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December 5, 2023

vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Gentry Barker (FREE)

December 5, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Gentry Barker. *** Last week our Player of the Week featured Peyton Heatherly, a freshman setter who helped Mother McAuley to the Illinois 4A state championship. This week, our Player of the Week features Gentry Barker. She’s also a freshman who happened to play a major role in Lovejoy winning the Texas 5A state championship. Barker – a 4-star recruit who is shifting her focus to beach-only – went from thinking should would start the season on the junior varsity roster to leading the varsity team in kills. She finished the year with 424 kills, averaging 3.3 per set. She also finished second in aces with 44 and tied for second in digs with 365. She recorded 17 kills in the state championship against Liberty Hill. It was two off of her season high of 19. Her performance this fall led her to being named the 5A state MVP. “Well, I didn’t think I was going to make varsity because not a lot of freshmen make varsity,” Barker said. “I was invited to practice with the varsity team in the middle of the summer. Our coach pulled me in after and announced to the whole team that I was going to be on varsity. It really surprised me. My coach told me they were probably going to put me on JV and then pull me up at some point.” It didn’t take Barker long to show what she brings to a lineup. She dropped 10 kills in a four-set victory over Guyer to open the season before Lovejoy headed to the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. Lovejoy pushed eventual champion Mira Costa to three games on the final day of the tournament, with Barker pounding out 10 kills. “I had never been to Hawaii before,” Barker said. “It was really cool going to that tournament. It was a fun tournament. It was really our first time playing as a team and we definitely didn’t play our best. It was a good warm up and I think it got us ready for the competition we were going to face for the season.” Hoisting the state trophy and being named MVP capped an amazing four-month stretch for Barker. She was the starting outside on TAV 14 Black, which captured the USAV 14 Open gold medal in July in Chicago. “That was my biggest reward in volleyball in my life so far,” Barker said. “I’ve been playing club for so long and had been dreaming of that. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I moved to Dallas to be on a better team and have a better opportunity. I was so proud of how hard we worked. It was such a cool experience. “I want to thank my coach Josh McKinney. I was really happy I had him. He improved my skill and he really believed in me. He’s my favorite coach.” All the recent indoor success only made Barker’s decision to shift to beach-only that much harder to make. However, she said she feels her future is on the sand and though she was sad to give up indoor, it’s something she felt she needed to do. “Recently I have really been getting into beach and taking it a lot more seriously,” she said. “I just think I will be playing college beach volleyball instead of indoor. This summer changed my idea of everything. I want to play beach in college and doing club would be taking up so much of my time to get better on the beach. “I thought about it for a long time. It was really hard because I love that team and I love club. I’ve played my whole life. It’s hard to give up but in the end I know I’ll end up in beach for college.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Barker about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Barker: Growing up I’ve always looked up to my sister (Brinkley). Playing volleyball she was my role model. She made me want to be my best. My goal was I wanted to be as good as her one day. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Barker: I would go to Manhattan Beach in California in the summer. It’s my favorite place to go. I go in the summer to play beach volleyball there. I’ve been go there every summer since I was little. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Barker: I think it would be really cool to be a dancer or a gymnast. I think both would be fun. I did dance when I was little and that was fun. Do you have any volleyball superstitions or rituals and if so what? Barker: Yes. Whenever I go back to serve I hit the ball five times and then the last two steps I have to count to seven in my head or it won’t go over. Also, if it’s the championship game and only for the championship game, I have to put two little small braids that go into my ponytail. Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Barker: That’s a hard one. Probably my Ugg flippers. I’m actually wearing them right now. They are the comfiest shoes ever. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Barker: It’s seeing one of my teammates at school. I love seeing Skylar Jackson at school. She is one of my best friends. What’s one of

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vballrecruiter.com’s Junior HS Player of the Year Finalists

