July 5, 2023

There are few days like Day 3 at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships. The action in Chicago started with 24 teams in medal contention and ended with just eight in the quarterfinals. With must-win matches taking place all over, it produces high-level and entertaining volleyball and it’s extremely fun to cover and watch. Below, we highlight our favorite 10 players of the day. 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 1 ALL RED HAT TEAM Camryn Hayek OH Momentous 17 Dan: Hayek was playing large! She’s a bit undersized but she was coming through time and time again in the clutch, including in Momentous’ big victory over Metro 17 Travel to open pool play. She’s fearless on the attack. She was staying aggressive and as a result was coming up with key kills at key moments, going through or around blocks and pumping up her teammates. Rachel Van Gorp OH KC Power 17 Black: Van Gorp is similar to Hayek in that she too is an undersized outside who shows no fear and never backs down. She jumps well and has a lively arm. She’s a heady attacker who knows how to score against bigger blocks. Taylor Walsh MB Momentous 17 Dan: Walsh was another key member of Momentous’ success. She’s a lanky middle who was providing offense for Momentous out of the middle and causing defenses to respect her scoring ability. She also has a nice swing and was hitting with pace. Allison Legates MB Vision 17 Gold: Legates is a perfect fit for the All Red Hat Team as well. She’s another player who is undersized for her position but she doesn’t back down and stands in with the biggest of middles. It helps she jumps well and can get up, which allows her to deliver kills when set. Madison Loiselle RS OT 17 Aaron: The AAU 17 Open champs were on the cusp of the quarterfinals but fell in challenge play. We absolutely love what Loiselle brings to the lineup. She’s a physical presence with her blocking and attacking. She can hammer balls down from all across the front row. Even though defenses know she’s getting the ball when she’s in, they still struggle to stop her. Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is an absolute joy to watch. She’s intense and you can see her competitiveness and will to win in the way she carries herself. She’s also among the top two-way players on the right side in terms of her blocking and attacking. Teams consistently set away from her when she’s front row. On offense, she has a big, booming arm and can punish defenses with it whether she’s front or back row. Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Kevin: Starck – a 5-star Penn State recruit – is one of the top all-around players in the division. She’s an above-average hitter who can get up and launch balls from corner to corner. But she’s even more fun to watch dish. She can simply sling it from pin to pin without any trouble and has excellent location. Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black: Messer – another 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 who recently committed to USC – is silky-smooth and is almost never misses her mark when setting. She too is a serious competitor who can make just about any set from anywhere. Lauren Lynch L SG Elite 17 Rosh: Lynch – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – simply gets the job done. She’s not flashing and doesn’t play in a way that brings a lot of attention her way, except for her exceptional play. She has great first-ball contact and does well defending and picking up shots in the back row. Gillian Pitts L TAV 17 Black: Pitts is yet another member of the Class of 2025 who is playing up and starring. She’s one of the more athletic liberos in the division. The way she plays, she makes plays look effortless at times. She’s also a feisty competitor who will meet any challenge in front of her head on.

There is no letting up at a tournament of the caliber that is the USAV Girls Junior National Championships. The competition in Chicago took a major step up as Day 3 rolled around and teams could sense their place in the quarterfinals. Trimming the All Red Hat Team selections to 10 was nearly impossible. It’s no exaggeration to say we could list 25 players easily. However, we stuck with our normal 10, which you can read about below.   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 Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple: Bell – a 4-star recruit who recently verbaled to Oregon – is an exciting player who brings lots of energy and spirit to the court. She’s a springy attacker with a quick jump and swing. Those together make her a legit offensive weapon and one of the key pieces in the Circle City attack. Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1: Bettis spent last season on the right side and has excelled on the left this year. She’s a big part of why Northern Lights is in the quarterfinals. She’s long with great reach and extension. She can get up there and it makes her very difficult to slow when she gets it going. Riley Lynch MB VA Jrs 16 Elite: Lynch has been coming on here making us take notice. She moves well laterally, which helps with her blocking. She can put up a strong block. She does nice work off the net to make herself available. She exudes a positive demeanor as well, cheering on her teammates. Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal 16-1 Black: NorCal had a great, great run until barely missing out on advancing from its three-team pool. Kelly played a vital role in NorCal’s upset of Drive Nation. She’s a big middle who can make plays on both sides of the ball to help her team win. She has a strong arm that can power through blocks. Camryn Jeffery RS A5 16 Gabe: Jeffery – a 4-star recruit – keeps improving every tournament we catch her at. A5 was on the cusp of the quarterfinals in part because of the production of Jeffery on the right side. She stays in across the back row too, adding another option there. She’s also physical and can hit with power. Bella Schwantz S/RS Cape Coast 16 Titan: You can see Schwantz bringing her beach skills to the indoor side of things. She’s a bit undersized but is a savvy hitter who has a solid arm and can frustrate defenses with her well-placed off-speed shots too. She jumps well, which also helps her play. Ella Craggs S Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Mich Elite gave Drive Nation everything it had in the challenge round. We love Craggs at the setter position because she represents what the All Red Hat Team is about. She’s a bit undersized but she is fearless and doesn’t let up. She does well moving the ball around. She has a consistent release and locates well too. Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1: Axness is not necessarily in the same mold as Axness but fairly similar in that she too is a bit undersized but runs the offense well. She does well getting her feet to the ball and delivering hittable balls to all her attackers. Brookelyn Hatton L MAVS KC 16-1: Hatton is smooth! She’s on the stoic side and plays with a fierce intensity. She also happens to be really, really good. She reads and anticipates as well as any libero in the division. She’s not needing to make a ‘highlight’ save to keep a ball up because she’s in position to make the simple pass. Callie Krueger L Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Krueger – a recent Texas commit – can flat-out defend and pass. She’s a top-notch libero with the way she covers and reacts. She shows great first-ball contact and does well keeping her team in system.

