Free Article of the Week

Nothing gets the volleyball season going like the early action in the state of Texas. There have been many tournament across the state so far, including events that vballrecruiter.com has been at with the Mansfield Invitational and NorthWest Classic. As exciting and entertaining as those tournaments were, the action is about to take a step up believe it or not. This week features Volleypalooza hosted by Rouse that runs Thurs-Saturday across nine high schools in the greater Austin area. Once more vballrecruiter.com is going to be on hand providing daily coverage. The field is absolutely loaded, with national No. 1 Prestonwood Christian TX leading the charge, along with No. 2 Mater Dei CA and No. 7 Cathedral Catholic CA, which earned our national champion award last season after going undefeated. Mater Dei is making a return trip to the tournament after winning it in 2021. Cornerstone Christian TX – the defending champion and runner-up at the recent Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii – is not in the field this season, but defending 6A state champion Dripping Springs TX is. Below we take a look at the top players competing as well as make our predicition for the eventual champion. Number of Teams: 68 Teams vballrecruiter.com Preseason Nationally-Ranked Teams (7):• 1. Prestonwood Christian TX• 2. Mater Dei CA• 7. Cathedral Catholic CA• 10. Prosper TX• 19. Dripping Springs• 29. Colleyville Heritage TX• 36. Keller TX *** 5-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW   4-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW   OUTLOOK: After a slip-up against Boyd in which Prestonwood Christian suffered its first loss of the season, the question is can the top-ranked team in the country re-establish itself as the team to beat? Winning Volleypalooza would go a long way toward that, especially considering Prestonwood still has the Nike TOC Southwest in Tampa and the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas on its schedule. Both offer another opportunity to proclaim its dominance. However, not just for Prestonwood, but any school hoping to walk away this weekend with the coveted tournament trophy must persevere through a talented and loaded field. Mater Dei and Cathedral Catholic are two California schools looking to make a name for themselves and prove they too are among the best in the nation. Grand Oaks TX, Lake Travis TX and Dripping Springs are off to strong starts and figure to factor into Saturday’s gold bracket. The first two days of action feature pool play, where we are likely to see a few surprises and upsets that could ruffle the field. PREDICTION: No matter how it all plays out, we are predicting Volleypalooza to be among the best tournaments in the country this season. Given the teams here, it’s hard to think there is going to be any letdown. The pick is for to Prestonwood to indeed rise up and show what all the preseason excitement was about and it’ll do so by beating Grand Oaks in the final.

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Addison Pollock. *** Volleyball was never a given for Addison Pollock. She tended to follow her older brother, Jack, and his athletic path. She started soccer at 4 because he played soccer. When Jack took up tennis it wasn’t too long before she found herself playing it too. There was also basketball. “That was short lived,” said Pollock, who is entering her junior year at Ransom Everglades high school in Miami. “I wasn’t that good, so I went back to soccer. I played club soccer for maybe seven years.” She eventually grew tired of playing club soccer and switched back to tennis. It wasn’t until the end of fifth grade was nearing when volleyball finally entered the picture. It’s the sport that has stuck for Pollock. “When I tried out for volleyball I maybe had touched a volleyball once or twice in my life,” she said. “I tried so hard to get my serve over the net. I ended up making the team. That’s when I decided to play club volleyball. “The team was really fun and really cheery. It’s a sport that always has lots of energy. Tennis is a lonely sport. You are on the court by yourself. It was something new after also doing soccer for so long. It was also really hot outside and maybe the air conditioning drew me toward it. Making the team when I tried out having not played before also gave me a confidence boost. I definitely liked the team aspect like soccer but the energy in volleyball is unmatched by any other sport.” The competitive side of Pollock was always there. She said it doesn’t necessarily show up with school and her friends, but when it comes to sports or family activities watch out because her parents and brother are all alike in that regard. “People like to ask if I love to win or hate to lose,” Pollock said. “I find that to be a really hard question. I really hate to lose but with winning you get bragging rights. But the losing feeling stings. I’m naturally competitive but sports brings that out even more. I’m competitive in every aspect. If I’m running a mile for school or for volleyball, I don’t like to be last in anything.” With Pollock’s high school season beginning this week, she’ll get to bring that competitive fire to the Ransom lineup. She led her team in digs last season as a sophomore, averaging 3.3 per set. She also