January 5, 2023

Over the past two weeks we’ve checked in on teams from the 15, 16, 17 and 18s divisions as we started diving into the club season. In doing so, we’ve already noted a few players who have switched clubs for the new year. That led us to compiling a list of 4 and 5-star athletes who are representing different teams and who figure to make tremendous impacts doing so. 5 STARS Alex Acevedo SR OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon): Acevedo leaving Idaho Crush and moving to NPJ instantly boosted her new team. With 48 teams qualifying for 18 Open, NPJ could have found its way into the field regardless. However, their chances greatly increase with Acevedo. She gives NPJ a high-level outside who is going to be the go-to hitter and able to carry a big load offensively.   Ayden Ames JR MB/OH Drive Nation 17 Red (Nebraska): Ames leaving TAV to join Drive Nation is obviously one of the biggest club changes this season. Ames’ height and length allows her to really extend and contact the ball at a high point. She’s a game-changing presence across the front row. She also brings versatility to the roster. She played both right side and middle last year in club and spent this past high school season hitting on the outside. Ryan Hunter SO RS Triangle 17 Black: This could be a major move! Hunter going from CJV to Triangle is one switch we are definitely keeping tabs on. Triangle was very competitive in 16 Open last year, winning the Big South Qualifier and finishing tied for 13th at Junior Nationals. The main cast of characters is back for Triangle, so adding a player like Hunter naturally brings high hopes and excitement. She also seems like a perfect fit because Triangle is strong on the left with 4-star outsides Kiarrah Horne and Asia Thigpen. What they didn’t have is a consistent, threatening right side attack. Hunter, at 6-1 and a high flyer, brings that instantly. She can hit out of the back row too and it’s going to be really fun seeing setter Emily Bobbitt utilizing Hunter’s talents this year. Not sure Hunter’s arrival elevates Triangle into the best-of-the-best conversation but it might! Cari Spears SO OH TAV 17 Black: Spears – who was the vballrecruiter.com 2022 High School Sophomore Player of the Year after a dominating season at Prestonwood Christian – comes to TAV after playing for Metro last season. Spears, the top hitting prospect in her class, is playing up a year but that won’t keep her from making a huge impact. She’s 6-3 with a powerful arm and capable of scoring from all over. She’ll be playing with a few of her high school teammates as well, so she figures to fit right in. TAV wasn’t lacking for an offensive punch already having 5-star athletes Jadyn Livings and Favor Anyanwu on the roster. Now with Spears also factored in, opposing defenses are going to face an unrelenting attack. Good luck! Lameen Mambu SO OH Metro 17 Travel: The what ifs of this one are fun. Like, what if Spears stayed at Metro and would have been teamed with Mambu this season, either on the 16s or on the 17s if both played up? We won’t know the answer to that but we’ll soon find out how much Mambu coming from Paramount to Metro will help her new squad. Mambu is crazy athletic and jumps really well. Metro was in the top half of Open as a 16s team. Metro essentially lost Spears but gained Mambu. It should keep Metro in the mix again. Kirra Musgrove SO S/RS Houston Skyline 17 Royal: Part of Hou Skyline beefing up its roster this season is adding Musgrove, who comes over from HJV. Musgrove played her age group last year in the 15s, but will jump to 17s with her new club. Musgrove’s next-level talent is easy to see. She’s tall, smooth and has smarts. She set and hit last year with HJV so she also brings versatility to the lineup. Looking at Hou Skyline’s roster, it seems likely they’ll be running a 6-2 this season with Musgrove clearly a part of it. Hou Skyline qualified for Open last year but wasn’t a medal contender. Adding Musgrove plus others might not boost Hou Skyline to that level but this squad should be more competitive. Samara Coleman SO OH Houston Skyline 17 Royal: Coleman is another new member to Hou Skyline. The high-flying 6-1 outside who jumps 30 inches comes over from TAV Houston. She’s also going to be playing up an age group in the 17s. Adding Coleman certainly brings more pop to the attack. Hou Skyline was thin in that area last season and by adding Coleman Hou Skyline should definitely have more firepower to throw at opponents. Kelly Kinney SO OH Tribe 16 Elite: Playing with Boomers last year, Kinney flew under the radar. She’s a remarkable talent with her length and scoring ability. Joining Tribe should help both sides. For starters, Kinney joins a roster that already includes 5-star setter Charlotte Glass. Glass to Kinney already seems like one of the best connections in the division and it could be the reason Tribe is able to make the move and qualify for Open this season. Tribe already had the high-flying Tekoa Barnes on the left, so Glass working with both Barnes and Kinney should be exciting! Keoni Williams FR MB Skyline 15 Royal: Any team Williams winds up on is going to make that team better. She left Frisco Flyers for Skyline this season but because of lots of roster turnover it remains to be seen where this Skyline version stands. Only two players are back from last year’s 14s that tied for 23rd in 14 Open, but that doesn’t mean anything with such a new look. Still, with the 6-4 Williams in the middle Skyline knows it has a force in the front row anytime she checks in.