Why do we do this to ourselves? Picking an All Red Hat Team with the type of talent, passion and determination we see on a daily basis from the players and teams we are covering doesn’t make it easy to narrow the list down to only 10 players. Still, we made the tough decisions and choices to bring our All Red Hat Team from Day 3 of 15 Open at AAUs in Orlando.
The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero – who were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another.
DAY 3 ALL RED HAT TEAM
Ryan Sadler OH A5 15 Bob: Sadler is a walking highlight reel! The outside is listed at 5-11, but that might as well be her vertical the way she jumps. She gets up with ease and floats before unloading with her lively arm. It’s next-level talent and brings plenty of reaction from the sidelines of those watching.
Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas: We try hard not to only highlight 5-star recruits on the All Red Hat Team but it’s impossible to ignore Anderson, vballrecruiter.com’s National HS Freshman of the Year. The 6-3 outside is in her own category. The way she extends, the height she hits at, combined with the wrist snap and ability to crush balls with spin down deep in the court is so difficult to cover, especially in 15 Open. She’s hitting shots no one else here is and we know from our time talking with her she has an amazing attitude and outlook.
Katie Rowe MB VCNebraska 15 Elite: It was a tough day team-wise, as VCNebraska went 0-3. However, Rowe is exactly the type of player we love to have on the All Red Hat Team. She was working hard in the middle and playing with lots of passion and fire. She flashed nice potential as well as she has a solid arm and was blowing up blocks.
Jenna Hunt MB NorCal 15-1 Black: NorCal was also eliminated after going 1-2, but Hunt is another under-the-radar middle who stood out to us with her play and attitude. She’s a physical presence in the middle, one who can power down balls with her big arm and put up a strong block. She’s also showed great passion and competitiveness.
Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Ward is a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 and much like Anderson, she does things no one else is doing. She’s an athletic marvel, with her length and jumping ability. She skies, extends and unloads and there’s nothing smaller blockers can do but hope she messes up. That doesn’t happen very often.
Lyla Stewart RS Mintonette Sports m.51: We love the way Stewart just comes with it. She has a whippy arm and can really let it loose when she catches one. Not only does she help open up the court, she has a great on-court demeanor and always seems upbeat.
Jasmine Daniels S Rev 15-1 Fuego: Rev did well in going 2-1 and staying in the hunt. Daniels was running a 5-1 and doing it very well. She’s a bit undersized compared to other setters but she’s a gamer and competitor. She moves very well and gets to the ball and can fling it around to all of her hitters, including running tempo sets.
Mallory Matheny S Mintonette Sports m.51: Depending what Mintonette wants to do, Matheny can run a 5-1 or just set in the back row. Either way, she’s one of the smoother setters in the division. She dishes the ball with ease with soft hands and spot-on location.
Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Hepler is in total control of the back row. She brings a ton of energy to the defensive side and sees plays ahead of time. She’s a sharp passer and defender who doesn’t miss many plays in front of her.
Mallory Johnson L/DS Far Out 15 Black: We loved what Johnson was doing. As a libero, she’s more on the stoic side who doesn’t have the big reactions of others. But that doesn’t matter at all as she’s a smooth operator who plays under control and passes dimes all over the court. She also covers well and like Hepler doesn’t miss very many plays. It’s part of the reason why Far Out went 3-0 on Day 3.
