September 22, 2022

Bouncing from tournament to tournament one weekend to the next is how the high school season starts to fly by. We are almost through September. We are starting to hone in on the top teams in the country, though our National Top 50 Rankings are sure to keep having its share of movement throughout the next month. Some of the top teams in the country feature 5-star recruits from the Class of 2023. Conversely, some of the 5-star recruits play for teams that have faced their share of challenges to begin the year. Below, we check in on our 5-star senior recruits and how they’ve been faring so far. Ramsey Gary SR L Pendleton Heights IN – The Indiana commit is not surprisingly leading her squad in digs. She’s collected 254 as of press time and is averaging 4.0 per set. Gary also has the most aces on the team with 38 to date and has chipped in with 42 assists. Grace Heaney SR RS Elkhorn South NE – Elkhorn South has started the season 13-2 behind the play of Heaney. The only two losses have come against nationally-ranked schools in Lincoln East and Papillion-LaVista South. The Purdue commit has delivered a team-high 183 kills, averaging 4.6 per set, while hitting .333. She also has a team-leading 22 blocks. Sydney Schnichels SR RS Wilmar MN – There’s no denying Schnichels has been carrying a big load for the Cardinals. She’s taken almost 200 more swings then the next closest attacker. She has produced a team-high 210 kills while hitting .313. Laney Choboy SR OH Leesville Road NC – One of the top libero prospects in the country, Choboy is committed to Minnesota but is playing on the outside for the Pride. She’s leading the way offensively with 111 kills and is hitting .226. She’s also second in digs averaging 4.0 per set. Saige Damrow SR OH Howards Grove WI – Like Choboy, Damrow is another top-ranked libero hitting in high school. The Wisconsin commit has helped the Tigers go 23-4 so far, including two losses to nationally-ranked Oconomowoc. Damrow has put down 185 kills and is hitting .366 despite missing nearly half the year. She’s also second in aces and third in total digs, though she’s first in average at 5.0 per set. Ashley Mullen SR S Liberty MO – The UCLA commit has guided the Blue Jays to a 19-1 start and a No. 34 ranking in our national Top 50. The only loss came against No. 19 Aquinas. Mullen has dished out 529 assists so far, averaging 9.6 per set. She’s also second in aces with 36. Eloise Brandewie SR MB Bishop Hartley – With Brandewie leading the charge, the Hawks entered the week a perfect 14-0. In 33 sets of action she’s nailed 136 kills and is hitting a ridiculous .548. The Ohio State commit is also the block leader with 34. Ella Swindle SR S Rock Bridge MO – The Texas commit has her hands all over the Bruins’ 11-1 mark. She’s averaging 7.6 assists per set and has totaled 251 to date. She’s also second in blocks with 34 and is the team’s second leading scorer as well with 67 kills. Bergen Reilly SR OH O’Gorman SD – One of the nation’s top setting prospects who is committed to Nebraska, Reilly is hitting for the Knights. She’s come up with a team-high 85 kills and is averaging 5.3 per set. Jurnee Robinson SR OH Mauldin SC – The LSU commit is having a monster season. That should shock no one. The Mavericks are 20-5 with Robinson giving them 296 kills and hitting .408. Blaire Bayless SR OH Plano West TX – The Pitt commit and her Wolves teammates have been on a roll lately as they are currently enjoying an 18-match winning streak as of this writing. It includes avenging one of their losses to Lovejoy as Plano West made its Top 50 debut this week at No. 45. Bayless leads the way with 295 kills and is averaging 4.2 per set. She also has an incredible 93 aces. Olivia Babcock SR OH Sierra Canyon CA – The Trailblazers are having an amazing season to date on the strength of Babcock’s play. The Pitt commit has sent down 328 kills and is averaging 4.6 per set. She also has a team-high 45 aces and is second in blocks with 58. Caroline Jurevicius SR OH Notre Dame Cathedral OH – At 8-5, it’s been a challenging start to the season for the Lions, who entered their Sept. 22 contest against Lake Catholic having lost three consecutive matches in five games. The powerful arm of Jurevicius – a Nebraska commit – has tallied 200 kills as she’s hitting .323 and averaging 4.3 per set. Torrey Stafford SR OH Marymount CA – The Sailors have found recent tournament success, finishing runner-up at Dave Mohs and the Durango Fall Classic. Stafford – another Pitt commit – is out in front with 132 kills, averaging 4.1 per set and hitting .281. Kyndal Stowers SR OH Guyer TX – The Baylor commit just recently made her debut. She’s appeared in four of her team’s 67 sets. She has come up with 17 kills, averaging 4.3 per set, which tied for top honors. Jordyn Harvey SR OH Bountiful UT – The Stanford commit and company entered the week unbeaten at 13-0. Harvey is having a great senior year so far with 166 kills. She’s averaging 4.9 per set and is hitting .390. Harper Murray SR OH Skyline MI – At 20-3, Skyline has shown itself to be one of the top schools in Michigan behind the play of the Nebraska commit in Murray. She has more than half the team’s total kills with 340. She’s hitting a mind-blowing .434 so far and is averaging an insane 6.1 kills per set. Chloe Chicoine SR OH McCutcheon IN – The only blemish on the schedule so far remains an August loss to Yorktown.