Chris

In trying to put together the All-Tournament Team for 15 Open at AAUs the depth at each position becomes readily apparent. After spending four days covering the action, including Wednesday’s championship day that ended with Mintonette Sports m.51 celebrating a gold-medal performance, we present vballrecruiter.com’s All-Tournament Team. This is not to be confused with the honors awarded by AAU itself at the conclusion of the championship match. These picks are made from our observations and our observations alone. It would be easy to add more players to each position or even include honorable mentions, but that’s something we do at the end of the year with our Club All-Americans. As for the All-Tournament Team selections, they are meant to be limited and difficult to make given all the talented players. To narrow the selections, we honored players from teams which made the gold bracket. We want to keep a team element to the award and making the gold bracket is a strong indicator of team success. The process does leave amazing players off, even some of the best in the field. But if we were to pick solely based on talent, we could pick the All-Tournament Team ahead of time as we know in advance who many of the talented players already are competing. Congrats to those named to this year’s AAU 15 Open All-Tournament Team as awarded by vballrecruiter.com. OUTSIDES Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 Gigi Artiles Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Mia Gold Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal Gabby DiVita Legacy 15-1 Adidas MIDDLES Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal LeVariya Pinder Skyline 15 Royal Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas RIGHT SIDES Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Taylor Clarke Skyline 15 Royal Lyla Stewart Mintonette Sports m.51 SETTERS Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 Elle Mottola WPVC 15 Armour Black LIBEROS Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 Mallory Johnson Far Out 15 Black Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas

A club can’t win both AAU and USAV national championships without accomplishing the first leg in Orlando. That’s the position Mintonette Sports m.51 finds itself in after capturing the 15 Open gold medal Wednesday after outlasting top-ranked Skyline 15 Royal in the final. Both teams are headed to Chicago to compete for another national championship next week, when Mintonette will not only look to double-up on the gold medals, but will be looking to go back-to-back after raising the 14 Open trophy a year ago in Indianapolis. Needless to say, there are players from both Mintonette and Skyline featured on our Day 4 Show Stoppers below, along with many more standout players from Wednesday’s gold-bracket action. (Gold Medal Rundown) (Day 4 All Red Hat Team) DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Gabby Semona MB Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: If you love middle play, then the gold bracket was the place to be on the final day of competition. Semona, a 6-3 force, was just one in a bunch of middles holding it down and delivering booming kills and rally-ending stuffs. Grace Jones L/DS Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Jones had her hands full having to pick off all the fastballs being thrown her way from the Boiler Jrs offense. The attack comes from everywhere but Jones did a solid job getting balls up and keeping her team in the point. Gwenyth Berry OH Top Select 15 Elite: Berry is a bit undersized but she has a powerful arm and hits a heavy ball. She was doing a good job of hitting off or around blocks. Kaleigh Langmo OH Top Select 15 Elite: Langmo filled out the other half of the Top Select outside duo. She’s a heady attacker who excelled at going high hands. Isabelle Masten L/DS Rev 15-1 Fuego: Masten was among the standout defenders with her back row presence and effort. She’s a smooth and accurate passer and covers the court well. Karen Dutro MB Rev 15-1 Fuego: Dutro is a lanky middle who can let it fly when she connects. She’s definitely a threat and a target when Rev is in system and defenses must keep track of her. Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob: Taggart starred in a two-way role. She’s another smart hitter who is low error and scores in a variety of ways. She’s also a steady setter who locates consistently. Ryan Sadler OH A5 15 Bob: Sadler continues to make us take notice. She’s hard to miss on the attack. She’s the one still hanging in the air and swinging as the blockers are coming down. Elle Mottola S WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mottola was a bright spot at the setting position and big reason WPVC was still in contention on the final day. She dishes well from anywhere on the court and puts her hitters in winnable positions. Sophia Stallworth MB WPVC 15 Armour Black: Like we said, middles were the name of the game with Stallworth’s name being called a lot whenever she’s across the front. She has a whip for an arm combined with hops and it makes her a difficult cover. *** Victoria Belfort L/DS Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Belfort was passing well out of serve receive. She also was digging and making plays to keep the rally alive. Mia Gold Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Gold was arguably the most lights-out outside in a gym full of big swingers. She was on fire for Tribe, slinging shots left and right with authority. Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Artiles, like Gold, has been mentioned previously for her standout play. The problem for her opponent is her big arm doesn’t go away. She can hit as hard as anyone there and it made for loud kills at times. Jenness Orcutt RS GP 15 Rox: Orcutt filled her role on the right side well. She came up with timely blocks and key kills, including a stuff and winner late to help GP close out its victory over Top Select. Alana Bailey MB Far Out 15 Black: Bailey flies under the radar compared to the other middles in the gym but she shouldn’t. She has tons of potential with her quickness and jumping ability. Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Martin is a defensive rock, as she does not crack. She’s a steady passer and defender and makes unbelievable saves at times. Gabby DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas: DiVita’s highlights were many. She’s a free-swinging outside who gets up, extends and ricochets shots down in a hurry. Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Nwabueze owns the net at times on both sides of the ball. She can power balls through, over or around blocks or frustrate with a well-placed tip. She can then turn around and cram a ball back in an attacker’s face on the block. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Andrews is also major weapon on both sides of the ball. She’s another strong blocker but she really excels on the attack. She has a next-level arm with her power and swing. Eva Long S Legacy 15-1 Adidas: I mentioned it before but the way Long competes is a joy to watch. She has a no-nonsense approach and dishes well to all spots as she knows how to get all her hitters involved. *** Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Hepler covers and moves very well around the court. She’s also an above-average passer and defender who brings a lot of passion to the lineup. Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Foster’s all-around game makes her a joy to watch. She does it all above average and she goes all out doing it, from laying out for a ball to getting off the ground and bashing balls. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: With Miles, it can come front and back row equally well. She extends really well and has a loose arm to explode on balls with. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: The 6-4 Williams

On championship day, like 15 Open was Wednesday at AAUs in Orlando, just about every player who steps on the court could be featured or written about in one way or another. Teams don’t make it to the gold bracket without the contributions of many and that’s what makes it so challenging to select just 10 players for the Day 4 All Red Hat Team. 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 Amelia Mancino OH WPVC 15 Armour Black: It was a solid day for Winter Park, which swept Rev 15-1 Fuego before falling to Legacy 15-1 Adidas in the quarterfinals. Mancino was part of our Day 3 Show Stoppers. She’s an undersized pin who knows how to deliver against bigger blocks. She’s a feisty attacker, from swinging hard to blow blocks up or swiping off hands to cause frustration. She keyed WPVC’s close out of Rev, scoring three kills and a block late in Game 2. Reese Poerner OH Skyline 15 Royal: Poerner is a total gamer. She’s not the biggest or hardest hitter in the Skyline lineup, but she provides lots of value because of the way she allows for roster flexibility and more. She can play on the left or the right and Skyline was utilizing her on the former on Day 4. She also provides her share of offense and you know it’s frustrating to opponents that Skyline has yet another player who can deliver when called upon as she did reliably. Alia Schoonover