Chris Tobolski

Commitments (Aug. 16-22)

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email chris@vballrecruiter.com or DM on IG @vbchristobolski CLASS OF 2025 AKRON: MB Rowan Johnson (VA Juniors) ALABAMA STATE: MB/RS Camille Holloway (No Name) BELMONT: S/L/DS Hayden McGehee (Athena) CAL BAPTIST: MB Athena Cox (Coast) COLORADO COLLEGE: OH Delaney Dorscht (Washington VBA) COLORADO SPRINGS: MB Sydney Hyde (Idaho Crush) DAVIDSON: L/DS Adlee Grissett (Caroline Advantage) DEPAUL: S Arden Billingsley (Absolute) DICKINSON: L/DS Amanda Palo (Tennessee Performance) FAIRFIELD: S Mary Kate Bradley (Sky High) FERRIS STATE: OH Dylann Kelly (FarOut) FLORIDA ATLANTIC: OH Brooke McCall (Carolina Jrs) FLORIDA TECH: L/DS Chiara Cristinzio (Co Jrs) FRANCIS MARION: S Aubrey Johnson (Vital) HAMPTON: S Zuri Brock (Columbia VA) HOWARD: MB Kristen Dear (Mizuno Long Beach) IONA: OH Julia Leonardo (CMASS) IU-EAST: OH Jasmine Glenn (Team Indiana) JOHNSON COUNTY: OH/RS Annika Black (Dynasty) LOUISIANA TECH: OH/L/DS Ryan Rusher (501 Volley) MIDDLEBURY: S Kinaree Eichner (Front Range) MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST: OH/L/DS Alexa Shinabery (Memphis Jrs) NORTH FLORIDA: S Haydin Froehlich (OTVA) NORTHEASTERN: RS Sydney Mayfield (VA Juniors) ROBERT MORRIS: S Izzy Jackson (Boiler Jrs) SACRAMENTO STATE: OH Eleanor Weeks (Kokoro) SAINT FRANCIS: OH/L/DS Nevaeh Ingram (Triangle) SAINT MARY: L/DS Emma Bowman (KC Power) SANTA FE: OH/RS Sidney Saltamacchia (Tribe) SETON HALL: L/DS Gia Sergi (USANY) SETON HALL: S Emilee Fuller (KiVA) SHEPHERD: L/DS Paige Hansen (Vital) SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA: OH/L/DS KK Sharp (Infinity South) SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: OH/RS Ava Savante (Supernovas) ST. NORBERT: RS Kayden Lamon (FC Elite) ST. THOMAS: OH Brooke Barnes (Hou Skyline) STONY BROOK: OH/MB AaJaylah Zeno (Dallas Premier) TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA: MB Jordin Glass (Carolina Jrs) TIFFIN: OH/RS Maggie Hollon (Empowered) TRUMAN STATE: OH/RS Kendra Shimon (FC Elite) TUSCULUM: L/DS Sadie Roach (K2) UNC-WILMINGTON: L/DS Megan Platt (Yorktowne) UW-PARKSIDE: OH Kalyn Schueller (FC Elite) UW-PLATTEVILLE: L/DS Clare Forrest (MN Select) WEBER STATE: OH/RS Addie Beck (Club V) WEBSTER: L/DS Abby Murzyn (Michio) WILLIAMS COLLEGE: S/OH Adalena Rodgers (VA Elite)   CLASS OF 2026 AMERICAN: S/RS Sydney Guerrier (Tribe) APPALACHIAN STATE: L/DS Addison Saunders (CUVC) BALL STATE: OH Mallory Pike (Toledo) BALL STATE: MB Leah Pike (Toledo) BOSTON COLLEGE: MB Chloe Allcroft (Absolute) CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: MB Leylah Duran (Arizona Sky) EAST TENNESSEE STATE: OH Karis Chatfield (FarOut) EASTERN MICHIGAN: L/DS Kayla Ostrander (Legacy) FORDHAM: MB Jenna Hunt (Vision) HARVARD: OH/RS Masina Ogbechie (Sports Academy) IU-INDIANPOLIS: S Lauren White (Tri-State Elite) LIPSCOMB: MB Charlotte Routh (Mintonette) MINNESOTA: L/DS Madi Kraft (Northern Lights) OHIO: S Rowan Kelly (Nova Jrs) PENN STATE: MB/RS Kendall Northern (Elevation) SAMFORD: MB Peytyn Pyle (TAV Houston) SAN DIEGO STATE: S/RS Logan Cary (Front Range) SOUTH FLORIDA: OH Cate Palmi (Game Point) TULANE: L/DS Kailey Leonard (TK) TULANE: MB Harmoni Dobbins (TK) TULSA: L/DS Rachel Megna (OK Peak) UC IRVINE: OH/RS Kaia Ciszewski (Mizuno Long Beach) VANDERBILT: OH Jordin Southall (Game Point) VIRIGINIA TECH: OH Santina Martcheva (Beach Elite) WEST FLORIDA: S/RS Lizzy Kwiatkowski (MKE Sting) WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY: L/DS Riley Schmitz (FC Elite)   BEACH 2025 AUSTIN PEAY STATE: Cami Missig (EliteVBTC)

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Commitments & Signings Week of August 9-15

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email chris@vballrecruiter.com or DM on IG @vbchristobolski 2025 Alabama AM: S Kaydee Smith (Carolina Jrs) Alamance Christian Academy: MB/RS Annabelle Dowell (NC Academy) Allegheny: S/L/DS Joanna Miller (Revolution) Aurora University: OH/RS Ava Knight (Adversity) Bridgeport: OH/DS Nevaeh Byrge (Game Point) Cal State San Marcos: OH/RS Zoe Liebel (OMNI) Concordia-St. Paul: OH/RS Annika Swenson (Northern Lights) Davenport: S Maddie Berry (Michio) Dayton: MB Claire Logeais (Northern Lights) Denver: L/DS Maddie Winkler (TAV) Emporia State: MB Brooklyn Weaver (Ozark Jrs) Florida State: L/DS Ariel Ross (Jax Skyline) Francis Marion: MB McKayla Stockwell (JJVA) Ganon: L/DS Meg Kalenowski (Club Fusion) Georgia College: OH Avery Huyck (A5) Illinois State: OH/RS Hadley Rogge (VC United) Ithaca: OH/RS Julia Kelly (VA Elite) IU Pennsylvania: S/RS Maddie Zechman (EliteVBTC) Mount Mercy: L/DS Kate Wright (PVA) Lake Superior: MB Jenna DeRosia (Five:1) Lee College: RS Ava Patrizi (TAV Houston) Louisiana-Monroe: OH/RS Zaniah Hoskins (Austin Performance) Monmouth: RS Alivia Hanover (M1) Morningside: L/DS Ruby Goes (Nebraska Jrs) Northeastern: L/DS Aven Crosby (Arete) Rhode Island: MB Hannah Jonick (Wave) Rider: S Grace Borys (MKE Sting) Rollins: OH Kyla Krimmel (Rockwood Thunder) Salt Lake CC: OH Paige Ballif (Club V) Seattle Pacific: L/DS Maddy Eggerth (Idaho Crush) South Dakota School of Mines: OH/RS Cate Warren (Excel) Southeastern Oklahoma: OH Brynn Metoyer (TAV Houston) Southern University: OH Mia Hutchinson (Arizona Storm) Southwest Baptist: OH Julia Marinesi (Coast) Tennessee State: OH/RS Julia Culpepper (A5 Chattanooga) Texas Tech: OH Lola Isaeff (SA Juniors) UNC-Charlotte: OH Tewa Woodson (Adversity) Ursinus: S Riley Lincoln (Wave) UW-Stevens: OH/RS Mackenzie Nettles (Club Fusion) Wayne State: L/DS Boe Kaschner (FC Elite) Youngstown State: L/DS Kennedy Dawson (MAVA)   2026 Boston College: OH Mia Gold (Tribe) Boston College: S/RS Ava McBride (Actyve) Cincinnati: OH Clara Briley (A5) Clemson: MB Ihuoma Ozoh (1st Alliance) Colorado State: OH Ella Stowell (KC Power) Colorado State: OH Abby Little (Big Sky) Denver: OH Romi Chlebecek (MN Select) Eastern Michigan: OH Nattie Slusher (Tri-State Elite) Eastern Michigan: S Lina Govoni (Sports Performance) Kentucky: L/DS Sidney Burley (MN Select) Louisiana Tech: OH/RS Kylie Rodriguez (Skyline) Maryland: OH/RS Ava Brown (Mintonette) Michigan Tech: L/DS Natalie Leach (VC United) South Dakota: OH Gabi Zachariasen (Kairos) Syracuse: S Charis Burge (Metro) Texas Tech: MB Faith Jordan (Sports Performance) Toledo: L/DS Jadyn Kennedy (Legacy) Troy: OH Isa Ruether (MKE Sting) UCONN: OH Sydney Borowy (AVC Cle) Utah State: OH/RS Madison Rich (Club V) UW-Milwaukee: MB Kayla Landerud (MKE Sting) Virginia: L/DS Ruby McDermott (A5) Wake Forest: MB Kaela Jenkins (Mintonette)   BEACH 2025   2026  

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Top Performers (Aug. 12-17)

