August 24, 2023

Volleypalooza 2023 has kicked off in spectacular fashion on Day 1. First up for me were the pools at Vandegrift High School. The athletes showcased their unwavering dedication and heart in every aspect of the game. Then I ventured over to Cedar Park High School to capture the play in those two pools. It was fun to watch some of the Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi area schools compete (as I have been watching a ton of the DFW metro teams over the last two weekends). Yet again I have to spotlight the Class of 2027 making its appearance known in the varsity world. Camille Presley, a middle blocker from Austin TX, is emerging as a true force, demonstrating power and finesse in dominating the front row. Also, S/RS hitters Kamryn Mullican (Hebron TX) and Lauren Garcia (SA Reagan TX) are solidifying their pivotal roles on their respective teams. And let’s not overlook the impressive performance of libero Addison Mayo (Flour Bluff TX), who has showcased her defensive prowess with athletic and timely plays. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Mya Allen, JR OH, SA Reagan- Allen, a 3-star recruit, is explosive to say the least. She commands a presence everywhere on the court. Adyson Perez, SR L, SA Reagan- Perez makes tremendous plays keeping rallies alive and bringing a defensive tenacity to the floor. Thea Carter, SR OH, Alamo Heights- Carter, a 3-star recruit committed to Rice, was playing in a six rotation right side position and is a big plus for the offense. She has a booming arm and was crushing it. Cayley Hanson, SR S/RS, Deer Park- Hanson, a 3-star recruit committed to Mississippi State, does well directing the offense back row with a nice, consistent release. She’s also a solid attacker who helps spread out the offense. Tatum Busch, SR OH, Deer Park- Busch, a Tarleton State commit, is an aggressive swinger and doesn’t back down. Margaret Croft, JR OH, Flour Bluff- Croft, a six-rotation outside, hits with a heavy hand everywhere on the court. Beka Pfefferkorn, JR MB/RS, Bridgeland: Pfefferkorn, a 4-star recruit, can both unleash on the ball offensively and be a constant wall defensively. Alice Volpe, SR L, Bridgeland- Volpe, a 4-star recruit committed to TCU, is an smooth libero who is fun to watch take care of the back row duties. She is steady with her serve receive and does a great job defensively. Alex Beauchamp, SR OH, Vandegrift- Beauchamp takes aggressive swings and showed her ability to tool blocks, as well as pass and defend in the back row. Ava Carrasquillo, SO S/RS, Vandegrift- Carrasquillo does well getting her hitters involved when in system. She’s solid and consistent hitting her spots. Julia Hopkins, SR OH, Westwood- Hopkins, an Angelo State commit, hits a heavy ball and when she fully catches one she crushes it. Callie Krueger, SO L, Cedar Park- Krueger, a 4-star recruit committed to Texas, is smooth in serve receive. Defensively she holds down the back court with athleticism and grace. Muno Mmuo, SR MB, Cedar Park- Mmuo, a 3-star recruit committed to Dartmouth, is explosive in the middle. And when you give her an open net WATCH OUT. Joy Udoye, JR OH, Cedar Park- Udoye, a 3-star recruit, has a great arm that can already generate heat and pressure opponents consistently. Haley Kerstetter, JR MB, Hebron-Kerstetter might not be the tallest or flashiest middle blocker BUT she has a quick arm that beats blocks regularly. Sophie Hoke, SR RS, Hebron- Hoke is playing on the right side and every time I watch her play she comes up with these great plays. She’s a smart hitter who finds the hole. Harper Hall, SR S, Highland Park- Hall, a 3-star recruit committed to UCSB, has nice hands. She does well moving the ball around and keeping defenses on their toes. Alex Richter, JR OH, Highland Park- Richter, a 4-star recruit committed to Georgia, is a six-rotation outside who defenses have to give a lot of attention to because she’s an equal scoring threat whether front or back row. Gigi Whann, SO L, Highland Park- Whann was holding down the back row with her steady play. Her passing out of serve receive was consistent and she was making scrappy hustle plays. Dominique Phills, SR RS, Dawson- Phills, a 3-star recruit committed to Iowa, both swings well and provides a potent defense wall at the net. Kennedy Jones, JR MB/RS, Dawson- Jones can explode up and unload in the middle both offensively and defensively. Anna Flores, SO S, Keller- Flores, a 4-star recruit, has a great touch and consistent delivery. She hits her mark on the regular and has plenty of pieces to work with. Lauren Scheiden, SO L, Keller- Scheiden, a 3-star recruit, was strong in the back court. She has great reactions and does well tracking down balls to keep plays alive. Ayden Ames, SR OH/RS, Prosper- Ames, a 5-star recruit committed to Nebraska, can crush balls down the line or simply go over blockers and attack the deep cross court on corner. Hannah Beauford, JR S/RS, Prosper- Beauford, a 4-star recruit, is a solid setter with really good hands and location. As a hitter, she pounds and gives defenses all they can handle. Riley Malloy, SO OH, Austin- Malloy, a 5-star recruit, is a game-changing outside with her ability to control both sides of the net. She’s a phenomenal attacker with a big arm. And with her size, she can put up a wall of a block. Harper Luthy, JR OH, Austin- Luthy gets up well, swings hard and unloads with a fury. Suli Davis, JR S/RS, Colleyville Heritage- Davis, a 5-star recruit, is a glue piece who can carry the offensive load for stretches. She’s a smart hitter who can menace defenses on the reg. And did I mention yet she sets pretty darn well too? Sarah Mendoza, JR L, Colleyville Heritage- Mendoza, a 4-star recruit, was a back row force. She made a ton of