December 5, 2023

It’s time for the vballrecruiter.com Junior Player of the Year Finalists. You can view the Senior Player of the Finalists here. We have trimmed the Junior Finalists list down to 18. It’s a limited list, one that was difficult to narrow down given the criteria we were looking for. It’s nearly impossible to be considered as a finalist if a player didn’t lead their team in a statistical category, with a few rare exceptions. It’s one way of gauging a player’s impact for the season. Another determining factor was overall team success. Given the number of juniors 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. It’s a team sport, however, and winning a state championship is one way of honoring it. We’ll select the eventual Junior Player of the Year winner from the list of finalists below, listed in alphabetical order. Abigail Li S Alpharetta GA: Li – a 4-star SMU commit – was an integral part of Alpharetta taking home the Georgia 6A state title. She dished out 1,153 assists, averaging 10.5 per set. She also led the roster in aces, was third in digs and fourth in blocks. She twice put up a season-high 51 assists, including once in a three-game sweep over Pope in September. She had another six outings of at least 40 assists or more. Addy Horner S/RS St. Francis/Wheaton IL: Horner was the most impactful player on the Spartans, who earned the Illinois 3A state championship. The 5-star Wisconsin commit led the team in kills with 342. She averaged 3.2 per set and hit .342. She was also second in assists with 258, and second in aces with 50. On top of that, she finished third in blocks and fourth in digs. She saved her best for last, when she registered 13 kills, a season-best 23 assists and season-high 17 digs in the state final victory over Lincoln. Asia Harvey OH Sandy Creek GA: With Harvey powering the offense, the Patriots claimed the Georgia 3A state championship. The 5-star recruit put away 471 kills, averaging 4.2 per set and hitting .370. She was also a factor on defense, leading the way with 312 digs. She had a season-best 22 kills in a five-set setback against Westminster in early October. She also had 21 kills and hit .405 in a sweep of Hebron Christian in late October. Ava Durgan MB Mead WA: Durgan starred on both sides of the ball in lifting Mead to the Washington 3A state title. The 6-2 middle paced the offense with 295 kills. She averaged 3.1 per set and hit an impressive .401. She also made her presence felt at the net by delivering 118 blocks, averaging 1.2 per set. Four times she matched her season-best 16 kills, including in the state semifinals victory over Lynnwood, when she also had seven blocks. Ava Jo Berry S Wenatchee WA: It was a championship season for the Panthers, who captured the Washington 4A state title. Berry was a crucial piece in it all. A strong beach player as well, Berry directed the attack and eventually helped Wenatchee top North Creek in five sets in the state final. She was named the CBBN 4A Player of the Year. Cari Spears OH Prestonwood Christian TX: Spears was our Sophomore Player of the Year a season ago. She missed a bit of time this fall, playing in 72 of the team’s 98 total sets. Still, the 5-star Texas commit led the offense with 284 kills. She averaged 3.9 kills a set and hit .360 as Prestonwood Christian claimed the TAPPS 6A state title for the second consecutive year. Chloe Elarton S Valor Christian CO: It was a terrific year for Elarton, a 3-star Georgia commit. Her contributions helped the Eagles to the Colorado 6A state championship and a perfect 29-0 record. She registered 975 assists, averaging 11.2 per set. She was also first in aces with 48, second in blocks and fourth in digs. On top of that, Elarton turned in her best performances on the biggest stage. Three times she reached 50 assists or more, with two of them coming in the state semifinals and finals. It included her season-high 57 dimes in a five-set victory over Fossil Ridge in the state championship match, as well as 50 assists in the semifinals victory over Legend. Devyn Wiest OH O’Connor AZ: The Eagles proved themselves as the best in Arizona this fall, going 34-1 and earning the 6A state championship. Wiest – a 4-star Utah commit – was on a mission. She charged the attack with a team-leading 349 kills, averaging 3.9 per set and hitting .314. She was also second in both digs and aces. She actually set her season high of 21 kills in the team’s only loss, a five-set defeat to Sunnyslope. Her best outing was arguably when she sent down 19 kills and hit .613 in a three-game sweep of Boulder Creek in late October. Lauren Hurst OH Cleveland TN: Hurst – a 4-star recruit – was an integral part of the Raiders ending the season with the Tennessee Division 1-3A state championship. She had a remarkable campaign, racking up 766 assists and averaging 5.6 per set. She also hit .313 and was third in aces. Hurst had 11 outings of 20 kills or more. It included a season-high 29 in a five-set loss to East Hamilton in mid-September. Madison Quest OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WI: Quest is the rare finalist who didn’t lead her team in a statistical category but her impact was undeniable. DSHA captured back-to-back Wisconsin Division 1 state championship with Quest totaling 557 kills. That was within 30 of the team lead, as she averaged 4.6 per set and finished second in digs and blocks and