The opening week of the high school season didn’t pass without its share of dramatics. Prestonwood Christian TX captured the Battle of the Rock; Dripping Springs TX brought home the trophy at Pearland John Turner Classic; Cy Ranch TX finished first at the KISD/CFISD tournament; and Byron Nelson became the first school from Texas to claim the title at the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. We highlighted those happenings here. Below, we look at a few of last week’s top performing athletes from around the country. Ashlyn Seay JR OH Byron Nelson TX: A 3-star Rice commit, Seay played an instrumental role in Byron Nelson upsetting national No. 4 Mira Costa CA during Saturday’s pool play at Ann Kang. The junior recorded a team-high 16 kills and added 8 digs in the three-set victory. Kylie Kleckner JR OH Byron Nelson TX: Kleckner – a 4-star Washington recruit – came up clutch in helping Byron Nelson fend off the upset from Orange Lutheran CA during pool play at Ann Kang. She recorded 15 kills and hit .303 in the three-set victory. Kleckner was also a big part of the team’s victory against Mira Costa, when she posted 11 kills and 11 digs while hitting .409. Callie Krueger SR L Dripping Springs: Krueger is a new addition to the Tigers’ lineup this fall and the 4-star Texas commit is already paying dividends. She registered 18 digs in three sets against Argyle TX in the final of Pearland. She was just as sharp in the semifinals, when she made 16 saves in a sweep of Harlan TX. Isabella Perkins SR L Marvin Ridge NC: An Appalachian State commit, Perkins came through to help Marvin Ridge beat Reagan NC in the final of the North-South Invitational. The senior defender recorded a team-high 17 digs. Elly Randolph SO OH Reagan NC: Randolph – a 3-star recruit – had a strong outing to help Reagan fight off Wando SC in the semifinals of the North-South Invitational. She put up 12 kills and hit .520 in the three-set victory. Gabby Nichols SR MB Reagan NC: Before Reagan competed in its weekend tournament, the Raiders beat Grimsley NC in four sets. It was Nichols – a 4-star Penn State pledge – doing damage with 16 kills while hitting .345 and adding 3 blocks. Megan Hodges FR OH San Juan Hills CA: Hodges – a 5-star recruit who helped Tstreet 15 Asics capture the USAV 15 Open gold medal – had a big-time outing in a sweep of Beckman CA. The rookie sent down 15 kills and hit .367. Hanna McGinest SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: The Trailblazers relied on a pair of sophomores to carry the team to a four-game victory against JSerra CA. McGinest – a 4-star recruit – was one of them. She recorded a team-high 17 kills. Eva Jeffries SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: Jeffries – a 5-star outside – was the other half who gave Sierra Canyon a boost. She put away 14 kills. Lauren Lynch SR L Sierra Canyon CA: Lynch – a 4-star San Diego commit – was another standout during Sierra Canyon’s victory over JSerra. She finished with a match-high 24 digs. Katherine Nowak SO OH JSerra CA: JSerra had its top performers from the match against Sierra Canyon as well. One was Nowak. The 3-star recruit was also part of Tstreet 15 Asics’ gold-medal performance this summer. She had a match-high 19 kills for the Lions. Maddie Goodrich FR L JSerra CA: Another underclassmen to shine in the match was Goodrich. The freshman totaled 21 digs for JSerra in defeat. Samantha Destler JR OH Marymount CA: The Sailors were among the schools who started play last week and receive a strong effort from Destler in the team’s sweep of La Costa Canyon CA. The 3-star Washington commit was part of SCVC 16 Roxy’s gold medal in 16 Open at USAV nationals and ended the contest with 14 kills. She hit .462 to go with 9 digs and 4 aces. Sydney Black SR L Fulshear TX: The Chargers took down Preseason No. 1 Grand Oaks TX in four sets in part behind the contribution of Black. The 3-star Colorado State commit came through with 17 digs. Taylor Porter SR OH Cy Ranch TX: Porter was unstoppable as Cy Ranch defeated Grand Oaks in five sets in the final of the KISD/CFISD tournament. The 4-star Vanderbilt commit totaled 27 kills and hit .389. Sade Bello FR OH Cy Ranch TX: A 4-star freshman, Bello also shined in the final for Cy Ranch. She recorded 16 kills and hit an impressive .455. Taylor Bruce JR RS Green Hope NC: The Falcons were carried by Bruce’s effort as they took down Broughton NC in three straight. The 3-star Georgia commit had a match-high 17 kills while hitting .500. Chloe Burbage FR S Green Hope NC: Burbage – a 3-star recruit – showed her value as the freshman distributed 40 assists for Green Hope in the victory over Broughton. Cameron Gerber FR L/DS Middle Creek NC: The Mustangs relied heavily on a pair of freshmen in their five-set victory against Wakefield NC last week. Gerber registered an eye-popping 40 digs in that one. Finley Brennan FR S Middle Creek: Brennan came through in a big way as well. She dished out 36 assists in the same match. Sarah Pfiffner SR S/RS Wakeland TX: Pfiffner – a 4-star West Virginia commit – had a strong opening week. Earlier in the week she had 10 kills and 23 assists as Wakeland upset nationally-ranked Lovejoy TX in five sets. She then posted 11 kills (.435), 18 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks and 2 aces as the Wolverines upset nationally-ranked Southlake Carroll TX in five on Saturday at the Battle of the Rock tournament. *for consideration to be featured as a top performer of the week email chris@vballrecruiter.com 

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HS Tournament Recaps (Aug. 15-17)

It was a busy opening week to the high school season. Half of Vballrecruiter’s Top 10 was in action, including the top four teams in the country in Grand Oaks TX, Mater Dei CA, Prestonwood Christian TX and Mira Costa CA respectively. Three of the four were involved in tournaments, while Mater Dei went 2-0 in a pair of nonleague matches. Let’s run through them below. KISD/CFISD The 48-team field was highlighted by our Preseason national No. 1 in Grand Oaks, the reigning UIL 6A champion. However, it’s very unlikely Grand Oaks will occupy the top spot once our next Top 50 is released in early September. Not only did Grand Oaks fall to Fulshear TX earlier in the week, Grand Oaks was taken down in the final by Cy Ranch TX. After winning its first seven contests, including beating Seven Lakes TX in the semifinals, it was Cy Ranch finishing undefeated and not Grand Oaks. Cy Ranch prevailed in five, 18-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-12, 15-8. It was a great start to the new season for Cy Ranch, which also beat national No. 35 Cinco Ranch TX in the semifinals. Cinco Ranch finished runner-up to Grand Oaks in last year’s 6A state final, meaning Cy Ranch beat both 6A finalists in back-to-back outings. Joining Grand Oaks and Cinco Ranch in losing just one time were Bridgeland TX and Stratford TX. Bridgeland took its only loss to Cinco Ranch in Friday’s challenge play. Stratford fell to College Park in Friday’s pool play. Cy Ranch, Grand Oaks, Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes and Bridgeland are all scheduled to attend Volleypalooza in two weeks. BATTLE OF THE ROCK We highlighted Prestonwood Christian’s victory here, as well as tournament Show Stoppers. Prestonwood, ranked No. 3 nationally to begin the year, started off rocky and was upset by national No. 27 Southlake Carroll TX to start the tournament. However, Southlake Carroll lost its next outing to Wakeland TX, which allowed Prestonwood to still finish first in the pool. That kept Prestonwood and Cornerstone Christian TX, ranked No. 14 in the country, on a collision course. Prestonwood swept Cornerstone, 25-19, 25-19, in the championship match to bring home the trophy. Prestonwood is also set to participate in Volleypalooza. Prestonwood and Cornerstone are both returning to the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas next month. ANN KANG INVITATIONAL A Texas team made history in national No. 14 Byron Nelson. The Bobcat finished on top of the 16-team field at the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. With it, Byron Nelson became the first school from the state to earn the tournament title. But like Prestonwood, Bryon Nelson took a loss along the way. Byron Nelson fell to Highland Park TX in Day 2 pool play but still finished first after taking down national No. 4 Mira Costa in three sets during Saturday’s pool play. Highland Park lost to Mira Costa in straight sets during Day 1 pool play and finished third in the pool to miss out on the semifinals. Highland Park fell to Palos Verdes CA in its first pool match to contribute to its third-place finish in pool. That left Bryon Nelson and Mira Costa advancing to the semifinals. In the other pool, it was Redondo Union CA and host ‘Iolani HI finishing 1-2 and making the final four. Byron Nelson swept ‘Iolani in one semifinal while Redondo Union upset Mira Costa in the other. In the final, Byron Nelson swept, 25-16, 25-17. Byron Nelson is back in action this coming weekend at the NorthWest ISD tournament. Also in attendance is Highland Park, which finished fifth in Hawaii. Another Texas school – Colleyville Heritage – finished 11th at Ann Kang and is also playing at the NorthWest tournament this weekend. Host ‘Iolani and Mira Costa finished tied for third. Redondo Union, Mira Costa and ‘Iolani are set to attend the Durango Fall Classic together in September. PEARLAND JOHN TURNER CLASSIC Dripping Springs TX, ranked No. 8 in our Preseason Top 50, is off to a flying start at 12-0. The record is bolstered by the team’s performance at Pearland, where it went 9-0. Dripping Springs outlasted Argyle TX, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, in the championship match. Drippings Springs swept No. 31 Harlan TX in the semifinals. Argyle did the same to Ridge Point TX. It was Harlan’s only loss in the tournament. Fulshear suffered just one loss as well, falling to Ridge Point in the quarterfinals. NORTH-SOUTH INVITATIONAL This two-day tournament featured teams from North and South Carolina. It was Marvin Ridge NC sweeping past national No. 42 Reagan NC, 25-23, 25-19, in the final. Marvin Ridge beat Cardinal Newman SC in one semifinal. In the other, Reagan clipped Wando SC, 22-25, 26-24, 16-14, to advance. Marvin Ridge lost during Day 1 pool play to Legion Collegiate SC, which fell to Wando in three sets, 25-17, 16-25, 19-17, in the quarterfinals. NORTH EAST/NORTHSIDE ISD A two-day tournament held in San Antonio, it was Brennan TX defeating Alexander TX, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, in the championship match and finishing 6-0. Brennan downed Davenport TX, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20, in its semifinal contest. Alexander fought off Johnson TX, 25-22, 15-25, 25-20, in the other semi. MANSFIELD ISD The three-day, 32-team field ended with Lake Ridge TX sweeping El Paso Americas TX, 25-21, 25-14. Lake Ridge finished the event by going 9-0 and dropping just one set. AISD JASON LANDER INVITATIONAL Another three-day event, this one featured 37 teams after one dropped out. It concluded with Austin TX beating Bowie TX, 25-21, 25-22, in straight sets. Austin went 9-0 and didn’t drop a set.

