AAU

(Day 2 Show Stoppers) In case you missed our first-ever All Red Hat Team from the opening day of 14 Open at AAUs in Orlando, you can find it here. We’ll be releasing a daily All Red Hat for the remainder of our time in Florida as well as for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships coming up in Chicago at the end of the month. Our 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. Without further delay, our Day 2 All Red Hat Team for 14 Open is below. 14 OPEN DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Bradee Boyd OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Overall it was a rough day for Tribe, which despite upsetting top-seeded OT 14 Laura in its first outing was eliminated from contention. Boyd grabbed our attention with her six-rotation contributions. The 5-9 outside is a consistent, steady attacker who showed nice range with her swings. She’s an aggressive attacker who isn’t afraid of challenging the defense. Caroline Hanchar OH Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Hanchar is a bit undersized but she’s full of competitiveness. She’s another fearless six-rotation outside who does a lot of valuable things on the court. She’s a strong passer, solid defender and a smart attacker who knows how to score against bigger blocks. Kennedi Boomsma MB Kairos 14 Alpha: Sometimes you stumble across a fitting last name and Boomsma was doing just that out of the middle. Going boom! She’s a physical middle who puts up a strong block and powers down balls. Kairos is tough to defend in system and Boomsma being available in the middle is part of the reason for it. Blockers struggled slowing her down all day. Alexa Espin MB Miami Hype 14 Nekane: Did Espin come alive on Day 2 or what? She caught fire in helping Miami Hype to a huge upset of Tribe that allowed Miami Hype to advance and remain in the hunt. She was sending kills down with nearly every swing as Tribe had no answers for her in the middle. Jaylynn Carter RS CJV 14 Kim: If you want to talk about a rising prospect, Carter is a perfect candidate. She’s a high-flying right side with tremendous upside! She’s already putting up a big block as she gets well up over the net. Her arm speed and strength are only going to keep improving and they are both above average for her age. This is a name you’ll be hearing for years! Mia Diouf RS GP 14 Rox: Diouf is another right side with a bright future. She has a great on-court demeanor. The lefty can bring it on the attack. There’s no doubt GP looks to get her the ball as much as possible when she’s across the front row. She jumps and swings well and if she continues to add inches then watch out! Marissa Jones S A5 14 Helen: Jones is our only official 5-star recruit playing in 14 Open. That pretty much sums it all up as far as her talent. But we’ll add more for fun. She’s listed at 6-0 but seems 6-2. She’s touching 10-2 and is silky smooth with her movement. She effortlessly gets up and gets her arms over the net blocking. She also locates consistently setting. There’s no doubt she’s the real deal! Leah Biyadglign S Kokoro 14-1: Biyadglign is a bit undersized to other setters we’ve highlighted the first two days but that doesn’t prevent her from running a nice offense. She moves well and gets to the ball. She also has nice hands and a calming demeanor. Clara Christ L/DS Northern Lights 14-1: Northern Lights has developed its fair share of liberos and all signs point to Christ being next in line. She’s a straight-up baller! She can hold it down as part of a two-player serve receive. Teams keep the ball away from her at all cost, as she didn’t touch many balls in serve receive. She covers and defends at a high-level and does well seeing plays developing. Rory Oleksik L/DS A5 Chattanooga 14-1 Jenni: A5 Chattanooga saw its run end with a 0-3 day. However, Oleksik showed what she’s capable of in the back row. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive who was putting passes right on target. She’s another strong defender too, making digs and keeping rallies alive.

