With the start of 14 Open earlier this week at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando, we’ve been releasing our daily All Red Hat Team. It’s something we’ll continue putting out for the remainder of national championship season from our time here and in Chicago coming up. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero – who were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are our daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another.
14 OPEN DAY 4 ALL RED HAT TEAM
Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura: It was a shorter day than anticipated for OT, which fell in the quarterfinals. OT was heavily reliant on its outsides, with Puleo sharing that load. You want to talk about dropping the hammer? Watch Puleo do her thing and unload. Standing close to the court, you can feel it. She’s definitely one of the hardest hitters in the division and loves showing off that power.
Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura: Part of the Class of 2026, Lawrence is an explosive hitter who rises and rips in impressive fashion. She can blast balls from sideline to sideline as she has a variety of shots to keep defenses off-balanced. She had to also carry a big load and take a lot of swings to help OT stay in it.
Riley Bethea MB A5 14 Helen: Bethea’s impact at the net can’t be ignored. She’s long and can be a disrupter with her blocking, touching balls or forcing hitters to change up to avoid her. She’s also a capable scorer who does a nice job of seeing the open space and sending the ball that way.
Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: We’ve featured Comer over the past four days and what a talent she is! She’s a six-rotation middle who shoulders a large chunk of the attack. Munciana gets her the ball as much as possible. She’s a strong hitter, with the ability to beat defenses all over the court.
Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: We hadn’t seen Otto since Triple Crown and no doubt she’ll be moving up in our next rankings update. She’s a 6-0 lefty with great extension. It makes her dangerous and she’s a featured part of the offense, as she would be on just about any team in the country. Her potential is through the roof!
Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: Glushakov is another right side who can take over matches. She’s also on the taller side, and she plays six rotations. She swings from all over and is effective doing so. She also puts up a solid block to help in that regard as well. She’s definitely an up-and-comer and someone to keep track of as she progresses.
Marissa Jones S A5 14 Helen: Anyone watching Jones can see her endless potential. The 5-star recruit is 6-2 and touching well over 10 feet. Her elbows are above the net blocking. She moves well and does a great job getting to the ball. When in system, she also does well connecting with all her hitters and getting them involved.
Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels – who is part of the Class of 2028 – isn’t the athletic marvel that Jones is but she’s a phenomenal prospect in her own right. It’s fair to say no setter in 14 Open here had the touch of Samuels. She’s silky smooth, sees the game light years ahead and can dime any set. It’s scary to think what level she could reach down the road!
Clara Christ L Northern Lights 14-1: From the perspective of the vballrecruiter.com team, Christ was the top libero in 14 Open. She’s a stud who owns the back row. She’s a step ahead defensively, reading where hitters are going. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and just another example of why the future of the sport is in good hands.
Jenna Brooks L Top Select 14 Elite: It was a rough day overall for Top Select, which ended with the bronze medal. Brooks is a scrapper who does well out of serve receive and defending. She’s capable of making huge digs and saves and is a big reason Top Select had the run it did in medaling.