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State Champions Spotlight

With the high school season underway this week, teams are taking their first steps toward their championship aspirations. Below, we check in on nine state champions from last fall and see where they stand in hopes of finishing on top of their respective divisions once more. Assumption KY Coming off their 23rd state title last fall, the Rockets are going to be right back in the mix in hopes of adding to the program’s collection. Gone is last year’s kill leader in outside Charlotte Moriarty, as well as outside Chloe Smith, who finished third in kills. However, Assumption has plenty back, including 5-star Wisconsin commit and libero Kristen Simon. Joining her is three more seniors in 3-star setter Emilee Fuller, 3-star right side/middle Bailey Blair (Ohio) and pin hitter Emma Barnett. For Assumption to bring home another state title though, it’s likely going to have to rely on underclassmen to contribute. Among them is a pair of freshmen outsides in 4-star Brooke Codey and 3-star Taylor Price. Codey played up on KiVA 15 Red this past club season, while Price was part of KiVA 14 Red. Another underclassman who could play a contributing role is sophomore Emily Poteraj, a 3-star middle who was also on KiVA 15 Red. Bishop Gorman NV The defending 5A state champions from Nevada return the best player in the state in junior Ayanna Watson. The 5-star outside is a Pitt commit and was Vballrecruiter’s Sophomore Player of the Year last fall. Watson averaged 5.7 kills per set and hit .392. Watson is joined by another Pitt commit in 3-star setter Trinity Thompson. The junior directed the attack a year ago and averaged 10.6 assists per set. Another returner the Gaels are expected to lean on is senior middle Brooklynn Williams, who was third in kills and led the team in blocks. Two spots Bishop Gorman will need to fill are at outside and libero with seniors Leilia Toaloa and Tatum Thompson having graduated. Sophomore Allie Breitling, a 3-star outside, could be one to help fill in offensively. Carrollwood Day FL Last season’s 3A state champs in the state of Florida, the Patriots went 31-2 and return a lot to position themselves to once again be a top contender. The main loss was setter Naomi Chinchar but that’s about the only area of need. The top four kill leaders are back, including 5-star right side and sophomore Lydia Chinchar. She was Vballrecruiter’s Freshman Player of the Year a season ago after averaging 6.3 kills per set and hitting .428. She’s joined by senior MB/OH Sarah Dibbs-Frantz – a VCU commit – junior RS/OH Elena Dibbs-Frantz and senior middle Lorelei Church. Also returning is senior libero Mattea Casale, a 3-star Purdue commit. One big change to the schedule for the 2024 season includes Carrollwood Day set to attend the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in September. Cleveland TN One thing Cleveland needs to overcome if it hopes to capture another Division 1 Class 3A state championship is the loss of setter Kinslee McGowan and libero Addison Brock. The good news though is the Blue Raiders return a pair of outsides who combined for nearly 1,200 kills a season ago. One is senior outside and 4-star recruit Lauren Hurst. The other is junior Gunny Brock, a 3-star recruit. They’ll once again power the attack. Grand Oaks TX It’s a mixed bag for the Grizzlies in terms of departures and returners. However, working in Grand Oaks’ favor as the program chases a repeat bid in 6A is having arguably the top outside duo in the country. The pair features senior Samara Coleman – a 5-star Pitt commit – and junior Halle Thompson – a 5-star Wisconsin commit. They teamed up for more than 1,000 kills in 2023. The overall attack, however, doesn’t figure to be as potent as 5-star middle Jaela Auguste (Florida) graduated, as did 3-star right side Caelyn Emmerling (Texas State). Another player who is back though is junior Cali Reece, a 3-star defender who led the team in digs as last year’s libero. One half of the setting duo in junior Samantha Sampson also returns. Mater Dei CA Last season’s national champions as well as the CA Open Division state champions saw its share of talent graduate. It includes losing senior pin hitters Isabel Clark (San Diego) and Cymarah Gordon (Michigan), as well as libero Malyssa Cawa (Stanford) and setter Julia Kakkis (Brown). Not all is lost however. Among the returners is junior outside Layli Ostovar, a 5-star USC commit. She’s joined by older sisters and L/DS Kayla Ostovar and setter Ayva Ostovar. Other contributors from last season who are returning feature junior 3-star middle Addison Coady, sophomore 4-star middle Emma Kingston, senior 3-star pin Preslie Saunders and senior L/DS Sydney Raszewski. While Mater Dei is facing turnover, working in its favor is depth. Though she won’t be eligible until the halfway point, the Monarchs picked up sophomore transfer Westley Matavao, a 4-star outside who helped Forza1 North 16 One to a fifth-place showing in 16 Open at USAV nationals. The team can alos use junior setters Sam Capinpin and Soraya Dennis, as well as freshman Abby Moffett, a 3-star S/RS who suited up for Tstreet 14 Tara. O’Connor AZ Like others, the Eagles have things to overcome as well as components working in their favor. The defending 6A state champions welcome back last year’s kill leader in senior Devyn Wiest, a 4-star outside committed to Utah. Both starting middles also return. One is junior Leylah Duran. The other is 4-star sophomore Kristen Sheehy. Also back is senior middle Maggie Paulsen who missed most of the season last year with injury. While one half of the setting duo is gone in Shannon Sheehy, O’Connor does bring back 3-star senior S/RS Addison France. One area of work is replacing graduated libero Kinsley Singleton. Plant FL The Panthers went 25-3 a season ago en route to finishing on top of the Florida 7A state playoffs. That bad

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Battle For The Rock Preview and Predictions

Outside of the Ann Kang Invitational taking place in Honolulu, most of the stronger high school tournament action in the first few weeks of the season is concentrated in Texas. One of them is the Battle of the Rock set for Aug. 15-17 at both Rockwall and Rockwall-Heath high schools. It’s one of three big tournaments taking place in the state, with the Pearland John Turner Classic and KISD/CFISD events also going on this coming weekend. Below, we take a look at the Battle of the Rock with a brief outlook and our predictions. POOL 1 Cornerstone Christian Prosper Ursuline Heath   POOL 2 Prestonwood Christian Frisco Wakeland Southlake Carroll Allen   POOL 3 Lovejoy Flower Mound Rockwall Plano West   POOL 4 McKinney Boyd The Woodlands Arlington Martin Wylie   Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 3. Prestonwood Christian 16. Cornerstone Christian 22. Lovejoy 27. Southlake Carroll   5-Star Athletes to Know: Megan Fitch SR OH Cornerstone Christian (Texas AM) Cari Spears SR OH Prestonwood Christian (Texas) Gillian Pitts SR L/DS Prestonwood Christian (Houston) Kinsley Young JR MB Southlake Carroll (TCU) Naomi Livings SO OH Prestonwood Christian Nyla Livings SO MB Prestonwood Christian Maya Ogbogu FR OH Allen   4-Star Athletes to Know: Taylor Clarke SR RS Prestonwood Christian (Princeton) Taylor Cook SR S Prestonwood Christian (Kansas) Shelby Burriss SR MB Lovejoy (Princeton) Sarah Pfiffner SR S Wakeland (West Virginia) Hannah Beauford SR S Prosper (Cal) Sophia Thornburg SR OH Ursuline Academy (Notre Dame) Chichi Nnaji JR SR MB/RS Ursuline Academy (Notre Dame) Layla Austin JR OH Southlake Carroll (San Diego State) Gentry Barker SO OH Lovejoy Gracie White FR MB Plano West Olivia Kitur FR OH Allen   3-Star Athletes to Know: Kaia Thiele SR S Cornerstone Christian (UNLV) Aniya Hall SR OH Cornerstone Christian (Louisiana-Monroe) Macey Hughes SR RS Cornerstone Christian (Grandy Canyon) Ella Lewis SR OH The Woodlands (Arizona State) Blue Anderson SR L/DS Southlake Carroll (Dallas Baptist) Halle Jameson SR OH Rockwall (Colorado State) Anna Barr SR RS Lovejoy (West Virginia) Coco Natarajan JR S/RS Lovejoy (Ole Miss) Skylar Jackson JR OH Lovejoy (Yale) Emerson Boyd JR S/RS Lovejoy Hannah Lee JR MB Wakeland (LSU) Angelique St. Laurent JR RS Flower Mound Olivia Permenter SO OH McKinney Boyd Vanessa Glenn SO OH Southlake Carroll   Outlook: The 16-team field is much smaller than the other tournaments taking place in other areas of the state, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lesser event. The smaller field features a few powerhouse programs. Among them is Cornerstone Christian, Prestonwood Christian and Lovejoy. Prestonwood captured the TAPPS 6A state championship a season ago. Meanwhile, Lovejoy finished on top of the UIL 5A state playoffs. Joining those three in our initial Top 50 Rankings is Southlake Carroll. The opening day of play on Thursday features four, four-team brackets playing for seeding into the 16-team bracket which begins Friday. The semifinals and final are set for Saturday at Rockwall HS. Prediction: On the top half of the bracket, Cornerstone and The Woodlands will meet in the semifinals, with Cornerstone advancing. On the bottom half, Lovejoy and Prestonwood face off in the semis, with Prestonwood moving on. In the final, Prestonwood outlasts Cornerstone for the title.

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Ann Kang Invitational Preview and Predictions

Among the season-opening tournaments is the Ann Kang Invitational hosted by ‘Iolani. The three-day event takes place Aug 15-17 in Honolulu and features 16 teams. It includes eight teams from California, four from Texas and four from Hawaii. We offer our preview and prediction below. POOL A Mira Costa CA Byron Nelson TX Highland Park TX Punahou HI Palos Verdes CA Orange Lutheran CA Clovis West CA ‘Iolani 2 HI   POOL B Colleyville Heritage TX ‘Iolani HI Redondo Union CA Long Beach Poly CA Moanalua HI Murrieta Valley CA Edison CA Aubrey TX   Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (3): 4. Mira Costa CA 14. Byron Nelson TX 40. ‘Iolani HI   5-Star Athletes to Know: Suli Davis SR OH/S Colleyville Heritage (BYU) Taylor Deckert SR L/DS Mira Costa (USC) Kaci Demaria SR OH Palos Verdes (Stanford) Audrey Flanagan JR OH Mira Costa (Wisconsin)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Alex Richter SR OH Highland Park (Georgia) Sarah Mendoza SR L/DS Colleyville Heritage (UCF) Kylie Kleckner JR OH Byron Nelson (Washington) Milly McGee JR S Mira Costa (USC) Abby Zimmerman JR S/RS Redondo Union (Cal) Sophee Peterson SO S/RS Bryon Nelson Cedra Talaga SO L/OH Long Beach Poly   3-Star Athletes to Know: Maylynn Mitchell SR OH Orange Lutheran (Chaminade) Ashlyn Seay JR OH Byron Nelson (Rice) Reese Stringer JR S Mira Costa (Penn) Simone Roslon JR OH Mira Costa Taylor Boice JR MB Redondo Union (UC Irvine) Marley Robinson SO S Orange Lutheran Georgie Lee SO MB/OH ‘Iolani Taimane Poe SO MB Long Beach Poly   Outlook: The tournament opens with two full days of pool play on Thursday and Friday. Pool play concludes Saturday morning with two more pool matches before breaking out into bracket play. The first and second-place teams from each pool advance to the semifinals. Mira Costa is the two-time defending champion having captured the title in 2022 and 2023. Mira Costa is seeking to extend its tournament record to nine overall victories since the event started in 1989. Only one team from outside California and Hawaii has ever finished on top. That was Chung Shan HS from Taiwan in 2010. No Texas school has ever won it. However, this could be the year that streak ends as Byron Nelson and Colleyville Hertiage are among the top contenders. Host ‘Iolani last claimed the trophy when it went back-to-back in 2017-18. Punahou and Redondo Union are the only other programs attending that have also earned the Ann Kang title. Punahou captured three straight from 2012-14, while Redondo finished first in 2009 and then again in 2019. Prediction: In Pool A, look for Byron Nelson and Mira Costa to be the two teams to advance to the semifinals. In Pool B, the pick is for Redondo Union and ‘Iolani to move on to the final four. Ultimately, it comes down to Bryon Nelson finishing on top after beating Redondo in the final.

