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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Peyton Heatherly (FREE)

November 28, 2023

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: Peyton Heatherly. *** Before Peyton Heatherly could even think about how she would fit in on Mother McAuley’s varsity roster, she first had to make the team. Even though Heatherly – a 3-star setter/right side from the Class of 2027 – was coming off a season in which she helped Lions 14-1 qualify and finish 22nd in 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships nothing was guaranteed. “I was doing summer workouts and tryouts with Mother McAuley but I didn’t know what team I was going to end up on,” Heatherly said. “I didn’t expect to be on varsity because I know how competitive the program is.” It was after the first freshmen tryout when Heatherly found out she would be on varsity. She was about to be the only ninth-grader on a team that returned the majority of its starting lineup after going 39-3 and claiming the Illinois 4A state championship in 2022. “I knew the team lost both starting setters but I didn’t know if I would step foot on the court,” Heatherly said. “I did have a conversation with Coach Jen (DeJarld) at the beginning of the year and she did say I needed to work hard being a freshman on varsity and that I needed to keep a positive attitude and keep working to be able to play.” What happened next is what makes high school volleyball so special. Heatherly grew up around volleyball, essentially starting the sport as soon as she was able to walk. Her aunt and mom played in college. Her grandma owns 1st Alliance. And both her older sisters – Kate and Jordan – play. Kate is a sophomore at Lyons while Jordan is in her freshman season at Memphis. “My sister Kate is a sophomore so we are closer in age and we were always super competitive,” Heatherly said. “We were always on the same team because I used to play up with her and we would yell at each other. As we grew up we were better and we are super close. With volleyball we both lean on each other. “Jordan is also a setter, but I didn’t really have any competitiveness with her. She just would always give me really good advice.” Heatherly, meanwhile, developed as both a setter and hitter. Because of it, she never ran a 5-1. Until this fall. Heatherly opened the season as part of a 6-2 with the Macs. But after falling to Sacred Heart Academy in five sets the day before the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament, DeJarld told her she was making the switch to a 5-1 with Heatherly. “I was definitely super nervous,” Heatherly said. “We hadn’t ever practiced it before. There was a lot of emotions but the team helped calm me down. Ellie (White) talked to me and told me she knew I could do it.” Mother McAuley ended up taking third place and there was no going back. The Macs hit a few speed bumps along the way, falling to both Marist and Benet Academy, but also winning the Asics Challenge where they avenged their loss to Marist and handed Divine Savior Holy Angels WI its only loss of the season. With Heatherly guiding the attack, Mother McAuley defeated Marist once more in the sectional finals before avenging the previous loss to Benet Academy by beating the Redwings in the 4A state championship match. Heatherly finished the season with 737 assists, averaging 7.8 per set. She was also third in both digs and aces. It’s a type of season that has her in the running for vballrecruiter.com’s Freshman Player of the Year. “When we played Marist and beat them (at the Asics Challenge) that was our turning point in the season,” Heatherly said. “During sectionals we were super nervous but we calmed each other down and just left everything on the court. Against Benet (in the final) it was definitely cool seeing our team focused on ourselves and doing everything we could. It’s definitely what helped us win state.” With the high school season over, Heatherly is looking forward to club. She’s part of 1st Alliance 15 Gold and aiming for an improvement on last year. “I’m super excited for club to start,” she said. “A lot of the girls on the team also had a varsity season, so I feel we have been getting so much better and improving. This club season is going to be really good and super fun.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Heatherly about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Heatherly: It’s definitely my older sister Jordan. She’s accomplished so much. She’s playing volleyball in college. I definitely want to be like her as a person when I grow up. I’ve always looked up to her. She’s always been someone I can talk too since I was little. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Heatherly: I would want to go skydiving. I love adventures and I love the outdoors. I think it would be such a thrilling thing to do. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Heatherly: I would want to learn drawing or painting because being an artist person we be so fun. To be able to draw all the time would be so fun and I’m not very good at it now. Do you have any volleyball superstitions and if so what? Heatherly: Before I serve — I just started doing this during high school — I would look at the state championship banner and

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vballrecruiter.com’s Junior HS Player of the Year Candidates