How wild and unpredictable has 17 Open been so far at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago? Of the top six seeds, only one of them finished in first place in its respective pool and even then it didn’t come with a 5-0 mark. A5 17 Jing, the No. 2 overall seed, finished 4-1 but managed to hold onto first place based on its head-to-head victory over SG Elite 17 Rosh. SG Elite also went 4-1 to take second. After that, the results were anything but according to seed. Top-seeded Dynasty 17 Black – playing without stud outside Carlie Cisneros – finished 4-1 and in second place after falling to SCVC 17 Roxy in the final pool outing. SCVC also went 4-1 and takes over the top seed. Drive Nation 17 Red, the No. 3 overall seed, was fortunate enough to take second palce after going 3-2 in Pool 3. Wave 17 Juliana made it out unscathed at 5-0. KC Power 17 Black, the No. 4 overall seed, tied with Metro 17 Travel at 4-1. With Metro winning that contest head-to-head, Metro took first with KC Power coming in second. TAV 17 Black, the No. 5 overall seed, was also lucky in finishing in second place. Like Drive Nation, TAV also went 3-2. It was Club V 17 Ren Matthew going 4-1 in an impressive performance to grab first. The pool also featured Triangle 17 Black, which barely made it out in fourth place at 2-3. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, the No. 6 overall seed, went 1-2 on Day 1 and bounced back to win both matches on Day 2. That put NKYVC at 3-2, which was good enough for third place. It was Coast 17-1 earning first after going 4-1 and having the head-to-head tiebreaker over Miami Hype 17 Emilio, one of two at-large recipients which also finished 4-1. A few big movers included AVC Cle 17 Red. The club started off as the No. 35 seed but went 3-2 and took third in Pool 1. Pohaku 17-1 opened as the No. 32 seed but also went 3-2 and took third in Pool 3. Hou Skyline 17 Royal began as the No. 28 overall seed and ended pool play at 2-3. That was enough for third place. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Kiki Remensperger S Wave 17 Juliana: Remensperger was part of a perfect first round of pool play for Wave. She’s a bit undersized but she’s very fast and does well getting to the ball. She has nice hands and can fling it from pin to pin with ease. Mia Hood RS A5 17 Jing: Hood – a 4-star Michigan State commit – is on the right side after spending her time at AAUs in the middle. It seems to have made a difference, as A5 is playing well. She puts up a massive block on the right side while also being able to go straight over blockers to score. Mya Bolton L KC Power 17-1: Bolton, a 3-star Michigan State commit, is a lockdown libero who sets the defensive tone for a KC Power squad that relies heavily on that side of the ball. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and doesn’t let many balls near her drop. Janelle Green KC Power 17-1: Green – a 4-star Cincinnati recruit – is an outgoing, energetic setter who does well moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved. Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: A 4-star Iowa State commit, Bobbitt is another setter who can spread the ball around and take advantage of the pieces the offense has to offer. She’s a competitor too and doesn’t back down. Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron: Parks – a 4-star Florida commit – is silky-smooth in running the show. She has great hands and does well keeping the defenses off balanced. Kate Duffey S/RS City 17 Gold: City was one of two at-large recipients but wasn’t able to break pool after going 2-3. Duffey, a 3-star UCLA recruit, did well in a two-way role swinging and setting. Jade Dudley-Epps MB SCVC 17 Roxy: Dudley-Epps was part of a great first round of pool play for SCVC. She adds a different dynamic with her athleticism and ability to get out and score effectively on the slide. Kirra Musgrove S/RS Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Musgrove – a 5-star Texas AM from the Class of 2025 – is tremendous in both roles. She’s long and extends way up on the attack and has a smooth swing to back it. She also dishes at an above-average level. Emerson Sellman OH Metro 17 Travel: Sellman is among the top outsides in the division. The 5-star Ohio State recruit can bring the heat on the outside and overpower defenders. Jordan Smith RS Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite: Smith, a 4-star recruit part of the Class of 2025, is a big-time presence on the right side with her size and ability to get up and impact the play on both sides of the net. She puts up a big block and can also go over blocks without much trouble. Addison Collum RS Seal Beach 17 Black: Collom is another fun right side to watch bring it. She’s relentless on the attack, and doesn’t back down against bigger blockers as she comes with aggressive swings.

