Strong Day 1 at AAU Nationals For Minnesota 18s Clubs
For members of Kandi Elite , Kokoro, and SWMNVB competing in the 18s Division, this wasn’t their first rodeo of playing at AAU Nationals in Orlando. However, no matter how many times athletes have competed in a national tournament there…
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Continue ReadingFor members of Kandi Elite , Kokoro, and SWMNVB competing in the 18s Division, this wasn’t their first rodeo of playing at AAU Nationals in Orlando. However, no matter how many times athletes have competed in a national tournament there are going to be some pregame jitters, some butterflies, distractions, and a lot of great teams and matchups to be had throughout the week. The four teams combined to go 8-4 on Day 1, setting themselves up for a good spot heading into Day 2 where top teams will continue to funnel together to eventually set up for a big day on Wednesday where hardware will be earned.
Kandi Elite has been a little plagued by injuries throughout the year and won’t have their typical 18s squad at full strength. However with the addition of two solid players from the Class of 2021 with Bailey Olson (whose older sister Sydney is a middle on the team) and libero Abby Stark, who will be setting in the backrow will be a different dynamic for Kandi Elite to work with. That didn’t phase Kandi Elite as they blazed through day one, not dropping a set and not allowing a team to get to 20 points, quick work all around. They will be the top seed in their pool on Tuesday with two teams out of Illinois and one out of Hawaii.
Kokoro 18s at their final practice in St. PaulKokoro
Kokoro 18-1 is coming in as the number 2 overall seed. When it comes to seeding, AAU is most likely using the AES Power Rankings that teams use throughout the year with other tournaments (don’t ask if about the algorithm they use, beyond my comprehension). After winning their first two matches with sweeps they ran into Carolina Rogue who put a lot of pressure on with their serve forcing Kokoro out of system having to scramble. Despite the back and forth battle, Carolina Rogue won 2-0 forcing a three way tie for first which according to set percentage would have Carolina Rogue first and Kokoro second. Kokoro 18-1 will be in a pool on Tuesday with two teams out of Tennessee from the same club and another from Arizona.
Kokoro 17/18 came in as the number two seed in their pool and thats how they would finish going 2-1 on the day. They will be the three seed in their pool on Tuesday with teams from Georgia, California, and Texas.
SWMNVB
Southwest came into the tournament as the number one overall seed, a big time target on their back with the success over the past month having a solid finish with virtually the same team last year at AAUs. A loss to the three seed, TPV Bravo out of Tennessee (who would win the pool not dropping a set), would have Southwest having to battle from behind. A win against CVVC out of Utah, but another loss to COA 18 Red out of Indiana would put them at 1-2 and third place in the pool. However, Southwest is not out of the hunt. They will battle their way back in a pool where one opponent they will be all too familiar with in Kairos Adidas out of Sioux Falls. They are still in the hunt with every game being a little bit bigger from here on out.