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Before we at vballrecruiter.com can conclude the 2021-2022 club season we have a few remaining items to get to. One is our final National Rankings, which we’ll start releasing next week. In the meantime, we’ll continue to reveal our 2022 Club All-Americans. We’ve named them from both the 18s and 17s division already. Up next is the 16s division, which you can find below. First, let’s discuss what goes into compiling our All-American awards. While everything is subjective, the factors we weighed in determining the list – which features 24 First Team All-Americans plus Honorable Mentions – include individual talent, impact on the team and overall team success throughout the club season. Future potential or eventual collegiate impact have no bearing on the award. We only factored in what happened during the most recent club season. With so many talented players scattered across the nation, finalizing an award list like this has its challenges. Everyone who deserves recognition cannot be included and our awards are certainly not an end-all, be-all list. Unfortunately, even with 24 First Team All-Americans plus Honorable Mentions, deserving players will be left off. Ultimately, we recognize who we felt were most deserving based on the factors discussed above. OUTSIDE HITTER Skyler Pierce, Dynasty 16 Black Carlie Cisneros, Dynasty 16 Black  Jadyn Livings, TAV 16 Black Ava Utterback, Circle City 16 Purple Hannah Benjamin, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Macaria Spears, Metro 16 Travel Samantha Bowron, Top Select 16 Elite Blue MIDDLE BLOCKER Favor Anyawu, TAV 16 Black  Logan Wiley, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Julia Hunt, NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Zoey Burgess, Club V 16 Ren Wayne  Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, Drive Nation 16 Red Mia Tvrdy, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold  Ayden Ames, TAV 16 Black  RIGHT SIDE Abigail Mullen, Dynasty 16 Black  Molly Kate Patten, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe SETTER Charlie Fuerbringer, Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar Izzy Starck, Co Jrs 16 Sherri  Reese Messer, Dynasty 16 Black Amanda Saeger, Wave 16 Brennan LIBERO Lola Schumacher, Munciana 16 Moana  Faith Frame, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold  Gabriela Cornier, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Gillan Pitts, TAV 16 Black HONORABLE MENTION OH – Jaidyn Jager, Coast 16-1 OH – Lauryn Lambert, Skyline16 Royal OH – Suli Davis, Drive Nation 16 Red OH – Grace Nelson, 1st Alliance 16 Gold OH – Avery Jackson, Madfrog 16 Green OH – Babi Gubbins, Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar OH – Brooklyn Tealer, Gainesville Jrs 16 Black OH – Avah Armour, Co Jrs 16 Sherri OH – Emerson Sellman, Metro 16 Travel OH – Reese Wuebker, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue OH – Taylor Williams, Vision 16 Gold MB – Lillian Croshaw, Madfrog 16 Green MB – Mackenzie Parsons, Coast 16-1 MB – Jenna Hanes, WAVE 16-Brennan MB – Ashlyn Philpot, Triangle 16 Black RS – Bailey Higgins, OT 16 T Jason RS – Grace Carroll, Alamo 16 Premier RS – Alexis Maesch, Circle City 16 Purple S/RS – Lilly Wagner, MKE Sting 16 Gold S – Taylor Parks, OT 16 T Jason S – Taylor Yu, SG Elite 16 Roshambo S – Maya Baker, Vision 16 Gold L – Ryan McAleer, Dynasty 16 Black  L – Elizabeth Tabeling, NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami

It’s that time of year where club volleyball season might be officially over in terms of competition, but it’s not quite finished for us. Over the next two weeks we’ll be wrapping up our coverage of the 2021-2022 season in releasing our Club All-Americans and final National Rankings. We’ve already put out our 18s Club All-Americans. Next in line is the 17s divisions, which you can find below. First, let’s discuss what goes into compiling our All-American awards. While everything is subjective, the factors we weighed in determining the list – which features 24 First Team All-Americans plus Honorable Mentions – include individual talent, impact on the team and overall team success throughout the club season. Future potential or eventual collegiate impact have no bearing on the award. We only factored in what happened during the most recent club season. With so many talented players scattered across the nation, finalizing an award list like this has its challenges. Everyone who deserves recognition cannot be included and our awards are certainly not an end-all, be-all list. Unfortunately, even with 24 First Team All Americans plus Honorable Mentions, deserving players will be left off. Ultimately, we recognize who we felt were most deserving based on the factors discussed above. vballrecruiter.com 17s Club All-Americans OUTSIDE HITTER Jurnee Robinson, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing Torrey Stafford, Sunshine 17 LA Harper Murray, Legacy 17-1 Adidas Chloe Chicoine, Circle City 17 Purple Jordyn Harvey, Club V 17 Ren