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High School Preseason National Rankings (Aug. 12)

If there is one absolute about the Preseason National Rankings it is that the Top 50 is going to change significantly by the time the final rankings are released in November. One important component to compiling the initial Top 50 of the season is making sure whichever team is anointed the top spot is going to play a schedule worthy of a national champion should that program run the table and go undefeated. We saw that two seasons ago when Cathedral Catholic CA started at No. 1 and wound up going undefeated. Along the way Cathedral Catholic captured both the Durango Fall Classic title and the CA Open Division state championship. Last season’s national champion Mater Dei CA didn’t start at No. 1 and didn’t finish undefeated. However, Mater Dei did capture two major tournament titles in Volleypalooza and Durango, as well as the CA Open division state crown, making Mater Dei worthy of finishing at No. 1. That brings us to this year and the team beginning at No. 1 in Grand Oaks TX, which captured last year’s 6A state title. Though Grand Oaks isn’t scheduled to play outside the state of Texas, the Grizzlies are set to face a challenging slate. Given the depth and strength of schools in Texas, should Grand Oaks be able to navigate its tournament schedule — which includes Volleypalooza — and then repeat as 6A state champs, there’s little doubt that is a national championship campaign. Of course, Grand Oaks faces longs odds and it’s more likely than not that we’ll see another team finish the year at No. 1. There are plenty of potential candidates, including familiar ones like Mater Dei, Mira Costa CA and Prestonwood Christian TX. Others to keep close watch on are Notre Dame Academy KY and Dripping Springs TX. The season officially gets started this week with tournaments throughout Texas, as well as the Ann Kang Invitational hosted by ‘Iolani taking place in Honolulu. We’ll wait a few weeks before updating our rankings, with the next set released in early September. From there, we’ll have weekly releases for the rest of the season. You can view the full Preseason Rankings below. VBALLRECRUITER HIGH SCHOOL TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Grand Oaks TX 2. Mater Dei CA 3. Prestonwood Christian TX 4. Mira Costa CA 5. Notre Dame Academy KY 6. Benet Academy IL 7. Sierra Canyon CA 8. Dripping Springs TX 9. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI 10. Blue Valley North KS *** 11. Carrollwood Day FL 12. Hamilton Southeastern IN 13. Cathedral Catholic CA 14. Byron Nelson TX 15. Assumption KY 16. Cornerstone Christian TX 17. Mill Valley KS 18. Marist IL 19. Archbishop Mitty CA 20. O’Connor AZ *** 21. Mount Notre Dame OH 22. Lovejoy TX 23. St. James Academy KS 24. Lafayette MO 25. Mercy MI 26. Plant FL 27. Southlake Carroll TX 28. Papillion-La Vista South NE 29. St. Thomas Aquinas KS 30. Casteel AZ *** 31. Harlan TX 32. Winter Park FL 33. Roncalli IN 34. Lone Peak UT 35. Cinco Ranch TX 36. Xavier Prep AZ 37. Skutt Catholic NE 38. St. Ursula Academy OH 39. Mother McAuley IL 40. ‘Iolani HI *** 41. Ankeny Centennial IA 42. Reagan NC 43. Wayzata MN 44. Oconomowoc WI 45. Bishop Gorman NV 46. Marymount CA 47. St. Pius X MO 48. Pace Academy GA 49. Kamehameha HI 50. Cleveland TN *** ON THE CUSP Alpharetta GA Ankeny IA Berkeley Prep FL Branson CA Center Grove IN Dike-New Hartford IA Doral Academy FL Dowling Catholic IA Flint Hill VA Green Hope NC Keller TX Lake Highland Prep FL Marian MI McKinney Boyd TX Millennium AZ Norris NE Northville MI Oaks Christian CA Omaha Westside NE Pope GA Prosper TX Reagan TX Redondo Union CA Seaman KS Seton OH Skyridge UT Skyview ID St. Thomas Aquinas FL Torrey Pines CA Valor Christian CO Yorktown IN

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USAV 16 Open: All Red Hat Team

It was a wild ride through 16 Open at USAV nationals. The unpredictability ultimately ended with SCVC 16 Roxy capturing the gold medal after defeating 1st Alliance 16 Gold in the championship match. You can read about that here. Below, we present our All Red Hat Team for the division. It’s our version of an all-tournament team. Given the depth of competition, we limited our selections from the Top 12 finishers. 16 OPEN ALL RED HAT TEAM PIN HITTERS Audrey Flanagan SCVC 16 Roxy Samantha Destler SCVC 16 Roxy Abby Zimmerman SCVC 16 Roxy Natalie Surges 1st Alliance 16 Gold Simone Heard Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Clarke Skyline 16 Royal Grace Martin Pohaku 16-1 Willow Weninger Pohaku 16-1 Westley Matavao Forza1 North 16 One Gabby Divita Legacy 16-1 Adidas Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Alicia Beers MKE Sting 16 Gold Reese Wilbrun Austin Skyline 16 Royal Henley Anderson Austin Skyline 16 Royal Riley Malloy Austin Skyline 16 Royal Makenna Crosson Vision 16 Gold Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.61 Sara Snowbarger Mintonette Sports m.61 Finley Krystkowiak Wave 16 Scott *** MIDDLE BLOCKERS Lynney Tarnow 1st Alliance 16 Gold Alaina Pollard 1st Alliance 16 Gold Keoni Williams Skyline 16 Royal Nina Hemsley Forza1 North 16 One Ella Andrews Legacy 16-1 Adidas Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 16-1 Adidas Kinsley Young TAV 16 Black Alia Schoonover Mintonette Sports m.61 *** SETTERS Milly McGee SCVC 16 Roxy Nikolija Bulatovic 1st Alliance 16 Gold Ella Florez Pohaku 16-1 Eva Long Legacy 16-1 Adidas Brooke Baldwin MKE Sting 16 Gold Danielle Whitmire TAV 16 Black Anna Flores TAV 16 Black Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 16 Royal Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.61 *** LIBEROS Kaitlyn Herweg SCVC 16 Roxy Lucy Maloney 1st Alliance 16 Gold Kiley Brooks Skyline 16 Royal Mya Capistrano Forza1 North 16 One Meredith Martin Legacy 16-1 Adidas Cassidy Bruns MKE Sting 16 Gold Julianna Hernandez TAV 16 Black Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.61 Presley Thompson Wave 16 Scott

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USAV 16-17s: Day 3 Show Stoppers And More

There’s so much to get to as the third day of 16s and 17s continued on at USAV nationals in Las Vegas. However, nothing could top the developments in 16 Open. That’s because MKE Sting 16 Gold upset top-seeded and top-ranked Mintonette Sports m.61 in three sets, 14-25, 25-23, 16-14, in challenge play. Sting, ranked No. 27 nationally, went 2-3 during the first round of pool play to finish in third place in Pool 5. Sting then went 1-1 in its three-team pool, falling to TAV 16 Black before beating Premier Nebraska 16 Gold. It certainly gave no indication that Sting would be able to rise to the occasion, but crazy things happen at nationals and Sting delivered the biggest blow imaginable in defeating the AAU 16 Open champion in Mintonette. The morning round of pool play had its shockers as well. They mostly came in 17 Open, where MKE Sting 17 Gold, TAV 17 Black and OT 17 Aaron all were eliminated before challenge play. Sting came into nationals ranked No. 4 nationally, followed by TAV at No. 5 and OT Aaron at No. 7. To see none of them reach challenge play was a head scratcher. MKE Sting was upset by No. 34 CUVC 17 Open in pool play and then was eliminated entirely with a loss to No. 8 Circle City 17 Purple. OT Aaron was uprooted by No 20 Idaho Crush 17 Bower in its opening match. Even though OT Aaron managed to beat No. 1 Hou Skyline 17 Royal it didn’t matter. Hou Skyline still finished first followed by Idaho Crush as OT was knocked out based on tiebreakers. TAV was surprised by No. 15 Mich Elite 17 Mizuno and then fell to No. 3 1st Alliance 17 Gold to have its shot at advancing squashed. Nebraska One 17 Synergy, ranked No. 9, was also eliminated in pool play. Nebraska One lost to both No. 19 Coast 17-1 and No. 23 Dynasty 17 Black. Surfside 17 Legends, ranked No. 10, lost its opener to No. 39 Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar. However, Surfside still finished first in its pool after sweeping No. 18 Legacy 17-1 Adidas. Another storyline revolved around Wave 17 Juliana. Ranked No. 11 nationally, Wave struggled mightily in the first round of pool play going 1-4 and yet still advancing. However, Wave went 3-0 on Day 2, winning its pool then advancing to the quarterfinals after beating CUVC. Surprisingly, there was not much drama once the challenge round hit. Only two of the eight contests went to three. One was No. 6 Skyline 17 Royal fending off No. 16 MAVS KC 17-1, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11. The other saw Mich Elite outlast Coast, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11. Shifting gears to 16 Open, the most competitive pool based on rankings was Pool 5 featuring No. 4 Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, No. 8 Skyline 16 Royal and No. 10 Madfrog 16 Green. It was Skyline going 2-0, Madfrog 1-1 and Boiler Jrs 0-2. Another tough pool was Pool 6 with No. 7 SCVC 16 Roxy, No. 9 A5 16-1 Gabe and No. 11 Wave 16 Scott. SCVC finished first at 2-0, followed by Wave at 1-1 and A5 at 0-2. There was big upset in Pool 4 as No. 22 HJV 16 Elite took down No. 5 Austin Skyline 16 Royal. Both managed to advance as they both beat GP 16 Rox. One more major upset featured No. 30 Vision 16 Gold sweeping No. 12 Hou Skyline 16 Royal. Vision lost to No. 32 Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar in its earlier match and needed to beat Hou Skyline to have a shot at advancing. Vision wound up winning the pool while Hou Skyline took second and Long Beach was eliminated. Like 17 Open, the 16 Open challenge matches didn’t carry as much drama as anticipated. Of course, there was the gigantic upset produced by Sting. That was just one of two contests to go the distance. The other featured No. 19 Pohaku 16-1 clipping Vision, 25-22, 24-26, 15-10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold, ranked No. 13 nationally, swept Hou Skyline in a mini surprise. Legacy and Austin Skyline were forced to square off, with Legacy sweeping 25-23, 25-21. Not to be overlooked was the performance from Forza1 North 16 One. Ranked No. 20 nationally, Forza North stopped HJV in challenge play by sweeping 25-18, 25-23 to reach the quarterfinals. Here’s how the 16 Open quarters stack up: MKE Sting v 1st Alliance Skyline v Forza North Legacy v SCVC Pohaku v TAV   Here’s how the 17 Open quarters look: Skyline v Circle City Hou Skyline v MIch Elite 1st Alliance v Surfside Wave v Arizona Storm *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS There was tons of high-level action everywhere. Narrowing our Day 3 Show Stoppers list down was a challenging task. Below, we list those who we felt stood out the most to us during our time watching them compete. Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 17 Purple: Dunkle – a 4-star Stanford recruit – played a pivotal role in Circle City advancing to the quarterfinals. She brings a different dynamic to the front row. Her scoring ability really gives Circle City an added boost when she’s in. She’s also puts up a solid block and definitely made a tremendous impact. Brookelyn Hatton L/DS MAVS KC 17-1: Hatton – a 4-star Arizona recruit – is unflappable in the back row. She brings a defensive tenacity to the floor and never gives up on a play. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and covers well at the net. Addison Burke OH CUVC 17 Open: A 3-star Eastern Kentucky recruit, Burke was instrumental in CUVC upsetting MKE Sting and reaching the challenge rounds. She makes contributions all the way around as a six-rotation outside. She’s a smart attacker who knows how to score against bigger blocks. Lalelei Hall RS Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: A Fresno State recruit, Hall gave Long Beach a big lift on

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Commitments (Aug. 16-22)

