Olivia Davalos delivers Super 32's biggest seed shock
Unseeded semifinal winners lead our upset countdown, but Natalie Blanco's path gives us the strongest reason to rethink the season ahead.
The five biggest shocks, starting at the top
A top seed with a finals spot at stake. An unseeded opponent who won 10-3. California's Olivia Davalos gets our biggest-shock vote at the 2026 Super 32 Challenge after beating New Hampshire's top-seeded Brooklyn Murray in the girls 95 semifinals. That's a loud way to tear up a bracket.
Next comes California's Natalie Blanco, who knocked out New Jersey's top-seeded Ella Poalillo by a 6-3 decision in the girls 160 semifinals. Unseeded and a round from the final, Blanco made the seed beside her opponent's name irrelevant. We would put this right behind Davalos.
Third goes to Wisconsin's unseeded Julianna LaSavage, who defeated Colorado's second-seeded Sophia Valdez by decision in the girls 95 semifinals, with a score of 2-4. The late round gives this upset the edge over our next two. A place in the final was on the line.
Fourth: Texas' unseeded Aisha Williams Bautista beat Pennsylvania's second-seeded Juliet Alt by a 9-0 decision in the girls 175 quarterfinals. The margin makes this one hard to shrug off. We'd argue it deserves more attention than a quick glance at the round would give it.
California's unseeded Sussette Bell takes fifth for her 6-3 decision over Arizona's second-seeded Emma Chacon in the girls 138 quarterfinals. Bell gets our nod here for removing a higher seed than anyone left on this list. Her next upset adds weight to the argument.
The rest of the bracket damage
- Girls 138 semifinals: Unseeded Sussette Bell of California edged third-seeded Noli Paddock of New York by a 3-2 decision.
- Girls 200, Round of 16: Unseeded Ella Taylor of North Carolina defeated third-seeded Kenzie Barrett of Florida by a 9-4 decision.
- Girls 95, Round of 16: Unseeded Freyda Nelson of Minnesota beat third-seeded Jaelyn Anderson of Nebraska by a 12-0 decision.
- Girls 124, Round of 32: Unseeded Emma Mantei of Michigan squeezed past third-seeded McKenna Wilson of Oklahoma by a 3-2 decision.
- Girls 100, Round of 32: Unseeded Angelina Qualtieri of New Jersey won a decision over third-seeded Sky Ramos of Hawaii with a score of 7-7.
- Boys 132, Round of 64: Unseeded Jeffrey Dunaway of Illinois knocked off fourth-seeded Cooper Mathews of Colorado by a 12-8 decision.
- Girls 160, Round of 16: Unseeded Natalie Blanco of California shut out fourth-seeded Laila Hustoles of Texas in a 6-0 decision.
Our bet for the upset that matters most when the season starts: California's Natalie Blanco over New Jersey's Ella Poalillo. Beating the top seed after already eliminating the fourth seed gives us more reason to trust the breakthrough. The semifinal was the headline result. The earlier win is why we'd buy in.