June 21, 2022

We are half way through the 15s and 17s divisions at AAU in Orlando. There was no doubt the tension and excitement began ramping up on Day 2 as we turned the corner and start heading down the home stretch. Before we get to the headlines of the day down below, we first want to bring attention to the day’s standout players. They are who we call our Show Stoppers and there were plenty to highlight from Monday’s action. Sarah Shaw, MB, Oaks 15 Gold – With her height, Shaw is a weapon for Oaks. She has a big arm and can over blocks, making her a difficult cover. She also has the ability to play all the way around and is part of serve receive. Anna Cathcart, OH, OVA 15 Black – This 6-2 outside has a bright future. She has a lively arm that helps her hit with plenty of pace. She’ll carry the offensive load whether she’s front or back row. Francesca Popescu, L, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – A three-star recruit, Popescu can pass half the court in serve receive along with DS Alexa Flowers. She also has the confidence to step in and take balls overhead. Addison Applegate, L, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Another three-star recruit, Applegate has solid command of the back row. She too can pass half the court in serve receive and has a great ball control. Charlotte Vinson, RS, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A 6-1, three-star recruit, Vinson is a terrific option on the right side. She can go over blocks with her length. Jaya Rimm, OH, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – A bit undersized at 5-9, Rimm gets off the ground well. She has a nice extension and snap and is the go-to outside for Tornados. Jaeda Rawls-Fletcher, MB, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – Rawls-Fletcher is springy. She’s 5-10 and with her jump plays longer than that. She’s tough for blockers to time up and Tornados will definitely set her the ball when the option is there. Campbell Flynn, S, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – A 6-1, four-star recruit, Flynn owns the position. She has a great touch and consistently sets a clean ball. With her height, she can also go over on two, giving defenses another thing to worry about. Addison Newblatt, L, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – Newblatt was not getting challenge very much in serve receive as teams focused on keeping the ball away from her. Eva Swenson, S/RS, MN Select 15-1 – Swenson has a high ceiling. She’s already 6-3 and able to set and hit. She’s a valuable piece of the puzzle for Select because of that. Lily Hayes, L, OT 15 Randy – Teams do not come at Hayes in serve receive very often. When they do, she’s usually on target with sound passing. She’s also a hard worker on defense and isn’t afraid to hit the floor. Jordyn Gray, OH, CJV 15 Anna – Gray is definitely someone to keep tabs on as she moves through the ranks as she has great potential. She jumps and swings well and is the main scoring threat for CJV be it front or back row. Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite – A 6-2, four-star recruit, Coyne is an offensive force. The lefty is lanky with a strong arm who can overpower blockers and defenders. Lilliana Montes, MB, Temecula Viper 15-1 – The saying goes you can’t teach height and Montes, at 6-4, certainly has plenty of it. It makes her a prospect to be aware of in the coming years. Right now, she’s trouble at the net, winning 50-50 balls and easily get her shots and swings over smaller blockers. Makenna Grimes, RS, Elite VBTC 15 Black – Grimes is a gamer. She’s a bit undersized at 5-9 but she’s fun to watch go on the attack. She has a lively arm and let’s loose with it time and time again. Fatimah Hall, S, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A three-star recruit committed to San Diego State, Hall is a physically-strong setter with a nice release and consistent location. She can run tempo when needed to and can get all her hitters involved. Mele Corral-Blagojevich, OH, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A four-star recruit who recently committed to Oklahoma, Corral-Blagojevich was part of the 18s roster this season and has since moved down to play with her age group. She’s a physical attacker who can impact the match from the service line as well.                                                                  Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – Murray – a five-star recruit headed to Nebraska – can be written about at length. What stood out the most was her ability to generate kills on out of system plays and off balls by using her smarts to tool or tip the ball of blocks. She was key in helping Legacy close out Mich Elite 17 Mizuno down the stretch in Game 3. Sydney Robinson, OH, Asics Munciana 17 Pandas – An undersized outside at 5-8, attacks with passion. She jumps very well, takes aggressive swings and doesn’t back down if she gets blocked. Kamden Schrand, L, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – A Louisville commit, Schrand’s passing out of serve receive was sharp and on point. She was also picking up touches and tips well too. Ivey Stocks, MB, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – Stocks is a little undersized in the middle but she’s athletic and springy and that helps make up for it. She gets up in the air fast and defenses need to stay close because she’s a definite threat when she’s front row. Lauren Purnell, MB, Tribe 17 Elite – Another middle who is a bit undersized at 5-10, Purnell has similar attributes as Stocks. She’s also a quick jumper who takes aggressive cuts and gives Tribe an option in the middle. Ariana Brown, OH, Asics Willowbrook 17 Gold – A three-star recruit committed to Louisiana Monroe, Brown is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s a terrific