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As the recent club season took a pause in May we updated our Player Rankings for the 2024-2027 classes. 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 begin with the Class of 2024. 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 2024 Players Moving From 4 to 5-stars: Taylor Parks S OTVA 17 Aaron (Florida) *** Players Moving From 3 to 4-stars: Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy Tsunami (Butler) Marlee Arrington RS Tstreet IE 17 Taylor (LMU) Brianna Watson RS Drive Nation (LSU) Leilia Toailoa OH Vegas Aces (Alabama) Elina Mortensen OH Club V (BYU) Peyton Petersen Six Pack (Louisville) Nora Wurtz RS/MB NE Elite (Creighton) Reese Ptacek Northern Lights (Kansas) Kamaluhia Garcia Ku’Ikahi (Iowa) Reese Animashaun Hou Skyline (Vanderbilt) Carley Piercefield L Far Out (Western Michigan) Kiernan Stamey OH K2 (Kennesaw State) Ayen Nhial MB KiVA (James Madison) *** Players New To The Rankings: Audrey Kocon S/RS Northern Lights (Providence) Taylor Byl MB Kairos (South Dakota State) Sarah Galligan L/DS NE Elite (Nebraska-Omaha) Arielle Bruk OH Academy HP Gemma Larbalestier L/DS Actyve Isabelle Marco S Academy HP (Utah) Azavia Thomas OH VA Elite Emerson Ahsmuhs OH Act Jessica Jones MB Drive Nation (LSU) Isabelle Swiercz RS Far Out (Central Michigan) Kendall Hopewell MB Far Out (Northern Kentucky) Grace Havlicek MB Tribe (Auburn) Rella Binney L/DS Ku’Ikahi (Texas) Mia Radeff OH Encore (Notre Dame) Mykayla McMillian L Hou Skyline Maeve Rehmann MB Club Ignit (Winthrop) Audrey Small L HPSTL (North Alabama) Anna Blaine S TX LEGACY (Texas State) Jenna Meitzler S/RS Sky High (Iowa) Shannon Sheehy S AZ REV (San Francisco

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: Madison Quest. *** As we were speaking with Madison Quest to feature her as our latest Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, she was traveling from her family cabin in northern Wisconsin to this year’s edition of the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball camp. It’s a trip she’s more than familiar with. Quest has been attending the camp since she was at least 8-years-old. She remembers going with her teams and staying overnight. It all made for a very fun experiences and fond memories. Yet, it was a much different feeling driving to camp this year. That’s because this time she was doing it as a future Badger. The 6-3, 5-star outside hitter recently became the first to commit to Wisconsin from the Class of 2025 when she gave her verbal on June 15. “This time it’s special going as a future Badger,” said Quest, whose mom, Pauline, played volleyball and dad, Matt, played basketball at the university. Playing for MKE Sting and attending Divine Savior Holy Angels, it’s natural to think Wisconsin was Quest’s dream school all along and the only one she had her heart set on. However, she said that wasn’t the case. Yes, her parents attended the school and Quest grew up going to games there, but she kept an open mind and viewed playing elsewhere as a realistic possibility. “I started checking out other schools and looking at campuses, but all the memories made me feel special and it became my No. 1 school,” Quest said. “I went to a couple camps last year like Louisville, Kentucky and Penn State. When June 15 rolled around and I started talking to coaches I knew I wanted to go to Wisconsin when they offered. It was a very fun process.” Quest began gaining traction as a top prospect last season when she played up an age group on the 16s. She remained in the division this season, recently completing a year in which MKE Sting 16 Gold finished tied for 13th at the USAV GJNC in Chicago after starting off as the No. 22 overall seed. “I think throughout the whole season we had some really great wins,” Quest said. “We competed really hard. Looking back at nationals and how we placed was a success for us. It was a memorable team. We were super, super close. At nationals, everyone goes in chasing the championship and all that. I think we went in with the same mentality. We just fell a little short. We had some really great games and beat some teams we trained for. That was a big accomplishment.” With the latest club season wrapped up and summer camps winding down, Quest will shift her focus and attention to the upcoming high school season. She’s already been a two-time all-state selection by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association. Last season as a sophomore, she averaged 4.2 kills, 2.5 digs and hit .320 in helping the Dashers to the WIAA Division 1 state championship. “That was something for sure,” Quest said. “It was a dream winning the championship. We trained a ton obviously and preparing for each game to get to the semifinals. To get to the championship was crazy. Looking back once we won people were crying. It was a crazy, crazy feeling and something we have a great shot at doing again this year.