AAU

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

(Day 1 All Red Hat Team) All that is needed to advance on the first day of 15 Open at AAU in Orlando is avoiding finishing in fourth place. Everyone else advances, including all three teams from all three, three-team pools. Of the 13 four-team pools, the No. 4 team failed to advance in seven of them. The highest-finishing No. 4 team was CVH Select 15u out of Puerto Rico, which finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 with Wildfire 15 Ore and Summit 15 Blue Elite and took second. Summit finished in fourth based on tiebreakers and was eliminated as the No. 3 team. Wildfire wasn’t the highest-seeded team bumped from contention Sunday. Two No. 2 teams were relegated to Group 2 starting Monday in EliteZ 15 White and K2 15 Adidas. Both went 0-3 in their respective pools. As expected, the No. 1 teams in their respective pools did very well. The 16 teams combined to go 41-4 overall, with none finishing lower than second place. The lowest-seeded team to fare the best was High Tide 15 Elite. It was a bit shocking to see how low High Tide was placed to begin. We have High Tide ranked No. 41 in our Top 50 National Rankings, yet High Tide began the tournament seeded No. 40! Let that sink in. High Tide went 3-0 as the No. 3 team in its pool and moved up to the No. 8 overall seed to begin play Monday. High Tide downed Illini Elite 15 Cardinal, AVA TX 15 Adidas and EliteZ. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Eva Swenson S MN Select 15-1: Swenson, a 6-3 setter, was running the show well as she continues getting better and better. She was locating well and putting up a big block on the right side. Abby Conklin MB MN Select 15-1: Conklin is a lanky middle with a really nice arm. She hits at a high contact point and can be a tough cover. Marlee Schumacher MB No Name 15 Erin: Schumacher was another middle who was owning the net at times. She’s a physical presence who puts up a strong block and has a powerful arm. Ryan Sadler OH A5 15 Bob: Sadler was swinging away on the outside. She gets up and was letting balls fly left and right as she delivered her share of highlights. Gabriella Brodner OH Jupiter Elite 15E: Count Brodner among the many prospects doing their thing on Day 1. At 6-1, she’s lengthy with a fluid swing and smarts to back it up. She can really extend and connect and it makes her tough to cover. Jessica Smallwood OH EVA 15 Blue: At 6-5, Smallwood towers over just about everyone in the division. She has a huge impact at the net because of it. Attackers trying to tip balls too low found out the hard way. She’s also had no issue going over blocks and putting balls down. Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: This is a name fans will be hearing for years. At 6-2, is one of the top attackers in the division. She’s more than a handful at the net, where she powers ball after ball with her heavy arm. Ava Flores S Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal: Flores is an undersized setter but she does a nice job getting to the ball and putting her hitters in great positions to score. Cosette Bartling OH NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Bartling is another outside who is a bit undersized but has springs in her legs and can really get up and crush. She was a featured part of the attack and delivered a few eye-popping winners. Camden Rahn S/RS OT 15 Will: Rahn was a strong two-way player. The 6-1 setter/right side flashed tons of potential in both areas. She was OT’s second-best offensive threat and was helping to open up the attack on the right side. She’s also an above-average setter with a smooth release who spots well. *** Isabela Lopez OH OT 15 Will: Lopez was a big-time offensive weapon for OT. She’s another outside who jumps very well and unloads. Norah Busch MB Club Integrity 15-1: Busch was among the taller middles in the division and is a game-changer across the front row for Club Integrity. She changes both dynamics of blocking and attacking with her length and helped Club Intregity to an upset of NorCal 15-1 Black. Taytum Nelson MB Elevate 15 Nike: Nelson is even taller than Busch and also has a lot of potential. She had zero issue going over the block and scoring. Madison Anspaugh OH VC United 15 Elite: Anspaugh was impressive in shouldering part of the offensive load. At 6-1, she can hit high and she has a big arm. She gets the ball both front and back row and can send it flying equally well. Darby Felts OH K2 15 Adidas: Felts is a fun one to watch swing away. She jumps out of the gym and has a very lively arm. She lets it rip from the