Reed Julia Blyashov, Wave 17 Juliana MIDDLE BLOCKER Calissa Minatee, Dynasty 17 Black Reese Robins, Drive Nation 17 Red Eloise Brandewie, Mintonette m.71 Brooke Bultema, Elevation 17 Goller Jordyn Dailey, CHAVC 17 Black Nya Bunton, Asics KiVA 17 Red RIGHT SIDE Sydney Schnichels, MN Select 17-1 Olivia Babcock, Sunshine 17 LA Noemie Glover, Coast 17-1 Nayelis Cabello, Top Select 17 Elite (S/RS) SETTER Ella Swindle, KC Power 17-1 Ava Sarafa, Mich Elite 17 Mizuno Stella Swenson, MN Select 17-1 Ashley Mullen, Dynasty 17 Black LIBERO Laney Choboy, Academy 17 Diamond Olivia Mauch, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold Gigi Navarrete, 1st Alliance 17 Gold Alyssa Manitzas, Alamo 17 Premier *** HONORABLE MENTION OH – Claire Little, Coast 17-1 OH – Kyndal Stowers, TAV 17 Black OH – Blaire Bayless, Madfrog 17 Green OH – Destiny Ndam-Simpson, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold  OH – Kendal Murphy, AZ Rev 17 Premier OH – Grace Egan, 1st Alliance 17 Gold MB – Kaia Caffee, MN Select 17-1  MB – Kamryn Lee-Caracci, 1st Alliance 17 Gold MB – Leah Ford, Drive Nation 17 Red  MB – Laurece Abraham, Legacy 17-1 Adidas  MB – Taylor Harvey, Club V 17 Ren Reed  MB – Mia Lee, Club V 17 Ren Reed  MB – Eva Rohrbach, Wave 17 Juliana MB – Hannah Pfiffner, TAV 17 Black RS – Grace Heaney, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold  RS – Lauryn Bowie, Mintonette m.71  RS – Allison Cavanaugh, OT 17 J John S – Audrey Clark, TAV 17 Black S – Erin Kline, Legacy 17-1 Adidas S – Kalia Kohler, Club V 17 Ren Reed  L – Kate Thibault, MN Select 17-1 L – Koko Kirsch, Wave 17 Juliana L – Heidi Devers, Dynasty 17 Black L – Melie Vaioleti, Ku’ikahi Wahine 17 RSB

On a beautiful Sunday in Hermosa Beach the AVP crowned not only its professional champions in the men and women’s divisions, but also awarded gold medals to the 18 and 14U champs. There was excitement and anticipation in the air as scores of spectators were shuffling around catching the volleyball action and sun rays on a hot So Cal day. Here are recaps of what we were able to catch of matches while navigating the courts. 18U Final Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker vs Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell – We were glad we stayed until the 5:30pm start time. As the sun was starting to set and AVP workers breaking down tents, this Texas versus California final was about to begin. Inskeep/Stowell from California came in as the 14th seed against the 15th-seeded Boyd/Walker from Texas. Boyd had her prints early on in set one. With her jump serving producing points while adding in thunderous kills, she had the crowd on its feet and as her team jumped out to an early lead. Inskeep’s offense kept it close with well-placed shots but Walker answered with kills of her own, punctuated by a big hammer with no one up and her team won set one, 21-15. Stowell found her grove in set two, starting with hard cross court swings to take back momentum. Half way through the set she had a monster block which got a lot of noise from the cheering section. She finished off the set with three more blocks as they won it 25-13. A Stowell kill got the crowd excited to start set three and they were underway. This set had it all with Inskeep and her defense complimenting Stowell’s net play. Then Boyd would get a jump serve ace and Walker would make one of her amazing defensive plays and converting with a big kill. It made for a great ending to the final. Boyd/Walker ended up winning 15-12 and claiming the gold at Hermosa Beach. Semifinals Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell vs Jenna Colligan/Bailey Showalter – Stowell – a Stanford commit – and Showalter – a USC commit – were the big blockers and had power for days but this match turned into a chess game. Both teams were aware of the blockers and roll shots were called upon. Inskeep impressed with her resume of shots that find open court. Colligan tried hard to keep it close with her quick feet chasing down roll shots. In the end it was hard to keep Inskeep from her points with her shot variety as Inskeep/Stowell marched on to the finals. Liv Johnson/Harper Cooper vs Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker – After watching Boyd, the UCLA commit, and Walker, the USC commit, play this match we can now fully appreciate this duo. Their calm and confident demeanor just exuded the been there, done that attitude. After a Boyd ace off a jump serve or a Walker resounding kill, they would share a smile and acknowledged each other then go about their business. That level of communication is huge in team sports and they went on to a straight set victory. Quarterfinals Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell vs Alexis Durish/Sarah Wood – This was the matchup we were excited to see as Inskeep and Wood played in the 16U gold medal match with Wood coming out on top. The match featured some exceptional blockers but ball control dictated who won. Inskeep’s ability to read and defend created more scoring opportunities for her team and