June 10, 2022

This past weekend vballrecruiter.com was in Santa Monica catching the action on the beach at the GNBV National Recruiting Showcase. There were 22, 18u teams and 49, 16u teams vying not only for the attention of college coaches in attendance but also for the automatic bids to the BVNE East Coast and West Coast Championships happening in late June and July. Pool play consisted of two sets to 21 with the winner moving on to the gold bracket and for the playoffs it was one set to 21. The 16s pool play consisted of 12 pools with each pool winner advancing to the gold bracket. Chaos ensued as only five No. 1 seeds advanced as the play was scrappy and exciting. The underdogs were out in full force with four No. 3 seeds advancing to gold. If you wanted drama the 18s division was there to keep you on edge. Out of the five pools there was only one undefeated team. Three pools had two teams with identical records and Pool 2 had three teams with the same records. It was finally determined after a long break that score differentials determined who made gold bracket and who just missed out. The playoffs for 18u was heavily influenced by the blockers and splits who patrolled the net. They continually got blocks but also forced easy roll shots for the defenders and hitting errors giving them easy points. The finals pitted 13th seed Ava Berard and Langley Griffin against Makayla Dimond and Alexandra Leal. Utah-bound Griffin was a big factor at the net and helped her team secure a 21-18 victory. The 16s playoffs had so many ‘wow’ moments as the defenders really shined. Players were diving everywhere and long rallies seemed to be happening on every court. Teams that had good communication won those rallies but it was the players with stamina that kept that momentum for the entire match. The finals saw third seed Sara Moynihan and Annie Xu against 38th seed Haylee Lafontaine and Danielle Sparks. The power of Moynihan and Lafontaine at the net was present as they traded big kills and blocks. In the end it was Sparks making great reads and converting with her well placed swings along the sideline and endlines that gave her team the 21-19 victory. Below are the defenders and split/blockers who caught our eye in each age group. 18s Defenders Ava Berard – Berard has great chemistry. Her first time playing with her partner and all they do is win it all. Ellaina Skale – Skale showed great passing touch with quick feet in the sand. Jordan Brown – Brown covers the court with eyes and body as she dives for anything within reach. Alexandra Leal – Leal reads the play and opponent very well. She seems to be in the right spots most often. Olivia Silacci-Jensen – The Cal State Bakersfield commit plays with good energy and enthusiasm. Splits/Blockers Noelle Niederman – Niederman is a good force at the net as she touches many balls. Langley Griffin – The Utah-bound Griffin has a great arm swing. Any overpass was soundly thumped. Sofia Alkire – Alkire sees the game well. She has the ability to drop, dig, and then convert. Tori Clement – The Stetson-bound blocker was rarely served because of her arm and moved well along the sand to pick up shots. Makayla Dimond – Dimond does a good job of dropping when necessary and digging overhand. 16s Defenders Danielle Sparks – Sparks ability to read the player and opponent is so clean she makes it look too easy. Not too many balls drop with her back there. Annie Xu – Xu showed great footwork tracking down loose balls and shot to sidelines, then converting the sets to scores. Adelina Okazaki – We got tired just watching this defender consistently dive and chase balls all over. Okazaki has such good energy! Carly Hixson – Hixson is powerful and can dive for a ball then get up and put it away with conviction. Isabella Wiklund – Wiklund is energetic and communicates well. She has positive talk on every play during and after that’s great to hear! Splits/Blockers… Haylee Lafontaine – Lafontaine showed her power and finesse. She hits with authority but can also drop and defend with the best. Kenzie Miller – Miller is an athletic blocker who moves like she’s not on the sand. She’s blessed with quick feet and a good arm swing. Sara Moynihan – Moynihan is a lefty split who hits well on both sides, confusing defenders not ready for the unique look. Lucci Alexander – Alexander displayed strong hands and good timing. We saw her block three straight attacks in a rally, then terminate for the point. Kiara Edwards – Edwards is powerful at the net, will eat up anything tight.