June 30, 2023

In our preview and predictions of 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago we spoke about the big three of TAV 14 Black, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson. The best way to prevent one of those three from winning the gold medal was for them to take each other out first. Well, that’s going to happen in the quarterfinals, as one of the four showdowns features Arizona Storm facing Tstreet. The sides have only met up once so far, with Arizona Storm defeating Tstreet in the finals of the Red Rock Rave back in March. By not winning its pool, Tstreet dropped in seeding and thus created a situation where one of the two won’t medal. That’s crazy! Here’s how the quarterfinals stack up:   In putting together vballrecruiter.com’s 14s National Rankings this season, I felt like there was very little movement among the top teams in the country. With each update, it felt like the Top 10 hardly shifted. At times, I even questioned myself and if I was missing something? That’s not the case, as the quarterfinals demonstrate. Here’s where the quarterfinalists check in for our Top 50:   To think the top six teams in the country all reached the final eight is saying something. Drive Nation at No. 10 knocked off No. 7 Forza1 North 14 One in three sets, winning the third 18-16, or else it would have been the top seven! Furthermore, No. 8 OT 14 Laura was kept from reaching the quarterfinals by No. 4 Long Beach, so no shame there. Elevation 14 Molly, at No. 12, was also a win away from the quarters but fell to upstart Club V who was the only team outside the Top 10 to make the final eight. The top teams have been the top teams for a reason, namely their consistency from tournament to tournament. It led to a somewhat uneventful challenge round, which is usually one of the highlights of nationals. Only two of the eight contests went three sets, which is a low number given the circumstances. We mentioned Drive Nation fending off Forza North. Drive Nation was ahead 12-6 and 14-12 before trailing 16-15. The only other outing to go the distance featured Madfrog getting past Absolute 14 Black. But that one didn’t have nearly the same drama, as Madfrog owned the third set, 15-8. *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Cedra Talaga L Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar: Rockstar is fitting because Talaga is a defensive rockstar. She’s high-octane and plays with tons of passion and emotion. She also patrols the back row well picking up shots and keeping rallies going. Ryah Brock OH Forza1 North 14 One: Brock is a hold-it-down outside who has a bright future with her athletic ability. She can get up and unload with her strong arm. She’s the go-to who Forza relies on in the clutch. Chloe Taylor S/RS Forza1 North 14 One: Taylor – part of the Class of 2028 – was a key piece in Forza almost making the quarterfinals. She’s a two-way player who also adds a bit of height to the front row. She’s a capable scorer and does well putting her hitters in good spots. Sanai Severloh MB Forza1 North 14 One: Severloh is one to keep tabs on as she grows and develops. She does nice things on the attack and hits with strength. Mariah Akinsola MB TAV 14 Black: Akinsola was a force at the net! She blasted balls down at, inside or just outside the 10-feet line on the regular. It made her nearly impossible to defend and reason why TAV rolled into the quarterfinals. Gentry Barker OH TAV 14 Black: Barker was another piece of the attack who defenses struggled to contain. She’s a bit undersized but can bring the heat for sure. Berkley France OH AZ Sky 14G: AZ Sky did well getting into challenge play but fell to Tstreet to miss out on the gold bracket. France showed no fear on the outside. She’s a bit undersized as well but doesn’t back down and stays aggressive. Ryan Spencer OH Skyline 14 Royal: Spencer was getting up and ripping balls sideline to sideline. She’s a six-rotation mainstay and featured piece of the attack. Morgan Meiring OH Elevation 14 Molly: Meiring was launching winners all over. She has a strong arm and can pound balls when she really connects. Vanessa Glenn OH Madfrog 14 Green: Glenn is an athletic outside who has no issues getting in the air and unleashing on defenses. She’s a quick jumper on top of that, so she’s tough to time up. Mackenzie Ratcliff MB Madfrog 14 Green: Ratcliff was showcasing her athleticism as well. She too gets up and has no trouble on the attack with her lively arm and ability to hit with pace. Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox: GP was on the cusp of the gold bracket as well but fell in challenge play. Sippio is a rising talent with her length and reach at the net. It allows her to impact both sides of the ball with her scoring and blocking.