front and back row in style. Colbie McKenna OH EC Power KOP 15 True: McKenna was definitely among the standout outsides. She was another taller hitter who was trouble from both the front and back. She extends well and hits with lots of pace. Ellie Stiernagle S SPVB 15 Elite: Stiernagle has nice height for a setter and solid hands. She did well mixing up her sets and getting her hitters involved. Abigail Knight OH SPVB 15 Elite: Knight was taking big swings and sending balls down. She hits with a lot of power. Jordin Southall OH GP 15 Rox: Southall is an athletic outside who explodes up and has a whippy arm to deliver with. She had highlight moments that showed what she can be in the future at the next level. Sarahbelle Jameson OH JJVA 15 Teal: Jameson needs to be included among the taller outsides in the division. She’s a six-rotations anchor and has

(Day 1 Show Stoppers) We debuted vballrecruiter.com’s daily All Red Hat Team beginning with 14 Open last week. This week, we move on to 15 Open, which kicked off its Day 1 action on Sunday at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships 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 1 ALL RED HAT TEAM Meena Kasirajan OH Nor Cal 15-1 Black: There’s plenty to like about Kasirajan. She’s an absolute fearless attacker who is relentless. She’s a wirey 5-10 with a whip for an arm that effortlessly generates lots of pace. She’s the go-to hitter who carries a large load of offense and when she connects she was ripping it down with the best of them. Meaghan Kreiser OH MN Select 15-1: Kreiser is another 5-10 outside with a loose arm who lets it fly. It looks like she’s jumping off a trampoline when she goes up for an attack. She explodes off the ground in a hurry and combined with her arm was delivering impressive kills tooling blocks or going straight down with it. Sophia Stallworth MB WPVC 15 Armour Black: The way Stallworth was playing, she was an easy choice to occupy one of the middle positions for Day 1. She’s 6-0 and moves very well side to side. She has a lively arm, the benefit of also playing on the outside. When in system, WPVC is going to look to feed Stallworth. She’s a reliable scorer and can also turn around and make plays on the defensive side with her blocking. Lily Bosworth MB Illini Elite 15 Cardinal: This was our first time catching Bosworth this season and what a prospect she is! We couldn’t find an exact height but we are guessing 6-4 maybe even 6-5. With that kind of length and the ability to move well for her size, Bosworth was a force at the net on both sides of the ball. Defenders who aren’t used to her length have trouble getting the ball around her. Offensively, she has no trouble going over blocks or running the slide and putting balls away in that manner. Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob: We first caught Taggart last year here at AAUs and a year later she’s still making plays all over the court. She’s a fierce competitor who brings a lot of flexibility to the lineup with her ability to run a 5-1 or be part of a 6-2 and hitting across the front row. That latter was the case on Day 1. She did well in both roles, scoring effectively when called upon and running the offense well on the back end with her soft touch and accurate location. Ava Brown S/RS Black Swamp 151: At 6-1, Brown has the length and size to excel at the next level, as well as the talent to back it up. She was another two-way star helping her team succeed. She has a big, strong arm when she’s swinging and Black Swamp likes to take advantage of it as much as possible. She’s also a steady, consistent setter with a nice touch. Elle Mottola S WPVC 15 Armour Black: Mottola has great energy on the court and is definitely one to keep tabs on as she moves up the ranks. She’s 6-0 and is touching 9-11. She has very nice hands and a smooth delivery. She does well moving the ball pin to pin and also plays sound defense. Brooklyn Myers S AP 15 Adidas: We really love Myers’ court demeanor and the way she was guiding the attack. She’s 5-10 and sets a clean ball and locates well. She did well connecting with her hitters and playing under control rather than trying to do too much. Elena Estudillo L/DS NE Elite 15 Phoenix: Estudillo was doing everything needed of a libero – passing, defending and hustling all over the court keeping the ball in play. She was one of the more exciting defenders to watch as she was steady in the back row. Kaylee Maikranz L/DS High Tide 15 Elite: Maikranz is tough to get a ball down on. She covers and moves well. She was sound out of serve receive and giving High Tide a defensive edge.