finished third on the team in aces. With a new head coach and other girls on the roster who also play club volleyball, Pollock is excited for the fall season. “My high school is very rigorous academically,” she said. “Sports are not the priority but we are still pretty good. We have a new coach this year and I’m excited for that. I like getting to meet the older and younger players and building a culture in and out of the classroom.” As for next club season, Pollock is also really looking forward to that too. She is joining a new club and will suit up for Wildfire. “Club is about building a culture too, it’s just more competitive than high school,” she said. “I like them both but in different ways.” While sports and now mostly volleyball have been a featured part of her life growing up, Pollock also enjoys painting. She describes herself as a “pretty extroverted person” and she loves the release that painting offers. “I took studio art this past year in school,” she said. “I used to be a creative person. I like writing and when I would hang out with my friends I would ask my mom to get us crafts for us to do. Taking studio art and receiving actual instruction made me want to keep painting when I came home. To be able to get away from the academics and give my mind a break for a while is really nice.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Pollock about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Pollock: My parents are my biggest role models. They support me no matter what it is whether it’s with school, sports or all my hobbies. Everything I do they are always there. At the end of the day they are my best friends. They always travel with me with volleyball. They are always there if I need to talk or tell them anything about my day. They are so caring and selfless and are really good people all over. I want to be like them. What is your favorite food? Pollock: It’s probably hamburgers. That is my thing. Also, ice cream. We have a thing where we get ice cream in every single city we go to for camps or tournaments. It’s something my parents and I do. For hamburgers, I like thin patties. I went to a few camps in California and I had In’N’Out. That was one of the best burgers I’ve had. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be and why? Pollock: I would probably take a bunch of friends to the beach and just do whatever we want. We could play volleyball or read or go in the water. That’s honestly what I would do. I love my friends and I love the beach. I love the sun. Even though I do it often, that’s what I would want to do and we could just stay there all day, like 12 or 13 hours. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Kendall Hubbard. *** No matter what happens on the court this season, Kendall Hubbard’s freshman campaign at Mount Notre Dame promises to be memorable. Hubbard recently found out she made the varsity cut. That alone is reason to celebrate, but there’s much more to it than that. Not only will she be playing in the most competitive conference in the state of Ohio, she’ll be doing so with her older sister, Bailey, on the roster. “It’s really exciting to go to the same school,” Hubbard said. “My older sister is going to be a senior. I did go to her varsity games. I loved the environment at every game with the student section.” Even with Hubbard’s success during this past club season – one she spent playing for Elevation 14 Molly – she wasn’t sure where she stood when it came to making the varsity roster or not. In fact, Hubbard just found out the day before she spoke with us that she indeed was selected to be on the varsity squad. “I was nervous at first,” she said. “I’m super excited to learn from the upperclassmen. The history there is so big. I’m excited to get to represent my school.” Hubbard grew up playing lots of sports. She said she tried her hand at seven sports – including gymnastics, basketball and tennis – before getting into volleyball. Her mom is a volleyball coach, so playing the sport seemed like only a matter of time. “With all my different experiences, I really liked how the feel for volleyball was different with the energy and chemistry,” she said. “Plus, it ran through my family.” Growing up in a sports family brought out Hubbard’s competitiveness early on. Being an athlete her whole life she said it’s definitely part of her personality of who she is. “I’ve always been competitive,” she said. “I have a winning mindset. I always say I hate losing more than I love winning.” While Hubbard has stopped playing AAU basketball she still plans on playing the sport for high school. As for volleyball, Hubbard said she’s always prided herself on being more of an all-around player and hopes to bring that versatility to Mount Notre Dame. She started off early during her 10s and 11s season only setting. She then played middle blocker for her 12s year before starting to hit and set as she did this past season with Elevation. “I do like them both,” she said. “I like the adrenaline of both positions. Setting is a lot of leadership and it’s a big responsibility to lead the team. I like hitting too. Hitting is more exciting and a more of a cheerful type of experience.” In her role as a two-way player, Hubbard was one of the mainstays on the court this past season for Elevation. The Cincinnati-based club finished tied for 13th in 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago this summer. “One of my favorite tournaments was MEQ,” Hubbard said. “It was really special to me because that’s how we qualified for nationals. We took third this year. Nationals was also an amazing experience. Chicago was a different environment compared to all the others and it was great as a team to get to represent our club.