In a 68-team field, it’s expected that the respective top seeds in their pools are going to get through the opening day. That was the case on Day 1 of Volleypalooza, save for one. Canyon TX, the No. 10 overall seed, caught a bad break and was eliminated Thursday as the tournament kicked off in the greater Austin area. After starting 2-0, Canyon was upended by Rockwall TX in the 1 v 2 contest. It created a three-way tie at 2-1 between Canyon, Rockwall and Vista Ridge TX. It was Vista Ridge upsetting Rockwall in the 2 v 3 match that helped create the drama. What made it even tougher on Canyon is that all three teams tied on set percentage, so each team’s points ratio was used to determine the final placing. Given that, Rockwall came out ahead, followed by Vista Ridge in second and then Canyon in third. Canyon wasn’t the only top seed in its pool to lose, but the other ones who fell still managed to advance to Friday’s top pools. Prosper TX, the No. 7 overall seed, and Stratford TX, the No. 9 overall seed, both went down during Day 1 action. Prosper fell in three to Bridgland TX, the No. 3 team in the pool which finished 3-0. After losing to Clark TX in its opening match, Stratford found itself in a similar position as Canyon did ending in a three-way tie. Stratford was knotted at 2-1 with both Clark and Sachse TX, but still held onto first place with the best set percentage. Sachse took second, which meant despite its big upset Clark still finished in third place. The biggest surprise of the day belonged to Walnut Grove TX, which as the No. 58 overall wrapped up first place by going 3-0. Walnut Grove upset No. 11 overall seed Southlake Carroll TX, as well as Seven Lakes TX and Leander TX. Southlake Carroll finished 2-1 to take second place. Clear Springs TX, the No. 13 overall seed, No. 14 Cinco Ranch TX, No. 15 Highland Park TX and No. 17 SA Harlan TX all finished 2-1 as the top sees in their pool. All finished in second place. In each instance, the No. 2 team in each pool took first place in Keller TX, Liberty Hill TX, Austin TX and Cypress Ranch TX. A few of the highest seeds which finished 3-0 lost one set each in No. 2 Cathedral Catholic CA, No. 4 Grand Oaks TX and No. 6 Lake Travis TX. Top-seeded Prestonwood Christian TX, No. 3 Mater Dei CA, No. 5 Dripping Springs TX and No. 12 Rouse TX all went undefeated in sets on Day 1. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHT Mater Dei and Rouse squared off Wednesday night ahead of the tournament action. Mater Dei came back to beat Rouse in four, 18-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-15. Let’s take a closer look at the two sides in our Team Spotlight. MATER DEI CA: The Monarchs attended Volleypalooza in 2021 and headed back to California as the tournament champions. That year, Mater Dei also played a match on Wednesday, losing a nail-biter five-setter to Bryon Nelson TX. Mater Dei came out ahead this go around playing against Volleypalooza host Rouse. The Monarchs boast a strong lineup that includes 4-star senior outside Isabel Clark (San Diego) and 4-star senior right side Cymarah Gordon (Michigan). Another standout is 5-star sophomore outside Layli Ostovar. The team runs a 6-2 attack, with junior setter Ayva Ostovar and 3-star senior Julia Kakkis, who also hits across the front. The middle is patrolled by a pair of underclassmen in 3-star sophomore Addison Coady and 6-4, 3-star freshman Emma Kingston. Taking care of the libero position is recent 3-star Stanford commit Malyssa Cawa. ROUSE TX: Led by 4-star senior setter Savannah Skopal (Rice), Rouse gave Mater Dei a real scare. Skopal was fantastic in directing the attack and leading the charge. Mater Dei had a tough time slowing senior right side Naara Tanco, who was torching her opponent from both the front and back row. Also shining was 3-star Arizona State commit Jadyn Wilgus in the middle. Junior outside Jade Key had her moments as well, sending down spectacular kills. Freshman outside Avery Ralston also played a key role in delivering timely kills. Defensively, 3-star junior libero Mary Schirpik was holding it down and making lots of nice plays. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS DyBorrah Johnson JR MB Casteel AZ: Though Casteel went 1-2 on the day, Johnson was a force in the middle. She changed the dynamic of the lineup when she checked in, bringing her athleticism and big-time scoring ability to the court and boosting the attack. Kennedy Thompson JR S Casteel AZ: At 6-0, Thompson was a front row setter who did well dishing. She showed consistent location when delivering. Fara Bronson FR S Casteel AZ: Bronson – a 3-star recruit – set across the back row and showed the type of skills that helped Arizona Storm 14 Thunder to the 14 Open silver medal in Chicago. She moves well and does a nice job setting against the flow. Katelyn Bowman JR MB Allen TX: Bowman was in beast mode, especially when running the slide attack. She can really rip it and was scoring plenty for her squad. Alyssa Boyte SR MB Allen TX: Boyte had arguably the best stretch of any player I saw on the opening day. She was scoring effectively across the front row and then had nearly a 10-point service run in which she was playing middle back and making several digs to keep the run going. Jacy Carrejo JR S Leander TX: Carrejo – a 3-star recruit – commands the offense and is the court leader for Leander. She’s long and does a great job locating as well as playing defense and keeping plays alive. Macy Cepeda SO RS Leander TX: Cepeda, a lefty, was contributing to the offense when called upon. She showed a nice arm and ability to