The intensity went through the roof as teams chased bids on the final day of the opening weekend of the Mideast Qualifier. With the competition elevated, players were stepping up their games too and putting on incredible displays everywhere we looked. Below, we bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers featuring the players who caught our attention the most. DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: A 4-star recruit, Simon was a huge part of the defensive play that helped KiVA to the 16 Open championship. She’s an on-point passer out of serve receive and has great range in the back row defending. Bridget Egan OH Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Egan – a 3-star recruit – was unleashing massive kills at times. She has a whippy arm and when it’s set up in front of her watch out. It’s coming in hot. Emilee Fuller S Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Fuller – a 3-star recruit – is a back row setter who puts up a nice ball. She was locating and connecting well with her hitters. Ava Hunter S Circle City 16 Purple: A 3-star recruit, Hunter is a competitive setter who does a fine job of running the offense. She has great hands and locates consistently while putting her hitters in favorable matchups. Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple: Bell – a 4-star recruit – has a lively arm and jumps well. She was helping power along the Circle City attack on the left by providing a reliable scoring threat. Avery Freeman L/DS Circle City 16 Purple: Freeman – a 3-star recruit – is unflappable in the back row. She’s a no-nonsense libero with a sound platform and strong first-contact skills. Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple: Dunkle – a 4-star recruit – brings a net presence to the lineup when she checks in. She’s a legit scoring threat who defenses need to track and she’s also one of the team’s best blockers. Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: Quest – a 5-star recruit – helped MKE Sting earn its bid on Day 3. She’s a real offensive force capable of scoring equally well from the front and back row with her long extension and high contact point. Alicia Beers RS MKE Sting 16 Gold: Beers was a valuable part of the lineup. With Sting running a 6-2, Beers held down one of the right side spots across the front row. Her blocking and scoring were both impactful pieces of Sting’s success. Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: A 5-star setter, Glass commands the offense like few in the division. She has a great location and puts up a clean, consistent ball while being able to move the ball around and get her various hitters involved. *** Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Another 5-star recruit, Kinney’s a new addition to the lineup this year and has fit in precisely as hoped. She’s a big-hitting, free-swinging outside who has no problem banging down balls. Zoey Matias L/DS Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Matias – a 4-star recruit – was part of a strong group of defenders in her age division. She holds down the back row as well as anyone, passing sharply and defending with a fury. Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes – a 3-star recruit – is instant offense across the front row. She’s a hard-hitting, high-flying outside who bangs balls straight down with electrifying kills. Addison Gaido RS Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Gaido – a 4-star recruit – is a game-changer with her length and reach. At 6-4, she can shut down outsides with her blocking. Offensively, she’s just as difficult to deal with as she can easily go over blocks and finds holes to exploit. Lily Dee Davis OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal: A six-rotation outside and 4-star recruit, Davis is a mainstay on the court. She does a bit of everything for her team, including providing a big arm to be relied on plenty offensively. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: A 5-star recruit, Flynn is an aggressive setter in the front row and even though teams have the scouting report still struggle stopping her from scoring on two. She also puts her hitters in great spots and can help keep the team in system even on off balls with her strong dishing. Devin Dzienny L/DS Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Dzienny – a 3-star recruit – is a scrappy libero willing to make the hustle plays and lay out doing so. Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Busignani – a 4-star recruit – is the go-to hitter on the left and gets plenty of swings. She has a strong, fluid swing and generates lots of pace while pressuring defenses. Hailey Campagna OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: Campagna is a physical attacker who doesn’t hold back. She’s a bit undersized but goes right at bigger blockers with aggressive, strong swings. Mia Stahler L/DS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Stahler was another bright spot as EliteVBTC challenged for an Open bid. She is a sound defender and covers the court well. *** Mattea Casale L/DS No Name 16 Sarah: If you like defense, add Casale to the list of liberos who were defensive standouts. She owns the back row and was making plays all over the place. Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Starck – a 5-star Penn State commit – and company captured 17 Open. Starck is a flat-out baller who is as competitive as anyone in the gym. She’s a high-level setter and attacker and brings all her dynamic play to the court. Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Chapman – a 4-star Tennessee commit – was a key factor on Day 3. She was providing a scoring punch and taking bigger, more aggressive swings than the first two days. It led to her scoring a bunch of points. Addie Kanouff RS Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Kanouff – a 3-star Texas Tech commit – was