Northern Lights 14-1 capped off an improbable run by rallying past A5 14 Helen to capture the 14 Open gold medal at the AAU Girls National Championships on Saturday in Orlando. You can read all about their performance and the grittiness displayed by the champs. We also released our Day 4 awards with our All Red Hat Team and Show Stoppers. The final award we are releasing is our All-Tournament Team from the time we spent watching 14 Open. As talented a division as 14 Open was, it won’t be the deepest or best of our time here in Orlando and that’s saying something. It was a competitive field and it made it extremely difficult to make the final choices for our All-Tournament Team. These picks were made based off of our observations and our observations alone. This isn’t to be confused with the All-Tournament Team put out by AAU. In helping guide our picks we chose from the gold-bracket participants. We do like to account for the team factor and team success is part of that. With that, we looked to who we felt would best represent our All-Tournament Team, which we present below. vballrecruiter.com AAU 14 OPEN ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM OUTSIDES Leilani Lawrence OT 14 Laura Sophia Puleo OT 14 Laura Elleora Utecht Northern Lights 14-1 Calli LeFevre Legacy 14-1 Adidas MIDDLES Carsyn Comer Munciana 14 Chipmunks Layla Dunn A5 14 Helen Riley Bethea A5 14 Helen Cynthia Ockerman Legacy 14-1 Adidas RIGHT SIDES Addison Otto Northern Lights 14-1 Jenny Glushakov Top Select 14 Elite Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red SETTERS Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen Josalyn Samuels Kairos 14 Alpha   Andie Bowron Top Select 14 Elite LIBEROS Clara Christ Northern Lights 14-1 Ella Horvick OT 14 Laura Jenna Brooks Top Select 14 Elite

Well, 14 Open is officially in the books! What a ride it turned out to be, with an unexpected national champion in Northern Lights 14-1. As part of our day, we wrote up a Gold Medal Rundown plus put out our Day 4 All Red Hat Team. All that is left is to release our Day 4 Show Stoppers featuring standout players of the day. DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Joanna Cen OH Top Select 14 Elite: Cen holds it down in six rotations. She’s an effective, heady attacker who knows how to tool blocks or find space in the defense to exploit. She’s a solid passer and defender in the back row as well. Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: Bowron is a fun one to watch dish and direct the attack. She’s quick and gets her feet to the ball. She has a clean, consistent release and does well mixing up the attack and getting her hitters involved. Ella Horvick L OT 14 Laura: OT started getting going too late in its quarterfinal against A5 14 Helen. Horvick was strong all tournament long and made the Show Stoppers both days we caught her in attention. She’s steady out of serve receive and covers well. Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura: With OT not passing well, it was a tough day for Dostic to run the offense to full capacity. Still, she has good hands and locates well. Kaelyn Bjorklund S/RS Northern Lights 14-1: The thing about only having 10 spots on the All Red Hat Team is very worthy candidates don’t make it. Regardless, Bjorklund deserves all the praise for her play. She does a nice job setting against the flow. When on the attack, she can bring the boom! She hits a heavy ball with her powerful arm. Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights 14-1: Cotton sets across the back row and with her size is plenty capable of running a 5-1 if needed. She also has a nice release and delivery and knows how to go behind her to keep the defense guessing. Elleora Utecht OH Northern Lights 14-1: Utecht is slightly undersized but more than makes up for it with her explosive jump. She gets up well and knows what to do from there. She can bring the heat down the line or cross court. McKenzie Wilkie L A5 14 Helen: Wilkie was among the stronger defenders in 14 Open. She’s does well keeping her team in rallies and plays with lots of fire. Layla Dunn MB A5 14 Helen: It was a tossup which A5 middle made the All Red Hat Team and which one was a Show Stopper. Dunn is quick and has a loose arm. She can send it flying past defenders and down for winners to help open up the attack. Mia Ray OH A5 14 Helen: The 1-2 punch of A5 on the outside is difficult to deal with. Ray is one half of that. She’s physically strong and can really connect at times. She also gets up well and can go through or around blocks. *** McKenzie Burrell OH A5 14 Helen: Burrell is another who is relentless on the attack. She also jumps well and can bury balls with her quick swing. Megan McLarty RS A5 14 Helen: Defenses can’t afford to forget about McLarty. She’s lanky and extends well. She was providing steady, consistent offense across the front row and helping balance out the attack. Kendyl Strack L Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Munciana puts its hopes in serving and defending and Strack is part of that identity. She takes care of the back row in fine fashion with a cool demeanor. Milana Mays MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Mays is a lanky middle who is one to follow as she grows and gains strength. She is already making plays on both sides of the ball and does well tipping into open spaces or swinging away when possible. Lilah Anthony RS Adidas KiVA 14 Red: KiVA didn’t have its best day but Anthony was a bright spot. She was coming with it on the right side and swinging away freely. The lefty has a very nice arm. Cynthia Ockerman MB Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Ockerman was among the many middle prospects we witnessed over the last four days. She’s one of the stronger middles in terms of strength. She runs a really effective slide and puts up a wall of a block. Sophia Smith RS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Smith is a lengthy right side who was delivering offense when called upon. She caught a few that really fired up her teammates and showed what she’s capable of doing. Lauren Bunge and Natalya Singer MBs Northern Lights 14-1: We are including Bunge and Singer together because there’s no doubt Northern Lights couldn’t have won 14 Open without them. They are not a featured part of the offense and truthfully they don’t get set a bunch, though we did see both put away big kills the last four days. However, they work hard and both do a good job blocking and contributing in that manner.