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Hubbard about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Hubbard: For me, growing up in Cincinnati, I’ve always watched UC (University of Cincinnati). Jordan Thompson was a huge role model for me. She was on the Olympic team which won the gold medal and she’s always been a huge role model. One time I went to a UC game when she was there and she was having a meet and greet and I got to meet her. I loved how unique it was. It was an amazing experience getting to talk to an Olympian. What is your favorite food? Hubbard: Mine is buffalo chicken dip. I would say it’s my go-to for chips or tortillas. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be and why? Hubbard: I would say going to a different country or different continent to explore the different culture and community compared to the US. I would say Europe. Why not? Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Hubbard: I don’t really know. Maybe my volleyball blanket? On my 13s team the very first tournament I sprained my ankle and my teammate’s grandma bought it for me as a gift. I’ve brought it to every single tournament since. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Hubbard: I would say just coming home from a long productive day of hanging out with my teammates and just coming home from that. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? Hubbard: I would say either teleportation or telekinesis. Teleportation would be really cool to go wherever you want in an instance. Telekinesis would be pretty cool to be able to move stuff with your mind. Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Hubbard: I would say my academic level and my grades. It’s really important to me. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Hubbard: That I love art. One of my hobbies is to paint and draw when I’m bored. I started in seventh grade taking an art class as a little joke but I ended up getting the Superintendent award for one of my drawings and it made me

The Ann Kang Invitational first took place in 1989. Since then, no school has brought home more tournament titles than Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. The So Cal school – which is the defending champion – has racked up seven trophies and is favored as the top seed and highest-ranked squad in the 16-team field in this year’s edition. The three-day event is hosted by ‘Iolani and is set for Aug. 10-12. Below, we look at the nationally-ranked teams to watch for, our 3, 4 and 5-star athletes participated as well offer our outlook and predictions to how the results will pan out. vballrecruiter.com NATIONALLY-RANKED SCHOOLS (5): *** 5-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW *** 4-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW *** 3-STAR ATHLETES TO KNOW   OUTLOOK: A year ago, Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon CA played an epic pool-play match, with Sierra Canyon winning the third set going to 15, 25-23, in overscore. The two sides faced off later in the day for the championship match, with Mira Costa extracting revenge and winning its seven Ann Kang title. Mira Costa ended its season by becoming the only team to take a set off of eventual national champion Cathedral CA with its loss in the California Open Division state semifinals. While the Mustangs saw senior contributors graduate, they are primed for another strong year led by senior setter/right side and 5-star Wisconsin commit Charlie Fuerbringer. She’s one of three 5-star recruits on the roster, with the other two being junior libero Taylor Deckert (USC) and sophomore outside Audrey Flanagan. Sierra Canyon also figures to be in the mix once more for the tournament title, as well as a pair of Texas schools in Cornerstone Christian and Lovejoy. Cornerstone finished last season ranked No. 2 in the country. Like Mira Costa, the Warriors graduated key senior contributors but bring back enough to remain one of the top teams in the country. Among those returning are 5-star junior outside Megan Fitch (Texas AM) and 4-star senior right side Grace Carroll (Baylor). The full rundown of participating schools is: Pool 1   Pool 2   PREDICTION: With Mira Costa and Lovejoy the top seeds in Pool A, we expect those two to advance to the four-team gold bracket on Saturday. In Pool B, it’s Cornerstone Christian and host ‘Iolani the top two teams. However, we are looking at Cornerstone advancing along with the No. 3 team in the pool in Sierra Canyon. While a rematch from last year between Mira Costa and Sierra Canyon would be fun, it’s looking like a showdown between Mira Costa and Cornerstone Christian in the final. The two teams actually played last year in the final of the Nike TOC Southwest event, with Cornerstone winning in three. We like Cornerstone having Mira Costa’s number once more and going back to the mainland with its first-ever Ann Kang title.