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Gentry Barker (FREE)

December 5, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Gentry Barker. *** Last week our Player of the Week featured Peyton Heatherly, a freshman setter who helped Mother McAuley to the Illinois 4A state championship. This week, our Player of the Week features Gentry Barker. She’s also a freshman who happened to play a major role in Lovejoy winning the Texas 5A state championship. Barker – a 4-star recruit who is shifting her focus to beach-only – went from thinking should would start the season on the junior varsity roster to leading the varsity team in kills. She finished the year with 424 kills, averaging 3.3 per set. She also finished second in aces with 44 and tied for second in digs with 365. She recorded 17 kills in the state championship against Liberty Hill. It was two off of her season high of 19. Her performance this fall led her to being named the 5A state MVP. “Well, I didn’t think I was going to make varsity because not a lot of freshmen make varsity,” Barker said. “I was invited to practice with the varsity team in the middle of the summer. Our coach pulled me in after and announced to the whole team that I was going to be on varsity. It really surprised me. My coach told me they were probably going to put me on JV and then pull me up at some point.” It didn’t take Barker long to show what she brings to a lineup. She dropped 10 kills in a four-set victory over Guyer to open the season before Lovejoy headed to the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. Lovejoy pushed eventual champion Mira Costa to three games on the final day of the tournament, with Barker pounding out 10 kills. “I had never been to Hawaii before,” Barker said. “It was really cool going to that tournament. It was a fun tournament. It was really our first time playing as a team and we definitely didn’t play our best. It was a good warm up and I think it got us ready for the competition we were going to face for the season.” Hoisting the state trophy and being named MVP capped an amazing four-month stretch for Barker. She was the starting outside on TAV 14 Black, which captured the USAV 14 Open gold medal in July in Chicago. “That was my biggest reward in volleyball in my life so far,” Barker said. “I’ve been playing club for so long and had been dreaming of that. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I moved to Dallas to be on a better team and have a better opportunity. I was so proud of how hard we worked. It was such a cool experience. “I want to thank my coach Josh McKinney. I was really happy I had him. He improved my skill and he really believed in me. He’s my favorite coach.” All the recent indoor success only made Barker’s decision to shift to beach-only that much harder to make. However, she said she feels her future is on the sand and though she was sad to give up indoor, it’s something she felt she needed to do. “Recently I have really been getting into beach and taking it a lot more seriously,” she said. “I just think I will be playing college beach volleyball instead of indoor. This summer changed my idea of everything. I want to play beach in college and doing club would be taking up so much of my time to get better on the beach. “I thought about it for a long time. It was really hard because I love that team and I love club. I’ve played my whole life. It’s hard to give up but in the end I know I’ll end up in beach for college.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Barker about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Barker: Growing up I’ve always looked up to my sister (Brinkley). Playing volleyball she was my role model. She made me want to be my best. My goal was I wanted to be as good as her one day. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Barker: I would go to Manhattan Beach in California in the summer. It’s my favorite place to go. I go in the summer to play beach volleyball there. I’ve been go there every summer since I was little. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Barker: I think it would be really cool to be a dancer or a gymnast. I think both would be fun. I did dance when I was little and that was fun. Do you have any volleyball superstitions or rituals and if so what? Barker: Yes. Whenever I go back to serve I hit the ball five times and then the last two steps I have to count to seven in my head or it won’t go over. Also, if it’s the championship game and only for the championship game, I have to put two little small braids that go into my ponytail. Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Barker: That’s a hard one. Probably my Ugg flippers. I’m actually wearing them right now. They are the comfiest shoes ever. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Barker: It’s seeing one of my teammates at school. I love seeing Skylar Jackson at school. She is one of my best friends. What’s one of

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vballrecruiter.com’s Junior HS Player of the Year Finalists

