April 19, 2022

Another year, another Big South Qualifier in the books. What a time it was in Atlanta.  vballrecruiter.com was on hand throughout the three-day weekend watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the outside hitters who caught our eyes the most. (Top Right Sides) (Top Setters) (Top Liberos) (Top Middle Blockers) 15 Open Victoria Hill, GP 15 Rox – The biggest threat in the GP offense is Hill. They look for her a bunch and for a good reason. She’s a 5-9 outside who jumps high and hits hard. She pounded down a fair share of swings. Georgi Stein, AZ Sky 15 Gold – Wilson was a consistent scoring option for AZ Sky, which was able to wrap up its Open bid. She has a strong arm and is able to challenge blocks. Kelly Kinney, BVA 15 Mizuno – What a talent Kinney is! She’s a 6-1 five-star recruit who jumps very well and carries a powerful arm. You’ll be hearing a lot about her for years to come. Asia Harvey, A5 15 Mizuno Bob – There’s so much potential with Harvey it’s scary. She’s a 6-0 five-star recruit is who almost touching 10-0. She can get up and let it loose. It’ll be fun watching her progress through the ranks. Elena Maynulet, Next Level 15-1 – Though Next Level is out of Puerto Rico it would not be surprising in the least to see Maynulet land at D1 school for college. She’s lanky and budding star. She has a very nice arm and can hit a wide variety of shots. Isabella Pereira, OT 15 Randy – An undersized outside with strong passing and ball control skills, Pereira could be a libero at the next level. But she’s an aggressive attacker with smarts and knows how to score against bigger blocks. Allison Barrick, Elevation 15 Crofton – Barrick is a 5-11 three-star recruit. She explodes off the ground and gets in the air quickly. She has a fluid swing and can rip the ball. Amaria King, Jax Skyline 15 Royal – King was definitely one of the most impressive outsides in the division. She’s a bit of a freaky athlete, as she’s 5-10 and touches 10-2. She can absolutely blast balls and hits as hard as anyone we saw in the division all weekend! Isabelle Busignani, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – This lanky 6-1 outside is a three-star recruit who will be able to add more and more power as she gets stronger. She already has a nice swing and can hit with pace. *** 16 Open Alec Rothe, Elite VBTC 16 Black – Rothe is listed as middle but is learning to play the outside position. Her ceiling is really high. She’s 6-2 and a five-star recruit. She has a lively arm and high contact point and it makes her a very difficult hitter to block. Allison Risley, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – A 5-10 three-star recruit, Risley played a key role in RT getting its Open bid. She has a loose arm and is a reliable and consistent scorer on the left. Lameen Mambu, Paramount 16-1 – If Mambu played for a bigger club like say A5, everyone would know about her. But she’s definitely going to make an impact at the next level and everyone will know about her soon enough. She’s 6-0 and touches 10-3 and hammers the ball like few do. She’s a five-star recruit. Connor Rahn, OT 16 Will – Rahn is a three-star recruit who plays a nice role in the OT attack. She’s 6-0 outside who finds ways to score and comes up with some clutch kills. Samantha Blackett, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – At 6-0 and touching 10-1, Blackett can be electric at times. This three-star recruit is quick and has a very lively arm that can produces some eye-opening winners. Brooklyn Tealer, Gainesville 16 Black – A three-star recruit, Tealer is one of the more entertaining outsides in the division. She’s 6-0 and can crush balls front or back row and is almost impossible to stop when she gets on a roll. Dionna Mitchell, Top Select 16 Elite – Mitchell is a three-star recruit and part of an excellent outside duo for Top Select. She’s 5-10 and touching 10-1, so she gets up well and with her swing generates plenty of pace. Samantha Bowron, Top Select 16 Elite – Bowron and Mitchell are stunningly similar. Bowron – a three-star recruit – is 6-0 and also touches 10-1. She’s an easy and free swinger with the ability to put the ball on defenses in a hurry. Hannah Benjamin, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – This 6-1 outside touches 10-3 and has shown tremendous improvement since last season when she was on A5 2s team. She’s