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Kayla Nwabueze. *** Our latest Player of the Week is coming off a breakout 15s club campaign in which she established herself as one of the top players in the country. Kayla Nwabueze – a 5-star middle blocker from the Class of 2026 – helped Legacy 15-1 Adidas to a fifth-place finish in 15 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships this summer in Chicago, as well as finishing No. 4 overall in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. With the club season being done for well over a month, Nwabueze has been gearing up for another high school season at Bloomfield Hills. She starred last season as a freshman in her role as a six-rotation middle. She finished the year leading the team in both kills (412) and blocks (155) as Bloomfield Hills lost in the district playoffs to eventual state champion Marian. It’s been a quick rise for the sophomore, as Nwabueze first started off her 12s season playing for Legacy. Her older sister, Ashlea, started playing volleyball in seventh grade and loved it so it wasn’t long after Nwabueze had her try. “My first time playing was at a club practice,” Nwabueze said. “I was really nervous at first. Everyone was really welcoming and knew each other and that made it more fun. I didn’t get how to play in rotations or anything like that. After about two weeks I started to get the hang of things. My 14s year I knew I wanted to do it as my main sport because I really loved it.” Nwabueze was part of a Legacy 14-1 Adidas team that earned a bronze medal in 14 Open at the 2022 AAU National Championships. Nwabueze and company repeated the feat this past season, leaving Orlando with another bronze before finishing tied for fifth at the USAV GJNC two weeks later. The gold-bracket losses were similar, with Legacy having a chance in both contests. At AAUs, Legacy fell in three sets to eventual champion Mintonette Sports m.51, 16-25, 36-34, 15-12, before facing the same fate against Hou Skyline 15 Royal in the quarterfinals in Chicago with another three-set loss, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12. “This 15s season was incredible,” Nwabueze said. “We have four amazing coaches. They are hard on us but discipline us to take accountability and make us better players. The team was so natural we had a flow like we had been together since babies. It made it really nice. I don’t remember a time when we got mad with each other or we weren’t all laughing. I’m looking forward to next club season being another great one.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Nwabueze about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or someone you look up to? Nwabueze: I have more than one. I really look up to outside of volleyball and some with volleyball is my older sister. When she was first playing I was watching her games and thinking I want to be that good. But outside of volleyball I really look up to her because overall she is a really great person. Also, academic wise, she graduated valedictorian. Personality wise, she gives off a really good vibe. She doesn’t get mad at you. She has good vibe about her and it makes her a good person. Another role model is my mom. She is very successful in my opinion. She likes to hold people accountable and she’ll tell you when you are not doing your best. She knows you can do better and she holds you to a standard. If she wasn’t here I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without her. Someone in volleyball I look up to is Asjia O’Neal. She plays on Texas. She’s a great middle blocker. I was watching a couple of videos on her mastering the slide. She’s known for her notorious slides. On the court she’s in the zone, focused and ready to go. She’s one of my role models. What is your favorite food? Nwabueze: I love french fries. I could eat french fries without any sides. Or I love wings from Wingstop. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Nwabueze: It’s pretty bad to say but I can’t go a day without my phone. It has all my contacts. When I get bored on I’m on my phone. It would have to be my phone. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Nwabueze: I think what I would want to learn is to how to learn to play football. It’s a really big sport and I don’t really know what’s going on during the Super Bowl. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Nwabueze: My sisters, both of them. They really lighten my mood. They make me laugh a lot. They are my main source of whenever I’m laughing. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? Nwabueze: It would definitely be reading people’s minds. I think because especially asking questions or when someone is telling me stuff and I’m trying to find out the truth I could read their minds so I know what they are keeping from me. Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Nwabueze: I’m most passionate about my schoolwork and things that are academic based. I feel if I am good about academics and volleyball then I can be a really successful person in life. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Nwabueze: That I play instruments. I don’t give off the

