December 4, 2023

Last week we presented our list of the vballrecruiter.com Senior Player of the Year Candidates. This go around, we have narrowed the list down to 25 Player of the Year Finalists. It’s a select list, one that was difficult to make given the criteria we were looking for. It’s not totally impossible to be considered as a finalist if a player didn’t lead their team in a statistical category, but the contributions have to be significant and undeniable. It’s one way of gauging a player’s impact for the season. Another determining factor was overall team success. Given the number of seniors listed as candidates, to be chosen as a finalist their respective team needed to win a state championship or the equivalent of given some programs can be independent. It’s a tough standard, one that eliminated plenty of talented players who are headed to top Division 1 programs. At the same time, it’s a team sport and using winning a state championship as a measure is one way to honor it. We’ll select the eventual Senior Player of the Year winner from the list of finalists below, presented in alphabetical order by first name. Abby Yoder S Kings OH: A 3-star Ohio State commit, Yoder was a key player as Kings took home the Ohio Division 1 state championship. She racked up 1,057 assists, averaging 10.7 per set while finishing second in aces with 76. She had her share of monster performances, including a season-best 61 assists in a five-set victory over Seton in late September. Twice more she surpassed 55 assists and had five more outings of at least 40 assists. She’s one of 11 setters in the running for our Senior Player of the Year award. Alex Bower S Skyview ID: Bower orchestrated the offense as Skyview finished the year as the Idaho 4A state champion. Bower – a 5-star BYU commit – is a high IQ setter who ended her senior campaign with 862 assists, averaging 8.6 per set. She was also second in both blocks and aces. She set her season high of 40 assists in a five-set loss to Maple Mountain UT in late August. She had an additional 12 matches of at least 30 assists or more. Alyssa Nelson S Lafayette MO: Nelson is another setter who proved herself worthy of being a Senior Player of the Year finalist. The 3-star Villanova commit had an impressive year, totaling 1,036 assists and averaging 10.1 per set as Lafayette claimed its second consecutive Missouri 4A state championship. She also led the roster with 61 aces. She had her biggest performances in October, including a season-high 48 assists in a five-set victory against Marquette. Her best match was arguably dishing out 44 assists in a three-set victory over Eureka a week prior. Avery Scoggins S Middle Creek NC: With Scoggins running the show, Middle Creek captured its first-ever North Carolina 4A state championship. The Arizona signee registered 919 assists. She averaged 9.9 per set while finished second in blocks and third in digs. Scoggins had six matches with at least 43 assists or more. It included her season-best 49 dimes in a four-set victory over Apex Friendship in October. She also had 48 assists in the state semifinal triumph against Green Hope and 33 in the state final sweep of Cox Mill. Bethanie Wu S Lovejoy TX: The Leopards proved themselves the best in 5A as they claimed the state championship. Wu – a 4-star Yale commit – directed a balanced attack in amassing 1,317 assists. She averaged 10.1 per set while also leading the team in aces. Wu’s best outing was a season-high 61 assists in a four-set victory over Whitehouse in early November. She had two more matches of at least 54 assists and six more of at least 41. Charlotte Moriarty OH Assumption KY: Moriarty played a vital part of Assumption going 37-5 and earning the Kentucky state championship. The Rockets also finished first at the LIVT tournament. As for Moriarty, a 3-star Xavier commit, she led the squad with 413 kills. She averaged 3.5 per set as well as ending first in aces, second in digs and third in blocks. She recorded a season-high 20 kills in a three-set loss to eventual national champion Mater Dei CA in the quarterfinals of the Durango Fall Classic. She delivered 18 kills in Assumption’s four-set victory over Notre Dame Academy in the state final. Clara Gyomory RS North Branch MI: It’s difficult to be a Player of the Year finalist without leading your team in kills as a hitter. However, Gyomory was just two kills shy of that accomplishment. The Northeastern commit tallied 513 winners while hitting an impressive .407. She was also one block shy of tying for the team lead while finishing second in aces. It’s clear to see the impact she made as North Branch repeated as the Michigan Division 2 state champ. Gyomory put away a season-best 28 kills in a five-set victory against Marysville in November. Delaney Russell OH Valor Christian CO: The Eagles finished as the Colorado 5A state champ with Russell leading the charge offensively. She totaled 383 kills while hitting .395. She was also second in aces and third in digs. The 3-star Montana commit had two of her three biggest matches in the state semifinals and finals. She had a season-high 30 kills in a five-set victory over Legend in early September and managed to put away 24 kills against the same opponent in the state semis. She followed that up with 24 more kills in the championship-clinching victory over Fossil Ridge in the final. Ellie White OH Mother McAuley IL: White – a 4-star Michigan commit – is among the favorites for Player of the Year. After all, she took home the award last year as a junior and once more powered the Macs to the 4A state championship. She finished with 484 kills, averaging 5.1 per set while also leading the team in aces.