they won in straight sets. Carra Sassack/Ashley Vincent vs Maggie Boyd/Gabrielle Walker – Boyd and Walker’s game is very traditional. Pass, set, hit. Block, set, and hit. Nothing in between, no set over or option play. What is amazing is while being predictable they are absolutely amazing at what they do. After weathering an error filled first set they rebounded by winning 25-7 and 15-7. We like their temperament and how calm they were the entire match. *** 14U Final Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Janie McCanna/Kaitlyn Nguyen – We were disappointed that we were unable to catch any action from this showdown. It was shaping to be the front row dominance and defensive energy of Krystkowiak/Tremann against the steady ball control and shot making abilities of McCanna/Nguyen. In the end Krystkowiak/Treumann won and earned their 14U gold medal. Semifinals Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw – The word momentum correctly applies to Treumann’s team. After a huge comeback win in the quarterfinal match everything they touched turned to points. With Treumann’s defense and Kryskowiak’s crushing sets and overpasses they cruised in the match 25-13 and 25-10. Quarterfinals Janie McCanna/Kaitlyn Nguyen vs Bella Scherfenberg/Layla Austin – Let’s start off with the most ridiculous scoring game we’ve seen in a while. The first set was unbelievable and went into overtime. Both teams had opportunities to finish the set and as the crowd waited nearly 10 minutes after it was 21-all, a Nguyen knuckle pokey caught the corner for a 40-38 win!! McCanna and Nguyen’s ball control and steady demeanor helped this team navigate through a tough match losing a tight set two before winning the third 16-14. Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw vs Ava Kretschman/Bailey Farnes – Znider had a great match and her team needed every bit as they won 15-12 in the third set. Her high reaching swing was hard to block, add on her stellar defense in creating rallies balanced her game. Her signature moment was the huge block she had that gave her team much needed energy after a long rally. Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann vs Ceila Hendrickson/Addison Terrell – It was the wake-up call that Kryskowiak/Treumann needed. After losing a set for the first time all tournament they rebounded by crushing their opponents 25-12 and 15-9. The feistiness of Treumann with her relentless defense and vocal energy set the tone for the comeback.

The 2021-2022 club season officially wrapped up last week with the conclusion of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in Indianapolis. We’ll have our final national rankings for the 14-18s age groups out next week. In the meantime, we want to reveal our 2022 Club All-Americans, starting first with the 18s division. First off, let’s discuss what goes into compiling our All-American awards. While everything is subjective, the factors we weighed in determining the list – which features 24 First Team All-Americans plus Honorable Mentions – include individual talent, impact on the team and overall team success throughout the club season. Future potential or eventual collegiate impact have no bearing on the award. We only factored in what happened during the most recent club season. With so many talented players scattered across the nation, finalizing an award list like this has its challenges. Everyone who deserves recognition cannot be included and our awards are certainly not an end-all, be-all list. Unfortunately, even with 24 First Team All Americans plus Honorable Mentions, deserving players will be left off. Ultimately, we recognize who we felt were most deserving based on the factors discussed above. (17s Club All-Americans) vballrecruiter.com 2022 18s FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS OUTSIDE HITTERS Elia Rubin, Sunshine 18 LA Eva Hudson, Munciana 18 Samurai Cheridyn Leverette, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc Devin Kahahawai, Spike and Serve 18 Emily Hellmuth, Skyline 18 Royal Jordan Middleton, Arizona Storm 18 Thunder MIDDLE BLOCKERS Marianna Singletary, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc Serena Nyambio, Legacy 18-1 Adidas Amaya Thomas, OT 18 Felix Carter Mogridge, OT 18 Chad Vanessa Polk, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite RIGHT SIDES Kerry Keefe, Sunshine 18 LA Logan Lednicky, Hou Skyline 18 Royal Alexa Markley, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc Harmony Sample, Madfrog 18 Green (S/RS) SETTERS Katie Hurta, Adversity 18 Adidas (S/RS) Kelly Belardi, Sunshine 18 LA Bergen Reilly, Kairos 18 Adidas Rosemary Archer, Skyline 18 Royal LIBEROS Ramsey Gary, Munciana 18 Samurai Saige Damrow, FC Elite 18 Elite Emma Farrell, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc Emma Halter, Team Indiana 181 Gala Trubint, Coast 18-1 *** HONORABLE MENTION OH – Adonia Faumuina, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar OH – Kathryn Randorf, AVC Cle Rox 18 Red OH – Caroline Jurevicius, AVC Cle Rox 18 Red OH – Maya