The JVA World Challenge is coming up fast! The mid-year championship takes place at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 7-9, and the first- and second-place teams in each division earn paid entries into the AAU National Championships in Orlando, Florida, on June 15-18.

This event is unique, especially when it comes to the 18s division. USA Volleyball recently broke the 18s championship off from the main Girls' Junior National Championships event, and as a result 18s qualifiers are largely separate from the lower age divisions. The JVA World Challenge offers a rare chance for younger players to compete in the same tournament as some of the top 18s players in the country.



Just how good will the competition in the 18 Open division of the World Challenge be? Fourteen of the teams featured in our most recent Flo50 18s club team rankings are signed up. So yeah, it's going to be pretty solid.

Want to know which teams to watch? We've got you covered with this list of the top 10 18s teams competing at the JVA World Challenge.

1. Munciana 18 Samurai

Yorktown, Indiana

Led by unstoppable outside hitter and Northwestern commit Nia Robinson, Munciana 18 Samurai has put on some impressive performances this season. At the uber-competitive Triple Crown Sports National Invitational, the Samurai squad went undefeated on the way to the title and repeated that feat the next month at the KIVA Bluegrass Tournament, adding those titles to its JVA Rock 'N Rumble championship from January. While Robinson has been impressive, it's the team's setters, 2018 Penn State commit Jonni Parker​ and 2020 Minnesota commit Melanie Shaffmaster, who are the ones setting up Munciana's success.

2. Top Select 18 Elite Blake

Orlando, Florida

Here at FloVolleyball, we've been waiting all year to see this Florida squad in action, and at World Challenge we're finally going to get our chance. Top Select 18 Elite Blake earned its USAV GJNC bid at the Ohio Valley Qualifier and finished second at Bluegrass, losing to Munciana in the final. Pin hitters Stephanie Samedy and Shannon Crenshaw will no doubt draw a crowd, while Texas A&M-committed middle blocker Morgan Davis and Colorado recruit setter/libero Brynna Deluzio will make big contributions as well.

3. TAV 18 Black

Carrollton, Texas

Texas' top 18s team proved itself at the Lone Star Classic 18s Qualifier in early March. With every single member of the team committed to Division I colleges, it's hard to find a weak point in 18 Black's offense or defense, but outside hitter Payton Schwantz shines especially bright, even among her incredibly talented teammates.

4. Rockwood Thunder 18 Mizuno

St. Louis, Missouri

Rockwood Thunder had only lost one match before traveling to Indianapolis for the Mideast Qualifier. There, the team went 4-4 and finished ninth, but luckily, 18 Mizuno had already snagged its GJNC berth at the Northern Lights Qualifier. Keep an eye out for Ohio State-committed libero Hannah Gruensfelder and Purdue-bound Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year Jena Otec.

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5. Mizuno Sports Performance 18 Elite

Aurora, Illinois

Sports Performance's top 18s teams are always in contention for titles at national tournaments, and this year is no exception--if they can get, and stay, healthy. With Texas-bound setter Ashley Shook at the controls, dishing nectar to Illinois-commit Marijke Van Dyke and other future Division I hitters, Sports Performance 18 Elite will not disappoint.

6. Club Iowa 18 Black

Waterloo, Iowa

Mackenzie May, UCLA. Kylie Kuyava-DeBerg, Illinois. Taryn Knuth, Florida State. Those three names are only a sampling of the incredible talent that makes up the CIA's top 18s team this year. After earning a bid at the KC MLK Day Qualifier, CIA finished third at the Beast of the Southeast tournament and ninth at the Mideast Qualifier.

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7. Club Fusion 18 Red

Batavia, Illinois

In the past two years, we've seen this team in action quite a few times, but we never get tired of watching Grace Loberg terminate from the pins or libero Becca Fernandez make saves we would have thought impossible. The Chicago-area team is on top of the Great Lakes Power League standings and won the title at the Mizuno Sports Performance Presidents' Day Challenge.

8. Asics KIVA 18 Red

Louisville, Kentucky

Led by FloVolleyball High School Player of the Year Paige Hammons, the home team of the JVA World Challenge finished third at the Central Zone Invitational and has collected a triplet of fifth-place finishes at JVA Rock 'N Rumble, Triple Crown Sports National Invitational, and Bluegrass.

9. AVC/Mintonette m.81

Columbus, Ohio

AVC/Mintonette m.81 has posted some solid results so far this season. Finishing fifth at the Ohio Valley 18s Qualifier and the Girls' Winter Volleyball Championship, second at the Nike Presidents Day Class, and third at MEQ, m.81 ranked 26th in the country in our latest 18s rankings. Key players include Illinois-bound setter Diana Brown and Kentucky commit Kendyl Paris.

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10. A5 Mizuno 18-1 Bob

Atlanta, Georgia

A5's top 18s team locked in its GJNC bid at the Beast of the Southeast tournament earlier this year, but it will be in a hunt for a strong performance at World Challenge to counteract lower-than-desired finishes at Triple Crown Sports NIT and MEQ. Players to watch include Florida State-committed middle Deja Williams, Northwestern-bound libero Krista McNamara, and setter and Miami recruit Dalaney Hans.

How To Watch Courts #1-12 At The JVA World Challenge

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