November 28, 2023

We continue on with the individual award portion of the high school season. It kicked off with our Senior Player of the Year Candidates. Next in line is our Junior Player of the Year Candidates. When it comes to selecting Player of the Year Candidates, it’s a subjective list. There are determining factors used in order to provide parameters to choosing the players below. We looked at the talent level of the player, their impact on the team and overall team success. The first is very subjective, because not everyone will agree on a player’s talent level. Judging a player’s impact on a team usually falls under being among the top kill leaders or if a setter running a 5-1, or even major contributions as both a setter and hitter. Overall team success is judged based on how a team fared in their respective state playoffs. Depending on the competitiveness of the state and division, teams needed to reach at least the Round of 16 or quarterfinals to be considered. We’ll next narrow down the list of candidates to the Player of the Year Finalists, where we’ll highlight each finalist and the reason why they are up for the Junior Player of the Year award before eventually selecting the Player of the Year. Lastly, we are releasing a separate list for our Libero of the Year Candidates, so you won’t find any defenders below. Junior Player of the Year Candidates (alphabetical order) Abigail Li S Alpharetta GAAddy Horner S/RS St. Francis/Wheaton ILAddy Tindall OH Homestead INAlanah Clemente RS Bishop Alemany CAAlea Goolsby OH St. Thomas Aquinas KSAlyssa Koerkenmeier MB Mater Dei ILAmaria King OH Trinity Christian Academy FLAnna Blamires RS Cheyenne Mountain COAnna Jelinek OH Norris NE *** Anya Schmidt OH Rogers MNAshby Zubchevich OH La Canada CAAshlyn Paymal OH Omaha Westside NEAshlyn Tafoya S Thompson Valley COAsia Harvey OH Sandy Creek GAAva Durgan MB Mead WAAva Jo Berry S Wenatchee WAAva Tilden OH Notre Dame Academy KYBailey Warren OH Fulshear TXBella Bullington OH Marist IL *** Camryn Jeffery RS Westwood GACari Spears OH Prestonwood Christian TXCharlotte Glass S/RS St. Andrew’s FLCharlotte Vinson OH Yorktown INChloe Elarton S Valor Christian CODanielle Moore OH Howell MODelaney Miller OH Ankeny Centennial IADevon Burke OH Newton North MADevyn Wiest OH O’Connor AZ *** Ella Craggs S Northville MIElla Rogers S Dowling Catholic IAEllis Crawford MB Pope GAErika Sayer MB Lewis-Palmer COEvie Morrissette S/RS Sprague ORGeorgia Terrell OH Lake Washington WAGracie Furlong OH Galena ILHalle Horton OH Davidson Day NCHannah Kenny S/RS Willowbrook IL *** Hannah Leftridge OH St. Pius X MOHannah Pearce OH Saraland ALIsabelle Bardin S/RS Flint Hill VAIzzy Busignani OH Marian MIIzzy Mogridge S Berkeley Prep FLJada Aksu OH Georgetown Day DCJessica Costlow OH Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central MIKaira Knox OH Nolensville TNKamden Mitchell S Crescent Valley ORKassidy O’Brien S Cinco Ranch TX *** Kate Stewart OH Chiles FLKelly Kinney OH King’s Academy FLKenna Cogill MB Perry AZKennedy Vaughn OH Bob Jones ALKirra Musgrove S/RS Lutheran South Academy TXKK Green S Lake Highlands Prep FLLauren Hurst OH Cleveland TNLauren Lopez OH Bishop Miege KSLeni Stanton-Parker OH Langley VALilly Howell MB Muncie Burris IN *** Lindsey Mangelson OH Hamilton Southeastern INLogan Bell OH Roncalli INLogan Parks S/RS Blue Valley North KSLucy Chertock OH Amador Valley CALydia Pitts MB/S Southside ARMaddie Evans S Bingham UTMadison Emery S Bellevue West NEMadison Quest OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WIMaegan Mills OH Seaman KSMaggie Dostic OH Plant FL *** Maija Howse OH Eagle IDMallory Reck OH Northville MIMaria Nix OH Cannon NCMarin Collins OH Frontier NYMarlie Davis OH Gilmour Academy OHMaya Witherspoon OH Lafayette MOMegan Fitch OH Cornerstone Christian TXMeghan Anderson S Skutt Catholic NEMolly Reck OH Northville MIMaya Baker S Archbishop Mitty CA *** Paige Thies OH Oregon City ORParis McQuirter OH McGill-Toolen ALPeyton Sasse OH Lincoln ILReagan Ennist OH Shenendehowa NYReese Messer S St. James Academy KSRiley Greene MB Cardinal Mooney FLRyan Hunter RS Cox Mill NCSamara Coleman OH Grand Oaks TXShelby Burris MB Lovejoy TXShelby Ignash MB Cass City MI *** Suli Davis OH/S Colleyville Heritiage TXTara Greenbury MB Incarnate Word MOTatum Sharp MB Thompson Valley COTaylor Gaines OH Liberty Hill TXTaylor Harvey MB Bountiful UTTeraya Sigler OH Horizon AZTyler Peluso S Winter Park FLZoey Matias OH Westminster Christian FL

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vballrecruiter.com’s Senior HS Player of the Year Candidates