(Day 2 All Red Hat Team) In terms of seeding, there was very little upheaval on Day 2 of 14 Open at AAUs in Orlando. Much of the day’s excitement was contained to Pool 1, where the topsy-turvy action meant no one was safe. It was a Florida slugfest in the pool as top-seeded and nationally-ranked No. 8 OT 14 Laura, unranked Miami Hype 14 Nekene and national No. 23 Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal were together along with Panda 14-1 Simo. Skipping ahead, OT, Miami Hype and Tribe finished in a three-way tie at 2-1. It was Tribe getting the short end of the tiebreaker, coming in third and being eliminated from gold-medal contention. It was really a heart-breaking day for Tribe, which opened up on such a positive note. Tribe took down OT in three, 25-21, 18-25, 15-11, to open the action. Taking down the top seed is a big deal, but it might have been too big of a deal. In covering volleyball over the years, riding the high and lows of victories and defeats is commonplace, especially the younger the age groups. When I saw Tribe celebrating its big victory over OT with a dogpile, I was a little concerned how Tribe would respond in its next match. A dogpile after an 8am victory with two matches to go is not something you see every day covering volleyball. It made me think Tribe was riding way too high. It made Tribe susceptible in its next outing against Miami Hype when the ensuing low hits. While Miami Hype was seeded higher, Tribe is ranked in our Top 25 while Miami Hype is unranked. So here, Tribe was favored but it didn’t play out like that. In fact, Miami Hype swept in convincing fashion, 25-22, 25-18. That result alone didn’t eliminate Tribe, but it put Tribe’s chances of advancing out of its hands. Miami Hype needed to beat OT outright for Tribe to advance. If OT came through, either in two or three, then Tribe had no chance of advancing based on the set percentages. OT swept Miami Hype handily, 25-15, 25-13, to create the three-way tie and knock Tribe out. As far as advancing to Friday’s Group 1 pools, there was only one result to go against seed. It came in Pool 6, where the No. 2 team GP 14 Rox swept Vaqueras 14-1 in the 1 v 2 match to finish 3-0. A5 14 Helen, Adidas KiVA 14 Red, Mauloa 14 Green and Munciana 14 Chipmunks all went 3-0, 6-0 as Nos. 1 teams. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS McKenzie Burrell OH A5 14 Helen: Burrell is one of many attackers who can get up and deliver for A5. She gets off the ground well and can bury balls down with her strong arm. Layla Dunn MB A5 14 Helen: Dunn was making an impact at the net with her attacking. She’s a quick middle with a nice arm. A5 likes to take advantage and utilize her in transition. Riley Bethea MB A5 14 Helen: Bethea is another middle opponents need to be concerned about. She’s long and takes up space with her reach and block. She’s also a capable scorer when she gets the opportunity. Elleora Utecht OH Northern Lights 14-1: Utecht was bringing it. She was a key part of the offense giving Northern Lights a reliable, consistent scorer on the outside. She gets up well and swings hard. Danielle Lewis L/DS CJV 14 Kim: Lewis is a quick libero who flies around the court. She can run down balls and keep plays alive with her hustle. Brighton Richards L/DS Temecula Viper 14 Leanna: Richards was an anchor in the back row. She did well in serve receive and is very vocal on the court with her communication. Airyss Celestine MB Temecula Viper 14 Leanna: Celestine is a bit undersized but she’s a quick jumper who can get up and score before the block sets up. London Evans S/RS Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Evans plays a vital role for Muncie as a setter and hitter. It can be tough to gauge what she’s better at, as she does well with both. She has a nice touch and locates well. She also has a strong arm and can provide her share of offense across the front. Kamryn Roberts L/DS Mintonette Sports m.41: Roberts was among the standout liberos. She has a good court awareness and her passing and defending were on point. Bryn Meyer OH Mintonette Sports m.41: A 6-1 lanky outside, Meyer is a 4-star recruit with lots of upside. With her length, she has nice extension and can contact at a high point which allows for angles others can’t hit. *** Shelby Fuller L/DS Triangle 14 Black: It was a solid day for defenders, with Fuller making an impression as well. She’s a steady passer with a strong platform and was putting the ball on target. Leilani Lawrence OH OT 14 Laura: Lawrence, a 2026 outside, showed off her athleticism. She has the ability to get up and unload, something she was doing plenty of in helping OT fight off elimination and advance. Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro 14-1: We wrote about Jameson on Day 1 as well and she was back at it again. Her upside is amazing. She’s long, moves well and has a nice arm. Brooklyn Sippio MB GP 14 Rox: Sippio is among the middle prospects to be sure. She’s a 4-star recruit who is very long and makes an impact on both sides of the ball with her blocking and hitting. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels was featured on our All Red Hat Team on Day 1 and was very close to being on it again. She’s a phenomenal talent. She’s another Class of 2028 recruit playing up. She’s silky smooth, knows how to move the ball around and does an excellent job of getting her hitters 1-on-1 looks. Kennedy Shockley L/DS Munciana Indy 14 Otters: Shockley is

We are happy to present our first-ever daily All Red Hat Team! With the vballrecruiter.com team on hand for the start of 14 Open at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, we spent the day like we usually do – scouring the gym and taking in as much action as possible. That brings us to our All Red Hat Team for Day 1 of 14 Open. We’ll be releasing a daily All Red Hat Team for the remainder of our time in Orlando as well as for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships coming up in Chicago at the end of the month. Naturally, you’re wondering what is the All Red Hat Team and how does it differ from our daily Show Stoppers? For starters, we are aiming to put together a daily team consisting of outsides, middles, right sides, setters and liberos 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. In a way, these are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. Without further delay, our Day 1 All Red Hat Team for 14 Open is below. ALL RED HAT TEAM Jordyn Jones OH Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Jones was definitely a personal favorite. What a gamer she is! Though Jones is undersized compared to other outsides we caught, she brings nothing but fire on the court. She was taking aggressive swings and challenging the defense then catching them with well-timed tips to keep them off guard. Carson Caraway OH IVBA 14 Open: Caraway is another with great energy and emotion. We featured her early this season at one of our Elite ID Clinics. At 6-2, she has nice size for any age and a solid arm to back it up with. Carsyn Comer MB Munciana 14 Chipmunks: Comer continues to improve from earlier this season. The 6-0 middle is playing six rotations and taking serves in receive! She’s more than likely a future outside because of it. Comer has a calmer and more stoic demeanor on the court but she’s no less effective in tormenting defenses. They had little answers for her at the net. Kamryn Cocherl MB Mintonette Sports m.41: It looked as if Cocherl came to Orlando for two things – to chew bubble gum and put away sets. And she was all out of bubble gum on Day 1. All I saw her do was power balls down for kills. She’s a bit undersized but Mintonette was feeding her and she was delivering with loud winners. Kaelyn Bjorklund S/RS Northern Lights 14-1: Bjorklund plays a vital role and does it well for Northern Lights hitting and setting. At 6-0, she is a physical presence at the net and does well dishing and feeding her various hitters. She’s another steady player who doesn’t seem to get too high or too down. Emerson Dorr S/RS IVBA 14 Open: Dorr, also a 6-footer, was another who was just coming with it and playing with lots of intensity and determination. She also stood out as a two-way player who flashed plenty of potential. She’s a wirey attacker who can generate pace. She also showed well as setter putting up a nice hittable ball. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 14 Alpha: Samuels is a future stud! She’s part of the Class of 2028, is playing up an age group and is already touching 9-10. She’s mature for her age and is a step ahead of setters a year older. She’s smooth and does well connecting with her hitters. Sophia Dostic S OT 14 Laura: Dostic is another up-and-coming setter who stood out with her strong play. She has great demeanor on the court as she doesn’t seem to get rattled and remains steady. She was running the offense well, getting her hitters involved and setting a clean ball consistently. Ella Horvick L/DS OT 14 Laura: Horvick was a wall in the back row. She had command, was reading and covering well. She also had on-point passing and provided a defensive edge. Addison Thompson-Stepp L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Thompson-Stepp is an upbeat libero who was holding it down defensively. She was putting the ball on target and passing well out of serve receive.

