Christine Phillips

Like I stated in our Day 1 recap, attending the Mother McAuley Asics Challenge was amazing. From the history of this iconic tournament to the amazing athletes representing their schools it did not disappoint. Congrats to the host school Mother McAuley for capturing the tournament title! Here is the list of the Show Stoppers who shined during the tournament. Also I added a list of the freshmen athletes I was able to see performing well for their squads.  Show Stoppers Ellie White, JR OH, Mother McAuley – A 4-star Michigan commit, White swings hard anywhere on the court. She is one of the most effective back row attacks I have seen all year. Congrats on breaking 1,000 kills this weekend!  Gigi Navarrete, SR L, Mother McAuley – Navarrete, a 4-star recruit committed to Northwestern, is a straight SCRAPPER. She brings a lot of fire and passion to every play. She loves to pick everything thrown her way, mopping up the floor consistently.  Sydney Buchanan, SO OH, Mother McAuley – Buchanan, a 3-star recruit, is another one of the MAC’s offensive weapons. She helps balance out attacks with her strong arm on the court which keeps opponents on their toes.  Ellery Rees, JR MB, Mother McAuley – Rees, a 3-star recruit, is an impact player at the middle blocker position. She gets her hands on balls when blocking along with owning the middle attack.  Mary Kate Sheehan, SR Opp, Mother McAuley – Sheehan, ​​a John Carroll commit, was a ball of fire on the right side. She added a bunch of balance to pin attacks along with some key blocks in the final match.  Sydney Nolan, SR OH, Notre Dame Academy – A 6-3 UNC commit, this 3-star recruit was able to swing over blocks. She was incredibly effective in Game 2 of the finals where she was literally unstoppable every time she attacked.  Ava Tilden, SO OH, Notre Dame Academy – Tilden, a 4-star recruit, is a huge offensive threat for the Pandas. She does well not backing down against bigger blocks and keeps challenging the defense. Kamden Schrand, SR L, Notre Dame Academy – Schrand, a Louisville commit, held her own in the back row as she passed well out of serve receive and made hustle plays to keep her team in the rally. Riley McCloskey, SO OH, Notre Dame Academy – McCloskey, a 4-star recruit, was swinging mainly on the opposite pin. She has a good arm and is not afraid to swing.  Charlotte Moriarty, SO OH, Assumption – Moriarty, a 3-star recruit, hits a heavy ball consistently. She takes aggressive swings and goes right at and/or through the blockers. Kristen Simon, SO L, Assumption – A 3-star recruit, Simon was everywhere in the back court. I love how smooth she is in serve receive and how she can dig anything thrown her way.  Gabrielle Gerry, SR MB, Assumption – A South Carolina commit and 3-star recruit, Gerry makes her presence felt in the middle. She is a solid wall at the net and attacks with force.  Whitney Woodrow, SR S, Assumption – Woodrow, a 3-star recruit committed to Fordham, is smooth and a great “quarterback” for her squad. At 6-1 she is very effective at the net.  Morgan Burke, SR OH, Skutt – I stated in yesterday’s post about how Burke, a 3-star recruit committed to Michigan, moved to the outside. And between her leadership and her incredible line shot, she helped lead her team to third-place despite the odds.  Paisley Douglas, JR L, Skutt – Douglas was solid in the back row and helped keep the Mustangs in system when challenged in serve receive. Abbie Hagehorn, SO Opp/OH, Skutt – Hagehorn helped balance out the attack throughout the weekend. She might not be “flashy” but she packs a punch on the pins.  Sylvie Zgonc, SR OH, Hamilton – Zgonc, a 3-star recruit committed to South Dakota State, is the do-it-all six-rotation outside. She is explosive and consistent all the way around.  Alex Kreutzmann, SR S, Hamilton – A East Tennessee State commit, Kreutzmann is a 5-1 setter who dished the ball effectively. She has a very smooth touch.  Bella Bullington, SO OH, Marist – Bullington, a 3-star recruit, easily goes over blocks and finds open spots on the floor to exploit. She also packs a punch when she swings.  Kamryn Chaney, SR OH, Marist – A Princeton commit, Chaney was an all-around banger. Her jump serve was a force that every team struggled with and she was so impressive to watch! Georgia Watson, SO OH, Huntley – Watson, a 6-3 pin, played all around adding an attack from right back that most teams don’t field. She also attacks over blocks with ease. Avery DeBlieck, SR MB, Huntley – DeBlieck, a 6-3 Loyola Chicago commit, is a presence in the middle with her size. She is also a solid attacker. Maggie Duyos, SR S, Huntley – An Austin Peay commit Duyos is a technical setter who leads her team with her energy, athleticism, and clean deliveries.  