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Quest about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Quest: I would say my mom. I think my parents are a huge part. I think the way she does everything and the way she does stuff is a big part of my life. She always taught me things. She’s a very competitive person in many ways, but she’s not necessarily competitive in the ways you would think. It’s hard to explain because she’s competitive in the small things. That stood out to me. She helps me grow in everything. She talks to me about everything and all the ways she’s helped guide me really makes me want to learn and follow the stuff she’s done. What is your favorite food(s)? Quest: I don’t know. I can’t pick one food. I have a lot I love. I love sushi. I love steak. I love mac and cheese. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Quest: (My favorite tournament is) Nationals. I love competing against the best. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t think it makes it stressful playing against the best. Playing against the best where they are giving you everything they got and you’re doing the same is what I think makes it better. I think it’s a really fun last tournament because you have prepared the whole season and it makes it more special. (Triple Crown) NIT is a really fun tournament too because it’s great competition. But I would say Nationals is my favorite. What is your favorite team bonding event? Quest: I can’t really think of a favorite. I did enjoy from my last club team doing the ropes course and stuff like that and other activities. That was a lot of fun to do the ropes. We were up there having fun. It was a little nerve-wracking for some but it was fun doing it together and supporting people who were more nervous. Do you have a favorite quote or mantra? Quest: I don’t have a specific quote or saying that I have. I do think it’s special that my dad before big volleyball tournaments or in general sends me inspirational messages. Those messages have been something I really like

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: Marissa Jones. *** From swimming and tennis, to Girl Scouts and Miss America pageants, from community service projects to martial arts, somehow not only was there still time for volleyball but the sport rose above all else for Marissa Jones. The soon-to-be freshman and Class of 2027 5-star recruit just completed the 2022-23 club season setting for A5 14 Helen, which earned an AAU 14 Open silver medal and finished tied for 19th in USAV 14 Open. She’s preparing to begin her high school varsity career at Woodward Academy Prep School in Georgia. She actually was the first-ever eighth-grader to compete on junior varsity at her school last season, so the high school experience won’t be a total new one. But playing on varsity will. Jones – who loves science, art and math – first started volleyball at 7 and has been playing club now for five seasons. At first she was juggling both beach and indoors, but it was a lot and she decided to focus on indoor only. She naturally gravitated toward the setting position and loves all that goes into it. “I have always trained as a setter and have played the setter position for the last five years,” Jones said. “Even though I am a physical setter, one aspect I love most about setting is the analytical side of it since I am intrigued with the brain. As a setter, I study the game watching a lot of games from back in the day. I also study both my hitters and opponents. I try to learn my hitters, so I know how to best set them. As a setter, I think it is important to run a smart offense, to isolate or overload my hitters. I study my opponents so I am prepared on the court.” Jones – who completed middle school with a 4.11 GPA and is enrolled in honor classes at Woodward – has also been influenced by her martial arts training. She currently holds a first-degree black belt and she said the discipline of martial arts has helped with volleyball. “I started martial arts when I was 5,” Jones said. “It was really cool. As I got older it helped with my meditation and being a peaceful person by controlling my emotions. It helped me with my coordination and to master a lot of different movements.” While the next four years are going to be spent attending high school and competing in club, the future is an open book. When it comes to volleyball, Jones certainly has aspirations beyond the short term. “After high school I want to attend college and play as a setter on a D1 level,” she said. “After college, I would like to play as a professional setter and represent my country at the Olympics one day. Once my professional volleyball career is over, I would like to become a doctor. I think neuroscience or dermatology would be cool areas to work in.