MB Mintonette Sports m.51: I talked about the middle duos from Skyline, Legacy and Boiler Jrs – and for very good reason – earlier in the tournament and I would be remiss to not include the Mintonette pair here after their performance on Day 4. Schoonover is an offensive threat, capable of scoring in different ways, from the quick or getting out on the slide and letting loose. Defenses need to stay honest when she’s front row or else Mintonette is going to make them pay in system. Isabelle Thomas MB Mintonette Sports m.51: Thomas might not be the same threat offensively, but she changes the dynamic in the opposite way when she checks in. She’s a strong, physical blocker who is a wall at the net. She might not match other middles inch-for-inch, but she times her blocks well and was providing much-needed defense at the net for Mintonette. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Having a dominant right side is a game-changer and that’s why they next two made the cut. Clarke – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is such a force across the front row with her ability to get up and blast balls. The lefty hits at ridiculous angles and causes so much stress on defenses to have to cover the whole court. Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Ward – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – has already been on the All Red Hat Team this tourney but what can I say? She would be a marvel and force in 16 Open. With her length and jumping ability, she’s as much a next-level talent as anyone can be. At times, she’s a shut down blocker with the way she can swallow a ball up with her long arms. On the attack, good luck. She leaps effortlessly and has a rocket for an arm. It’s a lethol combination. Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: There were so many strong settting performances that any of them could have been written up here. Shondell – a 4-star recruit – has such great on-court demeanor and poise and that’s a big reason I’m going with her. She has total command of the offense and when in system Boiler Jrs is nearly impossible to slow. Madison Wehr S GP 15 Rox: GP fought off Top Select 15 Elite in three sets and then hung tough against Skyline before falling in the quarterfinals. Wehr showed her stuff in both matches. She ran a 5-1 against Top Select and was part of a 6-2 against Skyine. She’s a bit undersized compared to the other setters but she has nice hands and does well locating and connecting with all her hitters. Mallory Johnson L Far Out 15 Black: Far Out outlasted A5 15 Bob before running into Mintonette in the quarterfinals and getting swept. Johnson makes her second appearance on the All Red Hat Team. She’s such a smooth operator. She plays under total control. She never gets rattled and, as one opposing coach mentioned, always seems to be in the right spot. Emma Cugino L Mintonette Sports m.51: There were really good liberos not only competing in the gold bracket but in the tournament overall. Cugino stood above all. She’s a lights-out passer and defender. She’s steps ahead of the play and rarely gets caught out of position. She also plays with lots of fire and determination as she’s not backing down from the biggest hitters coming her way.

The wait? Worth it! It might have taken three days to get to the point where we were at Wednesday but the final day of competition in 15 Open at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando is what dreams are made of! And I’m not even talking about this year’s national champion in Mintonette Sports m.51, which fended off the No. 1 team in the country in Skyline 15 Royal in three sets, 22-25, 25-23, 15-9, in the gold-medal match to end the tournament a perfect 11-0. There isn’t anyone who could have written a more entertaining, a more exciting script than the one that played out on Day 4 at the State Farm building on the campus on ESPN Wide World of Sports. Except for the fans of the 11 other competitors which did not get the golden ending produced by Mintonette, which is ranked No. 2 behind Skyline in our Top 50 National Rankings. That’s right. The championship match was a heavyweight bout between the top-two ranked teams in the country. And that wasn’t all! When the 15 Open division opened played four days ago, there were 15 teams from our Top 50 in contention. As for Wednesday’s 12-team gold bracket, 11 were from our Top 50 with Rev 15-1 Fuego the only unranked team of the bunch. There was that, and also the fact that of the 11 ranked teams, they were among the 13 highest-ranked teams in the field to start with. The two to miss out were No. 11 AP 15 Adidas and No. 