November 27, 2023

The final national high school rankings of the season have been released and Mater Dei was named the vballrecruiter.com national champion. Now, it’s time to move onto individual awards, beginning with our Senior Player of the Year Candidates. When it comes to selecting Player of the Year Candidates, it’s a subjective list. There are determining factors used in order to provide parameters to choosing the players below. We looked at the talent level of the player, their impact on the team and overall team success. The first is very subjective, because not everyone will agree on a player’s talent level. Judging a player’s impact on a team usually falls under being among the top kill leaders or if a setter running a 5-1, or even major contributions as both a setter and hitter. Overall team success is judged based on how a team fared in their respective state playoffs. Depending on the competitiveness of the state and division, teams needed to reach at least the Round of 16 or quarterfinals to be considered. We’ll next narrow down the list of candidates to the Player of the Year Finalists, where we’ll highlight each finalist and the reason why they are up for the Senior Player of the Year award before eventually naming our Player of the Year. Lastly, we are releasing a separate list for our Libero of the Year Candidates, so you won’t find any defenders below. Senior Player of the Year Candidates (alphabetical order) Abby Yoder S Kings OHAdrianna Arquette MB Kamehameha HIAlex Bower S Skyview IDAlyssa Nelson S Lafayette MOAniya Joseph OH Harlan TXAnnabelle Groomes S/RS St. Joseph Academy OHAshley McMaster OH Lake Washington WAAva Falduto OH IC Catholic ILAvery Craig OH Tomball Memorial TXAvery Hamlin OH Lake Travis TX *** Avery Scoggins S Middle Creek NCAyden Ames OH Prosper TXBelle Patrick OH Green Hope NCBethanie Wu S Lovejoy TXBlakeley Robbins S Bayside Academy ALBrielle Wilson S Mead WABrooke Tietz MB Grand Rapids West Catholic MICalli Kenny S/RS Willowbrook ILCallie Squiers S Kearney Catholic NECamdyn Stucky S Maize South KS *** Camryn Chatellier OH St. Mary’s Dominican LACaroline Lanicek OH Calvery OHCatherine Young OH Flower Mound TXCayla Cogan OH Clarkston MICayley Hanson S/RS Deer Park TXCharley Staats OH Valley Christian CACharlie Fuerbringer S Mira Costa CACharlotte Moriarty OH Assumption KYChloe Hokenson S Langley VAClara Gyomory RS North Branch MI *** Connor Rahn OH Middleburg FLCorrie Anderson OH Palmer Ridge CODelaney Bub OH Eagle IDDelaney Russell OH Valor Christian CODominique Phills OH Dawson TXElana Erickson OH Forest Hills MIElina Mortensen OH Corner Canyon UTElise Marchal OH Kings OHElla Demetrician OH Appleton North WIElla Grace Holloway OH Lewisburg MI *** Ella Kloepper OH Howell MOElle Weaver OH Oak Ridge CAEllie White OH Mother McAuley ILEmerson Sellman OH Academy Holy Cross MDEmma Williams OH Jesuit ORErin Curtis OH St. Francis/Mountain View CAErin Debiec S Bishop O’Connell VAFallon Stewart OH Winter Park FLFavor Anyanwu OH Sachse TXGrace Agolli S/RS Pace Academy GA *** Grace Carroll RS Cornerstone Christian TXGracie Gordon OH Collegiate VAHaley Clark RS La Canada CAHannah Byers OH Olympia WAHannah Parant S Mountain Brook ALHannah Pattie S Lake Catholic OHIsabel Clark OH Mater Dei CAIsabelle Marco S/RS Sacred Heart Prep CAIzzy Starck S/RS Viera FLJackie Taylor MB Gulliver Prep FL *** Jaden Hendrickson OH Redwood CAJadyn Livings RS Prestonwood Christian TXJaela Auguste MB Grand Oaks TXJenna Hanes MB Cathedral Catholic CAJenna Meitzler OH Barrington ILJillian Huckabey OH Olathe Northwest KSJordan Smart S Reagan NCKacey Kazmierski S Lake Travis TXKaitlyn Burke OH Mill Valley KSKaitlyn Moran S Mount Paran Christian GA *** Kamaluhia Garcia RS Moanalua HIKamryn Kaminski S Howards Grove WIKatherine Holtman MB Argyle TXKatie Kopshever OH Castle INKatrina Pelds OH Waukee Northwest IAKaylee Musick OH Bishop Hartley OHKelsey Cooper OH St. Croix Falls WIKendall Beshear OH Palos Verdes CAKendall Hopewell MB Forest Hills MIKinslee McGowan S Cleveland TN *** Kourtney Grossman OH Billings West MTLauren Dreves OH Columbia River WALauren Evans OH Carmel INLauren Harden OH Hamilton Southeastern INLauren Medeck OH Papillion-La Vista South NELeilia Toailoa OH Bishop Gorman NVLevani Key-Powell OH Bingham UTLilly Lansing RS Jesuit ORLilly Wagner S Oconomowoc WILily Barron OH Olentangy Orange OH *** Logan Wiley MB Alpharetta GALucy Mott S St. Ursula Academy OHMackenzie Dean OH Dowling Catholic IAMakenzie Wagner OH Providence INMalayah Long S Lincoln Southwest NEMaren Johnson OH Jenks OKMaria Drapp S Mercy McAuley OHMariah Potter S Xavier WIMegan Smith OH Conway ARMia Tvrdy MB Papillion-La Vista NE *** Morgan Gaerte OH Angola INMyia McCoy OH Greenwood ARMyka Christiansen S Skyridge UTNikol Antova OH North Cobb GAOlivia Heitkamp OH New Bremen OHOlivia Swenson OH Wayzata MNPaige Bennett OH Foothill CAPayton Petersen OH Dike-New Hartford IAPeyton Fadal S Barbers Hill TXQuincy Moran OH North Creek WA *** Rachel Van Gorp OH Heritage Christian Academy KSReagan Sharp OH Keller TXRegan Harp OH Fayetteville ARRegan Kadal S Legend CORella Binney S Punahou HIRyla Jones MB Flint Hill VASami Blackett OH Orem UTSarah Brodner OH Jupiter FLSavannah Skopal S Rouse TXSkyler Pierce OH Olathe Northwest KS *** Sophia Adkins OH Mercy McAuley OHSophia Henry OH Walton GASophia Wendlick OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WIStella Swenson S Wayzata MNSydney Barrett OH Kings OHSydney Van Cott OH St. Thomas Aquinas FLTatum Johnson MB JSerra CATaylor Parks S Calvary Christian FLTaylor Williams OH St. Francis/Mountain View CAZoey Burgess MB Lone Peak UT

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High School: Looking Ahead to 2024