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Jones about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Jones: My mom and Alicia Glass are my role models. My mom makes so many sacrifices for our family and is always supportive of not just our family but so many others. Over the last 5 years of my volleyball journey, my mom leaves work early to take me to volleyball practice. Because it takes us about 90 minutes to get there, she waits patiently on me for hours. I feel very blessed that both my parents have never missed any of my games. When COVID-19 happened, my mom was working in public health on the COVID-19 response. While she worked on the COVID-19 response she often spent 13-14 hours a day working tirelessly, but still was always there supporting me on. I have seen how hard she works and she has taught me what it truly means to work hard and help others unconditionally. I also have admired and looked up to volleyball setter Alicia Glass for a long time. When I first became a setter, my mom asked me to do a book report on setters. As I began to research setters, I realized quickly that there was not many African-American setters that have played on a D1 level or professionally. I learned about Alicia Glass and her many accomplishments as a setter while at Penn State and on a professional level, including the Olympics. I studied her old games and how she led her teams, becoming inspired. I taught myself how to do a setter dump when I was 9 years old after watching Alicia Glass do it in a game. I will never forget I did it in a tournament in Tennessee. I think my coaches and everyone were shocked. After the game, they asked me how did I learn to do it, and I told them watching old players on YouTube and my cousins’ team. Alicia is always so positive on and off the court. I hope to one day be able to meet her. What is your favorite food? Jones: I am a pescatarian so I’m not a big meat eater. I will eat some chicken, but mainly fish.My hands down favorite food is sushi. My all-time favorite food is California roll sushi, broccoli with a Shirley Temple to drink. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Jones: I have a few that I like but my all-time favorite hands down is always AAU Nationals. Well, for starters who doesn’t like visiting the Sunshine State with Mickey Mouse? Then you get to compete against great competition with so

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: Jadyn Livings. *** By the time you read this, Jadyn Livings and her TAV 17 Black teammates may or may not have joined her younger sisters in capturing a USAV Girls Junior National Championships gold medal in Chicago. Livings’ younger twin sisters – Naomi and Nyla – were part of TAV 14 Black’s dominating performance in 14 Open as they finished a perfect 11-0. The older Livings and company began their quest for a national championship on July 3, with the four-day tournament concluding July 6. While it remains to be seen how it plays out, one thing we know for sure is you can count on hearing Livings’ name throughout the fall season as she enters her senior year of high school at Prestonwood Christian. We have not released any sort of national high school rankings yet and won’t until August. But we already know if Prestonwood Christian doesn’t start the season off as No. 1, the school will certainly be among the Top 10 in the nation to begin with. With the amount of talent returning to the lineup – including current TAV teammates in Camille Edwards (Michigan), Mikala Young (TCU), Cari Spears and Gillian Pitts – the roster is arguably the deepest in the country. Furthermore, Prestonwood Christian is taking on a national-level schedule to match, as the program is attending the prestigious Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in September. As for Livings, she’s been playing volleyball since she was 6. She moved to TAV at 12 and that’s when her future began to take shape. She loved her coaches Corinne Atchison and Jon Nasgowitz and credits them for helping getting her on the right path. “My 12s coaches were such good coaches,” Livings said. “They were tough coaches. It was super different than I was used to. It was super intense but they were encouraging. The change in coaches made me more serious about volleyball.” It was not long after when Livings started receiving attention from colleges. That’s when she knew she was going to play at the next level. “I had colleges coaches looking at me and I never saw myself like that,” Livings said. “I just played for fun. It was something cool to look forward to at 14 and 15. With them watching me from the sidelines I thought maybe I could make something out of this and definitely take it further.” She was right. She’s officially committed to USC, along with TAV teammate Favor Anyanwu. Livings said her recruiting process was fortunately smooth and easier compared to others she has seen and heard about. A lot of schools reached out and contacted her on the first allowable day but her coach didn’t want her on her phone so she didn’t see or receive any of the messages until the afternoon. “It was nice to not have to deal with it all at once,” she said. “At the same time, it was a bomb of questions from everywhere. My mom really helped me with creating a spreadsheet schedule. We narrowed it down to 20 schools. After three or four days it was down to a Top 4 or 5.” Livings committed to USC on her visit to the campus. It was her second to last day of the trip and she asked to speak with Coach Brad Keller. She informed Keller that she had just hung up the phone with another school recruiting her because she wanted to let that school know she would not be committing there. Instead, she broke the news to Keller that she was coming to USC. “I don’t know how I felt really,” Livings said. “I was kind of in shock. I knew this is where I need to be. Brad wants to take the next big step.