Here are the top 30 teams in the 15s age group according to VolleyballMag.com as of April 23. We have removed the word, “hunch” from the title, but these rankings still feel like a hunch given the lack of experience we have with these players and these teams.
Case in point: Who’s No. 1? KC Power 15-1 just finished T-5 at Lone Star, but remains No. 1? Which team has a better claim to the top spot? Only five teams have won qualifiers so far. You’ll find them all in the top five. Only one, KC Power, has won two.
Another case in point: Who’s No. 30? Upward Stars 15 Taylor, Mintonette m.51, Alamo 15 Premier and Academy Volleyball Cleveland Rox 15 Red all could have been ranked in the top 30. There were no significant differentiators between teams 27-30 and the last four out.
Without further ado…
15s National Rankings: April 23
1. KC Power 15-1 (Kansas)
March ranking: 8
There have been six qualifiers. KC Power has won two of them, beating Dynasty 15 Black to win MEQ and then besting Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite in the finals at Show Me. Power is the only 15s with two qualifier wins. David Beach’s team, which is 47-3 on the year, never stops competing and has as good of a claim to the top spot right now as anyone.
2. Dynasty 15 Black (Kansas)
March ranking: 2
Dynasty, which recently won Lone Star after placing second at MEQ and third at Big South, is one of three teams to have triple qualified so far. (KC Power finished T-5 at Lone Star, in addition to its two wins, which was in a qualifying position; Madfrog 15 National Green also has three bid-position finishes). Dynasty is 40-6 on the year and has hit over .300 as a team in every tournament this season.
3. Madfrog 15 National Green (Texas)
March ranking: 5
The Frogs are 53-5 on the year. They won the Sunshine Classic, recently finished second at Lone Star and also tied for fifth at Big South. “We are doing great things at a high level with a minimal roster,” coach Nicky Bramschreiber noted.
4. WAVE 15 Juliana (California)
March ranking: 3
WAVE won Big South in its only qualifying effort. The team is 37-3 overall. Its 19-2 record in Premier Volleyball League play in two better in the loss column than anyone else.
5. Texas Advantage 15 Black (Texas)
March ranking: 6
TAV is 50-4 on the season with a win at NEQ and a third-place showing at Lone Star. This is a tall, physical team with developing ball control.
6. A5 15-Bob (Georgia)
March ranking: 1
A5 boasts a 47-6 mark so far this year and has second-place showings at Sunshine and Big South on its resume. “We are a very physical team that loves to compete,” coach Bob Westbrook noted.
7. Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite (Missouri)
March ranking: Team to Watch
Rockwood has built a 56-4 record on the backs of consistent play all season long. Chris Reid’s team, which followed up a third place showing at MEQ with a runner up finish at Show Me, has lost only once in straight sets all year.
8. Coast 15-1 (California)
March ranking: 10
Coast is 15-4 in Premier Volleyball League play heading into its first qualifier this weekend in Reno. The team is led by pin hitters Tiana Owens and Jaidyn Jager.
9. Tstreet 15-Chris (California)
March ranking: 4
Tstreet also is at Far Westerns in Reno this weekend, its first travel tournament since Triple Crown in February of 2020. Coach Chris Sisson reports that his team, which is 15-5 in PVL play, is healthy going into the qualifier after dealing with some injuries during local play.
10. NKYVC 15 Tsunami (Kentucky)
March ranking: 23
NKYVC followed up its first-place showing at Bluegrass, which included a win over A5 15 Bob; with a second-place finish behind TAV 15 Black at NEQ. “This team has an amazing skill set,” coach Tyler Collins noted. “They can adapt to every team we play and we can change our game plan at a moment’s notice. This has been a major success for this team. We can never be counted out of a match.”
11. Lions 15-1 (Illinois)
March ranking: 16
Lions, which finished fourth at MEQ behind three teams ranked among the top seven, takes a crack at qualifying this weekend at Windy City. Coach Laura Baetzel said that her girls are putting in the work this qualifier season, as the cancellation of the fall HS season means the state of Illinois is playing its slate this spring concurrently with club ball.
12. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (Ohio)
March ranking: 11
Tri-State is 23-5 on the year and has split matches with A5 15 Bob. The only other loss in its age group came versus NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami in the semifinals at Bluegrass.
13. Triangle 15 Black (North Carolina)
March ranking: not ranked
AES shows Triangle at 23-7 on the year, but the team has been better than that at its two qualifiers, going 14-2 combined between Big South and NEQ. Diversity in its offensive attack has been Triangle’s calling card, coach Alston Kearns Godbold said.
14. Premier Nebraska 15 Gold (Nebraska)
March ranking: 20
Premier Nebraska, which qualified third at Show Me, is 36-9 on the year. Of the 10-player roster, eight played varsity as freshmen. One other was an eighth grader and one moved from California, which had no HS ball in the fall.
15. Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar C (California)
March ranking: 12
Long Beach is 12-7 in Premier Volleyball League action and won the PVL President’s Day event, where it defeated both WAVE 15 Juliana and Coast 15-Luis. The team plays this weekend in Reno. “We still have a lot of upside,” head coach Carlos Briceno said.
16. OT 15 T Randy (Florida)
March ranking: not ranked
OT is 35-5 on the year and qualified down the I-4 freeway at Sunshine. “The best fact about this team is they are a brand new team and playing with chemistry as if they have played together for years,” coach Randy Thomas said. “This team is a combination of players from across the Tampa area and haven’t all played together. Watching them play and celebrate together, you would think this team has been playing together since 12s.”
17. Colorado Juniors 15Sherri (Colorado)
March ranking: 25
Juniors is 15-6 overall, 12-3 officially versus 15s teams, with two losses to Coast 15-Luis and one to No. 1 KC Power 15-1. Sherri Hawkins’ team is tall, with two standing 6-5 and one more at 6-3! It will try to qualify at Crossroads and Northern Lights, making it perhaps the last team nationwide to attempt to qualify for Junior Nationals.
18. Dallas Skyline 15 Royal (Texas)
March ranking: 24
Skyline is 46-19 on the season. The team, which qualified at Lone Star, has finished seventh or better at all three qualifiers it has entered. “The team has amazing grit and is calm and confident under pressure,” club director Jon Rye said..
19. OT 15 O Isaac (Florida)
March ranking: not ranked
AES has OT Isaac 30-7 on the year heading to Windy City this weekend. The team has split matches with OT 15 T Randy and has a fourth-place finish at Sunshine and T-5 at Big South on its resume. MB A’siya Magazine is on the team, a fact I discovered while flipping through the roster.
20. Milwaukee Sting 15 Gold (Wisconsin)
March ranking: 9
Sting is 29-5 on the season. Coach Peter Netisingha said that his team is ready for a podium finish this weekend at Windy City. “I see our team as 12 deep,” he said. “We have played a variety of different lineups and have had success with all of them. We haven’t lost twice to any team we’ve played.”
21. Six Pack 16 (Iowa)
March ranking: not ranked
Six Pack is 24-6 on the year and qualified out of the gate at Show Me. The team is led by twins Jadyn and Payton Petersen, the second set of twins to hit the volleyball scene courtesy of Northern Iowa head coach Bobbi Petersen.
22. Metro 15 Travel (Washington D.C.)
March ranking: 22
Metro has fashioned a 35-11 record to date. “After coming up short at Sunshine, this group got back in the gym hungry to make some changes and take their game up a notch,” assistant coach Aubrey Mohler noted. “And it paid off! With a strong performance a few short weeks later at Big South, we secured our Open Bid.”
23. Spike and Serve 15 Red (Hawaii)
March ranking: 17
“This team has more high school varsity players than any U15 team we’ve ever had in the program,” director Kevin Wong said. “There are six athletes who are currently playing on their varsity teams at consistent powerhouse schools like Kamehameha and Punahou. All that experience competing against older players is carrying over to create a club team that plays beyond its years.”