(Gold Medal Rundown) (Day 4 Show Stoppers) With the start of 14 Open earlier this week at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando, we’ve been releasing our daily All Red Hat Team. It’s something we’ll continue putting out for the remainder of national championship season from our time here and in Chicago coming up. 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 our daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. 14 OPEN DAY 4 ALL RED HAT TEAM Sophia Puleo OH OT 14 Laura: It was a shorter day than anticipated for OT, which fell in the quarterfinals. OT was heavily reliant on its outsides, with Puleo sharing that load. You want to talk about dropping the hammer? Watch Puleo do her thing and unload. Standing close to the court, you can feel it. She’s definitely one of the hardest hitters in the division and loves showing off that power. Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura: Part of the Class of 2026, Lawrence is an explosive hitter who rises and rips in impressive fashion. She can blast balls from sideline to sideline as she has a variety of shots to keep defenses off-balanced. She had to also carry a big load and take a lot of swings to help OT stay in it. Riley Bethea MB A5 14 Helen: Bethea’s impact at the net can’t be ignored. She’s long and can be a disrupter with her blocking, touching balls or forcing hitters to change up to avoid her. She’s also a capable scorer who does a nice job of seeing the open space and sending the ball that way. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: We’ve featured Comer over the past four days and what a talent she is! She’s a six-rotation middle who shoulders a large chunk of the attack. Munciana gets her the ball as much as possible. She’s a strong hitter, with the ability to beat defenses all over the court. Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: We hadn’t seen Otto since Triple Crown and no doubt she’ll be moving up in our next rankings update. She’s a 6-0 lefty with great extension. It makes her dangerous and she’s a featured part of the offense, as she would be on just about any team in the country. Her potential is through the roof! Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: Glushakov is another right side who can take over matches. She’s also on the taller side, and she plays six rotations. She swings from all over and is effective doing so. She also puts up a solid block to help in that regard as well. She’s definitely an up-and-comer and someone to keep track of as she progresses. Marissa Jones S A5 14 Helen: Anyone watching Jones can see her endless potential. The 5-star recruit is 6-2 and touching well over 10 feet. Her elbows are above the net blocking. She moves well and does a great job getting to the ball. When in system, she also does well connecting with all her hitters and getting them involved.   Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels – who is part of the Class of 2028 – isn’t the athletic marvel that Jones is but she’s a phenomenal prospect in her own right. It’s fair to say no setter in 14 Open here had the touch of Samuels. She’s silky smooth, sees the game light years ahead and can dime any set. It’s scary to think what level she could reach down the road! Clara Christ L Northern Lights 14-1: From the perspective of the vballrecruiter.com team, Christ was the top libero in 14 Open. She’s a stud who owns the back row. She’s a step ahead defensively, reading where hitters are going. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and just another example of why the future of the sport is in good hands. Jenna Brooks L Top Select 14 Elite: It was a rough day overall for Top Select, which ended with the bronze medal. Brooks is a scrapper who does well out of serve receive and defending. She’s capable of making huge digs and saves and is a big reason Top Select had the run it did in medaling.