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Livings about volleyball and more. Do you have a role model(s) you look up to? Livings: I do. I look up to my parents. I also look up to my (younger) sisters. They are twins (Naomi and Nyla) and they play for TAV 14 Black. They won a national championship when they were 12 and I got to watch them and how they prepared for it for a whole year. We all look up to their team the way they work inside and outside of practice and their relationship with their teammates. They are able to get on each other in a good way and there is no hard feelings. They all want the same thing. We try to apply that with our team. We hang out inside and outside of school. To see that with my sisters I encourage my team to do the same. (Note: We spoke with Livings before TAV 14 Black claimed the USAV 14 Open gold medal in Chicago.) What is your favorite food? Livings: I love sushi. Sushi is so good. I’ve liked it for a while now. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Livings: I really look forward to Lone Star each year. All the Texas teams are there and I get to see friends from all over the state. I also get to see my sisters play. It’s like pre-nationals because the best in Texas come to compete. It’s really fun. What is your favorite team bonding event? Livings: We have one every year. It’s our June madness pool party. We go to Makala’s house to swim and we end up staying there for 10 hours after. Do you have a favorite quote? Livings: One of my old coaches used to say ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ It’s kind of cringy

Helping to wrap up the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago is the 16 Open division, which runs July 3-6. The top teams have taken turns beating each other up all season and it’s going to create a frenzied finish to the calendar. Below, we take a look at what to watch for and reveal our predicted winner. 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings:   5-Star Athletes to Know:   Outlook: The top six seeds virtually mirror our Top 50 National Rankings. 1st Alliance is tops in both categories, with a slight difference with the next two. We have Drive Nation 16 Red at No. 2 in the country, followed by No. 3 Surfside 16 PV Legends. As for the seedings, those two are switched. Hou Skyline 16 Royal, HJV 16 Elite and Arizona Storm 16 Thunder follow at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 respectively in both our rankings and seedings. The first big deviation comes next with ID Crush 16 Bower at No. 7. We have ID Crush at No. 23 in the rankings. It’s true ID Crush finished first at three qualifiers in PNQ, Salt Lake City and Far Western but those were not the toughest qualifiers. ID Crush did participate in the Red Rock Rave, where it made the gold pools but finished tied for ninth. AAU 16 Open champ Adidas KiVA 16 Red checks in as the No. 12 overall seed. The two at-large recipients in Legacy 16-1 Adidas and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno received respectable seeds at No. 13 and 16 respectively. MKE Sting 16 Gold, which is No. 12 in our Top 50 National Rankings, received a lower seed than expected at No. 22. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 1st Alliance 4-1 OT 16 JP 4-1 Legacy 3-2 Wave 2-3 Madfrog 2-3 Vision 0-5 Pool 2 Surfside 5-0 KiVA 4-1 Tribe 3-2 Austin Skyline 2-3 MAVS 1-4 Triangle 0-5 Pool 3 Drive Nation 5-0 Circle City 4-1 MKE Sting 3-2 GP 2-3 Alamo 1-4 Coast 0-5 Pool 4 Nebraska One 5-0 Hou Skyline 4-1 Mich Elite 3-2 AVC Cle 2-3 OT 16 Roberto 1-4 Vegas Aces 0-5 Pool 5 A5 4-1 TAV 4-1 HJV 3-2 HPSTL 3-2 NorCal 1-4 Oaks 0-5 Pool 6 Arizona Storm 5-0 Northern Lights 4-1 Vaqueras 3-2 ID Crush 2-3 Premier Nebraska 1-4 Long Beach 0-5 *** Quarterfinalists 1st Alliance Drive Nation Hou Skyline Arizona Storm A5 Circle City HPSTL Austin Skyline Final 1st Alliance d Arizona Storm Bronzes Cirlce City; Drive Nation