November 22, 2023

We have the holidays and then a full club season before the next high school season arrives. However, why wait that long to start talking about it? Even though it’s way too early to determine any sort of rankings of schools, it’s still possible to get an idea of how the 2024 high school campaign might stack up. Below, we look ahead and dive into where the Top 10 programs from this season might stand next year. MATER DEI CA: The Monarchs are certainly going to take a hit, as they lose their top-two kill leaders in Isabel Clark (San Diego) and Cymarah Gordon (Michigan), as well as setter/right side Julia Kakkis (Brown), libero Malyssa Cawa (Stanford) and defensive specialist Tessa Hurley. Mater Dei does have pieces to rebuild around in sophomore outside Layli Ostovar, freshman middle Emma Kingston, sophomore middle Addison Coady and junior setter Ayva Ostovar. It’s going to be next to impossible for Mater Dei to repeat as national champion and put together another season like this one. But it’s very possible the Monarchs remain as Top 20 program. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN IN: The Royals will enter 2024 as the two-time Indiana 4A state champs and riding a 67-match winning streak. It’s a mixed bag as to who stays and who goes. The big loss is outside Lauren Harden (Florida). Also graduating is setter Macy Hinshaw (Santa Clara) and libero Sophie Ledbetter (Ball State). However, among the returning players is junior outside Lindsey Mangelson (Mississippi State), who finished second on the team in kills behind Harden. It also stands that sophomore outside Madison Miles will take on a bigger role offensively next year, as will sophomore outside Merritt Sliwa. Junior setter Ava Hunter (Loyola-Chicago) is also coming back. Another undefeated season might be unlikely, but a three-peat in 4A is not. PRESTONWOOD CHRISTIAN TX: All eyes were on the Lions to begin 2023, as they returned every starter from a year ago. That won’t be the case going into 2024, but Prestonwood Christian brings back enough talent and will play a schedule worthy of a national champion. Seniors Jadyn Livings (USC), Mikala Young (TCU), Camille Edwards and Kennedy Washington will leave a void. Yet, the Lions are set up to absorb most of it. Kill leader and junior outside Cari Spears (Texas) is back. She’s joined by junior right side Taylor Clarke, junior setter Taylor Cook and junior libero Gillian Pitts. The younger Livings in Nyla and Naomi figure to take on much larger roles next season as sophomores too. Together, it’s likely to keep Prestonwood Christian near the top of the national rankings. GRAND OAKS TX: Could the Grizzlies open the season as the No. 1 team in the country next August? With the talent that is returning it’s possible. The Texas 6A state champs do lose a few key pieces in middle Jaela Auguste (Florida) and right side Caelyn Emmerling (Texas State), as well as one half of the setting duo in Audrey Terry. But the good news is the top-two kill leaders are back in sophomore outside Halle Thompson and junior outside Samara Coleman (Pitt). They combined for nearly 1,000 kills this fall. Sophomore libero Cali Reece returns, as does sophomore setter Samantha Sampson. It leaves the Grizzlies enough that they could have another season in store like this one, when they went 50-1. CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC CA: The Dons surprised in a major way this fall. After capturing the national championship in 2022 and losing a ton of talent, they were right back in the national championship picture in 2023. Cathedral Catholic is going to see more roster turnover next fall as it loses three of its top four kill leaders in Jenna Hanes (Michigan), Tiona Owens and Ayva Moi (Hawaii beach). Also graduating is senior setter Amanda Saeger (DePaul). The Dons are going to have to retool around sophomore outside Madyson McCarthy, freshman setter Kale’a Lee, junior libero Maya Evens (Maryland) and junior outside Mae Kordas (Yale). Freshman outside Jojo Wilson also figures to take on a bigger role next fall. It’s hard to see Cathedral Catholic remaining a Top-10 program in 2024, but we said the same thing about 2023, so we’ll see. WAYZATA MN: There is going to be big changes in the Trojans’ lineup next season. Key pieces in setter Stella Swenson (Minnesota), outside Olivia Swenson (Minnesota), right side Avery Jesewitz and libero Bianca Nistor. One of the biggest returners is junior middle Katie Kelzenberg (George Mason). Wayzata has big challenges to remain in the upper half of the national rankings. MIRA COSTA CA: The Mustangs are going to take a big loss with setter Charlie Fuerbringer (Wisconsin) graduating. They lose other parts in middles Bryn Shankle (TCU) and Rachel Moglia, as well as right sides Nora Williams (UCR) and Chloe Hynes (NYU). It’s going to create a new look, but the returning players could keep Mira Costa in the Top 10 in 2024. The top-two kill leaders are sophomore outsides Audrey Flanagan and Simone Roslon. Also back is junior libero Taylor Deckert (USC). That provides a great building block. Sophomore setters Milly McGee and Reese Stringer are also going to be part of the mix that should keep Mira Costa churning along. ASSUMPTION KY: This is a program that always finds a way to be competitive and typically finishes in at least the Top 20 in national rankings. Next season should be no different despite key seniors in outsides Charlotte Moriarty (Xavier) and Chloe Smith (Wofford). That’s an area that’s going to need to get sorted out. However, there are other pieces in place like junior middle Bailey Blair (Ohio), junior libero Kristen Simon (Wisconsin), junior outside Emma Barnett, junior setter Emilee Fuller and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Keiran. MOTHER MCAULEY IL: The Macs were among the schools who returned a bunch in 2023. That won’t be the case in 2024. Outside Ellie White (Michigan), middle Ellery Rees (Alabama) and libero Samantha Falk (Loyola-Chicago) are going to be missed.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Lydia Chinchar (FREE)

November 21, 2023

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: Lydia Chinchar. *** To say our latest Player of the Week burst onto the high school scene this season would be inaccurate. Lydia Chinchar – a 4-star setter/right side from the Class of 2027 – was part of Carrollwood Day’s varsity team last year as an eighth-grader. She had an incredible campaign, leading the squad in kills and blocks. However, the Patriots’ state championship aspirations ended with a regional quarterfinal loss to Tampa Prep. Chinchar was among a handful of returning players – including her older sister and senior setter Naomi. Combining with a couple of newcomers – including 3-star Purdue commit and junior libero Mattea Casale – Carrollwood Day was on a mission in 2023. “I remember the first day of practice and we said our goal was to win state and nothing else,” Chinchar said. “We set our minds to that and we just kept going to the very end. In practice, we worked so hard each and every day and we did a really good job of that.” Chinchar once again led the charge. The freshman right side powered the offense with 573 kills – averaging 6.3 per set and hitting .428 – as the Patriots captured the program’s second-ever state championship after defeating Westminster Christian in the Florida 3A final. Adding a punctuation mark to her fabulous season, Chinchar sent down a season-high 37 kills (9.3 per set) and hit .301 in the four-set victory over the Warriors that helped Carrollwood Day finish the fall 31-2 overall. “Our mindset was to walk in confidently and just play our game and not worry about anyone else’s game,” Chinchar said. “That was the most important thing. We never had a doubt in our mind that we were going to lose. We always knew we had each other and that was the best part of it. “The emotions were everywhere on the last point when the ball hit the ground. There was so much excitement and a weight off our shoulders. Finally, all that hard work paid off. Everything we all put it, winning it with your best friends is a pretty awesome feeling.” Carrollwood Day emerged as the team to beat in Florida this fall after its run to the finals of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament in early September. The Patriots suffered their first setback in a sweep against Cornerstone Christian of Texas in the championship match. Along the way Carrollwood Day downed eventual Nebraska Class B state champion Skutt Catholic and eventual Florida 6A runner up Viera. Later in the season, Carrollwood Day notched a victory over eventual 7A state champ Plant. “After the Nike tournament, it was pretty early in the season and we made it to the final and I just remember people saying ‘Oh my goodness, who is this CDS team,’” Chinchar said. “We knew teams were targeting us and coming for us after that.” Chinchar grew up immersed in volleyball. Her parents – Douglas and Sarah – both played. Chinchar’s father is her coach at Carrollwood Day and both parents are directors of No Name Volleyball, where Chinchar will suit up as part of the top 17s team this coming club season. For Chinchar, volleyball was the only sport she ever wanted to play. “I started really young,” she said. “I was six and playing on a 12-and-under team. My parents got me into volleyball and I didn’t really want to do anything else. They were pushing me to try something else but I just wanted to pursue volleyball. I was around it every day. My sister Naomi was in love with volleyball so we decided to do it together.” With both her parents being setters, Chinchar naturally developed at that position as well as hitting. She did both this past club season for No Name 16 but she’s been purely a hitter in high school. “I would say I enjoy hitting more than setting,” Chinchar said. “It is quite the job to run the court and I really appreciate all my setters throughout the years.” It’s not surprising that volleyball takes up much of Chinchar’s time, but she does like to scuba dive and sew sometimes when her schedule allows for it. “My sister and I do scuba diving together,” she said. “It’s always fun to go and we love being able to do it together.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Chinchar about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Chinchar: A role model I look up to is my sister, Naomi. I’m with her every day and she’s always been front and center for me. We do everything together on and off the court. She’s a great role model. She’s going to West Point, so there is no better role model than that. If you could choose to be or do anything for a day, what would you be or do and why? Chinchar: If I had the chance to do anything for a day I would probably drive to Disney World. It’s right here in Florida. I love all the Disney characters. Since I was a little girl it was always a place to go to. It makes me feel like a kid again with all the rides and all the characters there. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Chinchar: I would like to learn to sing. I have always tried to sing and it never works out for me. It would be fun to be up on a stage performing and singing. But, really I wouldn’t try to do anything else but volleyball. Do