That we limit our daily All Red Hat Team to 10 players is a blessing and a curse. We want to keep the selections exclusive, and thus keep the picks to just 10. But, on a day like Day 3 of 15 Open the USAV Girls Junior Nationals Championships, many, many more deserved to be featured because there were more than 10 players who were our favorite. Still, we needed to trim it to 10, which we did below with our Day 3 All Red Hat Team. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 3 ALL RED HAT TEAM Aubree Deshetsky OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas: It’s almost impossible to reach the gold bracket of a divison this deep and competitive without everyone contributing. Deshetsky was filling her role to a tee. She’s a bit undersized but isn’t afraid to go at bigger blockers. She was taking aggressive, smart swings and with it providing Legacy yet another scoring punch and keeping it moving along. MaryKate Scheumann OH Team Pineapple 15 Black: Scheumann is a perfect All Red Hat Team selection but she’s another outside who keeps coming at you and won’t back down for anything. She’s a bit undersized but carries a big arm and hits a heavy ball. She takes a lot of swings and helped Team Pineapple reach the challenge rounds before falling to Legacy in three. Jaycee Mack MB Wave 15 Brennan: We featured Mack as a Day 3 Show Stopper. She’s part of the Class of 2027 and with her growth and development from last season through this season has been remarkable. She always had big, powerful arm but she’s added an inch or two as well as more strength and is becoming a force at the net. She hits with tons of power and is a big reason why Wave is in the gold bracket. Hannah Lee MB Madfrog 15 Green: Madfrog battled but came up a victory short of reaching the gold bracket. Lee played her part well. She’s a competitive, no-nonsense middle who takes big, aggressive swings. She has a strong arm and is a key part of the Madfrog attack when in system. Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1: Weninger was a part of the reason why Pohaku reached the gold bracket and remains in contention for a medal. She’s a key ingredient on the right side with her scoring and blocking ability. She has a lively arm and can really connect with it. She also was coming through with timely blocks in challenge play to help her team advance. Sophia Davis RS Elevation 15 Tony: Davis was strong on Day 3 with her efforts from the right side. She’s a six-rotation right side who swings front and back row. She’s a capable attacker, with a big arm who blasts balls from side to side. Elle Mottola S WPVC 15 Armour Black: Winter Park wasn’t able to advance from the second round of pool play but Mottola’s skills were on full display. She has great on-court presence and command of the offense. She connects well with all her hitters and does things others setters aren’t doing, like running the middle outside the 10-foot line. Lily Rolfes S Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: We love what we saw from Rolfes. She’s a fiery competitor who helped lift her team into medal contention by reaching the gold bracket. She does well mixing up her sets and can really fire her team up with a timely block. Gabi Rodriguez L Madfrog 15 Green: Rodriguez was flying around the back row making plays. She’s a high-energy libero who passes well out of serve receive and covers well with her speed. Mya Capistrano L Forza1 North 15 One: Forza North fought on Day 3 but couldn’t quite get into the gold bracket with a tight loss to Arizona Storm. Capistrano was amazing in her role. She stood in against big hitters and did well picking off shots and extending rallies. She’s also quick and moves around the court with ease.

We are getting down to it in 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. The third day of competition brought the second round of pool play plus challenge brackets. With spots in the quarterfinals ultimately on the line, the stakes were high and the action intense. Below, we present our Day 3 All Red Hat Team. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 3 ALL RED HAT TEAM Allie Hudgins OH AP 14 Adidas: After a 5-0 run through pool, it was a rough Round 2 of pool play for AP, which went 0-2 and didn’t advance to the challenge rounds. Regardless, we were in awe of what Hudgins can do on the court. She’s a 6-2, next-level prospect who is built in the mold of AP’s 15 stud Henley Anderson. Hudgins can hit angles others can’t because of her high contact point. She also moves well. And typically players like her are easy serving targets, but teams do not attack her in serve receive repeatedly. Landri Trice OH Drive Nation 14 Red: We couldn’t help but add Trice to the All Red Hat team with the way she was competing and willing her team to win. Drive Nation pulled out a tight three-setter against Forza1 North 14 One to make the gold bracket. Trice is a little undersized but is equipped with a cannon for an arm. When she gets a hold of it, watch out! She can bring the thunder for her size and it was impressive to watch her go all-out and produce the kills she was delivering. Rylin Otto MB Tejas 14 Black: We have to give it up to Otto. If you walk the 14 Open courts you’ll notice the size and height of a few middles who look like they are already playing in college. Otto is an undersized middle who plays with a lot of spirit. You have to in order to hold up against bigger blockers, but she gives it her all. She’s quick, springy and swings very well and can provide points for her team. Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Ockerman is a physical presence on both sides of the ball. She’s a hard hitter who can get out on the slide and boom balls down with power. She also puts up a solid block and does well getting touches. Mia Diouf RS GP 14 Rox: Game Point gave it a go but came up short of the gold bracket. Diouf is a fun, athletic middle who delivers her share of highlight kills. Depending on what GP is doing, she can hit across the front row and check out or stay in and help the offense as a back row option. She has a strong arm and can drill winners. Marley Robinson S/RS Forza1 North 14 One: Forza North had a tough, tough setback to Drive Nation and came up a victory short of making the gold bracket. Still, we loved what Robinson brings to the lineup. She’s another undersized player who is absolutely fearless and competes with every ounce she has. She doesn’t leave the court as a setter or hitter. She’s quick, gets to the ball and puts the ball in a nice window. As an attacker, she jumps well and is smart with her shot selection. Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 14 Molly: After a slow start to the opening round of pool play, Elevation picked up its play on Day 3 yet ran into a hot Club V 14 Ren Silver squad and came up one win shy of the gold bracket. Hubbard was a standout with her two-way play. She’s a solid setter who is consistent with her location. She’s also a strong attacker with a strong arm and contributes that way too. Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: We saw a lot of Bowron in Orlando but didn’t see too much of her until Day 3 here. She’s a bit undersized but she’s a gamer with high IQ. She’s quick and athletic and does well getting her feet to the ball. She also has a nice, soft touch and doesn’t miss her spots too often. Addison Thompson-Stepp L Legacy 14-1 Adidas: The way Thompson-Stepp gets after on the defensive end caught our eye. She’s energetic and is always hustling around trying to make plays and keep her team in the rally. She’s also a sound passer out of serve receive. Pulelehua Laikona L Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Laikona also brings a lot of energy to the libero position. She’s scrappy, passes well and can make highlight saves to keep the ball alive. She’s fast too, and can cover ground quickly.

