The 16 Open division at AAU in Orlando is winding down. Day 3 was key in that it decided the final 14 teams for the gold bracket. Given that, there was fierce competition as clubs fought and scrapped for one of those spots. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers, featuring the players who caught our attention the most.
Logan Wiley, MB, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – A four-star recruit, Wiley was scoring at will. A5 was running her on quicks and slides. It didn’t matter, she was pounding kills either way.
Meghan Roggenkamp, L, Northern Lights 16-1 – Roggenkamp was defending with a passion. She made plenty of nice saves in helping hold down the back row defense.
Kamryn Utley, S, Rev 16-1 – A three-star recruit, Utley was doing a good job of spotting her sets accurately. She also showed a nice touch and consistent release.
Lauren Harden, OH, Rev 16-1 – Harden – a five-star recruit – is a difference anywhere she is on the court. She’s long and can go over blocks. Or she hits hard enough to blow them up. She proved difficult to slow time and time again.
Reese Wuebker, OH, Tri-State 16 Elite – Wuebker was part of a strong outside attack for Tri-State. A three-star recruit, Wuebker jumps well and swings fast. It allows her to generate pace on her shots and makes her tough to dig.
Addy Brus, OH, Tri-State 16 Elite – Another three-star recruit on the left for Tri-State, Brus was also tough to slow consistently. She was displaying nice extension on her swings and hitting at a high contact point.
Leah Richmond, S, Academy 16 Yeti – Richmond has good hands and soft touch. She was on point with her location. She was also helping on the defensive end with blocks for points.
Samantha Bowron, OH, Top Select 16 Elite – Top Select has a strong outside duo, with Bowron – a three-star recruit – a part of it. She can get up well and swings hard. It makes for big kills at times.
Dionna Mitchell, OH, Top Select 16 Elite – A three-star recruit, Mitchell can also jump well and swings hard. Given that, she puts a lot of pressure on the defenders to make plays as she brings the heat.
Jayda Redd, RS, Top Select 16 Elite – Redd – a three-star recruit – was a reliable scoring option. She has a big arm and was popping winners with authority.
Chelsea Sutton, MB, OT 16 Will – Sutton – a three-star recruit – contributes on both sides of the ball. When in system, she’s always a viable scoring threat. She can also be a menace with her blocking.
Connor Rahn, OH, OT 16 Will – A lanky outside, this three-star recruit has a fluid swing and high contact point. It allows her to go over smaller blockers. She also hits with pace and can be tough to dig up.
Jenna Garner, OH, City 16 Gold – Garner – a three-star recruit – was attacking with a vengeance. She was ripping balls through the seam and down the line and scoring lots of points.
Havyn Rolle, MB, City 16 Gold – Rolle showed her value on both sides of the ball. She was getting up and sending balls down with power. She was also touching and blocking balls when attacked against.
Landry Braziel, OH, OP2 16-1 – Braziel was taking aggressive cuts and was backing down. OP2 likes to move her around, running her on the combo to utilize her scoring ability.
Juleigh Urbina, S, OT 16 Roberto – Urbina – a three-star recruit – has a good release and consistently sets a clean ball. She was doing well running the offense, getting her hitters good looks.
Fallon Stewart, OH, OT 16 Roberto – Stewart can be tough to slow down. She’s long with a high contact point. She’ll go right over the block with big rips at the ball.
Bailey Higgins, RS, OT 16 Jason – Higgins – a three-star recruit – can be an offensive force. She gets up very well with a fluid swing. She can bring real heat and is tough to keep in check consistently.
Taylor Parks, S, OT 16 Jason – A three-star recruit, Parks has a very nice hands and a soft touch. She can go behind her with ease and is rarely off the mark with her delivery.
Kyla Firestone, S, Supernova 16 All Stars – Firestone is a bit undersized but she’s quick and gets to the ball well. She hits her spots regularly and does well moving the ball around.
Alanah Clemente, RS, Supernova 16 All Stars – A freshman playing up, Clemente has huge upside. She’s a long 6-0 and a lefty. She can really extend and hits well when the set is lined up.
Taylor Lewis, MB, Munciana 16 Moana – Lewis – a three-star recruit – is someone defenses have to pay attention to. Munciana loves going to her and she has the ability to score on slides or quicks with her big arm.
Lola Schumacher, L, Munciana 16 Moana – A five-star recruit, Schumacher is a defensive force. She makes everything she does look easy and smooth, from passing in serve receive to showing great range in coverage.
Lauren Evans, OH, Munciana 16 Moana – Evans keeps coming at blockers and doesn’t let up. A three-star recruit, she has a nice swing and can power balls deep cross court to the corner regularly.
Amanda Mack, OH, K2 16 Adidas – A four-star recruit, Mack is the go-to on the left for K2. When the opportunity is there, she can unleash with a fury and crush balls down.
Natalie De Paula, S/RS, Tribe 16 Elite – De Paula is a vital piece of the lineup with her setting and hitting. She has a nice touch and accurate delivery. Though she’s a bit undersized, she might be even more valuable on the attack. She’s a smart hitter who can score on the sharp angle or tooling blocks.
Elizabeth Havlicek, MB, Tribe 16 Elite – Havlicek is quick with a good arm. She can put it on opponents in a hurry.
Isabel Clark, OH, Momentous 16 Dan – Clark – a three-star recruit – is the most consistent attacker for Momentous. She has a big, strong arm and can hammer kills on the regular.
Cymarah Gordon, RS, Momentous 16 Dan – A three-star recruit, Gordon causes trouble for opponents on both sides. She’s another powerful attacker who can crush kills. She also can put up a big wall of a block.
Kendall Hopewell, RS, Far Out 16 Black – Hopewell is a tough one to stop. Far Out gets her involved as much as possible. She can run slides and rip balls with her big arm.
Jackie Taylor, MB, Miami Hype 16 Emilio – Taylor is quick and moves well side to side. She’s another run who can run the slide effectively.
Gracie Morrow, OH, Shockwave 16 Sean – Morrow was showing her knack for scoring. She was taking aggressive swings, finding seams or tooling blocks.