One of the two last age groups competing for a gold medal is 17 Open, which runs from July 3-6 at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. It’s been a powerhouse age group all season, with our No. 1 ranking switching spots with every update. Currently, Dynasty 17 Black sits at No. 1, but will the club end the season there? Below, we take a look at how the division may play out. 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 5-Star Athletes to Know: Outlook: There are a few favorites, with the rest of the field trying to keep one of them from winning it all. Dynasty, TAV 17 Black, Triangle 17 Black and Drive Nation 17 Red have been in the mix all season and the odds are heavy that one of the four ends as the gold medalist. After that, there’s a big group of teams that can cause havoc and play the role of disruptors. Then there’s the pack that is going to need to pull off many upsets to put themselves in a position to medal. Co Jrs 17 Kevin, SG Elite 17 Rosh, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, Vision 17 Gold, Wave 17 Juliana, Coast 17-1, OT 17 Aaron, NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, KC Power 17 Black, Momentous 17 Dan and Hou Skyline 17 Royal are all capable of reaching the quarterfinals and medaling. The next group includes the rest of the field, and they certainly have a lot of work ahead to break through. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 Dynasty 5-0 Co Jrs 4-1 SCVC 3-2 Madfrog 2-3 AVC Cle 1-4 Rev 0-5 Pool 2 Premier Nebraska 5-0 SG Elite 4-1 A5 3-2 Vision 2-3 Skyline 1-4 MAVS 0-5 Pool 3 Drive Nation 4-1 Wave 4-1 Rockwood Thunder 2-3 Pohaku 2-3 OT Felix 2-3 Long Beach 1-4 Pool 4 1st Alliance 3-2 Hou Skyline 3-2 KC Power 3-2 Metro 3-2 Boiler Jrs 2-3 City 1-4 Pool 5 TAV 5-0 Triangle 4-1 OT 3-2 HJV 2-3 Club V 1-4 Seal Beach 0-5 Pool 6 Coast 4-1 Momentous 4-1 NKYVC 4-1 Miami Hype 1-4 AJV 1-4 NorCal 1-4 *** Quarterfinalists Dynasty TAV Triangle Wave KC Power Drive Nation Co Jrs 1st Alliance *** Final 1st Alliance d Dynasty Bronzes TAV; Drive Nation

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 Omoruyi. *** At 8, Kendall Omoruyi was a practice player on a 13s team. It’s a time she remembers vividly, helping shape her mindset and molding her into the player she currently is. Of course, at 6-4, she’s no longer the same height she was five years ago. With it, she’s getting slightly more attention than she did back then cheering on her older teammates from the sidelines. “I was putting everything into volleyball that’s why I’m so passionate about it today,” she said. “I still have the same aspirations to be the best. I was young playing up on 13s when I was 8. I was a practice player. I was high-level for the age I was at. It was a really good experience. If I wasn’t a practice player like I was I wouldn’t be as passionate as I am today about the sport.” Omoruyi started playing volleyball early at 5, inspired by watching her older cousin. Her sisters also played. It only motivated Omoruyi to be better than them. Growing up in a sports family, she’s competitive by nature. Omoruyi tried both softball and basketball at different times, but neither ever came close to matching the connection, love and passion coursing through her veins like with volleyball. “I played softball a little bit for my school team,” she said. “It made think about the dynamic with volleyball. With volleyball, I like the dynamic of how connected we are as a team. It wasn’t that same type of connection.” Omoruyi is currently a 5-star recruit starring for Arizona Storm 14 Thunder, which is set to compete this week in 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. Arizona Storm enters the four-day tournament ranked No. 2 in the nation in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. Though the recruiting process has changed in recent years, there’s no doubt all the top college coaches in the country have been aware of Omoruyi for a long time. She’s an athletic sensation who moves extremely well for being 6-4. There’s plenty of attention that comes with but in some ways Omoruyi can be considered a veteran compared to others her age having already been playing for eight years. It’s helped her develop her attitude and approach to all the attention that comes her way. “I really try to focus on me and my team and playing to the best of my ability,” she said. “Some girls get in their head, but I like to zone out the attention and stuff and just play my game. I try not really getting too far ahead of myself. I focus on being present in the moment and not being worried about who is watching. I want to win the game for my team and show how hard I’ve been working on my skills to use.” Though Omoruyi hasn’t even attended her first day of high school, when it comes to volleyball goals and dreams she’s thinking more than just the next four years. She’s thinking beyond college as well. “After college, I’m thinking of wanting to go pro and hopefully go to the Olympics,” she said. “I really want to be the first in my family to be an Olympian. I really want to go far in volleyball. I want to be playing volleyball up until I can’t anymore.” Omoruyi also has an intense passion for fashion, thinking big picture when it comes to it as well. It’s a challenge finding clothes she likes that fit her frame properly. If she has her way, she’s going to be a game-changer in that industry too. As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Omoruyi about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? Omoruyi: My role model is T (Teraya) Sigler (who recently committed to Nebraska). She plays for 