Colleen Engstler, SR OH/Opp, Downers Grove North – Engstler is a key offensive component with her scoring prowess. She has a good arm too and can pound it at times.  Madison Quest, SO OH, Divine Savior – Quest, a 4-star 6-3 recruit, hits a heavy ball anywhere on the court and with her extension it is tough for blockers to slow her down.  Olivia Durst, SO OH, Divine Savior – Durst, 3-star recruit, is another one of the “undersized” athletes bringing the heat. She has a great vertical and swings aggressively.  Katherine (Kitty) Sandt, SR S/Opp, Nazareth Academy – Sandt, a 6-1 Clemson commit, was huge at the net both defensively and offensively. Also, with her steady and consistent setting with placement. Lauren Salata, JR OH, Nazareth Academy, Salata, a 4-star recruit, is a handful for defenses and she can unload on the ball well. She’s very smooth and consistent.  Kate Goudreau, SR OH, St. Charles East – Goudreau is a very fiery outside hitter. She’s also a very smart

Can we just start this article off with a shout out to the McAuley Asics Challenge?! Fun fact it has been running since 1987. When I was in HS back in the early 90s this tournament and the Redondo tournament were the two “big ones” for HS volleyball. I was so excited when I got a chance to FINALLY come to the esteemed Mother McAuley High School Tournament. And let’s just say it was so much fun to watch! The gold bracket started off with a bang and ended with host Mother McAuley IL defeating Notre Dame Prep KY in the final. Shout out to Skutt Catholic NE which dealt with two tournament injuries and still kept balling to reach the semifinals. In the championship match, Game 1 saw Mother McAuley steam roll ahead behind outside hitters in junior and 4-star Michigan commit Ellie White and sophomore outside and 3-star recruit Sydney Buchanan. NDA didn’t go down easily though. Senior and 3-Star UNC commit Sydney Nolan was just getting warmed up but McAuley still ended up on top, 25-22.  In Game 2, Nolan started powering through on the outside steadily. Also senior libero Kamden Schrand, a Louisville commit, sophomore DS Julia Grace and senior DS Kayla Hostetler – an Eastern Michigan commit – cleaned up the backcourt with everything McAuley threw at them.  Game 3 was a battle in the beginning but both opposite hitters in senior and John Carroll commit Mary Kate Sheehan and senior Southern Indiana commit Jillian Moonan were able to slow down Nolan on the outside. That and incredible defense from senior and 4-star recruit libero Gigi Navarette, a Northwestern commit, and junior DS Sam Falk helped host Mother McAuley win 25-13 and earn the tournament title.  All Tournament Team Morgan Burke, SR OH, Skutt  Madison Quest, SO OH, Divine Savior Kamden Schrand, SR L, Notre Dame Academy Sydney Nolan, SR OH, Notre Dame Academy Gigi Navarette, SR L, Mother McAuley Ellie White, JR OH, Mother McAuley Whitney Woodrow, SR S, Assumption TEAM SPOTLIGHTS Skutt Catholic NE – I was able to watch Skutt in Tampa at the Nike Tournament of Champions Southeast Tournament last month. Senior Michigan commit and 3-star recruit Morgan Burke was playing mainly middle for this tournament. Now, I did not get to see them play on Friday night but heard about them losing senior Nebraska-Omaha commit Ivy Lueck to an injury for Saturday’s matches. When I saw them Saturday morning they had the “nothing to lose” attitude which helped them play incredibly well against teams all day. Burke was also swinging on the outside, which she owned. And I just want to give a shoutout to senior Anna Weberg who literally ran off the court onto the other court’s sideline and dove into a water cooler hitting her head. The coach in me just wanted to jump in and grab her. Her will was incredible and I hope she is doing ok!  Notre Dame Academy KY – I have seen a bunch of these kids on the club circuit so I knew the potential of this squad. Senior UNC commit and 3-star recruit Sydney Nolan and Louisville commit Kamden Schrand highlighted a squad of scrappy and explosive athletes.  Marist IL – This is another team I did not get to Friday night. They are definitely fun to watch. Senior outside Princeton commit Kamryn Chaney and sophomore outside Bella Bullington lead this squad with high flying and hard swinging. Undersized sophomore setter Maddie Berry runs a 5-1 incredibly well. Senior middles and Lehigh commit Ufuoma Omene and Emilia Batus were very effective running the quicks.  RANDOM NOTES Every tournament always has a ton of strength and weaknesses, along with star power, which this tournament definitely had. But I just want to highlight the Class of 2025 (sophomore) pin hitter position. Can we just say WOW. Seriously. Take note of every one of them if you haven’t seen them yet.  