December 5, 2023

It’s time for the vballrecruiter.com Junior Player of the Year Finalists. You can view the Senior Player of the Finalists here. We have trimmed the Junior Finalists list down to 18. It’s a limited list, one that was difficult to narrow down given the criteria we were looking for. It’s nearly impossible to be considered as a finalist if a player didn’t lead their team in a statistical category, with a few rare exceptions. It’s one way of gauging a player’s impact for the season. Another determining factor was overall team success. Given the number of juniors 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. It’s a team sport, however, and winning a state championship is one way of honoring it. We’ll select the eventual Junior Player of the Year winner from the list of finalists below, listed in alphabetical order. Abigail Li S Alpharetta GA: Li – a 4-star SMU commit – was an integral part of Alpharetta taking home the Georgia 6A state title. She dished out 1,153 assists, averaging 10.5 per set. She also led the roster in aces, was third in digs and fourth in blocks. She twice put up a season-high 51 assists, including once in a three-game sweep over Pope in September. She had another six outings of at least 40 assists or more. Addy Horner S/RS St. Francis/Wheaton IL: Horner was the most impactful player on the Spartans, who earned the Illinois 3A state championship. The 5-star Wisconsin commit led the team in kills with 342. She averaged 3.2 per set and hit .342. She was also second in assists with 258, and second in aces with 50. On top of that, she finished third in blocks and fourth in digs. She saved her best for last, when she registered 13 kills, a season-best 23 assists and season-high 17 digs in the state final victory over Lincoln. Asia Harvey OH Sandy Creek GA: With Harvey powering the offense, the Patriots claimed the Georgia 3A state championship. The 5-star recruit put away 471 kills, averaging 4.2 per set and hitting .370. She was also a factor on defense, leading the way with 312 digs. She had a season-best 22 kills in a five-set setback against Westminster in early October. She also had 21 kills and hit .405 in a sweep of Hebron Christian in late October. Ava Durgan MB Mead WA: Durgan starred on both sides of the ball in lifting Mead to the Washington 3A state title. The 6-2 middle paced the offense with 295 kills. She averaged 3.1 per set and hit an impressive .401. She also made her presence felt at the net by delivering 118 blocks, averaging 1.2 per set. Four times she matched her season-best 16 kills, including in the state semifinals victory over Lynnwood, when she also had seven blocks. Ava Jo Berry S Wenatchee WA: It was a championship season for the Panthers, who captured the Washington 4A state title. Berry was a crucial piece in it all. A strong beach player as well, Berry directed the attack and eventually helped Wenatchee top North Creek in five sets in the state final. She was named the CBBN 4A Player of the Year. Cari Spears OH Prestonwood Christian TX: Spears was our Sophomore Player of the Year a season ago. She missed a bit of time this fall, playing in 72 of the team’s 98 total sets. Still, the 5-star Texas commit led the offense with 284 kills. She averaged 3.9 kills a set and hit .360 as Prestonwood Christian claimed the TAPPS 6A state title for the second consecutive year. Chloe Elarton S Valor Christian CO: It was a terrific year for Elarton, a 3-star Georgia commit. Her contributions helped the Eagles to the Colorado 6A state championship and a perfect 29-0 record. She registered 975 assists, averaging 11.2 per set. She was also first in aces with 48, second in blocks and fourth in digs. On top of that, Elarton turned in her best performances on the biggest stage. Three times she reached 50 assists or more, with two of them coming in the state semifinals and finals. It included her season-high 57 dimes in a five-set victory over Fossil Ridge in the state championship match, as well as 50 assists in the semifinals victory over Legend. Devyn Wiest OH O’Connor AZ: The Eagles proved themselves as the best in Arizona this fall, going 34-1 and earning the 6A state championship. Wiest – a 4-star Utah commit – was on a mission. She charged the attack with a team-leading 349 kills, averaging 3.9 per set and hitting .314. She was also second in both digs and aces. She actually set her season high of 21 kills in the team’s only loss, a five-set defeat to Sunnyslope. Her best outing was arguably when she sent down 19 kills and hit .613 in a three-game sweep of Boulder Creek in late October. Lauren Hurst OH Cleveland TN: Hurst – a 4-star recruit – was an integral part of the Raiders ending the season with the Tennessee Division 1-3A state championship. She had a remarkable campaign, racking up 766 assists and averaging 5.6 per set. She also hit .313 and was third in aces. Hurst had 11 outings of 20 kills or more. It included a season-high 29 in a five-set loss to East Hamilton in mid-September. Madison Quest OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WI: Quest is the rare finalist who didn’t lead her team in a statistical category but her impact was undeniable. DSHA captured back-to-back Wisconsin Division 1 state championship with Quest totaling 557 kills. That was within 30 of the team lead, as she averaged 4.6 per set and finished second in digs and blocks and

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