16 Thunder. I look up to her work ethic and her drive. The way her passion for the sport shows in her eyes every time she touches a ball at practice or at a tournament. She’s very passionate about the sport and that’s eye-catching to me. She’s an amazing role model. Another is my mother. She works very hard every day to provide for our family. Outside volleyball she is my role model. She’s a hard-working woman who really cares for her family. I aspire to be like that one day. What is your favorite food(s)? Omoruyi: My favorite food is an African dish called panned yams with a soup. It’s really good. I really enjoy it. It has a lot of veggies like okra and spice and meat. It’s a family dish from my dad’s side. He’s Nigerian. What is your favorite tournament of the season? Omoruyi: My favorite tournament of the season is nationals because it shows how hard you worked all season. I love how everyone is playing their hardest because it’s the last tournament of the season. What is your favorite team bonding event? Omoruyi: My favorite is definitely our last practice gift exchange. It’s a very emotional time. We share all of our memories we made from all of our tournaments and time together this season. What is your favorite quote? Omoruyi: My favorite quote is “Know your worth even when no one sees it.” In sports and in life, I have learned you have to be your own No. 1 fan before anyone else because if you don’t believe in yourself how can anyone else believe in you? What is your go to song to warm up to? Omoruyi: I like to switch it up a lot. I’m back to Carrie Underwood’s Take the Wheel.

The season-ending event we all have been clamoring for is finally near! It’s almost time for the start of the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. Below, we look at the 14 Open division, which runs June 28-July 1, and make our predictions as to which club is leaving with the gold medal. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings:   5-Star Athletes to Know:   4-Star Athletes to Know:   Outlook: With this division, there’s one question to ask? Can anyone capture the gold medal outside of the top trio this season in TAV 14 Black, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson? Combined, they have won Triple Crown plus five qualifiers. It’s going to take a special effort to prevent one of them from keeping it going in Chicago and finishing the year on top. A handful of teams already warmed up by participating in 14 Open at AAUs. The national champion there – Northern Lights 14-1 – is in the National Division in Chicago. But the teams playing in both Open divisions include OT 14 Laura, A5 14 Helen, Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Legacy 14-1 Adidas, GP 14 Rox, Top Select 14 Elite and Mintonette Sports m.41. A5 finished runner up while Top Select collected a bronze medal. Legacy and OT tied for fifth. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 TAV 5-0 A5 4-1 Elevation 3-2 Forza1 14 One 2-3 Vision 14 Gold 1-4 Academy 14 Diamond 0-5 *** Pool 2 Tstreet 5-0 HPSTL 4-1 Top Select 3-2 Lions 1-4 PVA 1-4 Tejas 1-4 *** Pool 3 Arizona Storm 5-0 Madfrog 3-2 Forza North 3-2 MAVS 2-3 VCNebraska 1-4 Club V 1-4 *** Pool 4 Skyline 5-0 Wave 3-2 AZ Sky 3-2 GP 2-3 Absolute 1-4 SA Jrs 1-4 *** Pool 5 Long Beach 4-1 Drive Nation 4-1 Hou Skyline 3-2 Tribe 3-2 NKYVC 1-4 Premier Nebraska 0-5 *** Pool 6 OT 4-1 AP 4-1 Legacy 2-3 Rage 2-3 Mintonette 2-3 Excel 1-4 *** Quarterfinalists TAV Arizona Storm Tstreet Long Beach Skyline OT A5 AZ Sky *** Final Tstreet d Arizona Storm Bronzes TAV; Skyline

The last of the four waves at AAUs features 16 Open and it promises to be the most exciting of them all. To say this year’s field is one of the most competitive in recent memories is an understatement. There are 17 teams from vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings participating, including seven from the Top 20. Below, we take a closer look, as well as make our call on the eventual winner. 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 73 Vballrecuiter.com National Rankings (17):   5-Star Athletes to Know:   4-Star Athletes to Know:   Prediction: What makes 16 Open so exciting is there is no heavy favorite or favorites like there were with the other Open divisions. Going into those age groups it felt like less than a handful of teams were capable of walking away with the gold medal. That’s not the case in 16 Open. One reason is many of teams have performed very well at one tournament only to underperform at another. Consistency hasn’t necessarily been a strength and that could lead to wild and unpredictable results over the four days of play here. There appears to be eight to nine teams talented enough to earn the top spot on the podium. Also, of the 10 highest-ranked teams competing, eight are headed to Chicago shortly after. Here are the picks for the quarterfinalists: A5, KiVA, OT JP, Tribe, SPVB, Munciana, Mich Elite and Northern Lights. The final comes down to Tribe topping Sports Performance, with KiVA and OT JP taking bronzes.