When it came to the 14 and 15 Open divisions at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago the top-ranked teams were safe through the first round of pool play. That’s not to say none of them lost, but none failed to break pool and not advance. That’s where 16 Open starts to deviate. There was a major development on Day 2 as No. 2 overall seed Surfside 16 PV Legends – which is ranked No. 3 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings – finished at 2-3 and tied with MAVS KC 16-1. Since MAVS started off Tuesday by sweeping Surfside, 25-23, 25-23, that gave MAVS the head-to-head edge and thus fourth place in their pool. With Surfside coming in fifth, any chance at advancing and medaling are gone. After losing to MAVS, Surfside still had an opportunity to move on but either needed to beat Adidas KiVA 16 Red or have MAVS lose to Triangle 16 Black. With MAVS rolling against Triangle by only giving up 25 total points in two sets, Surfside needed to win against KiVA but fell in the third set, 15-12, to the AAU 16 Open champs and are out of contention. Did anyone see that one coming? Very likely not. The second round of pool play is going to be interesting, in part because top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Silver also lost its final pool match to OT 16 JP and finished second behind OT. While Drive Nation 16 Red went 5-0 in Pool 3, No. 4 overall seed Hou Skyline 16 Royal lost twice and finished in second place behind Mich Elite 16 Mizuno, one of two at-large recipients. HJV 16 Elite also lost as the No. 5 overall seed but still finished in first place in a tiebreaker with A5 16 Gabe as both were 4-1. Arizona Storm 16 Thunder went 5-0 as the No. 6 overall seed. ID Crush 16 Bower – which received the No. 7 overall seed – went 2-3 and finished in a three-way tie and made it out as the fourth-place finisher. Surfside losing was shocking in its own right, but it also led to a bigger trend that’s likely never happened before at a USAV GJNC and that’s the fact that no Southern California Region club advanced to the Top 24. Surfside was obviously the top candidate to do so, but Wave 16 Kevin, Coast 16-1 and Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar all finished fifth or lower in their respective pools and did not advance either. Long Beach was playing without its star in Layli Ostovar and was one of three teams which earned its Open bid at the Salt Lake City Showdown. Vegas Aces 16 UA and OT 16 Roberto also qualified there, but none of the three broke pool. Meanwhile, Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal, which opened as the No. 14 overall seed, joined Drive Nation and Arizona Storm as the only squads to make it through the first round of pool play without a loss. Tribe beat KiVA, Surfside and Austin Skyline 16 Royal to help fuel its run so far. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS KK Green S/RS GP 16 Rox: GP remains in the hunt in part with the contributions of Green in her dual role as a setter and hitter. She does well with both. She’s a hard-hitter on the right side who does well tooling blocks. She’s also an above-average setter with strong hands and the ability to locate her sets with accuracy. Julia Oster L AVC Cle 16 Red: Oster was making play after play when we caught her in action. And they were just ordinary plays, She was picking off rockets launched her way and doing so without any struggle. Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Mich Elite has come alive during its time in Orlando and now in Chicago. Busignani is the go-to left side who can deliver in the clutch. She has height and extends high up. Combined with her fluid swing, she can rip it. Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: MAVS did well to break pool, with Parks playing a big factor in that. She’s a next-level talent who attracts the big-name college coaches to her court. She’s a pure athlete who can jump high, swing hard and set at a high level. Keri Leimbach L Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Leimbach is a high-energy, outgoing libero who gets the job done with ease. She passes lights-out and she’s quick and can cover ground in a hurry. Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Sigler – a 5-star Nebraska commit – is among the most physical players in the division. But she’s so much more than a big arm on the outside. She can pass and defend at a really high level as well. Devyn Wiest OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Wiest is a lanky outside who continues to improve and get better. She can crush balls when she extends and catches one. Ava Poinsett OH Coast 16-1: Coast was knocked out but Poinsett did her best to not let it happen. She’s a six-rotation mainstay with a powerful arm. She can blast balls front and back row and put them on a defender in a hurry. Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn – also a 5-star Nebraska recruit – is a big reason why Legacy, an at-large recipient, broke pool. She’s a tall setter with smooth hands and consistent location. She’s also a viable threat front row because her size allows her to be aggressive by going on two. Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: Quest – a 5-star Wisconsin recruit – was showcasing her skills all over the court. She has the ability to score equally well front and back row. She’s another tall outside who extends way up. Matched with a lively arm, she has no issues letting it fly. Olivia Durst L MKE Sting 16 Gold: Durst was sensational the times we saw her. It seemed like