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Maya Evens. *** Last year Cathedral Catholic capped a perfect season by sweeping St. Francis of Mountain View in the CIF Open Division state championship match to finish the high school season as undisputed national champions. Mira Costa was the only opponent which managed to take even a set off the Dons, with it coming a round before in the state semifinals. While Cathedral Catholic loses 10 seniors – including 5-star recruits Julia Blyashov (Stanford) and Noemie Glover (Oregon) – the cupboard is hardly empty. Part of the returning core includes Class of 2025 4-star recruit Maya Evens, who was the starting libero last fall for Cathedral Catholic and spent this past club season playing up in the same role for Wave 17 Juliana – which finished ninth in 17 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships last month in Chicago. “I think that was the most surreal experience being an underclassmen playing alongside some of the biggest names in Noemie and Julia,” Evens said. “I played with them in club and in open gym, but being part of that team with them helped change my perspective on how to act and what I should be doing as a teammate. They definitely inspired me and would help me when I was feeling down on myself. They were always like ‘You got this.’ It was awesome. They felt like big sisters.” Evens’ mom – Juliana Conn – coaches at both Cathedral Catholic and Wave and is the reason her daughter started playing volleyball in the first place. With her mom coaching, Evens grew up in a gym but wasn’t exactly begging her mom to play at first. She would pepper and mess around with the ball at times, but Evens needed to be pushed to get her true start. “I know this might sound bad and it’s not meant to, but I didn’t have a super big choice if I wanted to participate,” Evens said. “I’m so happy my mom opened my horizon and had me try it. She said maybe I would love it. I did a few camps and tried it out. There was something about it where I absolutely fell in love. I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s a different feeling than I ever had.” A parent coaching their child means not only navigating their relationship but the coach-player one as well. Evens said her and her mom have always done well being able to separate the two. “We do a really good job at keeping it separate,” Evens said. “She’s a respectable coach. I really enjoy having her as a coach. I have friends who say they could never have their mom as their coach but we have separated the two really well. If I mess up (playing) she’ll treat me like any other player during the games. After that, she’s my mom and she does a really good job supporting me and being there for me. She’s a really good coach and has 100 percent made me into the player I am and I couldn’t do it without her.” From her first season playing club until now, Evens has always played up at least one age group. She was part of a Wave team which lost just one outing in Chicago, with it coming against Metro 17 Travel in challenge play as Wave finished No. 6 in vballrecruiter.com’s final Top 50 National Rankings. “I have no regrets. That was the most fun tournament of any of my seasons,” Evens said. “We were undefeated until the challenge match and we went undefeated after that. We just had this vibe and were playing with so much passion and effort. We played the best volleyball of the entire season. It was so much fun. Everyone would stop and watch us play. It was the most incredible feeling.” Part of Wave’s run included beating eventual fifth-place finisher Drive Nation 17 Red, 35-33, 25-20, to close out the first round of pool play. The opening set of that contest was arguably the most entertaining one of the entire 10-day tournament in Chicago. “There is no other word to describe it other than fun,” Evens said. “You live for those games. I would so much rather play a team to 35 than to beat them 25-15. Especially a team like Drive Nation with so much hype and which was (the) No. 3 (seed) going in. We are an under-rated small team so it was so much fun.” With the high school season rapidly approaching, Evens’ focus has shifted. Along with her, Cathedral Catholic brings back 4-star senior middle Jenna Hanes (Michigan), 4-star senior