Duckworth, Madfrog 18 Green   OH – Ava Martin, PVA 18 Elite OH – Courtney Jones, Circle City 18 Purple OH – Laila Ivey, Metro 18 Travel MB – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Madfrog 18 Green MB – Grace Wuischpard, Absolute Black 18-1 MB – Kennedy Hill, Sunshine 18 LA MB – Hannah Sherman, Metro 18 Travel RS – Kennedy Martin, FC Elite 18 Elite RS – Avry Tatum, Wave 18 Kevin RS – Madison Scheer, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite S – Maddie Waak, Hou Skyline 18 Royal   S – Natalia Hagopian, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar S – Cameron Berger, Vital 18-1 Gold S – Katie Dalton, FRVBC 18-1 Black S – Havannah Hoeft, Rage 18 Westside L – Tatum Thomas, Arizona Storm 18 Thunder   L – Emily Canaan, Skyline 18 Royal   L – Naylani Feliciano, Skyline 18 Royal   L –Zoria Heard, Madfrog 18 Green L – Skylar McCune, Premier Nebraska 18 Gold

Welcome to the AVP’s version of volleyball paradise. Along a little stretch of sand surrounding the Hermosa Beach Pier the AVP hosted not only a professional tournament for men and women’s field but also the start of the 18U and 14U AVP Junior Nationals. With 43 courts running the whole day it was heaven for volleyball enthusiasts. The 18U field has 124 teams and 14U included 97 pairs. Here are the Day 1 Show Stoppers who caught our attention. 18U Alexis Durish/Sarah Wood – Wood captured the 16U division on Wednesday and Friday she started her quest to hold both 16U and 18U titles. With Durish being really steady both on offense and defense the No. 1 overall seed has a shot at history. Ashley Pater/Zoey Mitchell – Both USC commits play with good energy. Pater brings a lot to the table. Her relentless defense and vocal energy makes watching them exciting. Kendra Brown/McKenna Flaherty – Being both good sized and possessing ball control is rewarded by having a balanced team. Brown and Flaherty are both splits who handle the net and defense with no drop off. Kylie Truslow-Neffendorf/Virginia Trost – With both from this duo bringing a good jump serve to the table it adds one more layer to how they can beat teams. Trost is a strong blocker and getting touches consistently. Erin Inskeep/Clara Stowell – Fresh off the second-place finish in the 16U division, Inskeep kept the ball rolling with a strong first day. Her ball control continues to amaze and making tough plays seem normal. Grace Goudy/Sabrina Moore – A bit of a smaller team, Goudy and Moore play with big energy. They are a super athletic team and able to cover the whole court. We saw Moore chase down a ball off the block, and after diving she got back up and converted with a powerful swing. Kylie Vaickus/Malia Gementera – This team will make you beat them. They just don’t make errors. Playing a high energy game their never-give-up attitude takes a lot of steam out of their opponents. Gementera is a stud in the back row. Macy Butler/Kelly Belardi – Belardi is a beast at the net. Not only stuff blocking but when she swings it usually ends up with the thumping sound of the ball hitting the sand. Tawny Ensign/Skylar Ensign – The twins are both Tulane commits. Being siblings clearly helps this duo as they move around each other naturally. Skylar is a smart attacker mixing up her tempo and location making it hard to read her. Brooke Birch/Grace Townson – Townson the TCU commit takes up good space with her blocking, allowing for Birch to do what she does best in making strong reads and ending up in points for the team. 14U Finley Krystkowiak/Thais Treumann – Krystkowiak – fresh off a successful indoor season for Wave – has made a seamless transition to the sand game. Her 6-3 frame and athletic ability makes it tough for opponents to defend against. Bella Scherfenberg/Layla Austin – Scherfenberg’s energy drives the team. Defensively she makes so many exciting plays diving for balls and converting. Blair Bowers/Gabriella Rodriguez – Bowers is a force at the net. She not only jumps well but reads the attack angels and gets good touches. Simone Roslon/Sara Moynihan – Moynihan is the do-it-all player. She plays well at the net getting touches and bringing the heat with her lefty swing. Defensively she’s got great energy and focus. Izzy Masten/Ella Grimes – This duo’s ball control is fun to watch, especially their passing. Whether in serve receive or dropping in defense the ball predictably ends up in the same spot giving them countless opportunities for big swings. Zoe Znider/Tiani Shaw – Znider’s quick feet and her long left-handed swing makes her a plus defender. By the way she’s also got a good serve. With her starting a match she proceeded to beat the opponent 25-0. Ella Olson/Addison Williams – Olson brings her dominance from indoor out to the beach. On the hardwood she is a big swinging high flyer. On the sand her shots and court sense sets her apart from other attackers. Sophee Peterson/Capri Romjue – Peterson and Romjue are a well-rounded team. Romjue plays the net well blocking and hitting while Peterson has the quickness to chase down shots and convert for points.

