June 18, 2022

Any time teams are playing to make a gold bracket is a big deal. When it’s at a national championship, it’s an even bigger one. That’s what Day 3 for the 14s and 18s at AAUs in Orlando had in store for us. You can read about the day’s developments below if you keep scrolling. First, we want to showcase our Day 3 Show Stoppers. These are the players who stood out to us the most while going from court to court. Ruby McDermott, L, A5 Mizuno 14-1 Helen – McDermott showed her ability to get low and pick balls up off the floor. She was passing on target out of serve receive and was holding down the back row with confidence. Jordin Southall, OH, GP 14 Rox – A high-flying outside, Southall is someone to keep tabs on as she moves up in age groups. She can unleash on balls at times and is a definite scoring threat when she checks in front row. Jenness Orcutt, RS, GP 14 Rox – Orcutt brings her much-needed height to the front row. She has a good extension on her attacks and gave GP a reliable option on the right side. She was also touching balls and helping slow down attacks. Emma Adkins, OH, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – A six-rotation outside, Adkins is a key cog in the Tri-State lineup. She doesn’t back down, swinging well and keeps it coming at blockers. Arielle Hepler, L, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Boiler is one of the better passing and ball control teams in the field. Hepler contributes to that with her play at libero. She plays with lots of energy and is sound out of serve receive and does well chasing down balls. Lexi Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Shondell is someone we could talk about every time we see her play. She’s that talented. She already shows great command of the offense as she gets all her hitters involved. She’s also a plus defender. Madeline Dettling, OH, Mich Elite 14 Mizuno – A lanky outside, Dettling is one of the better offensive options for Mich Elite. She was showing nice extension on most of her swings. Ella Askin, OH, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Asking brings a bit of physicality to the lineup. She’s a strong hitter who can unleash big kills at times. Riley Taylor, MB, Triangle 14 Black – Taylor displayed her upside and it makes her someone to keep watch on in the years to come. She’s tall and that’s always an advantage at this age group. She also has the capability to send down loud kills when she gets a hold of one. Lexi Kedvesh, L, Rev 14-1 – Kedvesh does a solid job patrolling the back row. She can pass overhead and she can move side to side in serve receive and still deliver on target. Isabelle Masten, OH, Rev 14-1 – A bit undersized, Masten passes well and is a fearless attacker who can hit from the back row as well. Jaycee Jones, MB, Rev 14-1 – Also a bit undersized, Jones is an athletic middle who moves well. She has a quick leap and nice arm that makes her a scoring threat on in-system passes. Meredith Martin, L, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – Martin is one of the best liberos in the field. She’s smooth and consistent and rarely makes mistakes or misses on plays. She also can pass half the court in a two-person serve receive along with Jadyn Kennedy. Zoe Ross, L, Wildfire 14 Albert – Wildfire is one of the better digging and scrambling teams in the tournament. Ross is part of the reason why with her ability to make hustle plays and passing well when served at. Josie Noble, MB, Far Out 14 Black – Noble brings a level of physicality to the front row. She was scoring from sideline to sideline, going cross body and wrist away with equal effectiveness. Charlotte Segard, OH, MVA 14 National Black – Segard helps keep the offense ticking across the front row. She’s also a strong contributor in the back row where she was making nice digs and covers to keep rallies alive. Madison Hewitson, RS, Ocala Power 14 Adidas – A lanky lefty right side, Hewitson was making an impact on both sides of the ball. She was get her hands on attacks then turning around and scoring with nice shots to the deep cross court corner. Violet Poole, L, MVP 14 Gold – Poole was performing well and working hard to hold down the defensive side. She was laying out to keep balls alive, stepping taking them overhead and passing steady out of serve receive. Jenna Baller, L, Elevation 14 Peak – Baller was another defensive presence. She was sound in serve receive and putting passes on digs right on target consistently. Kennedy Boatman, S, Tx Tornados 14 Adidas – Boatman was consistently setting clean balls. She showed a soft touch and was hitting her spots regularly. Gabriella Brodner, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Brodner flashed her upside. She’s lanky with nice extension and is part of a solid outside duo for Jupiter. Olivia Peterson, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Peterson is the other half of a standout outside duo for Jupiter. She was showcasing strong passing skills and though she’s a bit undersized she was aggressive with her swings. Shaniya Harris, MB, HJV 14 Premier – A middle who is a bit undersized, Harris helps make up for with her bounce. She’s quick off the ground with a nice arm and delivered a few impressive kills. Adriana Jeanpierre, OH, JJVA 14 Teal – Jeanpierre gets in the air well with her strong jump. She gives JJVA a scoring option front or back row as she’s not afraid to let it rip. Avery MacMeccan, L, Upward Stars 14 Taylor – Taylor communicates well, encouraging teammates and letting hitters know where to swing. She was also consistently picking up swings

