.

Milwaukee Sting 14 Gold went undefeated on its way to winning Bluegrass and the JVA World Challenge and features some incredibly fun-to-watch players, including FloVolleyball Rising Star Mckenna Wucherer.

Mintonette m.41 earned an Open bid to nationals with a third-place finish at MEQ and matched that result with another third in Windy City. At the JVA West Coast Cup, the Ohio squad posted a seventh-place finish.

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Rockwood Thunder 14 Mizuno won the Nike Presidents Day Classic and the Show Me qualifier but hasn't competed since the Northern Lights Qualifier in mid-April. SummerFest will be a chance for the team to knock some rust off before GJNCs in late June.

Also expect to see big things from KIVA 14 Red, Academy for Volleyball Cleveland 15 National Tom, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue, and Dunes 14 Black.

How to Watch

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