Madison Quest – Divine Savior Eva Finnessy – Hamilton Georgia Watson – Huntley Bella Bullington – Marist Sydney Buchanan – Mother McAuley Ava Tilden – Notre Dame Academy  Riley McCloskey – Notre Dame Academy Abbie Hagedorn – Skutt Emma Barrett – Assumption UNDER THE RADAR PLAYERS Alexis Strong, SR OH, Assumption (Abilene Christian) Riley Angst, SR L, Brookfield Central Sophia Wendlick, JR OH, Divine Savior Holy Savior Bella Lipiski, SR MB, Divine Savior Holy Savior Jennifer Buehler, SO OH, Downers Grove North Emma Barton, SR MB, Downers Grove North Briella Wrench, SR MB, Hamilton Brooke Aslakson, SO MB, Hamilton Morgan Jones, JR OH, Huntley (Indiana) Ally Panzloff, SR OH, Huntley (Brown) Maddie Berry, SO S, Marist Ufuoma Omene, SR MB, Marist (Lehigh) Olivia Klapp, SR S, Mother McAuley Tess Hayes, SR S, Mother McAuley (Michigan Tech) Sam Falk, JR L, Mother McAuley Reese Butkus, JR L, Nazareth Academy Olivia Austin, JR MB/Opp, Nazareth Academy Julia Grace, SO DS, Notre Dame Academy Kayla Hostetler, SR DS, Notre Dame Academy Brooke Banker, SO S, Skutt Keira Link, SO MB, Skutt Anna Weberg, SR DS, Skutt  Natalee Rush, SR MB, St. Charles East Julie Ferrandino, SR MB, St. Charles East

Hello Chicago! Day 1 of the McAuley Asics Challenge definitely did not disappoint. Covering this tournament I was limited to one location so for Day 1 I was at Mother McAuley HS covering Pools 1, 2 and 8. Here’s a preview of the McAuley Asics Challenge that highlighted the athletes and programs that would be in attendance.  Let’s take a quick look at the top headlines from Friday, followed by under the radar players.  vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams No. 15 Mother McAuley IL No. 20 Assumption KY No. 21 Huntley IL Highlights/Bracket Update The gold bracket is set. Despite a tough Pool 2 start against Joliet Catholic, Assumption captured that match in three and took first in the pool. Hamilton upset the first seed in Pool 8 in Metairie Park. In Pools 4-7 the top seeds — Notre Dame Academy, Skutt Catholic, Divine Savior, Marist and Huntley — all advanced to the gold bracket.  UNDER THE RADAR PLAYERS Bailey Blair, SO MB, Assumption KY Emma Barnett, SO OH, Assumption KY Emma Koceja, SO OH, Brookfield Central WI Emily Lavin, SR OH, Brookfield Central WI Rylee Duessler, SR OH, Hamilton WI Eva Finnessy, SO OH/Opp, Hamilton WI Olivia Chovanec, SO OH, Joliet Catholic IL Allie Wuestenfeld, SR L, Joliet Catholic IL Gig Dazet, JR OH/Opp, Metairie Park IL Lia Beverly, SO MB, Metairie Park IL Lily King, SR S/OH, Minooka IL Sophia Boumans, JR L, Montini Catholic IL Hailey Goetz, JR S, Montini Catholic IL Alicen Bainbridge, JR MB, Wahlert IO Sydney Buchanan, SO OH, Mother McAuley IL Mary Kate Sheehan, SR Opp, Mother McAuley IL

The Dave Mohs tournament in Huntington Beach brings together many schools from Orange County as well as a few others from around the state. Included in the latter is the nation’s top team in Cathedral Catholic out of San Diego. With Day 1 action in the books, below we highlight a few teams as well as those players flying under the radar. Also, you can check out the Dave Mohs Preview featuring teams and players to watch for that we published before the tournament.  TEAM SPOTLIGHTS Division 1  CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC – A team of who’s who won their day one pool. Led by a great group of senior athletes which includes 5-star recruit and Stanford commit Julia Blyashov, 4-star recruit and Oregon commit Noemie Glover, Colgate commit Milan Bayless, AND 3-star recruit and Harvard commit Ryleigh Patterson.  PALOS VERDES – Outside hitters Kaci DeMaria (4-star recruit) and junior Kendall Beshear (3-star recruit) led the way for the Sea Kings through their Day 1 pool. Division 2 CHAPARRAL – Penn commit Bella Rittenberg helped lead the Pumas to a 2-0 finish in pool and advance to the Gold Bracket.  MORGAN (UT) – The Utah squad, led by Utah Valley commit JR Alyvia Jaffa, had a battle with Bishop Montgomery in the first match and ended up winning the pool. UNDER THE RADAR PLAYERS Here is our list of  players who might fly under the radar but caught our attention on Day 1.  Sofia Tzannakos SR OH Laguna Hills Bella Rittenberg SR Opp Chaparral (Penn) Alyvia Jaffa JR MB Morgan UT (Utah Valley) Julia Reusch SR Opp Saint Joseph Sasha Luzina SR OH Saint Joseph Charlotte VanZweeden SR S San Juan Hills Tatum Johnson JR MB JSerra Lauren Brooker SR S Marymount (UCSD) Kate Martin JR OH Marymount (UCSB) Hailey Frary SR MB Temecula Valley Eva Travis SR Opp Laguna Beach (UCSB) Taylor Mercado JR L LB Poly Ayva Ostovar Soph S Mater Dei Mikayla Delgadillo SR S Mater Dei Pyper Nelson Soph MB San Clemente Tatum Lane SR S Palos Verdes Brooke Dombkowski SR OH Menlo  Reiley Murphy JR OH Corona del Mar