vballrecruiter.com spent this past weekend at the JVA SummerFest in Columbus. The two-day event offered up plenty of talented teams and individuals. Below, we list our outside hitter Show Stoppers.
17 Open
Safi Hampton, OH, Metro 17 Travel – Hampton is a 6-1, three-star recruit committed to North Carolina. She jumps like she was shot out of a cannon. She gets up high and fast and there’s really nothing the average block can do about it. She goes straight over most.
Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – A five-star recruit committed to Nebraska, it’s easy to go on and on about Murray’s play. The way she gets in the air she plays taller than her 6-2 frame. She extends well, gets on top of the ball and can rip it to any part of the court consistently.
Sydney Helmers, OH, Adidas KiVA 17 Red – Helmers – a four-star recruit committed to Texas – is such a threat and commands all sorts of attention. She’s long at 6-4 and can generate plenty of pace to keep defenders on their toes.
Caitlyn Little, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite – A three-star recruit, Little is a tiny bit undersized at 5-10 yet she possesses a huge arm. She caught a few balls that she just absolutely hammered!
Sarah Gooch, Top Select 17 Elite – Gooch was one of the main weapons in the Top Select attack. She’s long and lanky with a good swing and can over and around blocks regularly.
Remi Madison, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno – Madison is a fearless attacker who aggressively goes at bigger blockers. She was carrying the offensive load at times.
Lauren Hurst, K2 17 Adidas – It was our first time catching Hurst this season. She’s a freshman playing up two age groups and she has a bright future to be sure. She has a nice swing and gets set plenty.
Ava Siefke, NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami – A three-star recruit committed to Eastern Michigan, Siefke is 6-1 and one of the key parts of the attack. She has a good arm and is a reliable option on the left.
Sydney Nolan, NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami – With Nolan and Siefke, NKYVC is a pin-heavy offense and for good reason. Nolan is 6-3 and a three-star recruit committed to North Carolina. With her height she can go over blocks consistently.
Gabriella Durham, Mintonette Sports m.71 – A 6-3, three-star recruit committed to San Diego, Durham was playing a pivotal role in the attack and carrying a big load. She’s long and was able to find the gaps in the defense.
Kira Holland, AVC Cle Rox 17 Red – A 6-0, four-star recruit, Holland takes a lot of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score.
16 Open
Macaria Spears, OH, Metro 16 Travel – A five-star recruit, Spears is a 6-4 freshman playing up an age group. She’s a freak athlete with great length. She goes over smaller blocks with ease and absolutely torments the defense with her scoring ability.
Asia Thigpen, OH, Triangle 16 Black – Thigpen was showing tremendous potential. She was taking aggressive swings and showcasing a quick arm that was lighting defenses up.
Morgan Gaerte, OH, Team Pineapple 16 Black – This five-star recruit is 6-4 and a potent offensive piece. Gaerte is long with a nice extension. She’s a threat out of the back row as well and is tough for defenses to figure out.
Lameen Mambu, OH, Paramount VBC 16 – A 5-11, three-star recruit, Mambu is a freshman playing up. She is a fun one to watch. She’s a leaper with a great vertical and fluid swing. She attacks from all over and is a big-time weapon.
Emerson Sellman, Metro 16 Travel – Sellman is part of a tall roster. She’s 6-3 and has a nice swing to back it up. She’s a three-star recruit with plenty of upside to her game.
Lilly Gillespie, NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami – A three-star recruit, Gillespie is an undersized pin yet she’s a gamer. Her aggressive attacking shows she doesn’t back down and is fearless against bigger blockers.
Maya Witherspoon, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – Witherspoon is a name to get familiar with. She’s a 5-11, four-star recruit from the Class of 2025. She has those moments that get you excited for her future. She was able to connect on a few balls that she just ripped!
Alison Risley, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – A three-star recruit, Risley is that six-rotation glue piece who holds it down. She’s a heady scorer who can score in a variety of ways.
Reese Wuebker, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – A 5-10, three-star recruit, Wuebker does well across the front row. She has an easy jump and seems to hang for an extra second. It makes it difficult to time for blockers.
Sophia Adkins, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – A six-rotation outside, Adkins is a three-star recruit. She’s 6-0 and almost touches 10 feet. She has a good arm to boot.
Sydney Waller, ECJ 16-1 – At 6-2, Waller has the height to make life tough on blockers. She’s a normal right-side hitter who was hitting on the left. She’s one to keep tabs on as she develops.
Layla Visser, MVA 16 Black – A 5-11 freshman playing up, Visser has great extension. It allows her to generate nice pace on her shots.
Kiarrah Horne, Triangle 16 Black – Triangle is tough because there’s always an outside front row who can cause headaches for defenders. Horne – a 6-1, three-star recruit – has a solid arm and gets up well.
Grace Busold, AVC Cle Rox 16 Red – An undersized left at 5-9, Busold is wirey. She doesn’t back down and was taking some aggressive cuts.
Lily Barron, Mintonette Sports m.61 – Barron is lanky at 6-2. She has a fluid swing and can get after it when the set allows for it.
Amanda Mack, K2 16 Adidas – A four-star recruit, Mack is the go-to hitter and the one K2 turns to when it needs to get a point. She has moments when she can unload and pound down winners.
15 Open
Navea Gauthier, OH, Far Out 15 Black – A four-star recruit, Gauthier is a highlight reel. She hits from everywhere on the court. Her jumping ability combined with a high contact point and big arm makes her a huge weapon wherever she is.
