2026 USAV Girls Junior National Championship 16-17 Results

The 2026 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship for divisions 14-17 wrapped up July 3 in Indianapolis after nine days of competition at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. More than 2,100 teams entered across 24 divisions, making it the largest junior volleyball event in the world. Here is the full breakdown of the 16 Open and 17 Open Gold Brackets, with team backgrounds and individual details.

The Stage: Indianapolis Hosts the Nation’s Best

USA Volleyball chose Indianapolis for the fourth time in a decade to host its premier junior event. The Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium transformed into a volleyball city, with over 100 courts running simultaneously. The 16-17 age divisions competed June 30 through July 3, following the 14-15 divisions that played June 25-28 [citation:2]. Only 48 teams per age group qualify for the Open division through a season-long bid process at USAV national qualifiers.

The Coaching Chess Match

The 16 Open final was not just a battle between two elite teams — it was a showdown between two of the best coaches in junior volleyball. On one side stood Gabe Aramian, Executive Director of A5 Volleyball Club. Aramian has built A5 into one of the most respected club programs in the nation. His 16-Gabe team entered Nationals with a dominant 58-1 AES season record and had just won the AAU National Championship one week prior [citation:3][citation:5].

On the other side was TAV Director Jason Nicholson, leading a team assembled by Coach Yun Sangyong who strategically assembled TAV 16 Black specifically for this moment — to win a national championship. The only other loss A5 16-Gabe suffered all season came on January 17, 2026, at the Tour of Texas Stop 1 in Austin-Bryan — against this same Yun assembled TAV 16 Yun team. After the 2026 season, Coach Yun departed TAV and joined Madfrog Volleyball in the North Texas region, one of the top club programs in the area [citation:6].

16 Open Gold Bracket

Quarterfinals

A5 16-Gabe made quick work of MN Select. But the match of the round came on Court 59, where Dal Skyline 16 Royal-Paul outlasted No. 3 seed Circle City in three sets. TAV 16 Black handled Alamo in straight sets to advance.

Semifinals

Championship: The Maya Ogbogu Moment

The 16 Open championship match between No. 1 and No. 2 delivered the kind of drama that defines championship volleyball. A5 16-Gabe took the first set 25-17, controlling the net and playing with the confidence of a team that had lost only one time all season.

And then came the moment that changed everything.

A5 led 6-2 in the second set. They were in control, one good run from putting TAV in a two-set hole. Then Maya Ogbogu — a 2028 outside hitter from Allen High School committed to Texas A&M — stepped to the pin and unleashed a ferocious cross-court ball that caught the A5 libero hard, forcing a stoppage in play. The entire arena felt the shift.

From that point on, everything changed.

Ogbogu completed the second and third sets, delivering countless elite-level kills from the left pin. Her presence on the court after that hit was undeniable — every swing carried more weight. TAV rallied around the energy of that moment and dominated the rest of the second set 25-17. In the third, TAV jumped to an early lead and closed the match 15-8.

The TAV 16 Black roster was built for this stage. Alongside Ogbogu, the team features Sarah Floyd (Texas commit), Trinity Johnson (TCU), Caitlin Carrizales (California), Blake Buljan (Colorado), and Brooklyn Horton (Rutgers) — a collection of Division I talent that Coach Yun assembled with a national title in mind [citation:6].

A5 16-Gabe: A Championship Program That Came Up One Set Short

A5 16-Gabe entered Nationals as the No. 1 seed with a 58-1 AES record and the AAU National Championship already in hand. The team is led on the court by Kari Knotts, a 6-3 outside hitter from Marietta, Georgia, who plays for The Lovett School. Knotts is not just one of the best players in the 2029 class — she is a USA Volleyball national team athlete. She was named MVP and Best Spiker at the 2025 NORCECA U19 Pan American Cup, where she posted 19 kills in the gold medal match [citation:9].

At just 15 years old, Knotts trained with the Senior USA National Team and was named to the 2026 Triple Crown NIT Elite All-Tournament Team [citation:8]. Her combination of size, power, and court awareness made her one of the most dangerous attackers in the 16 Open division all season. The future is bright for A5 16-Gabe — and for Knotts, who has already established herself on the international stage.

17 Open Gold Bracket

Quarterfinals

TAV 17 Black Jon entered as the No. 1 seed with a roster featuring Sophee Peterson (Texas A&M commit), Brynn Stephens (SMU), and Ansley Shafer (LMU) [citation:7]. The biggest upset came from SC Rockstar LOVB 17-Angel, the No. 7 seed from Southern California, who took down No. 2 Club V in three sets.

Semifinals

Championship

SC Rockstar took the first set 25-14, but TAV’s depth carried them through the next two sets for the title.

TAV Program Sweep: Two Titles, Same Club

TAV Volleyball Club from the North Texas region won gold in both the 16 Open and 17 Open divisions on the same day — two national championships for one club program in a single afternoon [citation:1].

Full Tournament by the Numbers

2,119 total teams across all 24 divisions. Entry fees: $1,000 per team [citation:1].

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