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vballrecruiter.com’s Final Top 50 National HS Rankings (Nov. 20)

November 20, 2023

It’s official! Mater Dei of California is the vballrecruiter.com 2023 High School National Champion. You can read about Mater Dei’s season and why the Monarchs finished this fall as the best high school team in the country. With most of the states wrapped up, there was very little movement in our final Top 50 of the year. With Mater Dei winning the CA Open Division state final and Grand Oaks taking home the Texas 6A state title, there was no change in the Top 10. The biggest change came with Cinco Ranch, which lost to Grand Oaks in the 6A state final, moving up from No. 29 to No. 13 after a strong campaign. Cinco Ranch was No. 29 last week because it had a prior loss to Harlan. But after beating Harlan in the 6A semis, Cinco Ranch shot up in our final rankings. There was only one new school cracking the rankings. With Mercy winning the Michigan Division 1 state final, it knocked Northville from the Top 50. As a result, Lake Travis TX ends the year in the Top 50. You can view the full final rankings below. vballrecruiter.com’S FINAL TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mater Dei CA 43-2 (1 – previous ranking) 2. Hamilton Southeastern IN 33-0 (2) 3. Prestonwood Christian TX 36-4 (3) 4. Grand Oaks TX 50-1 (4) 5. Cathedral Catholic CA 34-5 (5) 6. Wayzata MN 34-0 (6) 7. Mira Costa CA 39-4 (7) 8. Assumption KY 37-5 (8) 9. Mother McAuley IL 37-5 (9) 10. Benet Academy IL 39-3 (10) *** 11. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI 47-1 (11) 12. O’Connor AZ 34-1 (12) 13. Cinco Ranch TX 38-5 (29) 14. Lincoln Southwest NE 33-4 (13) 15. Middle Creek NC 26-1 (14) 16. Lake Catholic OH 29-0 (16) 17. Archbishop Mitty CA 33-5 (15) 18. Kings OH 28-1 (18) 19. St. Francis/Mountain View CA 35-6 (17) 20. Papillion-La Vista NE 26-16 (19) *** 21. Papillion-La Vista South NE 35-2 (20) 22. Mill Valley KS 37-5 (21) 23. Marist IL 33-5 (22) 24. Notre Dame Academy KY 35-7 (23) 25. Sierra Canyon CA 34-9 (24) 26. Blue Valley North KS 38-4 (25) 27. Harlan TX 44-6 (26) 28. Dike-New Hartford IA 50-0 (27) 29. Valor Christian CO 29-0 (28) 30. Oconomowoc WI 41-4 (30) *** 31. Seaman KS 38-6 (31) 32. St. Thomas Aquinas KS 31-9 (32) 33. Lafayette MO 36-2 (33) 34. Dripping Springs TX 48-7 (34) 35. Maize South KS 38-5 (35) 36. St. James Academy KS 33-6 (36) 37. Cornerstone Christian TX 34-7 (37) 38. Carrollwood Day FL 31-2 (38) 39. North Branch MI 56-4 (46) 40. Foothill CA 37-2 (40) *** 41. Branson CA 28-5 (41) 42. Lone Peak UT 28-5 (42) 43. Plant FL 25-3 (43) 44. Berkeley Prep FL 20-6 (44) 45. Pace Academy GA 37-3 (45) 46. Alpharetta GA 38-3 (47) 47. Skyridge UT 28-2 (48) 48. Glenbard West IL 35-4 (49) 49. Pope GA 39-4 (50) 50. Lake Travis TX 44-6 (n/r) *** ON THE CUSP Huntington Beach CA Mercy MI Forest Hills Northern MI Perry AZ Xavier Prep AZ St. Josepha Academy OH Olentangy Orange OH Winter Park FL St. Thomas Aquinas FL Kamehameha HI Punahou HI Bishop Gorman NV McGill-Toolen AL Mountain Brook AL Cox Mill NC *** Past vballrecruiter.com National Champions: 2022: Cathedral Catholic CA

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vballrecruiter.com’s 2023 HS National Champion: Mater Dei Monarchs