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email chris@vballrecruiter.com or DM on IG @vbchristobolski CLASS OF 2025 AKRON: MB Rowan Johnson (VA Juniors) ALABAMA STATE: MB/RS Camille Holloway (No Name) BELMONT: S/L/DS Hayden McGehee (Athena) CAL BAPTIST: MB Athena Cox (Coast) COLORADO COLLEGE: OH Delaney Dorscht (Washington VBA) COLORADO SPRINGS: MB Sydney Hyde (Idaho Crush) DAVIDSON: L/DS Adlee Grissett (Caroline Advantage) DEPAUL: S Arden Billingsley (Absolute) DICKINSON: L/DS Amanda Palo (Tennessee Performance) FAIRFIELD: S Mary Kate Bradley (Sky High) FERRIS STATE: OH Dylann Kelly (FarOut) FLORIDA ATLANTIC: OH Brooke McCall (Carolina Jrs) FLORIDA TECH: L/DS Chiara Cristinzio (Co Jrs) FRANCIS MARION: S Aubrey Johnson (Vital) HAMPTON: S Zuri Brock (Columbia VA) HOWARD: MB Kristen Dear (Mizuno Long Beach) IONA: OH Julia Leonardo (CMASS) IU-EAST: OH Jasmine Glenn (Team Indiana) JOHNSON COUNTY: OH/RS Annika Black (Dynasty) LOUISIANA TECH: OH/L/DS Ryan Rusher (501 Volley) MIDDLEBURY: S Kinaree Eichner (Front Range) MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST: OH/L/DS Alexa Shinabery (Memphis Jrs) NORTH FLORIDA: S Haydin Froehlich (OTVA) NORTHEASTERN: RS Sydney Mayfield (VA Juniors) ROBERT MORRIS: S Izzy Jackson (Boiler Jrs) SACRAMENTO STATE: OH Eleanor Weeks (Kokoro) SAINT FRANCIS: OH/L/DS Nevaeh Ingram (Triangle) SAINT MARY: L/DS Emma Bowman (KC Power) SANTA FE: OH/RS Sidney Saltamacchia (Tribe) SETON HALL: L/DS Gia Sergi (USANY) SETON HALL: S Emilee Fuller (KiVA) SHEPHERD: L/DS Paige Hansen (Vital) SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA: OH/L/DS KK Sharp (Infinity South) SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: OH/RS Ava Savante (Supernovas) ST. NORBERT: RS Kayden Lamon (FC Elite) ST. THOMAS: OH Brooke Barnes (Hou Skyline) STONY BROOK: OH/MB AaJaylah Zeno (Dallas Premier) TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA: MB Jordin Glass (Carolina Jrs) TIFFIN: OH/RS Maggie Hollon (Empowered) TRUMAN STATE: OH/RS Kendra Shimon (FC Elite) TUSCULUM: L/DS Sadie Roach (K2) UNC-WILMINGTON: L/DS Megan Platt (Yorktowne) UW-PARKSIDE: OH Kalyn Schueller (FC Elite) UW-PLATTEVILLE: L/DS Clare Forrest (MN Select) WEBER STATE: OH/RS Addie Beck (Club V) WEBSTER: L/DS Abby Murzyn (Michio) WILLIAMS COLLEGE: S/OH Adalena Rodgers (VA Elite)   CLASS OF 2026 AMERICAN: S/RS Sydney Guerrier (Tribe) APPALACHIAN STATE: L/DS Addison Saunders (CUVC) BALL STATE: OH Mallory Pike (Toledo) BALL STATE: MB Leah Pike (Toledo) BOSTON COLLEGE: MB Chloe Allcroft (Absolute) CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: MB Leylah Duran (Arizona Sky) EAST TENNESSEE STATE: OH Karis Chatfield (FarOut) EASTERN MICHIGAN: L/DS Kayla Ostrander (Legacy) FORDHAM: MB Jenna Hunt (Vision) HARVARD: OH/RS Masina Ogbechie (Sports Academy) IU-INDIANPOLIS: S Lauren White (Tri-State Elite) LIPSCOMB: MB Charlotte Routh (Mintonette) MINNESOTA: L/DS Madi Kraft (Northern Lights) OHIO: S Rowan Kelly (Nova Jrs) PENN STATE: MB/RS Kendall Northern (Elevation) SAMFORD: MB Peytyn Pyle (TAV Houston) SAN DIEGO STATE: S/RS Logan Cary (Front Range) SOUTH FLORIDA: OH Cate Palmi (Game Point) TULANE: L/DS Kailey Leonard (TK) TULANE: MB Harmoni Dobbins (TK) TULSA: L/DS Rachel Megna (OK Peak) UC IRVINE: OH/RS Kaia Ciszewski (Mizuno Long Beach) VANDERBILT: OH Jordin Southall (Game Point) VIRIGINIA TECH: OH Santina Martcheva (Beach Elite) WEST FLORIDA: S/RS Lizzy Kwiatkowski (MKE Sting) WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY: L/DS Riley Schmitz (FC Elite)   BEACH 2025 AUSTIN PEAY STATE: Cami Missig (EliteVBTC)

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Commitments & Signings Week of August 9-15

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email chris@vballrecruiter.com or DM on IG @vbchristobolski 2025 Alabama AM: S Kaydee Smith (Carolina Jrs) Alamance Christian Academy: MB/RS Annabelle Dowell (NC Academy) Allegheny: S/L/DS Joanna Miller (Revolution) Aurora University: OH/RS Ava Knight (Adversity) Bridgeport: OH/DS Nevaeh Byrge (Game Point) Cal State San Marcos: OH/RS Zoe Liebel (OMNI) Concordia-St. Paul: OH/RS Annika Swenson (Northern Lights) Davenport: S Maddie Berry (Michio) Dayton: MB Claire Logeais (Northern Lights) Denver: L/DS Maddie Winkler (TAV) Emporia State: MB Brooklyn Weaver (Ozark Jrs) Florida State: L/DS Ariel Ross (Jax Skyline) Francis Marion: MB McKayla Stockwell (JJVA) Ganon: L/DS Meg Kalenowski (Club Fusion) Georgia College: OH Avery Huyck (A5) Illinois State: OH/RS Hadley Rogge (VC United) Ithaca: OH/RS Julia Kelly (VA Elite) IU Pennsylvania: S/RS Maddie Zechman (EliteVBTC) Mount Mercy: L/DS Kate Wright (PVA) Lake Superior: MB Jenna DeRosia (Five:1) Lee College: RS Ava Patrizi (TAV Houston) Louisiana-Monroe: OH/RS Zaniah Hoskins (Austin Performance) Monmouth: RS Alivia Hanover (M1) Morningside: L/DS Ruby Goes (Nebraska Jrs) Northeastern: L/DS Aven Crosby (Arete) Rhode Island: MB Hannah Jonick (Wave) Rider: S Grace Borys (MKE Sting) Rollins: OH Kyla Krimmel (Rockwood Thunder) Salt Lake CC: OH Paige Ballif (Club V) Seattle Pacific: L/DS Maddy Eggerth (Idaho Crush) South Dakota School of Mines: OH/RS Cate Warren (Excel) Southeastern Oklahoma: OH Brynn Metoyer (TAV Houston) Southern University: OH Mia Hutchinson (Arizona Storm) Southwest Baptist: OH Julia Marinesi (Coast) Tennessee State: OH/RS Julia Culpepper (A5 Chattanooga) Texas Tech: OH Lola Isaeff (SA Juniors) UNC-Charlotte: OH Tewa Woodson (Adversity) Ursinus: S Riley Lincoln (Wave) UW-Stevens: OH/RS Mackenzie Nettles (Club Fusion) Wayne State: L/DS Boe Kaschner (FC Elite) Youngstown State: L/DS Kennedy Dawson (MAVA)   2026 Boston College: OH Mia Gold (Tribe) Boston College: S/RS Ava McBride (Actyve) Cincinnati: OH Clara Briley (A5) Clemson: MB Ihuoma Ozoh (1st Alliance) Colorado State: OH Ella Stowell (KC Power) Colorado State: OH Abby Little (Big Sky) Denver: OH Romi Chlebecek (MN Select) Eastern Michigan: OH Nattie Slusher (Tri-State Elite) Eastern Michigan: S Lina Govoni (Sports Performance) Kentucky: L/DS Sidney Burley (MN Select) Louisiana Tech: OH/RS Kylie Rodriguez (Skyline) Maryland: OH/RS Ava Brown (Mintonette) Michigan Tech: L/DS Natalie Leach (VC United) South Dakota: OH Gabi Zachariasen (Kairos) Syracuse: S Charis Burge (Metro) Texas Tech: MB Faith Jordan (Sports Performance) Toledo: L/DS Jadyn Kennedy (Legacy) Troy: OH Isa Ruether (MKE Sting) UCONN: OH Sydney Borowy (AVC Cle) Utah State: OH/RS Madison Rich (Club V) UW-Milwaukee: MB Kayla Landerud (MKE Sting) Virginia: L/DS Ruby McDermott (A5) Wake Forest: MB Kaela Jenkins (Mintonette)   BEACH 2025   2026  

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Top Performers (Aug. 12-17)

