June 28, 2022

It didn’t take long for the first jolt to hit on the opening day of the 14s and 15s divisions at USAV GJNC in Indy. Top-seeded Madfrog 14 Green was upset in opening round by Tstreet 14 Carson. Top-seeded Arizona Storm 15 Thunder nearly suffered the same fate before sneaking past AJV 15 Adidas by winning the third set, 17-15. We’ll get to those things and much more if you keep scrolling on down. Before that though, we want to introduce our Day 1 Show Stoppers featuring the players who stood out the most to us during an entertaining day of volleyball. Jaidyn Hartsfield, S/RS, Madfrog 14 Green – Hartsfield is a key cog in the lineup with her contributions setting and hitting. She delivers a clean ball and goes behind her with accuracy to keep defenses honest. Though she’s a bit undersized she’s aggressive on the attack and doesn’t intimidated. Emmerson Champagne, MB, Tstreet 14 Carson – Champagne was instrumental in Tstreet’s tournament-opening upset of top-seeded Madfrog. She was an unstoppable force and burnt Madfrog over and over with her scoring ability. She also makes great reads and can deliver one-on-one blocks. Audrey Dyas, MB, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami – With her length, opponents better hope Dyas is not able to get on top of the ball. When she does watch out, she can put it down in a hurry with plenty of pop. Peytyn Pyle, MB, TAV Houston 14 Adidas – Pyle is lanky and can get out and run the slide effectively. She has a good arm and it makes her a difficult cover, especially against smaller blockers. Henley Anderson, OH, AP 14 Adidas – Anderson’s height is a major weapon. She easily goes over blocks for points but does a good job tipping to open spots as well. AP will get her involved in various ways, including running her on combos out of the middle. Vivian Hickman, S/RS, AZ Sky 14G – There was plenty to like about what Hickman was bringing. She’s an aggressive attacker who comes with it on the right side. Back row, she’s a capable setter with sound location and a solid release. Skylar Brady, MB, OP2 14-1 – We liked the group of middles we witnessed on Day 1, with Brady part of it. She’s another one who can run the slide well. She has a nice swing too and it makes her a threat who defenses have to respect. Sophia Davila, OH, Skyline 14 Royal – Davila was bringing it as much as anyone we saw. She has a strong, powerful arm and doesn’t hold back too often. She showed a great knack for tooling blocks as well. Brooklyn Bailey, MB, Skyline 14 Royal – Bailey gets up well and she gets up in a hurry. She showed a strong scoring touch with her ability to put balls down. She can also get in the way of attacks, touching balls coming her way from opposing hitters. Genevieve Harris, S, Academy 14 Diamond – It was a tough day overall for Academy, but Harris was a bright spot. She demonstrated a great touch and release. Her sets were almost always clean and she was spotting well. Kalli Lipo, L, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder – Similarly, it was a rough day as well for Storm but Lipo was strong in the back row. She was nails in serve receive, though she doesn’t get served very often as teams purposely keep the ball away from her. Kaiya Kearney, OH, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder – Kearney can bring heat when the opportunity is there. She’s an aggressive swinger and doesn’t back down. Catherine Palmi, OH, GP 14 Rox – There’s a different sound when Palmi catches one full force. She’s a powerful hitter who hits a heavy ball with her hammer of an arm. Paisley Pavliska, OH, Alamo 14 Premier – A bit undersized, Pavliska gets up well and has a whippy swing. It helps her generate plenty of pace on her shots to beat defenses with. Danielle Whitmire, S/RS, TAV 14 Black – Whitmire is another two-way player and valuable with her ability to set and hit. She possesses a good touch and carries a nice arm. Hannah Lee, MB, Flyers 14 Anthony – A middle who doesn’t necessarily look like she can bang like she does, Lee had impressive kills as she crushes balls. She can unload on 1s and slides alike and forces defenses to stay on her. Cassidy Bruns, L, MKE Sting 14 Gold – Bruns was an anchor in the back row. She’s a steadying presence who doesn’t rattle. She was on point in serve receive, rarely missing her target. Natalie Surges, OH, MKE Sting 14 Gold – An outside with a hammer, watch out for Surges. She keeps coming and is relentless. Milly McGee, S, SCVC 14 Roxy – McGee was dishing a clean ball. She consistently was giving her hitters balls to work with and was one of the few setters who was jump setting. Olga Nikolaeva, L, SCVC 14 Roxy – Nikolaeva showed her defensive prowess. She made great ups as balls were banged at her. Kylie Parker, OH, SG Elite 14 Rosh – Parker is a bit undersized but plays big. She gets up well, swings hard and unloads with a fury. She’s also a strong back row player with her passing and defending, making her a valuable all-around contributor. Kassidy O’Brien, S, Hou Skyline 15 Royal – O’Brien – a four-star recruit – was one of the smoother setters we came across. She has a soft touch and consistent delivery. She hits her mark on the regular and has plenty of pieces to work with. Lauryn Mack, OH, Drive Nation 15 Red – There were thundering kills coming off the arm of Mack. When this three-star recruit is hitting like that, she is difficult to slow. Drive Nation moves her around too in keeping the defenses guessing. Zoe Baliva, OH, HPSTL 15 Royal –