November 20, 2023

Anything short of a head-to-head result or results between the undisputed two top programs in the country means determining the high school national champion is completely subjective. A season ago Cathedral Catholic made it an easy choice given the Dons went undefeated and only dropped one set all year as they captured the Durango Fall Classic title and the California Open Division state championship. The only other team under consideration last fall was Cornerstone Christian of Texas. While the Warriors did hand eventual TAPPS 6A champ Prestonwood Christian its only loss as well as defeat Texas 6A state champ Dripping Springs, plus beat CA Open Division semifinalist Mira Costa, they suffered their only loss to Westminster Christian FL in the final of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. That lone loss ended any heated debate between Cathedral Catholic and Cornerstone Christian in terms of the national championship. It would have been nearly impossible to pick between the pair had both ended the year undefeated. There are three important factors in determining a national champion. One is overall record. Another is strength of schedule. And lastly a team must capture its state championship, because if a team isn’t the best in its state how can it be the best in the nation? That leads us to our 2023 High School National Champion – Mater Dei of California. Mater Dei finished the year 43-2. While they did not go undefeated like Hamilton Southeastern of Indiana or Wayzata of Minnesota, the Monarchs strength of schedule was vastly superior. The Monarchs earned two major tournament titles in Volleypalooza and the Durango Fall Classic. And after defeating nationally-ranked Archbishop Mitty in four sets this past Saturday evening, they earned their second California Open Division state championship to match the one they claimed in 2018. “It’s amazing,” Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell said. “Winning tournaments is tough. I’ve had a lot of good teams and we didn’t win Durango. Playing those best-of-three tournaments is just a crap shoot. I don’t know if I would have believed anyone who said we would win two major tournaments, CIF and state and accomplish all of that. It’s really impressive. It’s a testament to the girls. Whenever they needed to be really good, they showed up.” The core of the roster was largely the same from a season ago. Senior outside and 4-star San Diego commit Isabel Clark, senior right side and 4-star Michigan commit Cymarah Gordon, sophomore outside and 5-star recruit Layli Ostovar, senior libero and 3-star Stanford commit Malyssa Cawa, junior setter Ayva Ostovar and senior defensive specialist and 3-star recruit Tessa Hurley all played key roles in 2022. The biggest turnover came in the middle, where Mater Dei leaned on sophomore and 3-star recruit Addison Coady and freshman and 3-star recruit Emma Kingston to start the year. Mater Dei was boosted by the eligibility of senior setter/right side and 3-star Brown commit Julia Kakkis, who had to sit out all last year after transferring due to a CIF ruling. The depth of the lineup was crucial in the team’s success.   “That was our strength,” O’Dell said. “We never really relied on just one kid every match. We had Izzy, Cymarah and Layli to carry us. If someone was off, there was someone else to shoulder the load. We had such balance and multiple players being part of our success. We have an amazing libero in Malyssa and a great setter in Julia to orchestrate it all. “Emma, our freshman middle, was massive at the end of the season. She really improved her blocking from the beginning of the season and by the end she was single-handily taking out middles and shutting down outsides. She had nine blocks in the CIF final. She had seven or eight against Cathedral Catholic in the semis and she had eight against Mitty. She was averaging about two blocks per set in that stretch. “Tessa Hurley, our DS, she made some outstanding plays. She would be a starting libero on so many teams but she happens to play with Malyssa.” A season ago, Cathedral Catholic overcame the loss of senior outside and Stanford commit Julia Blyashov and won four state matches without her. While Mater Dei didn’t lose its top player like the Dons, the Monarchs did deal with a couple of key injuries. The first was losing Coady to an ankle injury during Volleypalooza. She remained out past the Durango Fall Classic. Another was losing Ayva Ostovar the week leading into Dave Mohs and having to switch to Kakkis running a 5-1, which she did for the remainder of the season. “When we switched to a 5-1 it was tough,” O’Dell said. “We were trying something new and we were exposed by Cathedral Catholic. They were doubling up our outsides and we weren’t running the middles. We just weren’t great. After that, we started implementing Layli going to six rotations. She was hurt at the beginning of the year so we had been subbing her out back row. We wanted her in the back row so with her and Izzy we always had a back row attack to get more offense in the 5-1. Julia started getting more comfortable at the net and getting used to the 5-1. It also helped having middle depth because with Megan Rice and Sofia Walker we were able to mix and match. But the main change was Layli going six rotations so we had more offense.” Mater Dei didn’t lose the rest of the way after falling to Cathedral Catholic in the Dave Mohs final. That brings us to Mater Dei’s record. A pair of losses is usually enough to eliminate a team from the national championship picture. As we mentioned earlier, Cornerstone Christian was eliminated with just one loss in 2022, as was Prestonwood Christian, who only lost to Cornerstone Christian. As for Mater Dei, the Monarchs ended the year with a winning record against both opponents they lost to in Mira Costa

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HS Player Spotlight: 13 Impactful Freshmen

November 16, 2023

Once the high school schedule officially wraps up, we’ll start releasing our Player of the Year candidates for the 2024-2027 classes. It’s likely you’ll see many of the names below listed as our Freshman of the Year candidates for the 2023 season. What all 13 ninth-graders below have in common is that their respective seasons are completed and all made tremendous impacts towards their team success. Lauren Garcia S/RS Reagan TX: Garcia – a 3-star recruit – had a big freshman season in helping the Rattlers reach the regional quarterfinals. She finished off the year second in kills with 428, averaging 3.2 per set. She also led the team in assists with 798, averaging 6.0 per set. She was third in digs with 375 and first in aces with 54. She recorded a season-high 17 kills in a September victory over Johnson. She twice reached a season-best 33 assists. The first came in a victory against Churchill in September. The next was in an October bi-district triumph over New Braunfels. Mallory Wandel OH Rockford MI: The Rams’ run came to an end in the Division 1 regional final. Still, it was a tremendous rookie campaign for Wandel. She was second in kills with 373. She averaged 2.8 per set. One of her best matches came in August when she had 13 kills and hit .647. She had a season-high 17 kills in a September victory over Caledonia. Louise Neuhart OH Virginia Academy VA: Neuhart played a key role in the Patriots making it to the Virginia Division 2 state semifinals. The freshman outside led the offense with 366 kills. She averaged 2.9 per set and hit .290. Neuhart twice registered a season-high 17 kills. One was in a victory against St. Anne’s-Belfield as she hit .412. The other time came against Chelsea Academy, when she hit .406. McKenna McIntosh OH St. Mary’s CA: McIntosh – a 3-star recruit – made an immediate impact for the Rams, who captured the CIF Sac-Joaquin Division 1 championship and qualifed for the CA Open Division state playoffs, where they fell to Foothill in the Round of 16. McIntosh led the attack with 362 kills. She averaged 4.5 kills per set and hit .350. She was also second in both digs (179) and blocks (22) and third in aces (48). McIntosh had a couple of her biggest outings late in the season. It included dropping 17 kills and hitting .308 as St. Mary’s beat Rocklin in the sectional final. In the sectional semis, she had a season-best 20 kills and hit .462. Marissa Jones S Woodward Academy GA: Jones – a 5-star recruit – guided Woodward Academy to the Georgia 6A state quarterfinals before falling to eventual champ Alpharetta. She dished out 702 assists, averaging 7.5 per set. She also finished first in blocks with 71 and third in digs with 239. She twice recorded a season-best 35 assists, as well as a season-high seven blocks in an August loss to McIntosh. Lauren Forelli OH Liberty AZ: With Forelli leading the charge on offense, the Lions advanced to the Arizona 6A state quarterfinals this fall. The 4-star recruit sent down a team-leading 250 kills. In her best match of the season, she put away a high of 21 kills and hit .439 in a five-set victory against Pinnacle in October. Kendall Omoruyi MB Sunnyslope AZ: The Vikings also made it to the Arizona 6A state quarterfinals. A 5-star recruit, Omoruyi was an important factor in the middle. She ended third in kills with 171, averaging 2.3 per set. She made a bigger impact defensively, sending down 83 blocks and averaging 1.1 per set. She amassed a season-high 14 kills in a five-set victory against Mountain Ridge in September. She also twice had a season-high nine blocks. It came against Lake Highlands Prep FL and Bishop’s CA during the Nike TOC Southwest tournament. Calli LeFevre OH Marian MI: LeFevre’s role in helping the Mustangs reach the Michigan Division 1 state quarterfinals cannot be overlooked. The 3-star outside wrapped up the year second in kills with 338. She averaged 2.7 per set and was third in digs with 300, averaging 2.4. She tallied a season-high 15 kills in a five-set loss to Lake Orion in September. Amelie Pankonin OH River Falls WI: The Wildcats advanced to the Wisconsin Division 1 state quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion and nationally-ranked Divine Savior Holy Angels. Pankonin played a vital part on offense, finishing the year second in kills with 322. That was one short of tying for the team lead. She averaged 3.4 per set. Four times she totaled 20 kills or more, including a season-high 22 and hitting .388 in a four-set victory over Eau Claire Memorial in the second round of state. Ellyson Randolph OH Reagan NC: The Raiders suffered their only loss of the fall in the North Carolina 4A state semifinals when Cox Mill prevailed in four sets. It was quite the season for the 6-2 Randolph, who led the team in kills. She put down 311 and averaged 3.2 per set while hitting .314. She notched a season-high 15 kills in a four-set victory against East Surry in October. Caroline Ward OH Tri-West Hendricks IN: Ward – a 5-star talent – played a crucial role in the Bruins finishing on top of the Indiana 3A state playoffs. She finished second in kills with 312, averaging 2.8 per set. She was also third in blocks with 45. She had 19 kills and hit .640 in a victory against Westner Boone in mid-October. She set her season high of 24 kills while hitting .439 in a five-set triumph over Center Grove in early October. Addyson Avery MB Briarcrest Christian TN: The Saints came out on top of the Tennessee Division 2AA state playoffs. Avery contributed in a big way out of the middle. She finished fourth in kills with 166, averaging 1.6 per set and hitting .352, and led the way blocking with 139. That