steady and consistent, passes well and can attack with the best of them. She’s a five-star recruit. Sofia Williams, Wave 16 Brennan – A 5-10 six-rotation player who is strong in serve receive, Williams is an integral part of what Wave does. She’s a smart attacker with a fluid swing who can score in multiple ways from tools to tips. Kiarrah Horne, Triangle 16 Black – Horne is an incredible athlete that screams next level. She’s 6-1 and touching 10-5. She has a very strong arm that can power through blocks. *** 17 Open Sarah Gooch, Top Select 17 Elite – Gooch carries a load on offense for Top Select. She’s 6-1 with a nice swing who’s asked to score in the clutch. Madelyn Peterson, OT 17 John – At 6-0, Peterson is a physical attacker. She hits a heavy ball and takes powerful swings. Lakin Laurendine, Infinity VBA 17 Open – Laurendine is 6-2 and a three-star recruit committed to Auburn. She’s another hard-hitting outside who can get up and over blocks. Jurnee Robinson, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – Robinson is on another level athletically. She’s 6-0 and five-star recruit committed to LSU. She has pogo sticks for

We enjoyed our time in Atlanta at the Big South Qualifier. There was tons of action to take in and vballrecruiter.com was on hand throughout the three-day weekend watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the right sides who caught our eyes the most. (Top Setters) (Top Liberos) (Top Middle Blockers) (Top Outside Hitters) 15 Open Gabriella Kucinski, AZ Sky 15 Gold – Kucinski, a 5-11 lefty, can really get up! She touches 10-1 and has a lively arm to go at defenses with. Camila Soto, Next Level 15-1 – Soto was another member of Next Level who impressed. She’s a big undersized but she jumps well, has a quick swing and is effective at finding the corners. BreAnna McMillan, S/RS, Triangle 15 Black – McMillan looks to be a rising stud in the sport. She’s 5-9 and sets and hits. She can run a nice tempo to her hitters. She also flies and has a big arm. She’s going to make her impact felt in the years to come! Lydia Chinchar, No Name 15-1 – Chinchar is the featured hitter in the No Name attack. She plays six rotations and passes out of serve receive. She’s a strong hitter who has power behind her swing. Erynn Gotsch, Top Select 15 Elite – Don’t underestimate this 5-7 right side! Gotsch is an aggressive attacker who can deliver some surprisingly hard kills. *** 16 Open Eva Dittmar, Elite VBTC 16 Black – At 6-1, Dittmar is a wirey. She has a quick swing and isn’t afraid to go at and challenge the block. Ryan Hunter, CJV 16 Zoe – Hunter is a freshman playing up and is immensely talented. She’s a four-star recruit. A 6-1 lefty, she skies and can deliver some big-time kills. She also is used in serve receive. Sarah Schnell, Miami Hype 16 Emilio – Schnell is going to get her share of sets as she’s a key component of Hype’s attack. She’s a tall lefty with the ability to hit down on the ball and score a ton of points. Bailey Higgins, OT 16 Jason – A 5-11 three-star recruit, this lefty is on the up and up. She gets in the air quick and can unleash with a fury. Jordan Smith, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – This 6-3 four-star recruit is only a freshman! She’s already hitting with decent power and is only going to add to it. She’s a name to get to know. *** 17 Open Carissa Michel, Top Select 17 Elite – Michel isn’t the biggest right side at 5-10, but she attacks with a passion. She gets up well, has a quick arm and lets it rip. Claire Mrukowski, Elite VBTC 17 Black – The 6-1 lefty is someone Elite looks to often to help carry the offense. She hits with good pace and nice angles. Allison Cavanaugh, OT 17 John – A 6-3 three-star recruit, Cavanaugh is a big part of OT’s offense. She’s long and can hit over blocks with her strong arm. Kumara Flanagain, Emerald Coast 17 National – Flanagain was proving a good option for Emerald Coast on the right side. She’s 6-2 and very physical. She gets on defenses with her power. Sarah Brodner, High Tide 17 Elite – This 6-5 sophomore could be a sleeper! She hits at a high contact point and knows how to use the block. Her ceiling is very high! Ella Schomer, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno – Schomer is a 6-1 three-star recruit committed to Wofford. She’s a real gamer who plays with intensity. She has a quick swing and gets after it aggressively.