After three full days of 119 teams battling it out, one team was able to crown itself the AVP 16U Junior National champs. Thursday was single elimination bracket play, starting with 32 teams and ending with one champ. Below is a recap of the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship match. Finals The fight for the gold medal featured Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep against Sarah Wood/Gella Andrew. The formula for Morley/Inskeep leading into the match was great ball control and then converting with an array of cut shots and pokies to the end line. Wood/Andrew had a counter to that and it heavily involved the blocking of Andrew. She can block jump on the sand and get her 6-3 body and elbows over the net. That coverage took away a lot of court allowing Wood to easily read and convert. Woods reads on defense is next level as she anticipated sharp angles a frustrated Inskeep was looking for. She would then convert her defense with a boom as her arm swing is heavy and powerful. In the end, Wood/Andrew pulled away with a straight set victory claiming the gold! Semifinal Match 1 One half of the semis came down to Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep facing Aubrey McBride/Lily Davis. Morley/Inskeep’s ball control was on full display. Offensively, they both have a wide array of power swings, cut shots and pokies. Having so much in their arsenal made life so difficult for opponents to rally. Defensively, Morley was a beast hustling, diving and covering the back court. Inskeep continues to impress with her ability to drop then dig and control, sometimes even with one arm and then convert. Semifinal Match 2 The other of the semis pitted Sarah Wood/Gella Andrew against Stacy Reeves/Isabella Gamache. Wood/Andrew continued to dominate the playoffs with their strong play. Andrews uses her height at the net so effectively. She dominates with her block but she is so smart offensively. With a block up she uses her height to peek over the block and chip balls over to the open court. Without a block she is as close to automatic as you can get. Wood/Andrew took the contest in straight sets. Quarterfinal Match 1 This one featured Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep pairing off against Claire Sun/Emma Markoff. With Sun/Markoff coming off a big upset of Massey/Langham they tried to keep the momentum going. Sun’s net play was big with huge blocks and great swings. Problem was they ran into the Morley/Inskeep duo. Their serve receive was flawless, continually pressuring Markoff defending. Morley made good reads and converted consistently. Morley/Inskeep moved on in a straight set win. Quarterfinal Match 2 Maddy Bryne/Mallory Labreche took on Aubrey McBride/Lily Davis in this contest. What a great battle of styles. Bryne/Labreche play with such confidence in their ball control, serving and defense. They don’t rattle at all. McBride/Davis are more traditional with Davis patrolling the net and McBride compliments her net play with outstanding defense. In the end it came down to a third set with McBride and Davis moving on. Quarterfinal Match 3 Sarah Wood/Gella Andrew faced Audrey Jackson/Kennedy Coakley for a spot in the semis. With three 6-0 kids on the court, there was not much real estate for balls to land. Coakley – a UCLA commit – was trying to keep it close with big swings teaming with Jackson’s pesky serving but Wood/Andrews won this match easily and moved on. Quarterfinal Match 4 Kyra Zaengle/Elena Fisher took on Stacy Reeves/Isabella Gamache in the last quarterfinal. If you are a fan on long rallies this was your match. Both teams feature strong ball control and the willingness to hustle and not give up for any ball. Gamache’s powerful jump serve and Reeves energy and conversion were the X factor as they won in straight sets.