Day 2 in 13 Open from AAUs in Orlando was all business for most of the top seeds as four out of the six went undefeated in matches and sets. The only upset was in Pool 6 where GP 13 Rox upset the No. 1 team in Tribe 13 Elite. Tomorrow will consist of three pools of four, with the top three in each pool advancing to gold bracket. There should be plenty of great volleyball on Day 3. Now, let’s take a look at our Day 2 Show Stoppers, featuring the players that stood out to us the most. 13s SETTERS Marissa Jones, A5 MIzuno 13 Karen – Jones dominated the net with her size. She was putting up block after block while throwing down some powerful one-handed dumps. Addison Traina, GP 13 Rox – In GP’s upset of Tribe, she handled the setting duties efficiently, seemingly making all the right sets at the right time. Avery Thompson-Stepp, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Thompson-Stepp has strong hands with high contact. She set a good slide with pace and got results. Kenna Robinson, Asics Munciana 13 Stingrays – Robinson showed her creativity with a slew of combination plays and confusing the blocks. Addison Hurley, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Hurley made all the right sets as she rallied her team back from a 18-14 deficit late in the game for a great win. LIBERO Abril Fernandez, GP 13 Rox – Fernandez plays with excitement and energy that is contagious. She also uses her hands for overhead digs with ease. Dannah Kerberg, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Kerberg showed great hustle chasing balls down all over. She was also consistent in serve receive. McKenzie Willkie, A5 Mizuno 13 Karen – Willkie makes good reads on plays, constantly placing herself where the ball ends up. Lyndsey Robinson, Asics Munciana 12 Stingrays – Robinson delivered key serves when her team was down and needed it. She seems like a coach on the court coming out of a timeout talking and high fiving everyone on the court. MIDDLES Emily Poteraj, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Poteraj’s blocks changed a lot of decisions by hitters. She also had hard hits to both sidelines in her resume. Sofia Tausinga, Club V 13 AR – Tausinga’s quick hops are a nightmare for anyone’s timing trying to block her. Brooklyn Sippio, GP 13 Rox – Sippio was very athletic around the net moving sideline to sideline well and also transitioning and hitting tight sets. Cynthia Ockerman, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Ockerman has good size for blocking bur her slide attack is her bread and butter that lands many kills for her team. RIGHT SIDES Mia Diouf, GP 13 Rox – This lefty set the tone in her team’s upset match. Her big blocks and powerful swings caused confusion and hesitation with the other team. Kaitlyn Wohl, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Wohl was very reliable with her attacks, getting key kills but rarely making any mistakes. Ava Gould, Asics Munciana 13 Stingrays – Gould does a good job of saving balls that are set in trouble and keeping those hits in play. OUTSIDES Brooke Codey, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Codey had five kills in a row late in a match for her team’s comeback victory. Nafanua Alofipo, Club V 13AR Jess – Alofipo is a solid six-rotation player with great passing skills. Offensively, she is very quick and a definite plus in transition. Paige Rudolph, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Rudolph has a good arm and hits with pace. Her hits were beating defenders to the spot. Kaylee Forman, Tribe 13 Elite Hector – Forman had good swings down the line with pace and rarely made any errors. 12s The underdog to root for on Day 2 was fourth-seed GVA 12 Jayson from Puerto Rico, which beat everyone in its pool and starts tomorrow as the No. 2 overall seed. Friday’s gold pools feature two pools of four. Before that action takes place however, let’s get to our Day 2 Show Stoppers highlighting the players who stood out. SETTERS Paislee Terry, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Terry did a good job distributing the ball as the defense had a tough time getting in position for either quick sets or sets to the pin. Amanda Martinez, GVA 12 Jayson – Martinez has a good setter’s mentality. She was hustling for balls and kept good composure when her serve receive was in trouble. Kaelyn Easton, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Easton has really good footwork and it showed when passes were tight and she was able to get there and jump set a nice ball. Chelsea Torrence, A5 Mizuno 12 Jing – Torrance has a good touch and gets the ball to the same spot consistently, whether she is setting conventionally or running and bump setting. Marlan Rolon, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Rolon really shined in the back row with her tough serves and sound defense. LIBERO Danica Waterman, OT 12 T Kesha – Waterman is a strong server with not only pace but accuracy. She was also able to locate a weak area and keep the pressure on. Rebekah Tigertail, Tribe 12 Elite Altone – Tigertail is a strong defender who not only will dive and chase down ball, but she also digs overhand confidently. Arianys Salgado, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Salgado is a very active defender, will cover all hitters, chase down loose balls, and set all out of system balls without hesitation. Brooke Neale, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Neale is very good in serve receive with her technique and her communication to her teammates. She also plays strong middle back defense. MIDDLES Lexi Coleman, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Coleman is really good in transition. She showed good footwork with a quick arm swing. Kennedy Davis, A5 Mizuno 12 Jing – Davis has good timing and technique on her blocks, consistently getting touches. Hailli Winkle, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Winkle is strong and dynamic. She gets a