24. Seal Beach 15 Black (California)
March ranking: Team to Watch
Seal Beach, which is 18-12 on the year playing locally in the rugged PVL, is heading to St. Louis for Windy City this weekend. The team is coming in hot, after winning PVL #4. Antonio Rodriguez’ squad also has top three finishes in the two PVL-hosted tournaments: President’s Day and the March Challenge.
25. Excel 15 National Red (Texas)
March ranking: not ranked
Excel entered Lone Star seeded 13th overall and emerged with a bid. The team, which is 33-17 overall, got a big boost from libero Isa Camacho.
26. Elevation 15 Chicas (Ohio)
March ranking: Team to Watch
Elevation is 25-10 on the year and has found ways to win despite adversity. At Bluegrass, where the team finished second, the team lost two players to injury during the tournament. At MEQ, in the first set of its first match, two players hit heads, suffering “severe head injuries” according to coach Howard Garcia, and, playing with just six players, still was competitive. The Chicas are in the field at Windy City hoping to stay healthy and achieve.
27. Team Pineapple 15 Black (Indiana)
March ranking: 14
Pineapple is 32-9 on the year. The team tied for ninth at MEQ, but had terrific wins over NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami, Milwaukee Sting 15 Gold and Mintonette m.51 in a 6-2 weekend.
28. Austin Juniors 15 Mizuno (Texas)
March ranking: not ranked
Ted Wade’s squad qualified at Lone Star last weekend. I’m not sure what to make of this team, which has suffered some curious losses. I am told that there is significant talent on the roster just looking for consistency.
29. Munciana 15 Lorax (Indiana)
March ranking: not ranked
Lorax is 25-13 on the season heading to the Showdown in the Smokies this weekend. Sarah Roush’s squad won a President’s Day tournament in Michigan and tied for third at Bluegrass.
30. Circle City 15 Purple (Indiana)
March ranking: Team to Watch
Led by OH Ava Utterback, Circle did just enough to qualify at Show Me. Jenna Tadros’ team is in St. Louis this weekend looking for another strong showing at Windy City.
Dropped out:
Previous No. 7 Sports Performance 15 Elite (Illinois)
Previous No. 13 K2 15-1 Adidas Jason (Tennessee)
Previous No. 15 The Academy Boiler Juniors 15E Gold (Indiana)
Previous No. 18 Alamo 15 Premier (Texas)
Previous No. 19 Houston Skyline 15 Royal (Texas)
Previous No. 21 NORCO 15 Black (Colorado)
Other teams to watch (in alphabetical order):
A5 15-LA (Georgia)
Academy 15 Diamond (North Carolina)
Academy Volleyball Cleveland 15 Rox Red (Ohio)
Adidas KiVA 15 Red (Kentucky)
Alamo 15 Premier (Texas)
Alliance 15 Ren (Tennessee)
City Volleyball 15 Stef (California)
Club V 15 Ren Matt (Utah)
FaR Out 15 Black (Michigan)
FC Elite 15 Navy (Wisconsin)
Flyers 15-APX Bill (Texas)
Houston Juniors 15 Elite (Texas)
Houston Skyline 15 Royal (Texas)
HPSTL 15 Royal (Missouri)
K2 15-1 Adidas Jason (Tennessee)
Legacy 15-1 Adidas (Michigan)
MAVSKC 15-1 (Kansas)
Mintonette m. 51 (Ohio)
Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 (Minnesota)
NORCO 15 Black (Colorado)
Oviedo Volleyball Academy 15 Black (Florida)
Revolution 15 Premier (Arizona)
San Gabriel Elite 15 Roshambo (California)
Shockwave 15 Adidas Black (Kansas)
Sports Performance 15 Elite (Illinois)
Team Indiana Elite 15 Icy Iguanas (Indiana)
Team Momentum 15 Navy (Missouri)
Temecula Viper 15-Mauro (California)
Texas Image 15 Asics Black (Texas)
The Academy Boiler Juniors 15E Gold (Indiana)
The Academy 15E Venom (Indiana)
Tribe 15 Elite Dean (Florida)
TVC 15-Black (Ohio)
Upward Stars 15 Taylor (South Carolina)
Union 15-UA (Kentucky)
VC United 151 Elite (Illinois)
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