The opening week of the high school season didn’t pass without its share of dramatics. Prestonwood Christian TX captured the Battle of the Rock; Dripping Springs TX brought home the trophy at Pearland John Turner Classic; Cy Ranch TX finished first at the KISD/CFISD tournament; and Byron Nelson became the first school from Texas to claim the title at the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. We highlighted those happenings here. Below, we look at a few of last week’s top performing athletes from around the country. Ashlyn Seay JR OH Byron Nelson TX: A 3-star Rice commit, Seay played an instrumental role in Byron Nelson upsetting national No. 4 Mira Costa CA during Saturday’s pool play at Ann Kang. The junior recorded a team-high 16 kills and added 8 digs in the three-set victory. Kylie Kleckner JR OH Byron Nelson TX: Kleckner – a 4-star Washington recruit – came up clutch in helping Byron Nelson fend off the upset from Orange Lutheran CA during pool play at Ann Kang. She recorded 15 kills and hit .303 in the three-set victory. Kleckner was also a big part of the team’s victory against Mira Costa, when she posted 11 kills and 11 digs while hitting .409. Callie Krueger SR L Dripping Springs: Krueger is a new addition to the Tigers’ lineup this fall and the 4-star Texas commit is already paying dividends. She registered 18 digs in three sets against Argyle TX in the final of Pearland. She was just as sharp in the semifinals, when she made 16 saves in a sweep of Harlan TX. Isabella Perkins SR L Marvin Ridge NC: An Appalachian State commit, Perkins came through to help Marvin Ridge beat Reagan NC in the final of the North-South Invitational. The senior defender recorded a team-high 17 digs. Elly Randolph SO OH Reagan NC: Randolph – a 3-star recruit – had a strong outing to help Reagan fight off Wando SC in the semifinals of the North-South Invitational. She put up 12 kills and hit .520 in the three-set victory. Gabby Nichols SR MB Reagan NC: Before Reagan competed in its weekend tournament, the Raiders beat Grimsley NC in four sets. It was Nichols – a 4-star Penn State pledge – doing damage with 16 kills while hitting .345 and adding 3 blocks. Megan Hodges FR OH San Juan Hills CA: Hodges – a 5-star recruit who helped Tstreet 15 Asics capture the USAV 15 Open gold medal – had a big-time outing in a sweep of Beckman CA. The rookie sent down 15 kills and hit .367. Hanna McGinest SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: The Trailblazers relied on a pair of sophomores to carry the team to a four-game victory against JSerra CA. McGinest – a 4-star recruit – was one of them. She recorded a team-high 17 kills. Eva Jeffries SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: Jeffries – a 5-star outside – was the other half who gave Sierra Canyon a boost. She put away 14 kills. Lauren Lynch SR L Sierra Canyon CA: Lynch – a 4-star San Diego commit – was another standout during Sierra Canyon’s victory over JSerra. She finished with a match-high 24 digs. Katherine Nowak SO OH JSerra CA: JSerra had its top performers from the match against Sierra Canyon as well. One was Nowak. The 3-star recruit was also part of Tstreet 15 Asics’ gold-medal performance this summer. She had a match-high 19 kills for the Lions. Maddie Goodrich FR L JSerra CA: Another underclassmen to shine in the match was Goodrich. The freshman totaled 21 digs for JSerra in defeat. Samantha Destler JR OH Marymount CA: The Sailors were among the schools who started play last week and receive a strong effort from Destler in the team’s sweep of La Costa Canyon CA. The 3-star Washington commit was part of SCVC 16 Roxy’s gold medal in 16 Open at USAV nationals and ended the contest with 14 kills. She hit .462 to go with 9 digs and 4 aces. Sydney Black SR L Fulshear TX: The Chargers took down Preseason No. 1 Grand Oaks TX in four sets in part behind the contribution of Black. The 3-star Colorado State commit came through with 17 digs. Taylor Porter SR OH Cy Ranch TX: Porter was unstoppable as Cy Ranch defeated Grand Oaks in five sets in the final of the KISD/CFISD tournament. The 4-star Vanderbilt commit totaled 27 kills and hit .389. Sade Bello FR OH Cy Ranch TX: A 4-star freshman, Bello also shined in the final for Cy Ranch. She recorded 16 kills and hit an impressive .455. Taylor Bruce JR RS Green Hope NC: The Falcons were carried by Bruce’s effort as they took down Broughton NC in three straight. The 3-star Georgia commit had a match-high 17 kills while hitting .500. Chloe Burbage FR S Green Hope NC: Burbage – a 3-star recruit – showed her value as the freshman distributed 40 assists for Green Hope in the victory over Broughton. Cameron Gerber FR L/DS Middle Creek NC: The Mustangs relied heavily on a pair of freshmen in their five-set victory against Wakefield NC last week. Gerber registered an eye-popping 40 digs in that one. Finley Brennan FR S Middle Creek: Brennan came through in a big way as well. She dished out 36 assists in the same match. Sarah Pfiffner SR S/RS Wakeland TX: Pfiffner – a 4-star West Virginia commit – had a strong opening week. Earlier in the week she had 10 kills and 23 assists as Wakeland upset nationally-ranked Lovejoy TX in five sets. She then posted 11 kills (.435), 18 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks and 2 aces as the Wolverines upset nationally-ranked Southlake Carroll TX in five on Saturday at the Battle of the Rock tournament. *for consideration to be featured as a top performer of the week email chris@vballrecruiter.com 

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HS Tournament Recaps (Aug. 15-17)

It was a busy opening week to the high school season. Half of Vballrecruiter’s Top 10 was in action, including the top four teams in the country in Grand Oaks TX, Mater Dei CA, Prestonwood Christian TX and Mira Costa CA respectively. Three of the four were involved in tournaments, while Mater Dei went 2-0 in a pair of nonleague matches. Let’s run through them below. KISD/CFISD The 48-team field was highlighted by our Preseason national No. 1 in Grand Oaks, the reigning UIL 6A champion. However, it’s very unlikely Grand Oaks will occupy the top spot once our next Top 50 is released in early September. Not only did Grand Oaks fall to Fulshear TX earlier in the week, Grand Oaks was taken down in the final by Cy Ranch TX. After winning its first seven contests, including beating Seven Lakes TX in the semifinals, it was Cy Ranch finishing undefeated and not Grand Oaks. Cy Ranch prevailed in five, 18-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-12, 15-8. It was a great start to the new season for Cy Ranch, which also beat national No. 35 Cinco Ranch TX in the semifinals. Cinco Ranch finished runner-up to Grand Oaks in last year’s 6A state final, meaning Cy Ranch beat both 6A finalists in back-to-back outings. Joining Grand Oaks and Cinco Ranch in losing just one time were Bridgeland TX and Stratford TX. Bridgeland took its only loss to Cinco Ranch in Friday’s challenge play. Stratford fell to College Park in Friday’s pool play. Cy Ranch, Grand Oaks, Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes and Bridgeland are all scheduled to attend Volleypalooza in two weeks. BATTLE OF THE ROCK We highlighted Prestonwood Christian’s victory here, as well as tournament Show Stoppers. Prestonwood, ranked No. 3 nationally to begin the year, started off rocky and was upset by national No. 27 Southlake Carroll TX to start the tournament. However, Southlake Carroll lost its next outing to Wakeland TX, which allowed Prestonwood to still finish first in the pool. That kept Prestonwood and Cornerstone Christian TX, ranked No. 14 in the country, on a collision course. Prestonwood swept Cornerstone, 25-19, 25-19, in the championship match to bring home the trophy. Prestonwood is also set to participate in Volleypalooza. Prestonwood and Cornerstone are both returning to the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas next month. ANN KANG INVITATIONAL A Texas team made history in national No. 14 Byron Nelson. The Bobcat finished on top of the 16-team field at the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. With it, Byron Nelson became the first school from the state to earn the tournament title. But like Prestonwood, Bryon Nelson took a loss along the way. Byron Nelson fell to Highland Park TX in Day 2 pool play but still finished first after taking down national No. 4 Mira Costa in three sets during Saturday’s pool play. Highland Park lost to Mira Costa in straight sets during Day 1 pool play and finished third in the pool to miss out on the semifinals. Highland Park fell to Palos Verdes CA in its first pool match to contribute to its third-place finish in pool. That left Bryon Nelson and Mira Costa advancing to the semifinals. In the other pool, it was Redondo Union CA and host ‘Iolani HI finishing 1-2 and making the final four. Byron Nelson swept ‘Iolani in one semifinal while Redondo Union upset Mira Costa in the other. In the final, Byron Nelson swept, 25-16, 25-17. Byron Nelson is back in action this coming weekend at the NorthWest ISD tournament. Also in attendance is Highland Park, which finished fifth in Hawaii. Another Texas school – Colleyville Heritage – finished 11th at Ann Kang and is also playing at the NorthWest tournament this weekend. Host ‘Iolani and Mira Costa finished tied for third. Redondo Union, Mira Costa and ‘Iolani are set to attend the Durango Fall Classic together in September. PEARLAND JOHN TURNER CLASSIC Dripping Springs TX, ranked No. 8 in our Preseason Top 50, is off to a flying start at 12-0. The record is bolstered by the team’s performance at Pearland, where it went 9-0. Dripping Springs outlasted Argyle TX, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, in the championship match. Drippings Springs swept No. 31 Harlan TX in the semifinals. Argyle did the same to Ridge Point TX. It was Harlan’s only loss in the tournament. Fulshear suffered just one loss as well, falling to Ridge Point in the quarterfinals. NORTH-SOUTH INVITATIONAL This two-day tournament featured teams from North and South Carolina. It was Marvin Ridge NC sweeping past national No. 42 Reagan NC, 25-23, 25-19, in the final. Marvin Ridge beat Cardinal Newman SC in one semifinal. In the other, Reagan clipped Wando SC, 22-25, 26-24, 16-14, to advance. Marvin Ridge lost during Day 1 pool play to Legion Collegiate SC, which fell to Wando in three sets, 25-17, 16-25, 19-17, in the quarterfinals. NORTH EAST/NORTHSIDE ISD A two-day tournament held in San Antonio, it was Brennan TX defeating Alexander TX, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, in the championship match and finishing 6-0. Brennan downed Davenport TX, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20, in its semifinal contest. Alexander fought off Johnson TX, 25-22, 15-25, 25-20, in the other semi. MANSFIELD ISD The three-day, 32-team field ended with Lake Ridge TX sweeping El Paso Americas TX, 25-21, 25-14. Lake Ridge finished the event by going 9-0 and dropping just one set. AISD JASON LANDER INVITATIONAL Another three-day event, this one featured 37 teams after one dropped out. It concluded with Austin TX beating Bowie TX, 25-21, 25-22, in straight sets. Austin went 9-0 and didn’t drop a set.

