January 22, 2024

The 17s age group took to the courts this past weekend for the SCVA Event 1. The top division featured nationally-ranked clubs in No. 8 Surfside 17 Legends, No. 25 Coast 17 Rodrigo, No. 28 Wave 17 Juliana, No. 30 Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar and No. 44 Forza1 North 17 One. True to form, Surfside powered through the weekend and finished first with a 6-0 mark. Surfside swept Wave – which was coming off its appearance last weekend at the Tour of Texas – in the final. Long Beach went 5-1, with its only loss coming to Surfside in pool play, to finish third. vballrecruiter.com spent Day 2 witnessing the competition and below we highlight the players who caught our attention the most with our Show Stoppers. SHOW STOPPERS Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 17 Legends: Part of Surfside’s dominance included Foye handling the defensive side. She’s a skillful passer and defender who reads and reacts well and frustrates opponents with her ability to scoop up would-be kills. Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 17 Legends: Demaria is a disruptive force on the outside. Her size and power makes her difficult to slow down, especially when she’s able to fully extend and not hold back. Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 17 Legends: Blackshear length in the middle was another bright spot for Surfside. She can make space disappear in a hurry as she turns back attackers. She’s also a must-cover on offense as she can hit from high up and create tough to cover angles. Addy Benefield RS Surfside 17 Legends: A new addition to the roster, Benefield adds athleticism and an improved scoring punch on the right side. She’s a quick jumper with a fast arm who can send balls straight down. Olivia Durr MB Wave 17 Juliana: Defenses needed to be aware of Durr when she checked in. She provided a sound scoring boost to the attack with her variety of ways to earn points for her side. Alexis Richards S Wave 17 Juliana: Richards was a fun setter to watch dish the rock. She does well getting to the ball and delivering accurate sets and connecting with all her hitters. Quinn Loper OH Wave 17 Juliana: Loper presents problems for opponents when she has it going. She can hit over or through blocks with the way she extends and connects. Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: Ostovar – a Class of 2026 recruit – can bring it on the attack. She has a lively arm and she was ripping loud kills straight down to end rallies. Brianna Brewer OH Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: Brewer is a newcomer to the lineup this season and she helps deepen the attack for Beach. She can hit front and back row and she also can rise up. Brooklyn Drumwright OH A4 17 Tyler: Drumwright has the biggest arm among the A4 attackers. She carries her share of the offense and gets set plenty because of it. *** Reese Weinert MB A4 17 Tyler: Weinert did well making herself available and scoring when called upon. She showed she could find multiple ways to score from well-placed tips to swinging to the open space. Ava Poinsett OH Coast 17 Rodrigo: Another outside who was an integral part of the offense was Poinsett. She’s a physical hitter with a strong arm who can tool blocks or power right through them. Savannah Simpson MB Coast 17 Rodrigo: Simpson is a lanky middle with the ability to get out and run the slide. Coast likes to get her the ball when in system to keep defenses honest. Lauren Farris OH Tstreet 17 Predney: Farris has a solid arm and was swinging equally well on the left or right. Sarah Shaw MB Sports Academy 17-1: Shaw is part of a tough 1-2 punch in the middle. She’s long and makes an impact on both sides of the ball. She has a loose arm and can deliver on a consistent basis. Manaia Ogbechie MB Sports Academy 17-1: Ogbechie is problematic in the middle. She’s a physical presence with both her blocking and attacking. She can fly and hammer balls down in impressive fashion. Maya Banks RS Forza1 North 17 One: Banks is an athletic right side with a springy jump and fast arm. She comes at defenders in a hurry and proved tough to slow down. Keonaahi’ilani Solaita OH Forza1 North 17 One: Solaita is a bit undersized but packs a serious punch. She’s fearless and stays aggressive. It leads to big-time kills that fires up her teammates. Hannah Brady L/DS Sunshine 17 Pacific: Brady was among the better defenders taking care of the back row. She’s solid in both serve receive and defending and making ups. Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 17 One: Thunstrom is a lanky outside who can extend and rip balls on the left. *** Olivia Ip RS City 17 Gold: Ip is a solid right side attacker who defenses need to keep in mind. When in system City will utilize her and get her involved as much as possible. Ashby Zubchevich OH City 17 Gold: Zubchevich showed up as one of the top outsides. She is the featured part of the attack and for good reason. She was unloaded time and time again and scoring from sideline to sideline.