30 Jupiter Elite 15E. The rest of the top teams were all on hand to begin the last day of play, which included previously-mentioned Skyline, Mintonette, No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas, No. 19 Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, No. 21 GP 15 Rox, No. 25 Tri-State Elite 15 Blue, No. 26 Far Out 15 Black, No. 28 WPVC 15 Armour Black, No. 33 Top Select 15 Elite and No. 36 A5 15 Bob. It took until the quarterfinals to finally see two of those squads lined up on different sides of the net from one another, as the lack of upsets kept most of the ranked teams apart the first three days. Mintonette did advance to the gold bracket in part by beating No. 11 AP on Day 3, but that was about it. The mega quarterfinal match Wednesday featured Boiler Jrs taking on Tribe. Boiler was pushed early on the round before by Tri-State Elite, which made Boiler work extra time before winning in three, 23-25, 25-13, 15-3. It was really at this point a trend developed, as Boiler-Tribe was the last of the quarterfinals to wrap up and produced another three-setter, the same as both semis and the final in what was a fairytale ending from a fan’s perspective. Boiler Jrs and Tribe was that match where you didn’t know what was going to happen, with the way each side could go on mini-spurts to change the momentum and score. Tribe led 21-15, 23-19 and 24-22 in the opening set but that didn’t prevent Boiler from tying it at 24 all before Tribe hung on. The second set was the reverse, with Boiler going ahead 24-20 before Tribe reeled off four straight points and was positioned for a sweep. But Tribe was called out of rotation on set point and a it was on to a third set, with Boiler closing it out, 24-26, 26-24, 15-9. The semifinal clashes both had their background stories. For Mintonette and Legacy, it was a trilogy meeting with both teams winning and losing once against each other so far this season. Mintonette took it to Legacy at Windy City only for Legacy to get revenge earlier this month at the JVA Summerfest. The third meeting delivered the set of the tournament! And it was the only reason Mintonette even was still around, having held off two match points in an epic overscore before eventually prevailing, 16-25, 36-34, 15-12. Mintonette had eight – yes eight! – chances to put Legacy down in set two before Legacy had its first look at victory leading 32-31. Legacy earned one more opportunity to put itself in the final and a chance to win 15 Open for the second consecutive season here in Orlando. However, Mintonette went back in front 34-33 before winning on a Legacy hitting error three points later. You know what they say, if at first your don’t succeed, try 10 more times. It worked for Mintonette in Game 2. The other semifinal was about payback. Back in February when Skyline captured the 15s championship at the Triple Crown NIT there was one team it lost to. Can you guess who that might have been? You got it! Boiler Jrs! Don’t’ think for a second that either side had forgotten what took place five months ago. We certainly didn’t. When Boiler let a lead slip away in Game 1 it looked like perhaps they were gassed from their victory over Tribe, but that was not it. Boiler Jrs settled down and played a strong second set, forcing a third and putting themselves that much closer to defending their 14 Open gold medal they took home a year ago here. Yet, Skyline was not having any of it in the final set, building an early lead and maintaining before ending it, 25-22, 19-25, 15-7. That brings us to the showdown between the top two teams in the country. It wasn’t a tricky match to figure out from an Xs and Os standpoint. If Mintonette didn’t serve tough and keep Skyline off the net it was going to be a short outing. With Mintonette struggling with its own ball control, it was not a close opening set. But as Mintonette settled and the passing picked up, so did its chances at winning the match. Skyline played behind for much of Game 2 but couldn’t quite catch Mintonette at the