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State Champions Spotlight

With the high school season underway this week, teams are taking their first steps toward their championship aspirations. Below, we check in on nine state champions from last fall and see where they stand in hopes of finishing on top of their respective divisions once more. Assumption KY Coming off their 23rd state title last fall, the Rockets are going to be right back in the mix in hopes of adding to the program’s collection. Gone is last year’s kill leader in outside Charlotte Moriarty, as well as outside Chloe Smith, who finished third in kills. However, Assumption has plenty back, including 5-star Wisconsin commit and libero Kristen Simon. Joining her is three more seniors in 3-star setter Emilee Fuller, 3-star right side/middle Bailey Blair (Ohio) and pin hitter Emma Barnett. For Assumption to bring home another state title though, it’s likely going to have to rely on underclassmen to contribute. Among them is a pair of freshmen outsides in 4-star Brooke Codey and 3-star Taylor Price. Codey played up on KiVA 15 Red this past club season, while Price was part of KiVA 14 Red. Another underclassman who could play a contributing role is sophomore Emily Poteraj, a 3-star middle who was also on KiVA 15 Red. Bishop Gorman NV The defending 5A state champions from Nevada return the best player in the state in junior Ayanna Watson. The 5-star outside is a Pitt commit and was Vballrecruiter’s Sophomore Player of the Year last fall. Watson averaged 5.7 kills per set and hit .392. Watson is joined by another Pitt commit in 3-star setter Trinity Thompson. The junior directed the attack a year ago and averaged 10.6 assists per set. Another returner the Gaels are expected to lean on is senior middle Brooklynn Williams, who was third in kills and led the team in blocks. Two spots Bishop Gorman will need to fill are at outside and libero with seniors Leilia Toaloa and Tatum Thompson having graduated. Sophomore Allie Breitling, a 3-star outside, could be one to help fill in offensively. Carrollwood Day FL Last season’s 3A state champs in the state of Florida, the Patriots went 31-2 and return a lot to position themselves to once again be a top contender. The main loss was setter Naomi Chinchar but that’s about the only area of need. The top four kill leaders are back, including 5-star right side and sophomore Lydia Chinchar. She was Vballrecruiter’s Freshman Player of the Year a season ago after averaging 6.3 kills per set and hitting .428. She’s joined by senior MB/OH Sarah Dibbs-Frantz – a VCU commit – junior RS/OH Elena Dibbs-Frantz and senior middle Lorelei Church. Also returning is senior libero Mattea Casale, a 3-star Purdue commit. One big change to the schedule for the 2024 season includes Carrollwood Day set to attend the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in September. Cleveland TN One thing Cleveland needs to overcome if it hopes to capture another Division 1 Class 3A state championship is the loss of setter Kinslee McGowan and libero Addison Brock. The good news though is the Blue Raiders return a pair of outsides who combined for nearly 1,200 kills a season ago. One is senior outside and 4-star recruit Lauren Hurst. The other is junior Gunny Brock, a 3-star recruit. They’ll once again power the attack. Grand Oaks TX It’s a mixed bag for the Grizzlies in terms of departures and returners. However, working in Grand Oaks’ favor as the program chases a repeat bid in 6A is having arguably the top outside duo in the country. The pair features senior Samara Coleman – a 5-star Pitt commit – and junior Halle Thompson – a 5-star Wisconsin commit. They teamed up for more than 1,000 kills in 2023. The overall attack, however, doesn’t figure to be as potent as 5-star middle Jaela Auguste (Florida) graduated, as did 3-star right side Caelyn Emmerling (Texas State). Another player who is back though is junior Cali Reece, a 3-star defender who led the team in digs as last year’s libero. One half of the setting duo in junior Samantha Sampson also returns. Mater Dei CA Last season’s national champions as well as the CA Open Division state champions saw its share of talent graduate. It includes losing senior pin hitters Isabel Clark (San Diego) and Cymarah Gordon (Michigan), as well as libero Malyssa Cawa (Stanford) and setter Julia Kakkis (Brown). Not all is lost however. Among the returners is junior outside Layli Ostovar, a 5-star USC commit. She’s joined by older sisters and L/DS Kayla Ostovar and setter Ayva Ostovar. Other contributors from last season who are returning feature junior 3-star middle Addison Coady, sophomore 4-star middle Emma Kingston, senior 3-star pin Preslie Saunders and senior L/DS Sydney Raszewski. While Mater Dei is facing turnover, working in its favor is depth. Though she won’t be eligible until the halfway point, the Monarchs picked up sophomore transfer Westley Matavao, a 4-star outside who helped Forza1 North 16 One to a fifth-place showing in 16 Open at USAV nationals. The team can alos use junior setters Sam Capinpin and Soraya Dennis, as well as freshman Abby Moffett, a 3-star S/RS who suited up for Tstreet 14 Tara. O’Connor AZ Like others, the Eagles have things to overcome as well as components working in their favor. The defending 6A state champions welcome back last year’s kill leader in senior Devyn Wiest, a 4-star outside committed to Utah. Both starting middles also return. One is junior Leylah Duran. The other is 4-star sophomore Kristen Sheehy. Also back is senior middle Maggie Paulsen who missed most of the season last year with injury. While one half of the setting duo is gone in Shannon Sheehy, O’Connor does bring back 3-star senior S/RS Addison France. One area of work is replacing graduated libero Kinsley Singleton. Plant FL The Panthers went 25-3 a season ago en route to finishing on top of the Florida 7A state playoffs. That bad

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Battle For The Rock Preview and Predictions

Outside of the Ann Kang Invitational taking place in Honolulu, most of the stronger high school tournament action in the first few weeks of the season is concentrated in Texas. One of them is the Battle of the Rock set for Aug. 15-17 at both Rockwall and Rockwall-Heath high schools. It’s one of three big tournaments taking place in the state, with the Pearland John Turner Classic and KISD/CFISD events also going on this coming weekend. Below, we take a look at the Battle of the Rock with a brief outlook and our predictions. POOL 1 Cornerstone Christian Prosper Ursuline Heath   POOL 2 Prestonwood Christian Frisco Wakeland Southlake Carroll Allen   POOL 3 Lovejoy Flower Mound Rockwall Plano West   POOL 4 McKinney Boyd The Woodlands Arlington Martin Wylie   Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (4): 3. Prestonwood Christian 16. Cornerstone Christian 22. Lovejoy 27. Southlake Carroll   5-Star Athletes to Know: Megan Fitch SR OH Cornerstone Christian (Texas AM) Cari Spears SR OH Prestonwood Christian (Texas) Gillian Pitts SR L/DS Prestonwood Christian (Houston) Kinsley Young JR MB Southlake Carroll (TCU) Naomi Livings SO OH Prestonwood Christian Nyla Livings SO MB Prestonwood Christian Maya Ogbogu FR OH Allen   4-Star Athletes to Know: Taylor Clarke SR RS Prestonwood Christian (Princeton) Taylor Cook SR S Prestonwood Christian (Kansas) Shelby Burriss SR MB Lovejoy (Princeton) Sarah Pfiffner SR S Wakeland (West Virginia) Hannah Beauford SR S Prosper (Cal) Sophia Thornburg SR OH Ursuline Academy (Notre Dame) Chichi Nnaji JR SR MB/RS Ursuline Academy (Notre Dame) Layla Austin JR OH Southlake Carroll (San Diego State) Gentry Barker SO OH Lovejoy Gracie White FR MB Plano West Olivia Kitur FR OH Allen   3-Star Athletes to Know: Kaia Thiele SR S Cornerstone Christian (UNLV) Aniya Hall SR OH Cornerstone Christian (Louisiana-Monroe) Macey Hughes SR RS Cornerstone Christian (Grandy Canyon) Ella Lewis SR OH The Woodlands (Arizona State) Blue Anderson SR L/DS Southlake Carroll (Dallas Baptist) Halle Jameson SR OH Rockwall (Colorado State) Anna Barr SR RS Lovejoy (West Virginia) Coco Natarajan JR S/RS Lovejoy (Ole Miss) Skylar Jackson JR OH Lovejoy (Yale) Emerson Boyd JR S/RS Lovejoy Hannah Lee JR MB Wakeland (LSU) Angelique St. Laurent JR RS Flower Mound Olivia Permenter SO OH McKinney Boyd Vanessa Glenn SO OH Southlake Carroll   Outlook: The 16-team field is much smaller than the other tournaments taking place in other areas of the state, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lesser event. The smaller field features a few powerhouse programs. Among them is Cornerstone Christian, Prestonwood Christian and Lovejoy. Prestonwood captured the TAPPS 6A state championship a season ago. Meanwhile, Lovejoy finished on top of the UIL 5A state playoffs. Joining those three in our initial Top 50 Rankings is Southlake Carroll. The opening day of play on Thursday features four, four-team brackets playing for seeding into the 16-team bracket which begins Friday. The semifinals and final are set for Saturday at Rockwall HS. Prediction: On the top half of the bracket, Cornerstone and The Woodlands will meet in the semifinals, with Cornerstone advancing. On the bottom half, Lovejoy and Prestonwood face off in the semis, with Prestonwood moving on. In the final, Prestonwood outlasts Cornerstone for the title.

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Ann Kang Invitational Preview and Predictions

Among the season-opening tournaments is the Ann Kang Invitational hosted by ‘Iolani. The three-day event takes place Aug 15-17 in Honolulu and features 16 teams. It includes eight teams from California, four from Texas and four from Hawaii. We offer our preview and prediction below. POOL A Mira Costa CA Byron Nelson TX Highland Park TX Punahou HI Palos Verdes CA Orange Lutheran CA Clovis West CA ‘Iolani 2 HI   POOL B Colleyville Heritage TX ‘Iolani HI Redondo Union CA Long Beach Poly CA Moanalua HI Murrieta Valley CA Edison CA Aubrey TX   Vballrecruiter Nationally-Ranked Teams (3): 4. Mira Costa CA 14. Byron Nelson TX 40. ‘Iolani HI   5-Star Athletes to Know: Suli Davis SR OH/S Colleyville Heritage (BYU) Taylor Deckert SR L/DS Mira Costa (USC) Kaci Demaria SR OH Palos Verdes (Stanford) Audrey Flanagan JR OH Mira Costa (Wisconsin)   4-Star Athletes to Know: Alex Richter SR OH Highland Park (Georgia) Sarah Mendoza SR L/DS Colleyville Heritage (UCF) Kylie Kleckner JR OH Byron Nelson (Washington) Milly McGee JR S Mira Costa (USC) Abby Zimmerman JR S/RS Redondo Union (Cal) Sophee Peterson SO S/RS Bryon Nelson Cedra Talaga SO L/OH Long Beach Poly   3-Star Athletes to Know: Maylynn Mitchell SR OH Orange Lutheran (Chaminade) Ashlyn Seay JR OH Byron Nelson (Rice) Reese Stringer JR S Mira Costa (Penn) Simone Roslon JR OH Mira Costa Taylor Boice JR MB Redondo Union (UC Irvine) Marley Robinson SO S Orange Lutheran Georgie Lee SO MB/OH ‘Iolani Taimane Poe SO MB Long Beach Poly   Outlook: The tournament opens with two full days of pool play on Thursday and Friday. Pool play concludes Saturday morning with two more pool matches before breaking out into bracket play. The first and second-place teams from each pool advance to the semifinals. Mira Costa is the two-time defending champion having captured the title in 2022 and 2023. Mira Costa is seeking to extend its tournament record to nine overall victories since the event started in 1989. Only one team from outside California and Hawaii has ever finished on top. That was Chung Shan HS from Taiwan in 2010. No Texas school has ever won it. However, this could be the year that streak ends as Byron Nelson and Colleyville Hertiage are among the top contenders. Host ‘Iolani last claimed the trophy when it went back-to-back in 2017-18. Punahou and Redondo Union are the only other programs attending that have also earned the Ann Kang title. Punahou captured three straight from 2012-14, while Redondo finished first in 2009 and then again in 2019. Prediction: In Pool A, look for Byron Nelson and Mira Costa to be the two teams to advance to the semifinals. In Pool B, the pick is for Redondo Union and ‘Iolani to move on to the final four. Ultimately, it comes down to Bryon Nelson finishing on top after beating Redondo in the final.