The Big South Qualifier never seems to disappoint and this year delivered talented athletes everywhere we looked. vballrecruiter.com was on hand throughout the three-day weekend watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the setters who caught our eyes the most. (Top Right Sides) (Top Liberos) (Top Middle Blockers) (Top Outside Hitters) 15 Open Abigail Li, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – At 6-0, Li is a four-star recruit with good hands. She sets a clean ball with very consistent location and knows how to spread it around. Izzy Mogridge, OT 15 Randy – There’s plenty to like about Mogridge – a four-star recruit. She has a high IQ and can run tempo sets. She’s very steady and plays with a confidence about her. Ava Brovet, Triangle 15 Black – Brovet can be part of a 6-2 at times. She puts the ball in a nice window for her hitters and can run some tempo sets as well. Sydney Marshall, S/RS, Top Select 15 Elite – Marshall is versatile for Top Select. She can run a 6-2 and hit in the front row or she can run a 5-1. She hasn’t been setting for very long so she has plenty of upside as she continues to develop and grow. *** 16 Open Natalie Depaula, S/RS, Tribe 16 Sebastian – Depaula is a gamer and you can see the competitiveness she plays with. She’s a capable setter with a nice touch and though she’s 5-9 she can really bring it as a hitter. Amanda Saeger, Wave 16 Brennan – A four-star recruit, Saeger directs the offense well. She’s very good at getting her middles involved. She also sets with a good enough tempo to get her outsides plenty of one-on-one looks. Emily Bobbitt, Triangle 16 Black – Bobbitt has plenty of options to work with and this 5-11 setter gets them all involved. She’s steady and consistent and doesn’t try to overdo it. Taylor Parks, OT 16 Jason – A three-star recruit, Parks is smooth with it and rarely misses her mark. She delivers with tempo, setting her hitters up well to be successful. *** 17 Open Nayellis Cabello, S/RS, Top Select 17 Elite – Cabello is just a sophomore with a bright future to her. She’s 6-0 and a three-star recruit with potential to move up the rankings. She’s a fluid and reliable setter with strong hands. She also can get up and hit with authority on the right side. Chloe Wilmot, Paramount 17-1 – What we saw of Wilmot we liked. She’s capable of running a fast tempo and hitting her spots which gets her hitters good matchups. Jordan Smart, CHAVC 17 Black – It was a great weekend for CHAVC, which qualified Open for the first time. Smart, a 5-7 Class of 2024 recruit, was efficient in going against the flow and setting behind her on slides to the middle or using the middle as a decoy and getting her right side hitter one-on-one looks. Shanelle Puetz, Wave 17 Juliana – We’ve seen Puetz plenty and with the way Wave was passing the ball this weekend, it allowed her to have full options to work with. While she has a big outside to work with in Julia Blyashov, she was superb at running the slide and getting her middles great looks. Cristin Cline, CUVC 17 Premier – CUVC doesn’t have the size like its opponents. Cline – who is committed to Oregon – was doing a good job with her tempo sets and connecting with her hitters before the block was able to fully establish itself.

vballrecruiter.com was on hand throughout the three-day weekend watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. We wish we could write about everyone but we had to settle for the middle blockers who caught our eyes the most below. (Top Right Sides) (Top Setters) (Top Liberos) (Top Outside Hitters) 15 Open Ellis Crawford, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – Crawford has a fluid swing and when connects, opponents can feel it. She’s 6-2 and a three-star recruit with plenty of room to get better and turn heads! Gigi Smith, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – This 6-0 middle is also a three-star recruit. She’s physical with a strong arm and can run the slide. She comes with lots of upside! Connore Siler-Nixon, OT 15 Randy – Siler-Nixon is not the tallest middle as she stands 5-10. Yet, she can flat out be electric at times with jumping ability and quick arm swing. She gets up and smacks it down in exciting fashion! Kaylee Peper, OT 15 Randy – Peper is not as flashy as her teammate Siler-Nixon is but the more you watch Peper the more you see how much of an effective scorer she is. She has a good arm and is smart with her shot selection. She’s a 5-10 three-star recruit with a bright future! Tara Greenberry, HPSTL 15 Royal – We wrote about Greenberry last week after her performance at Show Me. She was even more impressive at Big South. She’s 6-2 with a big, powerful arm. She’s going to cause defenses headaches for years to come! Jessica Costlow, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – This 5-10 three-star recruit is really an outside hitter playing the middle position. She plays six rotations and passes well out of serve receive. Though she’s somewhat undersized in the middle she’s a heady attacker who finds ways to score consistently.   