(Day 4 Show Stoppers) (Day 4 All Red Hat Team) When A5 14 Helen couldn’t get Elleora Utecht’s serve back over the net, the dogpile celebration was officially on for Northern Lights 14-1. There was more than once when the eventual 14 Open AAU national champion looked beat during gold-bracket action on the final day of the division. The original No. 11 seed took its first loss of the tournament on Day 2, falling in three sets to Top Select 14 Elite. A rematch with Top Select came on Day 4, in the semifinals. That was partly set up by Northern Lights falling to Munciana 14 Chipmunks in Day 3 pool play. The other half was Top Select upsetting A5 on Day 3. More on that later. When Top Select dispatched Legacy 14-1 Adidas in the quarterfinals followed by Northern Lights sweeping Adidas KiVA 14 Red, the two sides were set for another clash. It was a one-sided affair in Top Select’s favor. Until it wasn’t. After dominating the first set, Top Select was doing much of the same in building up a 20-12 advantage in Game 2. That’s when it got really interesting. A quick side note, this is also the point when the club scheduled for the next match on the same court started stalking Northern Lights’ sideline like a vulchers do injured prey. A couple Northern Lights girls looked over, wondering what was going on. Whether that fired up Northern Lights or not, the rally was on! Overcoming an eight-point deficit that late is remarkable in its own right, but Northern Lights fought off three match points trailing 24-21 before going on a 5-0 run and forcing a third set. Top Select seemed unfazed by letting such a big lead slip away, going ahead 10-6 and 11-7 in the final set. Northern Lights was once again in a precarious situation, but as we would see later in the day, this team doesn’t rattle and does an excellent job of keeping its composure and staying the course. That was certainly the case as Top Select went up 14-12, earning its fourth and fifth match points. But like the first three, they came and went and in a blink of an eye Northern Lights was celebrating the three-set comeback victory, 16-25, 26-24, 16-14. As for Northern Lights’ opponent in the final, A5 was in the position it was having lost to Top Select on Day 3 and thus drawing top-seeded OT 14 Laura in the quarterfinals to start its day. A5 came out smoking, building up a large lead before OT cut it to 22-20. A5 closed it out and was up comfortably in Game 2, 22-17, and looking to finish it. That’s also when it got real interesting real fast. A 7-0 run turned the momentum and had OT up 24-22. OT held set points as well at 25-24 and 26-25 before A5 held on for the sweep, 25-21, 28-26. A5 took care of Munciana in the semis, 25-16, 25-19, to set up the gold medal showdown. There wasn’t any mystery surrounding the final. When two teams with the combined size and athleticism as these two hook up it’s really just a matter of which team is going to stay in system more. Northern Lights – with outsides Ellie Osowski and Utecht and right sides Addison Otto and Kaelyn Bjorklund – runs its attack pin-to-pin, with few sets going to the middles. A5 – with outsides Mia Ray and McKenzie Burrell, right side Megan McLarty and middles Riley Bethea and Layla Dunn working with 5-star setter Marissa Jones – is difficult to slow in system because they can get points from everywhere. It was A5 controlling its side in Game 1, with Northern Lights returning the favor in Game 2. When A5 raced to a 9-6 advantage midway through Game 3 it looked like the Southern Region club was well on its way to lifting the championship trophy. But Top Select knows a lead is never safe with the way Northern Lights stays in the fight. And that’s exactly what happened as Northern Lights fought back and went in front. At 14-13, Lights had the first crack at it and didn’t let the opportunity pass for nothing. Utecht’s serve wasn’t returned and that was the match. Obviously, Northern Lights deserves an unbelievable amount of credit and props for doing what it did. How many teams in the semifinals – knowing they have a bronze medal secured – toss in the towel down 20-12? There is also all the bragging rights that come with winning AAU. And it’s going to open a debate around the USAV GJNC. Northern Lights was among the teams we had in consideration for an Open at-large. We broke it down here and hindsight is always helpful. Based on the at-large selections, it was hard to argue Northern Lights should have been among the seven picked given all the factors. Northern Lights had a 4-3 mark against the Open field, which is a great record. But Northern Lights played in two qualifiers, coming in sixth at Show Me (out of 10 teams) and 17th at Northern Lights. Still, given what we saw from Northern Lights the last four days – and especially on Saturday – I would love to see Northern Lights in the 14 Open field in Chicago. Northern Lights went 3-1 against Open qualifiers in Orlando, beating GP 14 Rox, Top Select and A5. Half of the gold bracket featured teams participating in 14 Open in Chicago in A5, Top Select, OT and Legacy. KiVA, Munciana and Kairos 14 Alpha – the other quarterfinalist – won’t be playing in Chicago. Northern Lights is set to compete in 15 National in Chicago and should be a real factor there. No doubt A5 will use what happened here in Orlando as plenty of motivation for Chicago. At No. 8, OT was the highest-ranked team from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 competing here, followed by KiVA at