setter Amanda Saeger (DePaul), 3-star senior outside Niki Egan (Washington beach) and 3-star junior outside Mae Kordas. While another national championship might be a stretch, together they should help Cathedral Catholic remain as one of the top programs in the country and capable of defending its California Open Division state title. The Dons are facing another challenging schedule, one that includes playing in two prestigious tournaments in Volleypalooza in Austin and the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas. “We lost 10 seniors so that is a lot of loss,” Evens said. “Still, we have a couple of freshmen who I’m super excited about plus our returning players are absolute beasts so I’m super excited about it. We won’t be as big and as physical but we are still going to be super fun to watch. We have gotten together running high school camps. We are bonding and making new friendships. We haven’t talked too much about goals or results but we all have the same goal in that we want to win.” As our featured Player

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Emma Parks. *** When it comes to our recent featured Player of the Week highlights sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we have encountered athletes who have grown up either immersed in volleyball or ones who started late in the game and have blossomed quickly. What those two dynamics share in common however are all were in love with volleyball from their introduction to the sport. Emma Parks has a different tale. She didn’t grow up loving volleyball or falling in love with it at first sight. She was focused on playing basketball and determined to continue on as long and as far as she could in that sport. It’s not that she was totally opposed to volleyball. She spent her first year playing on a regional team in fourth grade. “I was definitely super into basketball growing up before I started volleyball,” Parks said. “I didn’t want (volleyball) to interfere with basketball when I first started. I transitioned to only playing volleyball in eighth grade.” Growing up participating in multiple sports brought out Parks’ competitive spirit. Having older sisters helped too, as they were also competitive and she would naturally challenge herself against them. While giving up basketball wasn’t easy, she did find herself drawn more and more to volleyball. “I think volleyball is really different than everything else,” she said. “Especially having new sets where you can win one set and then the next set is anyone’s game. That’s what’s really cool about it. You have to have team work and work as a team.” Parks started out as a middle blocker before spending this past season with Rock City 16-1 playing outside. Her position change started in high school last fall when her coach moved her to the pin and she remained on the left during club. At 6-1 and touching 10-feet, Parks is a rising 4-star recruit who is planning on suiting up for AVC Cle next club season. “I loved playing six rotations and being part of the game the whole time,” Parks said. “The biggest adjustment for me was passing. I didn’t have to pass as a middle. I stayed in to serve but came out for serve receive. So I just didn’t do that as a middle and that’s been the hardest adjustment for me.” This recent club season ended on a high note. Parks and her Rock City teammates earned the silver medal in 16 Club at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando. The squad went 13-1, falling to MVVC 16 Red in the gold-medal match. Rock City was the only opponent to take a set off of MVVC as Parks was selected to the AAU All-Star team for the division. “We played at Bluegrass and won the Club division,” Parks said. “Winning the tournament was really good for our team and we really started playing at a higher level.” Up next for Parks is her junior year of high school playing for Meadville. The switch from club to high school offers a different experience, one she enjoys just as much. “I think it’s different going to high school from club,” Parks said. “It’s different but really exciting. We are hoping to have a good season. We only had one senior last year so we are getting the whole team back. I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully winning district.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Parks about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Parks: I would say I look up to my sisters (Maddie and Hannah) the most. I spent a lot of time watching them play when I was younger. They are the ones who got me interested in the game. I learned a lot from them how hard they worked, how they played and how they responded when things got hard. They are my biggest supporters and they are really important to me. What is your favorite food(s)? Parks: My favorite food is mac and cheese. Specifically, my grandma’s mac and cheese. I love cooking with her. It’s super important to spend time with her. I feel like we have a family recipe in that nobody else makes it the same way. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Parks: My favorite tournament was AAUs. Going into it we were really excited. We got a house all together as a team. That was super fun to be with everyone. Competing at a high level against teams which are really good was fun. We finished pretty well. It was also our last tournament so I think that was fun. What is your favorite team bonding event? Parks: My favorite was when we were in Florida at AAUs. We got ice cream and then we came back to the house and went swimming. It was really fun. The water was really warm. What is your favorite quote? Parks: My favorite quote is by Simone Biles. It’s ‘I’d rather risk that it didn’t work out than the chances that I didn’t take at all.’ What is your go to song to warm up to? Parks: I don’t usually listen to music before games. In high school, we play music before games from our team playlist. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Parks: I would want telekinesis like in Stranger Things. The main character El (Eleven) has it and it’s useful. I would like to use it in volleyball I guess or really anything. Life would be simpler and it would be really cool. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? Parks: I’d say I

After spending much of June and the early portion of July covering the AAU and USAV national championships, it’s once again time to update our Player Rankings ahead of the new high school season set to kick off in August. We opened with the Class of 2024. Next we released the Class of 2025, then the Class of 2026. Last up is the Class of 2027! Below, we highlight the players who moved up in our star rankings as well as those players who are being ranked for the first time. In determining our Player Rankings, we use our own observations as well as feedback from our panel. These rankings are based on how we see these athletes projecting on the next (collegiate) level. Please email chris@vballrecruiter.com for questions or club/college corrections/updates. CLASS OF 2027 Players Moving From 4 To 5-Stars: Peyton Kubik S/RS Dynasty  Olivia Henry OH ASEVC Allie Hudgins OH Austin Skyline Booklyn Sippio MB Gamepoint Naomi Livings OH TAV Nafanua Alofipo L/DS/S Club V *** Players Moving From 3 To 4-Stars: Kaitlyn Herweg L/DS SCVC Landri Trice OH Drive Nation Jaycee Mack MB Wave Camille Presley MB Austin Skyline Cedra Talaga L/DS Mizuno Long Beach Reagan Wallraff MB AZ Storm Mia Diouf RS Gamepoint Ryan Spencer OH Skyline Blake Cussen RS Absolute Mollie Vandeusen S JJVA Jenny Glushakov RS Top Select Mesa Jameson MB Kokoro Westley Matavao OH Forza1 North Carson Caraway OH Infinity Carsyn Comer MB Munciana Ryah Brock OH Forza1 North Addison Otto RS Northern Lights Kaelyn Bjorklund S/RS Northern Lights Clara Christ L Northern Lights Ava Burgess OH Club V Sophia Puleo OH OTVA Jaylynn Carter RS CJV 14 Kim *** Players New To The Rankings: Kristen Sheehy MB AZ REV Natalie Norton OH Tejas Saniya Reynolds MB HJV Corina Barrera OH STVA Hope Erdman MB Tejas Lucy Ripley MB FC Elite Camille Csernik OH TX LEGACY Mackenzie Ratcliff MB Madfrog Sanai Severloh MB Forza1 North Samantha Chavis OH NC Academy Kherynton Chinnis MB Drive Nation McKenna McIntosh OH Rage Brianna Napoles S/RS Miami Hype Sophia Azevedo S Tribe Liliana Tripi S Mich Elite Andie Bowron S Top Select Addison Thompson-Stepp L/DS Legacy Emerson Dorr S/RS IVBA Ryah Cotton S Northern Lights Elsa Matherly OH 303 VBA Karys Campos L/DS Actyve Karleigh Larson S/RS Legacy (CA) Sophia Cotter RS Sunshine Ava Perrin OH Flyers Eva Jeffries MB/OH City Caitlin Crino S Tribe Isabella Borgia OH Mintonette Sports Kacie Schulte OH MN Select Bradee Boyd OH Tribe Kennedi Boomsma MB Kairos Rory Oleksik L/DS A5 Chattanooga McKenzie Burrell OH A5 Layla Dunn MB A5 Elleora Utecht OH Northern Lights Danielle Lewis L/DS CJV London Evans S/RS Munciana Shelby Fuller L/DS Triangle Kennedy Shockley L/DS Munciana Indy Londyn Sommerville MB CI Elite Jenna Brooks L/DS Top Select Dannah Kerberg L/DS KiVA Joanna Cen OH Top Select Kendyl Strack L Munciana Milana Mays MB Munciana Sophia Smith RS Legacy McKenzie Wilkie L/DS A5 Ella Horvick L/DS OTVA Isabella Howard MB Madfrog Kaylie Davis RS Skyline Emily Redwine L/DS Tejas Jordan Morrow OH Hou Skyline Sitoafa Tausinga MB Club V Emmeline Sandgren S Absolute Mya Capistrano L Forza1 North