And finally!! The one drawback of the AAU format is unless there are big-time upsets in pool play, we have to wait until the fourth and final day for the top teams to actually be on the same court together. Of the 12 teams remaining in gold-medal contention in 15 Open, four are ranked in our Top 10 in No. 1 Skyline 15 Royal, No. 2 Mintonette Sports m.51, No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold and No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. The quartet combined to go 12-0 without dropping a set Tuesday. The highest-ranked team eliminated was No. 11 AP 15 Adidas, which fell to both Mintonette and Top Select 15 Elite to finish 1-2. Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, ranked No. 19, overcame an upset loss to MN Select 15-1 to still win its pool. Tribe downed WPVC 15 Armour Black head-to-head to win the pool outright. There was a lot of drama behind top-seeded Skyline in Pool 1. NE Elite 15 Phoenix, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and SPVB 15 Elite ended in a three-way tie at 1-2. It was Tri-State catching the break and taking second. Tri-State Elite is ranked No. 25 in our Top 50 and avoided being the second-highest ranked team to not make the gold bracket. Instead, it was No. 30 Jupiter Elite 15E finishing in third in its pool and failing to advance. Here’s how the modified 12-team gold bracket looks for Wednesday:   The way the bracket is set up could lead to an epic chase for gold. If we could see the four teams ranked in the Top 10 all make the semifinals and go from there, that is the best-case scenario from a fan’s perspective. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emmi Merhi MB Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Merhi fills her role well, providing offense when called upon and doing a fine job of getting her hands on balls. With the outside threat so dangerous, the is opportunity for Tribe to take advantage in the middle and that’s what they do with Merhi. Ashlyn Cobb RS Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Cobb is another who helps spread out the Tribe attack or at the very least gives another threat to think about on the pin. She has a good arm and is an aggressive attacker who pressures the defense by not tipping too much. Macy McAmis L/DS Jupiter Elite 15 E: McAmis goes all out in the back row and is all over the court in efforts to make plays and keep rallies going. She’s a steady passer who moves well. Bre Morgan MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: We featured the middle duos from Legacy and Skyline on Day 2 and this go around it’s the pair from Boiler Jrs. They are similar in how the handle the position. Morgan is a strong hitter who hits with authority and puts up a solid block. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer assures the middle spot never slows, as she’s another force at the net with her attacking and blocking. She moves well and hits with nice extension. She has a whippy arm and crushes balls. Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Shondell sets with such smarts and IQ is fun to watch. She has hitters all around her and when in system it is game on! She has a great hands and can locate any set she needs to deliver. She does a great job of getting her hitters one-on-one looks or even confusing defenders to the point no block is up. Sofia Guerrero-Wilson MB A5 15 Bob: Middle is a position of strength in 15 Open and Guerrero-Wilson has to be included in the reason why. She has unbelievable potential. She’s tall at 6-2 and has a cannon for an arm. Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – part of the Class of 2025 – is like a cheat code. She hits at such crazy angles and has so much range defenses can’t cover it all. She closed out Skyline’s first victory of the day with back-to-back aces as well. Kiley Brooks L/DS Skyline 15 Royal: There is so much firepower on Skyline that the defensive side can get overlooked. But Brooks handles business in the back row with consistent passing. Gabi DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Legacy rolled on Day 3 in part with the attacking of DiVita. She’s a wirey outside who gets off the ground and lets it go with her fluid swing. Combined with her range of shots, she’s one of the top offensive options in the division. *** Brooklynne Brass OH SPVB 15 Elite: Sports Performance’s run ended but Brass did her part in trying to extend it. She’s a bit undersized but gets up and doesn’t hold back. She stays aggressive and doesn’t back down. Elle Mottola S WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mottola is among the top setters here. She’s smooth and dishes a clean ball consistently. She locates well with her soft hands and does well getting her hitters different looks. Sophia Stallworth MB WPVC 15 Armour Black: We featured Stallworth on Day 1 and could feature her every time we see her. She has a huge impact across the front row. She’s quick with a great arm and it makes her such a tough cover. Isabella Umpierre RS WPVC 15 Armour Black: Umpierre is a little undersized on the right side but the lefty is fearless. She has a really nice arm and jumps well. It leads to big kills at times. Amelia Mancino OH WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mancino is also a bit undersize but is a smart attacker who hits from various spots, including running combos. Kaela Jenkins MB Black Swamp 151: Jenkins plays a valuable role for Black Swamp. She changes the dynamic of the attack when she checks in. She hits hard and is someone defenses need to be ready for when in system. Alana Whitfield OH Illini Elite 15 Cardinal: Whitfield was another outside shouldering a