Lindley Miller, Triangle 15 Black – There’s all sorts of potential with Miller! She’s a 6-3 eighth-grader playing up with huge upside. She already puts up a big block and hits with pretty good power. *** 16 Open Chelsea Sutton, OT 16 Will – This 6-3 three-star recruit is a handful in the middle. She makes her presence knowing on both sides with her blocking and attacking and can single-handily sway matches when she gets in. Christina Greene, SC Midlands 16 National – Greene is undersized but that doesn’t keep her from making an impact. She’s super quick and jumps very well. That allows her to get up and she has the capability to put it straight down. Izabela Molina, Miami Hype 16 Emilio – Molina is in her fourth year of playing volleyball and has nice upside with the physicality she brings. She’s 6-3 and hits with lots of power. Zoey Burgess, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – As a five-star recruit, Burgess is on all the big colleges’ radar. At 6-2 and touching 10-4 already, she has next level written all over her. She can hit from the left, middle and right as she makes her way across the front row and she’s physical on top of the. Logan Wiley, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – It’s easy to see why Wiley is rated as a four-star recruit. She’s 6-3 and touching 10-1. She has a quick jump with a good arm. It makes her a difficult cover in the middle! Jenna Hanes, Wave 16 Brennan – A 6-2, three-star recruit, Hanes has a strong feel for blocking and gets in the way of plenty of attacks. She’s also a reliable scorer who Wave looks to get involved often. Camden Bolane, Wave 16 Brennan – This 6-1 middle is a four-star recruit. She’s a two-way contributor with her blocking and effective scoring with an ability to vary her shots. Ashlyn Philpot, Triangle 16 Black – Philpot isn’t a flashy middle. But at 6-4, she definitely makes her presence felt. She’s strong and is more than capable of hitting powerfully down on balls. *** 17 Open Jordyn Dailey, CHAVC 17 Black – We saw Dailey playing right side at MEQ, but our opinion is she’s much more effective in the middle where she was playing at Big South. She’s a 6-2 four-star recruit committed to Kentucky. She gets way up and hits down at a sharp angle. She can run quicks or the slide equally well. Zeta Washington, OT 17 John – Washington is a 6-2 three-star recruit who is committed to Cincinnati. She has the ability to play on the right side as well. She’s athletic with a strong jump and arm. She changes the game for OT when she checks in as they look for her as much as possible to boost the offense. Eva Rohrbach, Wave 17 Juliana – This 6-2 middle is a four-star recruit committed to Maryland. She was part of a middle duo that absolutely hammered A5 on the slide attack in the 17 Open final. Cayla Payne, Wave 17 Juliana – Payne is a 6-4 middle committed to Colorado. She makes a huge impact with her blocking and also proved to be tough to stop when feed the ball.

What a weekend it was as we spent three days watching incredible volleyball at the Big South Qualifier in Atlanta. vballrecruiter.com was on hand watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the liberos who caught our eyes the most. (Top Right Sides) (Top Setters) (Top Middle Blockers) (Top Outside Hitters) 15 Open Jarielys Giraud, GP 15 Rox – There’s an enjoyable spirit that Giraud brings to the court. She’s a Class of 2024 playing down an age group. Her serve receive was very consistent and keeping Game Point in system when she was challenged. Claudia Rivera, Next Level 15-1 – Though Next Level is from Puerto Rico and we won’t be seeing much of them, it was hard not to add a few players from their squad. Rivera was one of them with her high-energy and enthusiasm. Plus, she’s really scrappy and plays with lots of heart. Katie Raymer, Triangle 15 Black – It was something with which the ease Raymer plays with. And she’s part of the Class of 2026 playing up! She was nailing passes out of serve receive right to the setter and picking up cross court shots with no issues. We love her upside! Ariel Ross, Jax Skyline 15 Royal – Ross is fast! She covers ground in a hurry. She plays really hard too. *** 16 Open Olivia Hasbrook, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – It was a rocky qualifying season before RT broke through at Big South. Hasbrook is vocal and can be seen constantly communication. She was making plenty of digs as well! Orian Drore, Tribe 16 Sebastian – Drore has some athleticism to her and can cover ground. She plays with good energy to her and was getting some nice ups to extend rallies. Ro’Miya Thomas, Gainesville 16 Black – A junior playing down an age group, Thomas played a key part in Gainesville gaining its Open bid. Her speed allows her to track down balls others wouldn’t get to. Mayte Camacho, Top Select 16 Elite – A three-star recruit, this was our first time seeing Camacho this season and she was impressive. She’s quick and she was making ups consistently. She was also strong out of serve receive. Maya Evens, Wave 16 Brennan – Another three-star recruit, we’ve seen a lot of Evens this season. She’s smooth and steady and anchors a very good defensive Wave team. Coley Shiflet, Triangle 16 Black – Triangle has weapons it can throw at defenses but Shiflet adds defensive prowess to Triangle’s side of the net. She’s smart and gets to the right spots more often than not. *** 17 Open Taylor McNear, CHAVC 17 Black – When McNear is on she’s tough to get a ball down on. She’s very quick and can fly around the court making play after play. Olivia Fenstermaker, Elite VBTC 17 Black – This three-star recruit is already committed to Jacksonville State. She was doing it all. She was passing well in serve receive. She was defending and making digs. And she was covering and picking up blocked shots. Arya Jue, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – Jue is a four-star recruit who is committed to Yale. She’s going to be one of the top liberos in the Ivy League when she gets there but for now she gets to showcase her skills for A5. She plays with a calming presence and can make some spectacular saves at time. Koko Kirsch, Wave 17 Juliana – Watching Kirsch play she puts in work! She’s not to be tested in serve receive as she’s steady and consistent in keeping Wave in system. She’s also not afraid to hit the deck to keep a ball alive.