Kelsie Thompson, OH, ECJ 15-1 – This outside was getting after it with some aggressive attacking. Thompson, a three-star recruit, has a good swing and isn’t afraid to challenge bigger blocks with it.
Raegan Durbin, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Durbin – at 5-10 – is a three-star recruit. She has a wirey frame with a quick swing. She’s one of the main scorers.
Taylor Cripe, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Cripe is an all-around gamer. She’s a bit undersized at 5-9, but does everything above average. It’s likely this three-star recruit is a libero at the next level.
Addison Tindall, Team Pineapple 15 Black – This 6-2 outside has lots and lots of upside. She’s a four-star recruit who can hit all around. She has nice extension and gets on top of the ball well.
Isabelle Busignani, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – Busignani is a lanky 6-1 with a fluid swing. This three-star recruit is a key cog in the attacks and carries a lot of the load.
Ana Toumazatos, VA Elite 15s – It’ll be interesting to see Toumazatos develop. There’s potential there to be sure. She’s 6-0 with a decent jump and swing.
Gabriella DiVita, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – DiVita – an eighth-grader playing up – would absolutely crush it in her own age group. As it is, this 6-0 outside more than holds her own in the 15s. She can get up and owns a quick swing that generates plenty of pace.
Cambria Gaier, Far Out 15 Black – Gaier may be slightly undersized at 5-10 but she’s a good hitter with a good arm and can score consistently.
Luci Heid, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue – A three-star recruit, Heid has great extension on her swing and hits at a high contact point.
Katie Gielas, Elevation 15 Crofton – Gielas is another one to keep watch for as she moves up through the ranks. She’s a 6-2, three-star recruit with a fluid swing and capability to unleash some big kills.
Allison Barrick, Elevation 15 Crofton – Barrick is undersized at 5-9, but this three-star recruit is an explosive jumper that helps make up for it. She gets off the ground well and is aggressive with her swings.
Riley McCloskey, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami – A four-star recruit, McCloskey is 6-1 with a great swing. She’s really aggressive and delivers some strong kills. She gets involved in a lots of ways, including on combos.
Ava Tilden, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami – Another 6-1 left side for NKYVC, Tilden is wirey with a loose swing. She’s a smart attacker with various shots to score with.
Natalie Carr, Pgh Elite 15 Elite – One of the main pieces in the offense, Carr hits well and has a solid arm.
Tekoa Barnes, Tribe 15 Dean – At 5-9, Barnes is a bit undersized but can get up well. She also has a good arm that makes her a reliable scoring option.
14 Open
Layla Hoying, OH, Mintonette Sports m.41 – Hoying was getting after it with her attack. She has a decent jump with a fluid swing. It was leading to some hard kills and consistent scoring.
Grace Portwood, OH, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami – A bit undersized at 5-7, Portwood makes up for it with her aggressive attacking. She really brings it and isn’t afraid to challenge bigger blocks and proved to be one of NKYVC’s most reliable offensive options.
Sarah Snowbarger, Mintonette Sports m.41 – A steady outside, Snowbarger is an aggressive attacker. She’s up for the challenge of going at bigger blockers.
Madison Miles, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Miles – who is 5-11 – is a reliable and consistent scoring option on the left. She has a good arm and can carry the offense in stretches.
Ella Jenkins, Rev 14-1 Fuego – An all-around presence for Rev, Jenkins showed to be the team’s best scoring option.
Sydney Borowy, AVC Cle Rox 14 Red – Borowy is long and contacts the ball high. It allows her to go over the block regularly.
Nattie Slusher, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – A key piece to the attack, Slusher is lanky with good exetension and a nice swing.
Cameron Owens, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Owens’ strength is apparent watching her attack. She has a strong arm and can deliver powerful kills.
Tehillah Garrison, Metro 14 Travel – An undersized outside, there’s no backing down to Garrison’s attacking. She’s an aggressive swinger who will go right at the block and tool it.
Sienna Wolfe, MVA 14 Black – A 5-10 outside, Wolfe is a threat whether front or back row and is one MVA’s best options on offense.
Finley Arp, Far Out 14 Black – Arp was showing good snap and getting on top of the ball on her swings.
Cara Richter, Elevation 14 Molly – A solid outside with lots of upside, Richter is a six-rotation player who provides Elevation with reliable and consistent offense.
Cali Foster, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – A bit undersized at 5-9, Foster is a glue piece and six-rotation outside who steadies out the serve receive and defense in the back row. She’s also a smart attacker who can mix up her shots.
13 Open
Morgan Meiring, OH/MB, Elevation 13 Lippert – Meiring was a heavy-hitter on offense, helping carrying the load. She was also nails at middle back and contributing in multiple ways.
Lola Waleskowski, OH, NKYVC 13-1 – There’s no backing down with Waleskowski. She kept swinging and challenging defenses. She’s a smart and crafty hitter too.
Cynthia Ockerman, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – One thing about Ockerman is she puts up a huge block and is an offensive threat at the net.
Kate Kalczynski, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Kalczynski is a ball control oriented outside who can swing with the best of them or get crafty with shots and hitting high hands.
Calli LeFevre, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – LeFevre is a powerful outside who hits a heavy ball.
12 Open
Elise Parker, OH, HPSTL 12 Royal – Parker displayed her skills all around. She passed well out of the backrow. She also was swinging well and providing offense.
Ella Groff, Elevation 12 Bergheger – Groff is a crappy, all-around outside whose serve is lethal.
Adelyn Buttrum, HPSTL 12 Royal – Buttrum passed and played defense well. She also collected some big and important kills each match.