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High School Preseason National Rankings (Aug. 12)

If there is one absolute about the Preseason National Rankings it is that the Top 50 is going to change significantly by the time the final rankings are released in November. One important component to compiling the initial Top 50 of the season is making sure whichever team is anointed the top spot is going to play a schedule worthy of a national champion should that program run the table and go undefeated. We saw that two seasons ago when Cathedral Catholic CA started at No. 1 and wound up going undefeated. Along the way Cathedral Catholic captured both the Durango Fall Classic title and the CA Open Division state championship. Last season’s national champion Mater Dei CA didn’t start at No. 1 and didn’t finish undefeated. However, Mater Dei did capture two major tournament titles in Volleypalooza and Durango, as well as the CA Open division state crown, making Mater Dei worthy of finishing at No. 1. That brings us to this year and the team beginning at No. 1 in Grand Oaks TX, which captured last year’s 6A state title. Though Grand Oaks isn’t scheduled to play outside the state of Texas, the Grizzlies are set to face a challenging slate. Given the depth and strength of schools in Texas, should Grand Oaks be able to navigate its tournament schedule — which includes Volleypalooza — and then repeat as 6A state champs, there’s little doubt that is a national championship campaign. Of course, Grand Oaks faces longs odds and it’s more likely than not that we’ll see another team finish the year at No. 1. There are plenty of potential candidates, including familiar ones like Mater Dei, Mira Costa CA and Prestonwood Christian TX. Others to keep close watch on are Notre Dame Academy KY and Dripping Springs TX. The season officially gets started this week with tournaments throughout Texas, as well as the Ann Kang Invitational hosted by ‘Iolani taking place in Honolulu. We’ll wait a few weeks before updating our rankings, with the next set released in early September. From there, we’ll have weekly releases for the rest of the season. You can view the full Preseason Rankings below. VBALLRECRUITER HIGH SCHOOL TOP 50 NATIONAL RANKINGS 1. Grand Oaks TX 2. Mater Dei CA 3. Prestonwood Christian TX 4. Mira Costa CA 5. Notre Dame Academy KY 6. Benet Academy IL 7. Sierra Canyon CA 8. Dripping Springs TX 9. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI 10. Blue Valley North KS *** 11. Carrollwood Day FL 12. Hamilton Southeastern IN 13. Cathedral Catholic CA 14. Byron Nelson TX 15. Assumption KY 16. Cornerstone Christian TX 17. Mill Valley KS 18. Marist IL 19. Archbishop Mitty CA 20. O’Connor AZ *** 21. Mount Notre Dame OH 22. Lovejoy TX 23. St. James Academy KS 24. Lafayette MO 25. Mercy MI 26. Plant FL 27. Southlake Carroll TX 28. Papillion-La Vista South NE 29. St. Thomas Aquinas KS 30. Casteel AZ *** 31. Harlan TX 32. Winter Park FL 33. Roncalli IN 34. Lone Peak UT 35. Cinco Ranch TX 36. Xavier Prep AZ 37. Skutt Catholic NE 38. St. Ursula Academy OH 39. Mother McAuley IL 40. ‘Iolani HI *** 41. Ankeny Centennial IA 42. Reagan NC 43. Wayzata MN 44. Oconomowoc WI 45. Bishop Gorman NV 46. Marymount CA 47. St. Pius X MO 48. Pace Academy GA 49. Kamehameha HI 50. Cleveland TN *** ON THE CUSP Alpharetta GA Ankeny IA Berkeley Prep FL Branson CA Center Grove IN Dike-New Hartford IA Doral Academy FL Dowling Catholic IA Flint Hill VA Green Hope NC Keller TX Lake Highland Prep FL Marian MI McKinney Boyd TX Millennium AZ Norris NE Northville MI Oaks Christian CA Omaha Westside NE Pope GA Prosper TX Reagan TX Redondo Union CA Seaman KS Seton OH Skyridge UT Skyview ID St. Thomas Aquinas FL Torrey Pines CA Valor Christian CO Yorktown IN

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USAV 16 Open: All Red Hat Team

It was a wild ride through 16 Open at USAV nationals. The unpredictability ultimately ended with SCVC 16 Roxy capturing the gold medal after defeating 1st Alliance 16 Gold in the championship match. You can read about that here. Below, we present our All Red Hat Team for the division. It’s our version of an all-tournament team. Given the depth of competition, we limited our selections from the Top 12 finishers. 16 OPEN ALL RED HAT TEAM PIN HITTERS Audrey Flanagan SCVC 16 Roxy Samantha Destler SCVC 16 Roxy Abby Zimmerman SCVC 16 Roxy Natalie Surges 1st Alliance 16 Gold Simone Heard Skyline 16 Royal Taylor Clarke Skyline 16 Royal Grace Martin Pohaku 16-1 Willow Weninger Pohaku 16-1 Westley Matavao Forza1 North 16 One Gabby Divita Legacy 16-1 Adidas Marlee Sivak OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Alicia Beers MKE Sting 16 Gold Reese Wilbrun Austin Skyline 16 Royal Henley Anderson Austin Skyline 16 Royal Riley Malloy Austin Skyline 16 Royal Makenna Crosson Vision 16 Gold Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.61 Sara Snowbarger Mintonette Sports m.61 Finley Krystkowiak Wave 16 Scott *** MIDDLE BLOCKERS Lynney Tarnow 1st Alliance 16 Gold Alaina Pollard 1st Alliance 16 Gold Keoni Williams Skyline 16 Royal Nina Hemsley Forza1 North 16 One Ella Andrews Legacy 16-1 Adidas Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 16-1 Adidas Kinsley Young TAV 16 Black Alia Schoonover Mintonette Sports m.61 *** SETTERS Milly McGee SCVC 16 Roxy Nikolija Bulatovic 1st Alliance 16 Gold Ella Florez Pohaku 16-1 Eva Long Legacy 16-1 Adidas Brooke Baldwin MKE Sting 16 Gold Danielle Whitmire TAV 16 Black Anna Flores TAV 16 Black Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 16 Royal Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.61 *** LIBEROS Kaitlyn Herweg SCVC 16 Roxy Lucy Maloney 1st Alliance 16 Gold Kiley Brooks Skyline 16 Royal Mya Capistrano Forza1 North 16 One Meredith Martin Legacy 16-1 Adidas Cassidy Bruns MKE Sting 16 Gold Julianna Hernandez TAV 16 Black Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.61 Presley Thompson Wave 16 Scott

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USAV 16-17s: Day 3 Show Stoppers And More

There’s so much to get to as the third day of 16s and 17s continued on at USAV nationals in Las Vegas. However, nothing could top the developments in 16 Open. That’s because MKE Sting 16 Gold upset top-seeded and top-ranked Mintonette Sports m.61 in three sets, 14-25, 25-23, 16-14, in challenge play. Sting, ranked No. 27 nationally, went 2-3 during the first round of pool play to finish in third place in Pool 5. Sting then went 1-1 in its three-team pool, falling to TAV 16 Black before beating Premier Nebraska 16 Gold. It certainly gave no indication that Sting would be able to rise to the occasion, but crazy things happen at nationals and Sting delivered the biggest blow imaginable in defeating the AAU 16 Open champion in Mintonette. The morning round of pool play had its shockers as well. They mostly came in 17 Open, where MKE Sting 17 Gold, TAV 17 Black and OT 17 Aaron all were eliminated before challenge play. Sting came into nationals ranked No. 4 nationally, followed by TAV at No. 5 and OT Aaron at No. 7. To see none of them reach challenge play was a head scratcher. MKE Sting was upset by No. 34 CUVC 17 Open in pool play and then was eliminated entirely with a loss to No. 8 Circle City 17 Purple. OT Aaron was uprooted by No 20 Idaho Crush 17 Bower in its opening match. Even though OT Aaron managed to beat No. 1 Hou Skyline 17 Royal it didn’t matter. Hou Skyline still finished first followed by Idaho Crush as OT was knocked out based on tiebreakers. TAV was surprised by No. 15 Mich Elite 17 Mizuno and then fell to No. 3 1st Alliance 17 Gold to have its shot at advancing squashed. Nebraska One 17 Synergy, ranked No. 9, was also eliminated in pool play. Nebraska One lost to both No. 19 Coast 17-1 and No. 23 Dynasty 17 Black. Surfside 17 Legends, ranked No. 10, lost its opener to No. 39 Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar. However, Surfside still finished first in its pool after sweeping No. 18 Legacy 17-1 Adidas. Another storyline revolved around Wave 17 Juliana. Ranked No. 11 nationally, Wave struggled mightily in the first round of pool play going 1-4 and yet still advancing. However, Wave went 3-0 on Day 2, winning its pool then advancing to the quarterfinals after beating CUVC. Surprisingly, there was not much drama once the challenge round hit. Only two of the eight contests went to three. One was No. 6 Skyline 17 Royal fending off No. 16 MAVS KC 17-1, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11. The other saw Mich Elite outlast Coast, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11. Shifting gears to 16 Open, the most competitive pool based on rankings was Pool 5 featuring No. 4 Boiler Jrs 16 Gold, No. 8 Skyline 16 Royal and No. 10 Madfrog 16 Green. It was Skyline going 2-0, Madfrog 1-1 and Boiler Jrs 0-2. Another tough pool was Pool 6 with No. 7 SCVC 16 Roxy, No. 9 A5 16-1 Gabe and No. 11 Wave 16 Scott. SCVC finished first at 2-0, followed by Wave at 1-1 and A5 at 0-2. There was big upset in Pool 4 as No. 22 HJV 16 Elite took down No. 5 Austin Skyline 16 Royal. Both managed to advance as they both beat GP 16 Rox. One more major upset featured No. 30 Vision 16 Gold sweeping No. 12 Hou Skyline 16 Royal. Vision lost to No. 32 Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar in its earlier match and needed to beat Hou Skyline to have a shot at advancing. Vision wound up winning the pool while Hou Skyline took second and Long Beach was eliminated. Like 17 Open, the 16 Open challenge matches didn’t carry as much drama as anticipated. Of course, there was the gigantic upset produced by Sting. That was just one of two contests to go the distance. The other featured No. 19 Pohaku 16-1 clipping Vision, 25-22, 24-26, 15-10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold, ranked No. 13 nationally, swept Hou Skyline in a mini surprise. Legacy and Austin Skyline were forced to square off, with Legacy sweeping 25-23, 25-21. Not to be overlooked was the performance from Forza1 North 16 One. Ranked No. 20 nationally, Forza North stopped HJV in challenge play by sweeping 25-18, 25-23 to reach the quarterfinals. Here’s how the 16 Open quarters stack up: MKE Sting v 1st Alliance Skyline v Forza North Legacy v SCVC Pohaku v TAV   Here’s how the 17 Open quarters look: Skyline v Circle City Hou Skyline v MIch Elite 1st Alliance v Surfside Wave v Arizona Storm *** DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS There was tons of high-level action everywhere. Narrowing our Day 3 Show Stoppers list down was a challenging task. Below, we list those who we felt stood out the most to us during our time watching them compete. Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 17 Purple: Dunkle – a 4-star Stanford recruit – played a pivotal role in Circle City advancing to the quarterfinals. She brings a different dynamic to the front row. Her scoring ability really gives Circle City an added boost when she’s in. She’s also puts up a solid block and definitely made a tremendous impact. Brookelyn Hatton L/DS MAVS KC 17-1: Hatton – a 4-star Arizona recruit – is unflappable in the back row. She brings a defensive tenacity to the floor and never gives up on a play. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and covers well at the net. Addison Burke OH CUVC 17 Open: A 3-star Eastern Kentucky recruit, Burke was instrumental in CUVC upsetting MKE Sting and reaching the challenge rounds. She makes contributions all the way around as a six-rotation outside. She’s a smart attacker who knows how to score against bigger blocks. Lalelei Hall RS Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: A Fresno State recruit, Hall gave Long Beach a big lift on

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