With the end of the club season concluding with the recent AAU and USAV national championships and the next high school season around the corner, it’s a perfect time to update our Player Rankings. We have already released the updates for the Class of 2024 and 2025. Up next is the Class of 2026. Below, we highlight the players who moved up in our star rankings as well as those players who are being ranked for the first time. In determining our Player Rankings, we use our own observations as well as feedback from our panel. These rankings are based on how we see these athletes projecting on the next (collegiate) level. Please email chris@vballrecruiter.com for questions or club/college corrections/updates. CLASS OF 2026 Players Moving From 4 to 5-Stars: Gigi Artiles OH Tribe Halle Thompson OH Hou Skyline Genevieve Harris S Academy Diamond Elena Hoecke MB MN Select Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports *** Players Moving From 3 to 4-Stars: Sydni Vice OH Memphis Jrs Taylor Stanley RS Dynasty Ryea Jackson MB Drive Nation Blair Thiebaud S Hou Skyline Jayden Robinson OH Hou Skyline Leilani Lawrence OH OTVA   Katherine Byergo MB HPSTL Lydia Stahley OH Team Indiana Sophia Stallworth MB WPVC Elle Mottola S WPVC   Cassidy Bruns L MKE Sting Abby Zimmerman RS SCVC Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite Lacy Tinnell MB Hou Skyline Lily Bosworth MB Illini Elite Jessica Smallwood OH EVA Nadiya Johnson RS Metro Bella Lopez RS Madfrog Elle Vandeweghe MB Mizuno Long Beach Avery Poulton OH Club V Morgan Williams OH Metro Ryan Sadler OH A5 *** Players New To The Rankings: Madison Victoriano S Skyline Julia Anisimova L/DS Pohaku Simone Heard RS Madfrog Brooke Christoffersen RS Club V Natalie Langston OH Academy Diamond Aubree Deshetsky OH Legacy Aviya Russo OH Academy HP Vivian Hickman S AZ Sky Natalie Monroe OH Vision Hayden Conner MB Aspire Madison Wehr S Gamepoint Brooklynne Brass OH SPVB Macy McAmis L/DS Jupiter Elite Jenna Hunt MB NorCal Megan Ingersoll OH Alabama Performance Emily Miller L/DS Black Swamp Gracie Miller L/DS Black Swamp Saylor Parker RS OTVA Merritt Sliwa OH Rev Colbie McKenna OH EC Power Darby Felts OH K2 Norah Busch MB Club Integrity Taytum Nelson MB Elevate Camden Rahn S/RS OTVA Abby Conklin MB MN Select Elena Estudillo L/DS NE Elite Meena Kasirajan OH Nor Cal Abigail Lesagonicz RS Wave Henlee Moszkowicz L Hou Skyline Adriana Dorn S/RS Rage Emily Pruett RS VVA Lauryn Lewis MB Sunshine Frankie Jones MB Sunshine Cami Huff MB LAV Cydnee Bryant MB Pipeline Ally Fausett S Tstreet Riley Bethea MB A5 Jaedyn Riley S Rage

It’s time for our summer Player Rankings update focusing on the 2024-2027 classes. We spent almost all of June and the early portion of July covering the AAU and USAV national championships so it makes sense to bring a fresh round of updates before the new high school opens in August. We started our latest round of updates with the Class of 2024. We follow with the Class of 2025. Below, we highlight the players who moved up in our star rankings as well as those players who are being ranked for the first time. In determining our Player Rankings, we use our own observations as well as feedback from our panel. These rankings are based on how we see these athletes projecting on the next (collegiate) level. Please email chris@vballrecruiter.com for questions or club/college corrections/updates. CLASS OF 2025 Players Moving From 4 To 5-Stars: Marin Collins OH Niagara Frontier (Penn State) Taylor Deckert L/DS SCVC (USC) Addison Horner S/RS 1st Alliance (Wisconsin) Renee Jones RS Metro Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA (Wisconsin) Addison Gaido RS Austin Skyline (Texas) Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA (Louisville) *** Players Moving From 3 to 4-Stars: Georgia Watson RS Mission Emma Parks OH AVC Cle Abbey Emch OH/MB Infinity (Pitt) Charlotte Kelly MB NorCal Chalei Reid OH Mauloa Hazel Alevok MB Wildfire (UCLA) Brookelyn Hatton L/DS MAVS KC Olivia Durst L/DS MKE Sting Gabriella Pitcel MB MKE Sting (Illinois) *** Players New To The Rankings: Kelly Valdez L/DS Mauloa Anna Blamires RS Co Jrs (BYU) Zoe Baliva RS HPSTL (FSU beach) Milani Lee RS Forza1 North Leimaile Lasike MB Tstreet LV Katie Camp MB Tstreet LV Kendall Timme OH Arete Mackenzi Davis OH Arete Ai-Lani Hunter RS VVA Delaney Blied MB Seal Beach Emma Rowell S/RS Actyve Tate Drageset OH Actyve (Washington) Brooklyn Washington MB VVA Tatum Sharp MB Rocky Elite Ale Romo OH/S Areté Sanaa Donaie MB AVA TX (LSU) SadieJane Hand MB TAV Charlotte Bell MB Academy (Wofford) Olivia Moffett S CoJrs Maddie Mitchell S/RS MAVS Julia Oster L AVC Cle Riley Lynch MB VA Jrs Chloe Johnson OH Madfrog Makena Rumple MB Arizona Storm Ashby Zubchevich OH City Sarahbelle Jameson OH JJVA Alanah Clemente RS Supernova Alana Bailey MB Far Out Anna Williams MB Aspire Sydney Frazier MB M2