Last week we released our Junior Player of the Candidates. This week, we present our Junior Player of the Year Finalists. The award winner is set to be announced the following week. We began with roughly 70 candidates and it should make sense that field gets much more defined as we narrowed it down to roughly about 15 finalists.
Here’s what we are looking for in selecting our finalists and ultimately Player of the Year award. It contains three parts that are subjective by nature. One part measures the overall talent of a player. The next part takes into consideration the player’s overall impact on their team. The third part centers around the team’s overall success.
In terms of Player of the Year finalists, it’s not impossible to make the list unless the player’s team won a state championship but it certainly helps. It’s a big country with lots of talented players and at the same time we wanted to introduce a factor that includes the team element. Winning a state title is prestigious accomplishment that is the pinnacle of every program around the country.
A player’s impact on their team can be subjective but if a player didn’t lead their team in their respective category – i.e. assists for setters, kills for setters or blocks for middles – then it’s reasonable to suggest their contributions weren’t as impactful as someone else’s on the team. Though it’s not absolute, it certainly helps in this regard.
Lastly, when it comes to a player’s overall talent, while it’s subjective as well, most can agree on who the top players are. Add all three together and these are what we are looking for.
For example, despite being one of the best junior setters in the country, you won’t find Mira Costa’s Charlie Fuerbringer as a finalist. Likewise, Carlie Cisneros of Liberty North. Both are amazing players and their teams had strong seasons but they would not have won the Player of the Year award and thus didn’t make the cut as finalists. Some might view that as unfair but it’s the standard we’ve devised and we look to celebrate and highlight our junior players who did make it as a finalist.
Alex Acevedo JR OH Skyview ID: The Hawks (22-5) captured Idaho’s 4A state championship that was part of challenging schedule. Included in the adventures this fall were matches against Utah’s eventual 5A runner-up Mountain View and eventual 6A state champ Lone Peak, as well as participating in the Durango Fall Classic and the Geico Invitational, where Skyview played eventual Nebraska Class A state champ Papillion-LaVista South. The Oregon commit Acevedo brought a terminal hitter to the lineup as she powered the offense by averaging 4.7 kills per set and hitting .421.
Alex Bower JR S Skyview ID: Bower – a BYU commit – turned in an impressive season as well in helping Skyview achieve the success it did. Bower is a high-IQ setter with the ability to make tough sets out of position and it’s difficult envisioning the Hawks having the year they did without her. She averaged 9.3 assists per set.
Amanda Saeger JR S Cathedral Catholic CA: By now everyone probably knows about the dominant season the Dons had, finishing undefeated and only losing one set all season as they finished on top of our national rankings. Saeger – a DePaul commit – was a key figure, connecting well with a variety of hitters as the Dons utilized multiple lineups within matches. When senior outside Julia Blyashov missed the state playoffs with a sprained ankle, the Dons didn’t skip a beat in part due to the adjustments made by Saeger and running a different style offense more reliant on the right side attack with Noemie Glover.
Ellie White JR OH Mother McAuley IL: White is committed to Michigan as a 4-star setter but she’s an outside in high school and helped carry the Mighty Macs to an amazing season. Mother McAuley (39-3) plays in the biggest division in state plus participates in two of the most challenging tournaments in the country in the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament and Asics Challenge, which the Macs host. Mother McAuley captured both tournament titles in the same season for the first time in program history, as well as took home the 4A state championship. That White was so critical to the success and played at such a high level makes her one of the leading finalists. She finished with 542 kills, averaging 5.9 per set. She also averaged 3.1 digs and 1.1 blocks per set.
Jadyn Livings JR OH Prestonwood Christian TX: The Lions went 40-1 this fall, with their only loss to Cornerstone Christian in the final of Volleypalooza. The successful year included the TAPPS 5A state championship. Livings – USC commit – left her imprint to the tune of averaging 3.5 kills per set and hitting .348. She was also second in digs with 324, averaging 2.9 per set, and third in blocks with 55.
