AAU Nationals Recap: Michigan Elite finishes runner-up in 17 Open
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It was a successful AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships for the state of Michigan. Along with the 16 Open national title won by Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS, the Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno landed in the runner-up position in the 17 Open.…
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Continue ReadingIt was a successful AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships for the state of Michigan.
Along with the 16 Open national title won by Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS, the Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno landed in the runner-up position in the 17 Open.
Michigan Elite went 11-2 for the tournament, grinding out three three-set victories along the way.
17 Mizuno bested Academy 17 Diamond in the quarterfinals (25-22, 25-21) and Dallas Skyline 17 Royal in the semifinals (25-22, 25-20).
The finals were a hard-fought matchup with OT 17 T Jason out of Florida.
Michigan Elite was able to establish an early lead in the opening set of the finals thanks to the blocking of middle Sarah Sylvester Sarah Sylvester 6'3" | MB Marian | 2022 State #126 Nation MI . OT would fight back to tie up the score at 10-10, and then found its groove on its way to a 25-18 victory.
The second set saw Michigan Elite chasing from behind most of the way and not able to get a rally to catch up. OT won 25-19 to secure the national title, but Michigan Elite certainly impressed.
The trio of outside Ava Brizard Ava Brizard 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State #16 Nation MI , setter Aly Borellis and libero Josie Bloom Josie Bloom 5'6" | DS/L Notre Dame Prep | 2022 State #150 Nation MI were all named 17 Open All-Americans for their efforts.
A second-place finish for Michigan Elite wraps up a strong finish to the club season, as they had five top-10 finishes over the season, including a win in the Presidents Day Challenge.
Legacy 17-1 ADIDAS finished 11th in the 17 Open with a 9-3 record for the event.
Michigan Elite gets to 18 Open semifinals
Michigan Elite 18 Mizuno reached the semifinals of the 18 Open at the AAU Nationals. The team went 7-3 for the tournament, falling to eventual champ Asics Munciana Samurai in the semifinals 25-19, 25-18.
Setter Julia Bishop Julia Bishop 5'10" | S Mercy | 2021 State MI and Charli Atiemo were named Open All-Americans for their play, wrapping up a legendary connection from their time at Mercy and Michigan Elite.
FaR Out 18 Black reached the quarterfinals of the 18 Open, going 5-4 for the event. They also were ousted from the tournament by the champs in the quarterfinal, 25-18, 25-12.
FaR Out 18 Red tied for fifth in the 18 Classic Division with a 9-2 record for the event.
FaR Out shines in 15 Open
In the 15 Open division, FaR Out 15 Black reached the quarterfinals and was 8-3 for the event, tying for fifth overall. FaR Out fell in the gold bracket quarterfinals to Team Indiana 151 by scores of 25-20, 18-25, 15-9.
Legacy 15-1 ADIDAS came in 13th overall, posting a 6-5 record during the nationals.
Three top-10 finishes in 14 Open
The Class of 2025 showed a lot of promise during the AAU Nationals, with three Michigan squads placing in the Top 10.
Michigan Elite 14 Mizuno finished fifth with a 7-3 record, while FaR Out 14 Black placed ninth and Legacy 14-1 ADIDAS finished 10th, both going 8-4 for the event.
Outside hitter Izzy Busignani was named an Open All-American for Michigan Elite.