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: Milly McGee. *** Being immersed in a sport at an early age can lead to being pulled in and falling in love for life or being pushed away and seeking another interest. When it comes to volleyball, Milly McGee – a 6-0, 4-star setter from the Class of 2026 – is a lifer. She’s been around the sport as long as she can remember and no matter what else she’s tried “volleyball has always been my favorite,” said McGee, who plays for SCVC 15 Roxy in Southern California. McGee’s father, Chris ‘Geeter’ McGee, was the longtime emcee for the AVP tour. Growing up in Manhattan Beach and being around the sport from such an early age, it was a natural step into for volleyball for her, both indoor and on the beach. McGee’s been juggling both for a long time and recently she decided to prioritize focusing on indoor she said. “I never really knew what I liked more,” McGee said. “It was more after Covid when I missed indoor a lot because we weren’t playing and that’s when I really fell in love. Plus, I love setting so that’s why I chose indoor.” McGee has loved running the show since she began setting back in third grade. She would hit too back then but always enjoyed being able to touch the ball on every play setting and picking the plays to run. “I like to have a lot of fun on the court,” she said. “I like the pressure. I like encouraging my teammates and just having lots of energy. That’s the main thing for me.” We’ll next see McGee on the court when SCVC participates in 15 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships at the end of June in Chicago. It’s been a strong season for SCVC, which finished second at Triple Crown in February and captured first at the Salt Lake Showdown in April. SCVC arrives in Chicago ranked No. 14 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. “Our team has been together since we were 12,” McGee said. “We are finally to the point where we are really connecting with each other and are going hard. We have some new players who are helping us too. It’s been really fun being one of the top teams and being in all the big tournaments. I’m super excited (for nationals). I just got over a concussion that happened in Reno. It was a setback but I’m super excited for it. I just started practicing with the team again. I feel like we are ready. We are going hard preparing for this moment.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with McGee about volleyball and more. Who is your role model or icon you look up to? McGee: Always a favorite player of mine was Kerri Walsh Jennings. Also, I knew her and she is such a nice person. She really got me into loving volleyball also. But outside volleyball, Kobe. My family is really big Lakers fans and he was always someone I loved and inspire to work like. What is your favorite food(s)? McGee: This is tough because I’m a picky eater. It’s really hard, but probably french fries and pasta. I’m really more of a dessert person. What is your favorite tournament of the season? McGee: So far Triple Crown has been my favorite. It was really unexpected that we did so well. We started off 0-2 and we were missing a key player on our team. We weren’t expecting that type of outcome. It made it really fun. It was so exciting playing top level teams and finishing like that. What is your favorite team bonding event? McGee: Every travel tournament we do an escape room. I think it’s a really fun way for team bonding. We split up into two teams to see who finishes first then we get ice cream. What is your favorite quote? McGee: I don’t know, I don’t really have one. I like to go as hard as I can while also having fun with it. Volleyball is such a fun sport. It’s about working hard and having fun. What is your go to song to warm up to? McGee: Our team has a group SCVC playlist that we all get hype on playing on a big speaker. I think right now our favorite is Pon de Replay the remix. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? McGee: I would probably want to fly or read minds. I think it would so cool to fly and see everything or to be able to fly off somewhere to go get ice cream. If you could have dinner with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? McGee: It would be cool to have dinner with Taylor Swift. She was one of the first concerts I ever went to and I have loved her albums throughout the years. It would be fun to learn about her process she goes through writing her songs and performing. What do you like to do outside of volleyball? McGee: I live by the beach so I love going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. Probably one of my favorite things is being with all my friends at the beach together. I also love to surf. Surfing is one of my favorite things. What’s your favorite number and why? McGee: Number 8 is my favorite. It’s been my number since third grade when I visited Texas. Cat McCoy was the libero and she was No. 8. She was my favorite player so there was that and also Kobe. Kobe was