July 7, 2024

The final day of the 16s and 17s age groups at USAV nationals were filled with fantastic competition and gut-wrenching moments. In the end, SCVC 16 Roxy captured the 16 Open gold medal while Arizona Storm 17 Thunder brought home the 17 Open championship. Below, we highlight the players who stood out to us the most with our Day 4 Show Stoppers. DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Audrey Flanagan OH SCVC 16 Roxy: A 5-star outside and recent Wisconsin commit, Flanagan showed why she is among the top recruits in the country. She has a lightning quick arm and strikes in a hurry. She can beat defenses going over, through or around the block. Abby Zimmerman RS SCVC 16 Roxy: Zimmerman – a 4-star Cal commit – was clutch in helping SCVC to the 16 Open gold medal. Time and time again she came through in key moments with big swings or well-placed off-speed shots. Milly McGee S SCVC 16 Roxy: A 4-star USC commit, McGee guided the attack fluidly. Among her strengths is moving the ball around and getting all her hitters involved in the attack as to not become too predictable. Kaitlyn Herweg L/DS SCVC 16 Roxy: Herweg – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – doesn’t blink in the face of adversity. She’s calm under pressure and holds firm against the biggest arms in the division. She was a steadying presence defensively. Lynney Tarnow MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold: Tarnow – a 4-star middle and recent Wisconsin commit – is a game-changer when she’s in. The way she can impact both sides of the ball always shifts the advantage to her side of the net and allows 1st Alliance to go on runs. Alaina Pollard MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold: While Tarnow gets all the attention, Pollard cannot be overlooked. She gave opponents fits as well. She times her block well and is a disrupter defensively. Offensively, she’s an effective scorer and someone 1st Alliance relies on to provide points. Nikolija Bulatovic S 1st Alliance 16 Gold: A 3-star Iowa commit, Bulatovic orchestrates it all. She’s a smart setter who connects well with both middles. Lucy Maloney L/DS 1st Alliance 16 Gold: Maloney is part of the reason why teams have to win the point two and three times. She’s part of the scrappiness that helped carry 1st Alliance to the silver medal. Simone Heard OH Skyline 16 Royal: Heard – a 3-star recruit – was once more the big arm on the outside for Skyline. Her athleticism is difficult to contain. She’s a wirey attacker who gets up and unloads. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 16 Royal: Williams – a 5-star middle and recent Nebraska commit – changes the whole dynamic when she’s across the front row. Her size and length gives her a presence on both sides of the ball. She puts up a massive block. Offensively she’s able to go over the block and hit down from high angles. *** Ella Florez S Pohaku 16-1: A 5-star Iowa State commit, Florez is a huge part of why Pohaku advanced to the semifinals and earned the bronze medal. She’s a quick setter who gets her feet to the ball and squares up well. She’s a smooth disher with great location. Grace Martin OH Pohaku 16-1: Martin – a 3-star recruit – shoulders a load on the outside. She has a lively arm and can rip shots from corner to corner. Westley Matavao OH Forza1 North 16 One: Matavao, a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2027, is the key cog for Forza North. She has a big-time arm and hits a really heavy ball. She also has a tough jump serve that can help Forza go on spurts. Gabby Divita OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas: A 5-star Nebraska commit, Divita has a whip for an arm. Her fast arm leads to impressive kills that fire up her teammates and excite the crowd. Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Nwabueze – a 5-star middle – was tough at the net against SCVC. She put up a strong block as well as found ways to put the ball down when called upon. Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: A 4-star outside, Sivak provided a big boost offensively. She takes big swings and rips down shots. Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 16 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star Penn State pledge – Whitmire is a two-way contributor. She’s a solid setter who can dish the ball from pin to pin with ease. She’s also a powerful hitter who can thunder balls down with authority. Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 5-star Nebraska commit, Sigler is a do-it-all outside and major reason Storm finished on top of 17 Open. She hits as hard as anyone in the division. She’s also a strong passer and defender as well as putting up a big block. Devyn Wiest OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Wiest – a 4-star Utah commit – gives Storm the best 1-2 punch on the outside in the country. Her length and arm speed causes problems for defenses as she is smart at finding holes and exploiting them. Kenna Cogill MB Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 4-star Oregon recruit, Cogill’s length in the middle is a big advantage for Storm. She puts up a big block. She’s also Storm’s best scoring threat at the position and defenses need to be ready for her. *** Izzy Mahaffey L/DS Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Mahaffey – a 4-star Long Beach commit – is a firecracker in the back row. She brings tons of energy and passion to the position and flies around the court going all out to make plays. Bayleigh Minor MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal: Minor – a 5-star recruit – is a force in the middle. She’s long and her presence is felt on both sides of the ball. She has a quick arm and can really connect at times. Mackenzie Collins MB Hou Skyline 17 Royal: A