Twelve teams woke up with hopes and aspirations of winding up on the podium as the 17 Open division fought its way to its conclusion Sunday at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. vballrecruiter.com was on hand taking notes and we selected our last All Red Hat Team for this wave.
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 4 ALL RED HAT TEAM
Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 17 Black: Gauthier – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 who spent the season playing up on the 18s – is a rock star on the outside. She’s a high-flying, hard-hitting slugger who takes swings from all over the court. She gets set on the left, the right, on combos, back row left, back row right. Defenses can never relax with her on the court.
Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing: Benjamin – a 5-star Kentucky recruit – brings it on the outside. She has a powerful swing and can blast balls as hard as any hitter in the division. She doesn’t come off the court as she’s the go-to hitter and carries a big chunk of the attack.
Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing: Wiley – a 4-star Georgia Tech commit – was virtually unstoppable on the attack. She’s wirey, high-flying hitter who bounces ball straight down at 12 feet on the regular. She’s quick and gets up fast, which makes her tough to block. Especially when she can get up high enough to go over blocks.
Faith Young MB Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: We love Young, a 3-star Western Kentucky commit – and her play in the middle. She’s a workhorse and has a no-nonsense approach when it comes to competing and winning. She’s a fearless, heady attacker who can beat defenses with her power or her off-speed placement. She’s a vital part of the attack and she changes the offensive dynamic across the front row.
Madison Loiselle RS OT 17 Aaron: Loiselle was holding down the right side. She’s a physical presence. She puts up a strong block and she crushes balls to the floor with her strength attacking. She plays a key role as she helps open up the attack by being a legit threat defenses must account for.
Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite: Cabello – a 5-star Louisville commit – is the real deal and a huge reason for Top Select’s success. She’s a two-way star. She excels setting, as she moves and gets to the ball well. She can jump set well too, and she sets a clean, consistent ball that she locates accurately. She’s just as good on the attack. She jumps well, has a strong arm and rips winners corner to corner.
Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 17 Black: Pickard – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is fun to watch run the show and do her thing. Far Out runs a more complex offense than most and it’s possible because of Pickard’s ability to dish the ball to different spots. Far Out runs a lot of combos and off-centered back row sets. It definitely keeps the defense on its toes. She’s also has great hands and connects well with all her hitters.
Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron: Parks – a 4-star Florida commit – is another smooth operator at the setter position. She plays with so much poise, composure and confidence. She’s certainly a steadying presence. She’s also a terrific setter with great hands and silky delivery. She knows how to hold defenses too and not give all her sets away.
Maggie Meister L Kairos 17 Alpha: Meister continues to impress and own the back row. Kairos is not a big team and must rely on its defensive play to hang in rallies. Meister is all over the court making plays. She’s a dime passer out of serve receive and doesn’t get flustered under pressure.
Carley Piercefield L Far Out 17 Black: A Western Michigan commit, we love Piercefield’s play in the back row. She plays under total control and is seemingly always in the right spot to make the play in front of her. She’s another strong passer out of serve receive and she makes a few highlight saves each match.