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Peyton Heatherly (FREE)

November 28, 2023

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: Peyton Heatherly. *** Before Peyton Heatherly could even think about how she would fit in on Mother McAuley’s varsity roster, she first had to make the team. Even though Heatherly – a 3-star setter/right side from the Class of 2027 – was coming off a season in which she helped Lions 14-1 qualify and finish 22nd in 14 Open at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships nothing was guaranteed. “I was doing summer workouts and tryouts with Mother McAuley but I didn’t know what team I was going to end up on,” Heatherly said. “I didn’t expect to be on varsity because I know how competitive the program is.” It was after the first freshmen tryout when Heatherly found out she would be on varsity. She was about to be the only ninth-grader on a team that returned the majority of its starting lineup after going 39-3 and claiming the Illinois 4A state championship in 2022. “I knew the team lost both starting setters but I didn’t know if I would step foot on the court,” Heatherly said. “I did have a conversation with Coach Jen (DeJarld) at the beginning of the year and she did say I needed to work hard being a freshman on varsity and that I needed to keep a positive attitude and keep working to be able to play.” What happened next is what makes high school volleyball so special. Heatherly grew up around volleyball, essentially starting the sport as soon as she was able to walk. Her aunt and mom played in college. Her grandma owns 1st Alliance. And both her older sisters – Kate and Jordan – play. Kate is a sophomore at Lyons while Jordan is in her freshman season at Memphis. “My sister Kate is a sophomore so we are closer in age and we were always super competitive,” Heatherly said. “We were always on the same team because I used to play up with her and we would yell at each other. As we grew up we were better and we are super close. With volleyball we both lean on each other. “Jordan is also a setter, but I didn’t really have any competitiveness with her. She just would always give me really good advice.” Heatherly, meanwhile, developed as both a setter and hitter. Because of it, she never ran a 5-1. Until this fall. Heatherly opened the season as part of a 6-2 with the Macs. But after falling to Sacred Heart Academy in five sets the day before the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament, DeJarld told her she was making the switch to a 5-1 with Heatherly. “I was definitely super nervous,” Heatherly said. “We hadn’t ever practiced it before. There was a lot of emotions but the team helped calm me down. Ellie (White) talked to me and told me she knew I could do it.” Mother McAuley ended up taking third place and there was no going back. The Macs hit a few speed bumps along the way, falling to both Marist and Benet Academy, but also winning the Asics Challenge where they avenged their loss to Marist and handed Divine Savior Holy Angels WI its only loss of the season. With Heatherly guiding the attack, Mother McAuley defeated Marist once more in the sectional finals before avenging the previous loss to Benet Academy by beating the Redwings in the 4A state championship match. Heatherly finished the season with 737 assists, averaging 7.8 per set. She was also third in both digs and aces. It’s a type of season that has her in the running for vballrecruiter.com’s Freshman Player of the Year. “When we played Marist and beat them (at the Asics Challenge) that was our turning point in the season,” Heatherly said. “During sectionals we were super nervous but we calmed each other down and just left everything on the court. Against Benet (in the final) it was definitely cool seeing our team focused on ourselves and doing everything we could. It’s definitely what helped us win state.” With the high school season over, Heatherly is looking forward to club. She’s part of 1st Alliance 15 Gold and aiming for an improvement on last year. “I’m super excited for club to start,” she said. “A lot of the girls on the team also had a varsity season, so I feel we have been getting so much better and improving. This club season is going to be really good and super fun.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Heatherly about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Heatherly: It’s definitely my older sister Jordan. She’s accomplished so much. She’s playing volleyball in college. I definitely want to be like her as a person when I grow up. I’ve always looked up to her. She’s always been someone I can talk too since I was little. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Heatherly: I would want to go skydiving. I love adventures and I love the outdoors. I think it would be such a thrilling thing to do. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Heatherly: I would want to learn drawing or painting because being an artist person we be so fun. To be able to draw all the time would be so fun and I’m not very good at it now. Do you have any volleyball superstitions and if so what? Heatherly: Before I serve — I just started doing this during high school — I would look at the state championship banner and