Legacy 13-1 Adidas outlasted Elevation 13 SJ to capture the 13 Open gold medal at the USAV Girls Junior National Championship while A5 12-LA swept EXCEL 12 National Red in the 12 National gold-medal match. You can read all about their performance and the grittiness displayed by the champs. We also released our Day 4 Show Stoppers.  Last but not least, we are proud to announce the vballrecruiter.com All-Tournament Team, comprising the finest young athletes from the 13 Open and 12 National divisions. Additionally, I have included a new division called “Scrappers,” as an honorable mention for the many talented young players who deserve recognition for their outstanding performances. I was blown away by the skill and determination of all the athletes I watched, and it was an incredibly tough decision to narrow down our selections. Nevertheless, we are thrilled to honor the following young players for their hard work, dedication and exceptional talent.  I would like to add a small note that I included one exceptional athlete from the 12 USA division in the Scrappers category. This athlete was simply outstanding throughout the entire event, and I felt it was important to give her recognition as one to watch in the future.  Without further ado we are proud to present the vballrecruiter.com USAV 12 and 13s All Tournament-Teams!  vballrecruiter.com USAV 12 & 13’s ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS 13s OUTSIDES Lia Ray Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal Baylee Wilson COAST 13-1 Maya Ogbogu Madfrog 13 Green Bethany Benjamin A5 13 Karen MIDDLES Sarah Albers HPSTL 13 Royal Sadie Ellis Elevation 13 S J Lexi Coleman Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS MIDDLE/RIGHT SIDE Gillian Pfeiffer HPSTL 13 Royal Avery Brannon Elevation 13 S J RIGHT SIDES Sarah Floyd TAV 13 Black SETTERS Kelsey Green Elevation 13 S J Charlee Groninger Circle City 13 Purple Alice Burgett COAST 13-1 SETTER/RIGHT SIDES Kaelyn Easton Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS Aleyna Bramschreiber Madfrog 13 Green LIBEROS Brynli Burgess Madfrog 13 Green Ashlyn Pelon Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS Addyson Wolfer Elevation 13 S J SCRAPPERS Emilie LaSala OH COAST 13-1 Cadence Talaga OH Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar Leah Stickney OH A5 13 Karen Sophia Sturdy S/RS Dynasty 13 Black Molly Monday S/RS OT 13 T Tabitha Olivia Perimeter OH TAV 13 Black Natalia Marciante OH Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal Katy Mcgough OH Excel 13 Red *** 12s OUTSIDES Kari Knotts A5 12-LA Mary-Christine Crutcher EXCEL 12 National Red Skye Lincoln EXCEL 12 National Red Macurdy Harden A5 12-LA Maveti Faumuina Miz LB 12 Rockstar Nariah Johnson Coast 12-1 MIDDLES Madison Middleton A5 12-LA Gia Stokes A5 12-LA Lily Vandeweghe Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar Lucie Amonett OT 12 T Kesha Danaya Petkova Rockwood Thunder 12 Elite Liberty Badorek Tstreet 12-Kaila  SETTERS Anna Lukas EXCEL 12 National Red Gabriella Fiori EXCEL 12 National Red Delaney Holder S Miz LB 12 Rockstar Sophie Holt A5 12-LA SETTER/RIGHT SIDES Olivia Hayden A5 12-LA Trynity Alsaid Madfrog 12 Green Julia Middleton Circle City 12 Purple LIBEROS Collins Alonzo Madfrog 12 Green Karla Medina Tstreet 12-Kaila  Peyton Robinson A5 12-LA SCRAPPERS Brylie Milo OH KC Power 12 Black Anna Aquino Machado GVA/MIZUNO 12U Dark Blue Milan Tallman RS A5 12-LA Abby McCrory OH Circle City 12 Purple Reese Canada OH Boiler Jrs 121E Gold