The SCVA 15s continued its regional competition this past Saturday with its Event 1. The top division featured nationally-ranked clubs in No. 4 Tstreet 15 Naseri, No. 5 Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar, No. 8 Wave 15 Brennan, No. 9 Forza1 15 One, No. 12 Forza1 North 15 One and No. 36 City 15 Gold. Tstreet came out ahead over the two days, posting a 6-0 record after downing Wave in the final. Wave was coming off its appearance last weekend at the Tour of Texas. vballrecruiter.com spent Day 1 catching all the action and we highlight the standout players below with our Show Stoppers. SHOW STOPPERS Megan Hodges MB Tstreet 15 Naseri: Hodges, a Class of 2028 recruit playing up, helps make up one of the strongest middle duos in the country. Beyond bringing size to the front row, Hodges has the ability to crush balls straight down by going right over blocks. Emma Kingston MB Tstreet 15 Naseri: Kingston forms the other half of the middle duo that gives Tstreet a huge advantage at the position. She’s a physical attacker and blocker who can also hammer balls down when the opportunity presents itself. Ella Olson OH Tstreet 15 Naseri: Olson is a high-level beach player and it shows with her indoor game. She’s a sound passer, smart attacker and knows when to let off and keep rallies going or when to swing away and let loose. Sophia Wu L/DS Wave 15 Brennan: Wu did a solid job patrolling the back row. She was passing consistently and helping keep Wave in rallies by making digs. Olivia Greenwood RS Wave 15 Brennan: Greenwood is a lefty who opens up the attack with her scoring ability from the right side. She’s a legit threat who defenses need to track or else they’ll pay the price. Emery Gonzales S Wave 15 Brennan: Gonzales does well distributing the ball and mixing up her sets. She has a nice touch and locates well. Makenna Barnes OH Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: Barnes is a new addition to the roster this season and adds height to the front row. She gives Beach a boost offensively with her strong arm that can deliver big kills. Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: McGinest can liven up the attack in a hurry. She can get up and unload quickly and with it bounce balls off the floor with ease. Lucky Fasavalu S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: Fasavalu is another new addition to the Beach lineup and she not only brings her skillset but adds lots of versatility. She can be part of a 6-2 and hit across the front row. Or she can set across the back or just hit on the right. Whatever she’s in there doing, she does it well. Ryah Brock OH Forza1 North 15 One: The centerpiece of Forza North’s offense, Brock is a threat front and back row. She jumps and swings well and can unleash impressive kills that hype up her teammates. *** Kaleia Zeits L/DS Forza1 North 15 One: Zeits, a Class of 2028 recruit, brought a lot of energy to the defensive side. She did well picking off swings coming her way and extending rallies. Marley Robinson S/RS Forza1 North 15 One: Robinson plays a key role with her setting and hitting. She’s also another high-energy player who brings a lot of passion to the court. Piper Chylinski S/RS City 15 Gold: Chylinsky is also a two-way contributor and an integral part of City’s plan. Her size is a big advantage and allows her to hit over smaller blocks across the front row. She’s also consistent in her setting role and putting up a nice ball. Vani Tatoulian MB City 15 Gold: Tatoulian was making her presence known in the middle. She was making an impact on both sides with her blocking and hitting and brought a lot of fire to the court. Allyn Hilt OH SCVC 15 Roxy: Hilt was among the standout outsides. She has a strong arm and was taking aggressive swings and pressuring defenses. Lerin Rosenthal S SCVC 15 Roxy: Rosenthal showed strong court leadership as an energetic setter. She has a smooth release and is rarely off the mark with her hitters. Evelyn Pool MB Forza1 15 One: Pool adds a different dynamic when she’s front row because of the way she can impact rallies on both sides. She’s a terminal attacker who can end points as well as get in the way and stop attackers with her blocking. Janiah Burrage RS Forza1 15 One: Burrage is a Class of 2028 recruit playing up. She’s an electric attacker who glides through the air and smacks balls from corner to corner with her lively arm. Aliana Breitling OH Vegas Aces 15 UA: As a team it was a tough weekend for Vegas Aces. But Breitling shined with her punch on the outside. She was the team’s most consistent scoring threat and shoulder her fair share of the load offensively. Abigail Smith OH OCVC 15-1: Smith is a bit undersized on the outside but she is fearless. She doesn’t back down and was relentless in coming at and challenging blockers.