Throughout the season, the strength and depth of the 17 Open division was something to marvel at. Everywhere we traveled coaches spoke about all the teams which could possibly be in the running for a gold medal at season’s end. Simply put, there was no way the four days in Indianapolis for the USAV GJNC could disappoint. All season long 1st Alliance 17 Gold proved itself as a serious threat, winning both the Northern Lights and Windy City national qualifiers, taking fifth at the Sunshine Classic and third at Triple Crown. There was no arguing 1st Alliance was worthy of the No. 1 seed it received in 17 Open. The only question mark was could 1st Alliance hold it throughout the four-day gauntlet it was about to enter? “I think the competition is so even in this division,” 1st Alliance coach Danielle Mikos said. “I have so much respect for so many of these teams. I didn’t really know if we could do it. It comes down to matchups and who was more mentally confident. I think our team is very confident and they woke up ready to win today. We beat some very good teams. I don’t think the score reflects how good those teams were who we beat.” There were a few moments of doubt, as 1st Alliance did drop two matches along the way. However, when it mattered most and 1st Alliance could not afford to lose is when the club shined brightest, ending with a convincing sweep over MN Select 17-1, 25-20, 25-20, in the championship match. “This is the culmination of what this team has been about all season,” Mikos said. “We don’t have one all-star and that’s what makes it so special about them. They take turns getting everyone their moment to shine. They relish and support each other. This match was no different.” Downing MN Select in straight sets capped an impressive final day. 1st Alliance was all business, first sweeping Premier Nebraksa 17 Gold, 25-21, 25-14, in the quarterfinals, then stopping Coast 17-1, 25-23, 25-15, in the semifinals. 1st Alliance was so unstoppable on Day 4 it seemed like lightyears ago the gold medalist was fighting just to stay in contention. It was a rocky start to Day 3 for 1st Alliance, which was surprised by AZ Rev 17 Premier, 17-25, 25-19, 15-13, in its first outing in its three-team pool. The loss left 1st Alliance in a must-win position against a Legacy 17-1 Adidas squad that was 6-0 after winning its pool and defeating AZ Rev already on Day 3. It turned out to be a statement match for 1st Alliance, which swept handily 25-16, 25-14, to not only advance, but surprisingly knock Legacy out of contention on top of it. “Our mantra we’ve had all season is one play, one point, one set and one match,” Mikos said. “We lost a couple matches in pool play over the first three days. All that mattered is doing enough to stay alive up to the elimination matches.” The only other time 1st Alliance lost was on Day 1. It also came in a three-set nail biter as OT 17 John prevailed, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13. It just so happened the only times 1st Alliance lost was went it went to three. Other than that, 1st Alliance earned all sweeps in finishing 9-2 overall. 1st Alliance’s run was a classic lesson in volleyball 101. There were bigger teams. There were stronger teams. There were teams which brought the wow factor. Yet, the passing and serving of 1st Alliance was the backbone of its success and no one was better at it than the eventual champs. “Our ball control, defensively and our serve and pass might have been arguably the best in the gym,” Mikos said. “That helped. If we got into trouble we could cover it back up. We had the confidence if the other team made a big play, we get to pass again and we get to reset again. “I want to say how much I love this team. How unselfish they are. If you see them in the gym at practice you would think they were ranked No. 200 in the nation. They have so much confidence when they play but they are the most humble individuals when you watch them train.” *** With its size, physicality and setting, the pieces were there for MN Select. Really, the only question mark was passing. When MN Select took second at the Show Me Qualifier in April, the club flashed its potential and showed what’s possible when it can take care of the ball. MN Select tuned up for Indy by first participating in 17 Open at AAU, where it took fifth after losing to OT 17 John in the quarterfinals. No doubt the field and competition in Indy was going to take a huge step upward and it was difficult gauging where MN Select would ultimately wind up. The first sign MN Select was poised to make a run came on Day 1. MN Select edged Drive Nation 17 Red, 21-25, 25-21, 15-13. MN Select went on to win its pool, despite losing to Tstreet 17 Naseri in its last outing. By that point though, MN Select already had first place locked up so the result was irrelevant. MN Select didn’t lose again until running into 1st Alliance in the championship clash. MN Select took care of KC Power 17-1 and Dynasty 17 Black in its three-team pool on Day 3 before sweeping Mintonette m.71 in challenge play. AZ Rev was a bit of surprise quarterfinalist for MN Select to start Day 4 but there was no looking back in that one as MN Select swept handily. Up next was Club V 17 Ren Reed in the semis. Club V was playing as well as any team and seemed to have the advantage, but MN Select held firm, staying in system and playing strong defense to overcome Club V in straight