The buildup is over. We’ve been hurtling toward the season-ending national championships since the start of the new club year. And here we are, at the start of AAUs in Orlando! The vballrecruiter.com team is fired up for all the action coming our way. We’ll be all over the competition in both Orlando and Chicago as teams look to complete their season in dream fashion – with a gold medal. Kicking off all the fun and excitement is 14 Open, which got underway Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center. If you aren’t familiar with the AAU format, it’s a bit of a slow build toward the gold bracket. Only fourth-place teams are eliminated from contention on the opening day. That meant only nine teams were bumped from Group 1 for Day 2. So of the 39 teams to start competition, 30 still remain. It changes the next two days, because on Days 2 and 3 only the top-two teams in each pool advance. It’ll ultimately set up the eight-team gold bracket set for Saturday. As for the first day of action, it was not quite the coronation for top seeds as it was last year. Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal – seeded No. 3 overall – was upended by Mauloa 14 Green in the 1 v 2 match. Tribe finished 2-1 while Mauloa fought off the time change from Hawaii to go 3-0. Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – seeded No. 6 overall – went down as well. Vaqueras 14-1 beat Tri-State in the 1 v 2 match to finish in first ahead of Tri-State. GP 14 Rox was a third No. 1 team in its pool to fall. The No. 10 overall seed was swept by Northern Lights 14-1 and finished 2-1 behind 3-0 Northern Lights. Pool 1 was a three-team pool, where all three teams advanced. Out of the remaining nine pools, seven of the No. 4 teams were knocked out after going 0-3. The two exceptions were Elevate Athletics 14 Nike and Panda 14-1 Simo. Both went 1-2 and remain in the hunt. The highest-seeded team to be eliminated was Club V 14 Ren Stef. Club V was the No. 2 team in Pool 5 and was the No. 16 overall seed. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select 14 Elite: A lanky right side, Glushakov has tremendous upside. She stayed in for six rotations and was taking swings out of the back row. She showed nice extension and was hitting at a high contact point. Andie Bowron S Top Select 14 Elite: A bit undersized, Bowron is quick and gets around well on the court. She’s a smooth disher who is on target on the regular. Haley Higgins MB Top Select 14 Elite: Higgins was providing consistent scoring as Top Select was utilizing her effectiveness. She has a nice arm and was putting balls away with pace. Calli LeFevre OH Legacy 14-1 Adidas: A 5-10 outside, LeFevre helps anchor the offense. She has a really good arm and takes big swings to pressure defenses. Kampbell Niepagaen OH SPVB 14 Elite: Niepagaen was another outside who was carrying a big load offensively. Sports Performance was looking for her a lot and she was up for the task. Madeline Bryant S SPVB 14 Elite: Bryant displayed a nice touch and consistent location. She also sets a clean ball regularly. Isabel Incinelli MB WPVC 14 Armour Black: At 6-2, Incinelli stands out. She also has tremendous potential. She was impacting both sides of the net. She also uses her length to her advantage, going over the block. And she also gets sets on the pin as Winter Park moves her around. Ellie Enger OH WPVC 14 Armour Black: Enger was among the better outsides we saw on Day 1. She has a lively arm and was bringing it time and time again. Liliana Tripi S Mich Elite 14 Mizuno: Tripi was among the taller setters in the division. She has a consistent release and nice touch. She also did a good job trying to get her hitters involved. Sophia Farah MB Rev 14-1 Bulldogs: Farah flashed her potential. She’s a strong middle who takes up space and can be tough for defenses to slow. Sophia Azevedo S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Count Azevedo among the players to keep tabs on. She’s a 6-0 setter/right side who was mostly setting on Day 1. With her height, she can be impactful at the net. She puts up a nice block and has unbelievable upside. *** Caitlin Crino S Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Crino was also taking on the setting duties. She’s a bit undersized but she moves well and has a clean release. Sage Mattson OH Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal: Mattson is a 6-0 pin who was playing on the outside. She has a big arm and can bash balls down in style. Addison Otto RS Northern Lights 14-1: Otto is another prospect who caught our eye. The lefty is 6-0 and a featured part of the attack when she’s front row. They run her in different spots to get her the ball and keep the defense on its toes. Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights 14-1: Cotton is a setter on the taller side, especially for the age group. She came in to set in the back row and did well locating and keeping her hitters involved. Zaley Madkin OH IVBA 14 Open: Madkin is a bit undersized but has no problem making up for it with her jump. She gets up well and can bring it at times. She unleashed a couple of head-turning kills that showed what her potential could be. Aubrie Wirkkala OH Kokoro 14-1: Wirkkala is a bit undersized at the position but she jumps very well. It helps her unload on the ball and rocket a few big winners. Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro 14-1: Jameson is a taller middle with tons of potential. She’s lanky, moves well and does a good job of