Kenslee McGowan JR S Cleveland TN: The season started off remarkably well for the Blue Raiders (43-5). Despite a couple bumps along the way they still fought their way to the Tennessee Division 1 3A state championship. McGowan was certainly a key ingredient in the season’s recipe. She directed an attack that hit .281 overall on the season as she totaled 1,256 assists, averaging 8.5 per set. She was also the team leader in aces with 131 and averaged 1.8 digs per set.
Kiarrah Horne JR OH Millbrook NC: Millbrook lost a mid-September match to Middle Creek and that was it as the Wildcats went 29-1 in 2022. It was capped by winning the 4A state championship. To say Horne had an impact would be a tremendous understatement. She was unstoppable, putting up a team-leading 522 kills and averaging 5.7 per set. She also hit an unbelievable .455. The 4-star recruit was also second in aces with 44, second in digs with 220 and third in blocks with 37. All together, it makes her a strong finalist.
Lauren Medeck JR OH Papillion-LaVista South NE: The Nebraska Class A state champs tested themselves this season to be sure. Not only did they face the best in the state but there were matches against eventual Kansas 5A runner-up St. James Academy, eventual Idaho state champ Skyview and our national champions in Cathedral Catholic. Making Medeck a solid POY finalist is her all-around contributions to such a successful team. She led the way with 461 kills, averaging 4.1 per set. She was also key in the back row finishing second in digs with 482, averaging 4.3 per set. If that wasn’t enough, she was also the block leader with 58 and finished tied in aces with 45.
Lilly Wagner JR S Oconomowoc WI: Though the Raccoons (39-2) finished runner up in the Wisconsin Division 1 state championship, it was still an POY-worthy season for the 4-star Maryland recruit. Wagner led a well-balanced attack in posting 1,075 assists and averaging 10.3 per set. She also chipped in averaging 2.4 digs per set and finishing third in blocks with 55.
Logan Tusher JR S Branson CA: Branson ended its season by winning the California Division 1 state championship. Tusher – a Stanford beach commit – is a smooth and deceptive disher who puts her undersized hitters in great positions to score against one-on-one matchups. Branson faced a bigger blocking opponent in Palos Verdes in the state final and it was a great example of how Tusher can keep defenders at bay as they have difficulty reading where she’s going.
Paisley Douglas JR L Skutt Catholic NE: We already highlighted in another post showing Skutt Catholic had arguably the toughest schedule in the nation. A quick recap as they not only won the Nebraska Class B state title but traveled to three difficult tournaments and played a variety of eventual state champs. Douglas had a monster year defensively, so much she’s a finalist for POY. The USC commit was a wall, amassing 647 digs and averaging a incredible 5.3 per set. She was also third on the roster in aces with 46.
Sophie-Kate Harvey JR OH Pope GA: The Greyhounds (45-5) showed they were one of the better teams in the state of Georgia. The season included taking home the Class 6A state championship. Harvey’s fingerprints were all over the season. She produced nearly a third of the team’s total kills, winding up with 536 for the season. She averaged 4.2 per set. She also finished second in digs with 328, averaging 2.6 per set. While she faces stiff competition, Harvey proved she belongs among the finalists.
Stella Swenson JR S Wayzata MN: There was discussion of Wayzata being among the national championship contenders when the season started. A couple tough losses with players out prevented an undefeated run but not the Trojans claiming Minnesota’s 3A state championship behind the work of Swenson. The 5-star Minnesota commit is among the best in the country at her position. She runs an efficient offense and is rarely off with her location. Given Wayzata turned it up a notch at the end of the year and won state it makes her a solid finalist for this year’s POY award.
Zoey Burgess JR MB Lone Peak UT: Many know about the talented 5-star Kansas recruit. She was an integral part of Lone Peak’s season, which culminated with Utah’s 6A state title. Burgess’ two-way impact was evident. Offensively, she led the way with 342 kills, averaging 3.3 per set and hitting .391. Defensively, she was a presence as well. Her 73 stuffs led the team in blocking.