Welcome back to an action-packed Day 2 at the AVP 16U Junior Nationals. The field was trimmed in half, from 64 to 32 teams vying for the gold. There weren’t too many surprises as most of the top-two seeds in each pool advanced. Here are the Show Stoppers who caught our attention the most on Day 2. Sarah Woods/Gella Andrew – A USC commit, Andrews continues to impress with her dominance at the net. Standing at 6-3 her blocking forces many errors or easy roll shots for Woods to pick up and demolish. Maddy Byrne/Mallory Labreche – This is a team which is truly comfortable with their ball control. They both have amazing serves capable of runs to give them separation. When they both drop and defend they have no problem covering sideline to sideline with ease. Elise Lenahan/Keira Tanioka – You can tell this group has ball control when they run the option play with ease. The option play is when the defender digs the ball close to the net and the partner hits it over with the second contact. They did this multiple times with good results. Hannah Taylor/Ally Fuchs – Taylor had a strong day both on the net and on the end line. She picked up multiple stuff blocks and overpass kills, then headed to the serving line and recorded a bunch of aces. They showed some grittiness rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the third to win and move on. Molly Labreche/Avery Towne – This duo is very strong in serve receive. Watching them we felt they got a lot of clean looks because of their first contact. They also shined in defense as they scrambled well and had plenty of well-placed cut shots leading to easy points. Aubrey McBride/Lily Davis – McBride plays the net well with good eye work she reads the hitter’s arm swing well. She was also getting touches and consistently slowing down balls for Davis to pick and convert to points. Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep – This duo crushed it as no team scored more than 10 points against them! Watching Inskeep is fun as she has good court vision and has a high volleyball IQ. Sometimes you wonder why she runs the option but when it scores it amazes that she sees what’s open and where the defenders are. Madeline Walker/Adeline Walker – This duo was involved in a nail biter in their first match. Down 13-10 in the third, they showed heart and toughness with exceptional defense. Hustling and scrapping for loose balls they ended up winning 16-14. It set the tone for the rest of the day as they breezed through their next two matches and taking first. Stacy Reeves/Isabella Gamache – A well balanced team as both are splits with the ability to play the net and defend with no drop off. Gamache has a tough jump serve that doesn’t get returned much. Reeves’ energy defending and ability to convert makes this a team to watch. Carly Hixson/Adelina Okazaki – They are a smaller team but play with big energy. Hixson has a powerful swing and doesn’t need much room to approach to score. Okazaki is a wizard defending, from her placement to her hustle getting to balls. She’s got an array of shots to help her convert and score. Audrey Jackson/Kennedy Coakley – Coakley – a UCLA commit – continued to dominate net play. She got tons of blocks but her foot speed dropping back defending and then converting with a powerful swing was a huge reason for her team’s success. Myriah Massey/Lennox Langham – The more we watch Langham, she has to be the fastest defender on the beach. Paired with Massey’s strong net play and big swing makes this team one of the favorites for this tourney.

After a two-year absence, the AVP professionals returns to Hermosa July 8-10. Starting July 5-10 the AVP will concurrently host its Junior Nationals at the courts surrounding the Hermosa Pier. Tuesday was the start of the 16s age group. The field cut from 119 teams to 64 teams for the top half. There was action everywhere on this beautiful day and here are the Show Stoppers who caught our attention. Sarah Wood/Gella Andrew – Both Wood and Andrew are over 6-0 tall with skills to match. Their net presence changed the way other teams attacked, getting tons of blocks and errors from their opponents. With their good ball control they breezed through Day 1. Myriah Massey/Lennox Langham – Massey – just off her USAV U19 championship – continued her dominance. She’s extremely athletic at the net and paired with Langham, who is one of the quickest defenders, makes them one of the favorites in Hermosa. Taylor Ponchak/Danielle Sparks – Sparks’ ball control is truly amazing. She turns medium to hard defensive digs into legitimate easy scoring conversions. Paired with Ponchak’s net play makes this team well balanced. Kathleen Morley/Erin Inskeep – Inskeep has such great imagination. Whether it was digging one handed to hitting a wide set with her off hand, her skill set gave her team more chances than most. Savanna Lau/Charlotta Bell – Bell’s size and presence at the net dominated their matches. They seemingly won every point against a tight set by the opposing team. With Lau covering the back with her speed and relentless effort this duo has a chance to make some noise. Calliandra Otjen/Reese Thai-Sandoval – This group would catch anyone within earshot’s attention. While they are both defenders in size they played with energy and emotion unmatched by any other team there. It was definitely fun to watch them as they pulled of an upset to finish second in the pool. Audrey Jackson/Kennedy Coakley – Coakley plays the net well. From her ability to either read or drop combined with Jackson’s stellar defense is what makes scoring on this team a tough task. They frustrated a lot of teams on offense as they tried but couldn’t find a consistent way to score against them. Carly Hixson/Adelina Okazaki – This group can defend. Both are really fast covering. Hixson has a powerful swing and Okazaki converting from defense to offense with her cut shots makes them well balanced. Elise Lenahan/Keira Tanioka – One word to describe this team is “solid.” They do everything so effortless and clean. So many rallies were controlled by their reads and ball control leading to many easy conversion points. Hannah Taylor/Ally Fuchs – Taylor and Fuchs were impressive all day. This duo’s ability to put tough serves in the same area continuously put so much pressure on their opponents. Combined with sound ball control and good arm swings let the dominate pool play. Nya Coury/Ryan Lambert – Lambert bringing the heat and Coury’s defense was the formula they used to take first in their pool. This team is tough. After losing a set they showed their resiliency battling in a seesaw third set and winning a drama-filled match. Giselle Lau/Sadie Snipes – This duo does all the small things well. Their ball control was excellent and both had good serving runs picking open areas. They were also not afraid to hustle and dive on defense and their ability to convert points after digging led to exciting points. Madeline Walker/Adeline Walker – Both of these girls showed such confidence in their ability to read and cover the court. Time and time again their ability to hustle and scrap their way to winning rallies was amazing.