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

We are excited for the All Red Hat Team from Day 2 of 15 Open at AAUs in Orlando. There was a feeling that the competition took a big step forward Monday as only the top two teams in each pool advanced. It led to not only great team play but outstanding individual efforts as well. The goal of the All Red Hat Team 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 2 Show Stoppers) DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Our first two players share a lot in common in terms of progress and development. Miles – a 4-star outside – is 6-0 with a whip for an arm. She extends and has a high contact point and knows what to do from there. She absolutely unloaded on a couple of balls and slammed them straight to the floor. Miles continues to develop her offensive game in big ways and is part of the reason why Boiler Jrs should challenge for a medal here. Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.51: Snowbarger is built in much of the same mold as Miles. She’s another lanky outside with great extension and a high contact point. She also has a very lively arm and can rip balls left and right. She’s also worked hard on her game and is becoming a big-time offensive threat. She’s currently a 3-star recruit who is very likely to climb in our next rankings update after national championship season. LeVariya Pinder MB Skyline 15 Royal: There are lots of players like Pinder, who happens to play middle along with 5-star recruit Keoni Williams. That’s not an easy situation to be in but Pinder does a great job churning out plays across the front row to keep it going in the middle when Williams rotates out. She plays outside in high school. She’s quick on her feet and has a really nice arm and was making plays on both sides as Skyline rolled on Day 2. Alana Bailey MB Far Out 15 Black: Bailey was extremely fun to watch. She’s a high-energy middle who plays with lots of passion. She’s listed at 5-11 but could be pushing 6-0. She’s another quick middle who moves very well at the net. She was closing blocks nicely and touching attacks. She’s also a legit threat on offense and Far Out was looking to get her the ball often. She has a smooth swing and tons of upside as she continues down the road. Brynlee Major RS Northern Lights 15-1: Major was filling her role well. She’s a bit undersized on the right side but she was bringing it on the attack nonetheless. She’s a fearless hitter who jumps well and was staying aggressive in challenging the defense. It paid off as she was coming through and providing offense when called upon. Saylor Parker RS OT 15 Semei: If you are starting to sense an offensive theme here, you aren’t wrong. Parker, part of the Class of 2025, is a 5-11 right side who can also let loose. OT likes to get her the ball a lot as she’s a reliable, consistent scorer who can let it fly. Leilani Ramos S/RS Jupiter Elite 15E: We really like the way Ramos gets after it and competes on the court. She plays with a lot of determination. At 5-9, she’s a two-way player who sets and hits. She moves well and does a nice job of getting to the ball and delivering accurate sets. She’s also a handful on the attack. She jumps well and is a smart hitter who scores in a variety of ways. Eva Long S Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Long is coming along well as she continues developing. She runs a smooth offense and connects well with all her hitters. She’s effective at running the middle and also knowing when to go to the pins and always keeping the defense honest when in system. She has great hands and is rarely off her mark with her location. She’s also a fierce competitor. Gracie Miller L Black Swamp 151: Watching these next two play defense is part of the reason we created the All Red Hat Team. We just love ballers and gamers and Miller is certainly that. She’s a feisty defender who passes well out of serve receive. She also does a fine job of taking the ball overhand and placing it on target. Emily Miller DS Black Swamp 151: With both Millers in the back row, the defense shines for Black Swamp. It’s hard to get a ball down and neither one is the best option to challenge in serve receive.

(Day 2 All Red Hat Team) With the top-two teams in each pool advancing and remaining in gold-medal contention, the top seeds managed to stay safe from elimination on the second day of 15 Open action at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. Safe in terms of moving on, but they were not all untouchable. It was also a great day to be the No. 3 team in a pool as half finished in the top two to stay in the hunt, including NE Elite 15 Phoenix which went 3-0 and took first place after upsetting A5 15 Bob. The other No. 3 teams in Illini Elite 15 Cardinal, SPVB 15 Elite, MN Select 15-1, JJVA 15 Teal and NorCal 15-1 Black each went 2-1 and grabbed second in their respective pools as the field was cut from 48 to 24. Only one No. 4 team – Munciana 15 Rise – finished in the top two. Muncie went 2-1, beating Kairos 15 Alpha and Elevate 15 Nike in the process. As for the top teams in each pool, we already mentioned A5 falling to NE Elite. Other top teams in their pools to go down included High Tide 15 Elite and AP 15 Adidas. Meanwhile, the top seven seeds – Skyline 15 Royal, Legacy 15-1 Adidas, Mintonette Sports m.51, Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, GP 15 Rox and Far Out 15 Black – went a combined 21-0 with only Far Out and Mintonette dropping a set. There are six, four-team pool set for Day 3. The top-two teams once again advance into Day 4’s 12-team gold bracket. With the field shrinking, it pushed GP and Far Out into the same pool, along with High Tide and VCNebraska 15 Elite. And with AP losing, AP faces Mintonette in the first match in that pool. Mintonette is ranked No. 2 in our current Top 50 National Rankings, while AP is No. 11. Top Select 15 Elite, at No. 33, is also in the pool.   *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Legacy has a wicked middle attack, with Nwabueze one half of the riddle defenses struggle to solve. She’s an athletic middle who puts up a big block and is a tough cover offensively with the way she gets up and delivers. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Andrews is the other reason why defenses have headaches from this duo. She also puts up a huge block and is a physical attacker who pounds kills down to the floor. Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas: Martin commands the back row in every way. She’s in total control. She’s a sharp passer and gets around the court making plays all over. Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: Skyline is another team with a strong middle combo, anchored by Williams in the middle. The 6-4 middle is near an impossible cover with her size and reach. She just makes blocks disappear. On the flip side, she takes up a good stretch at teh net and makes it difficult on attackers who try challenging her. Henley Anderson OH AP 15 Adidas: vballrecruiter.com’s National HS Freshman Player of the Year recipient is arguably the top-rated outside in the Class of 2026. At 6-3, she’s long and has a high IQ. It’s a lethal combination as she simply tees off at times and leaves defenses helpless. Grace Lee OH High Tide 15 Elite: Lee is a key part of the offense. She has nice length and a fluid arm. She was putting balls away off blocks and cross court on the regular. Riley McCaughey S High Tide 15 Elite: We really liked the way McCaughey was doing her thing. She has a nice touch and was spotting the ball well. Kennedy Hale L/DS Elevate 15 Nike: Hale was not afraid to hit the floor in hopes of keeping the ball alive. She was displaying lots of hustling and going all out in trying to keep her side in the rally. Catherine Palmi OH GP 15 Rox: Palmi has a heavy arm. She can crush it no matter what, whether with her powerful jump serve or her hard-swinging on the outside. When she gets one, you can feel the thunder. Ella Thorson S Kokoro 15-1: Thorson is among the setters in the division with nice size. She’s 5-10 and has a consistent release. *** Kailey Gieske L/DS Kokoro 15-1: Gieske was showing her scrappiness in the back row. She was covering and picking up balls well and passing soundly out of serve receive. Courtney Peters OH Kokoro 15-1: Peters shoulders a load on offense. She’s someone who gets set front and back row. She has a strong arm and the size to make an impact. Megan Ingersoll OH Alabama Performance 15 Toukon: Ingersoll doesn’t hold back. She has a big arm and swings with authority. She was powering balls through and around blocks as the go-to hitter. Malia Baker MB VVA 15-1: Baker flies under the radar but she’s an effective middle on both sides of the ball. She has the height for the position and she moves and swings well. She also puts up a solid block and makes her share of plays at the net. Caroline Tucker OH Carolina Rogue 15: Tucker is undersized compared to other outsides taking on a big role on offense. Yet, she gets off the ground well and has a good arm. She isn’t afraid of challenging bigger blocks. Alexis Jodie S Carolina Rogue 15: Jodie is a gamer at the setting position. She’s a bit undersized too but she hustles out there and puts up a hittable ball consistently. Ava Castro OH Jupiter Elite 15E: Castro is another outside who is a bit undersized but comes with it. She’s a springy, heady attacker who knows how to place her shots and frustrate blockers and defenders. Emma Adkins OH Tri-State Elite 15 Blue: Adkins is one of the more versatile