Just like that the 16s and 17s divisions at the USAV GJNC are over. What a ride! Incredibly, Madfrog 16 Green rose up unexpectedly to take home the 16 Open gold medal. Just as remarkably, 1st Alliance 17 Gold held its No. 1 overall seed to earn the 17 Open gold medal. We’ll have more on all of that in the next couple of days in separate articles. For now, we present our Day 4 Show Stoppers. Avery Jackson, OH, Madfrog 16 Green – Jackson was phenomenal in helping Madfrog to the 16 Open gold medal. She’s an all-around stud, with strong passing and back row skills to go with incredible smarts with her attacking abilities. Lainee Pyles, OH, Madfrog 16 Green – Pyles brings stability to the outside position. She has a big arm and assures Madfrog always has someone front row who can score and keep opponents from reeling off long streaks. Avery Baughman, L, Madfrog 16 Green – Baughman was holding down the back row with her steady play. Her passing out of serve receive was consistent and she was making scrappy hustle plays throughout the day. Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – The more we watch Cornier, the more there is to like. She makes tremendous plays keeping rallies alive and bringing a defensive tenacity to the floor. Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe – A wirey outside, Benjamin gets up and unleashes with the best of them. She’s the team’s go-to hitter and who A5 leans on when it needs a key point. Ryan McAleer, L, Dynasty 16 Black – Dynasty tied for the bronze medal in 16 Open, with McAleer doing her part on the defensive side. She’s an accurate, reliable passer out of serve receive and she flies around the court covering tips and touches well. Grace Nelson, OH, 1st Alliance 16 Gold – Nelson powers the offense along. The dynamic changes every time she comes across the front row with her strong arm and knack for getting points. Ella Vogel, L, Co Jrs 16 Sherri – Vogel was strong in the back court. She has good range and does well tracking down balls to keep plays alive. Izzy Starck, S/RS, Co Jrs 16 Sherri – Starck is the heartbeat of the lineup. She’s a fierce competitor with the ability to impact the match in so many ways, from her setting to hitting and blocking. Mia Tvrdy, MB, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold – A strong presence in the middle, Tvrdy moves side to side well and gets up on the block to cause problems for attackers. She’s also a scoring threat and someone defenses have to track. Faith Frame, L, Premier Nebraska 16 Gold – Frame does such an incredible job in everything she does. She’s a high-level passer and defender who reads very well and is typically in position to make the plays she needs to. Mayte Camacho, L, Top Select 16 Elite – Camacho is a quick libero who gets around the court in a hurry. She’s able to chase down loose balls and does well covering. Samantha Bowron, OH, Top Select 16 Elite – Bowron is a strong outside who jumps and swings well. She’s a six-rotation mainstay and gives Top Select a reliable option who defenses have to plan around. Grace Egan, OH, 1st Alliance 17 Gold – 1st Alliance powered its way to the gold medal, with Egan part of a strong outside duo holding it down. She can get up and crush balls at times. She can also take pace of her shots and go off-speed to the gaps to give defenses fits. Kennedy Wagner, OH, 1st Alliance 17 Gold – Wagner is the other half of the outside duo and is as steady and reliable as they come. She’s a smart attacker who knows how to score consistently against bigger blockers. Gigi Navarrete, L, 1st Alliance 17 Gold – Navarrete is an energetic and upbeat libero who is fun to watch take care of the back row duties. She is steady with her serve receive and does a good job digging. Sydney Schnichels, RS, MN Select 17-1 – Schnichels is such a weapon on the right. She’s long with a big arm. She can go right over blocks or she can tool them. Either way, she has the ability to frustrate defenses. Stella Swenson, S, MN Select 17-1 – Playing up an age group, Swenson is a high IQ setter who is in full command and control of the offense. She has a great touch and connects well with all her hitters. Kate Thibault, L, MN Select 17-1 – Thibault was a back row force. She made a ton of plays to keep her team in points and was rarely off her mark putting the ball on target. Jordyn Harvey, OH, Club V 17 Ren Reed – Club V leans heavily on Harvey. She’s a six-rotation outside who defenses have to give a lot of attention to because she’s an equal scoring threat whether front or back row. Taylor Harvey, MB, Club V 17 Ren Reed – Harvey has so much upside its scary. She’s playing up two age groups and is one of the best middles in the division. She’s virtually unstoppable the way she gets up and can see the court to exploit defenses. Zoe Rachow, S, Coast 17-1 – Rachow can move the ball around with the best of them. She has strong hands and is consistent with her location. Sydney Bold, L, Coast 17-1 – Bold is a steadying presence in the back row. She’s unflappable and is part of strong ball control unit for Coast. Chloe Chicoine, OH, Circle City 17 Purple – Chicoine is a marvel to watch play. She does everything at a high level, from a big jump and arm to her speed and hustle on the defensive side.