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vballrecruiter.com’s Junior HS Player of the Year Candidates

November 28, 2023

We continue on with the individual award portion of the high school season. It kicked off with our Senior Player of the Year Candidates. Next in line is our Junior Player of the Year Candidates. When it comes to selecting Player of the Year Candidates, it’s a subjective list. There are determining factors used in order to provide parameters to choosing the players below. We looked at the talent level of the player, their impact on the team and overall team success. The first is very subjective, because not everyone will agree on a player’s talent level. Judging a player’s impact on a team usually falls under being among the top kill leaders or if a setter running a 5-1, or even major contributions as both a setter and hitter. Overall team success is judged based on how a team fared in their respective state playoffs. Depending on the competitiveness of the state and division, teams needed to reach at least the Round of 16 or quarterfinals to be considered. We’ll next narrow down the list of candidates to the Player of the Year Finalists, where we’ll highlight each finalist and the reason why they are up for the Junior Player of the Year award before eventually selecting the Player of the Year. Lastly, we are releasing a separate list for our Libero of the Year Candidates, so you won’t find any defenders below. Junior Player of the Year Candidates (alphabetical order) Abigail Li S Alpharetta GAAddy Horner S/RS St. Francis/Wheaton ILAddy Tindall OH Homestead INAlanah Clemente RS Bishop Alemany CAAlea Goolsby OH St. Thomas Aquinas KSAlyssa Koerkenmeier MB Mater Dei ILAmaria King OH Trinity Christian Academy FLAnna Blamires RS Cheyenne Mountain COAnna Jelinek OH Norris NE *** Anya Schmidt OH Rogers MNAshby Zubchevich OH La Canada CAAshlyn Paymal OH Omaha Westside NEAshlyn Tafoya S Thompson Valley COAsia Harvey OH Sandy Creek GAAva Durgan MB Mead WAAva Jo Berry S Wenatchee WAAva Tilden OH Notre Dame Academy KYBailey Warren OH Fulshear TXBella Bullington OH Marist IL *** Camryn Jeffery RS Westwood GACari Spears OH Prestonwood Christian TXCharlotte Glass S/RS St. Andrew’s FLCharlotte Vinson OH Yorktown INChloe Elarton S Valor Christian CODanielle Moore OH Howell MODelaney Miller OH Ankeny Centennial IADevon Burke OH Newton North MADevyn Wiest OH O’Connor AZ *** Ella Craggs S Northville MIElla Rogers S Dowling Catholic IAEllis Crawford MB Pope GAErika Sayer MB Lewis-Palmer COEvie Morrissette S/RS Sprague ORGeorgia Terrell OH Lake Washington WAGracie Furlong OH Galena ILHalle Horton OH Davidson Day NCHannah Kenny S/RS Willowbrook IL *** Hannah Leftridge OH St. Pius X MOHannah Pearce OH Saraland ALIsabelle Bardin S/RS Flint Hill VAIzzy Busignani OH Marian MIIzzy Mogridge S Berkeley Prep FLJada Aksu OH Georgetown Day DCJessica Costlow OH Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central MIKaira Knox OH Nolensville TNKamden Mitchell S Crescent Valley ORKassidy O’Brien S Cinco Ranch TX *** Kate Stewart OH Chiles FLKelly Kinney OH King’s Academy FLKenna Cogill MB Perry AZKennedy Vaughn OH Bob Jones ALKirra Musgrove S/RS Lutheran South Academy TXKK Green S Lake Highlands Prep FLLauren Hurst OH Cleveland TNLauren Lopez OH Bishop Miege KSLeni Stanton-Parker OH Langley VALilly Howell MB Muncie Burris IN *** Lindsey Mangelson OH Hamilton Southeastern INLogan Bell OH Roncalli INLogan Parks S/RS Blue Valley North KSLucy Chertock OH Amador Valley CALydia Pitts MB/S Southside ARMaddie Evans S Bingham UTMadison Emery S Bellevue West NEMadison Quest OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WIMaegan Mills OH Seaman KSMaggie Dostic OH Plant FL *** Maija Howse OH Eagle IDMallory Reck OH Northville MIMaria Nix OH Cannon NCMarin Collins OH Frontier NYMarlie Davis OH Gilmour Academy OHMaya Witherspoon OH Lafayette MOMegan Fitch OH Cornerstone Christian TXMeghan Anderson S Skutt Catholic NEMolly Reck OH Northville MIMaya Baker S Archbishop Mitty CA *** Paige Thies OH Oregon City ORParis McQuirter OH McGill-Toolen ALPeyton Sasse OH Lincoln ILReagan Ennist OH Shenendehowa NYReese Messer S St. James Academy KSRiley Greene MB Cardinal Mooney FLRyan Hunter RS Cox Mill NCSamara Coleman OH Grand Oaks TXShelby Burris MB Lovejoy TXShelby Ignash MB Cass City MI *** Suli Davis OH/S Colleyville Heritiage TXTara Greenbury MB Incarnate Word MOTatum Sharp MB Thompson Valley COTaylor Gaines OH Liberty Hill TXTaylor Harvey MB Bountiful UTTeraya Sigler OH Horizon AZTyler Peluso S Winter Park FLZoey Matias OH Westminster Christian FL

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vballrecruiter.com’s Senior HS Player of the Year Candidates

November 27, 2023

The final national high school rankings of the season have been released and Mater Dei was named the vballrecruiter.com national champion. Now, it’s time to move onto individual awards, beginning with our Senior Player of the Year Candidates. When it comes to selecting Player of the Year Candidates, it’s a subjective list. There are determining factors used in order to provide parameters to choosing the players below. We looked at the talent level of the player, their impact on the team and overall team success. The first is very subjective, because not everyone will agree on a player’s talent level. Judging a player’s impact on a team usually falls under being among the top kill leaders or if a setter running a 5-1, or even major contributions as both a setter and hitter. Overall team success is judged based on how a team fared in their respective state playoffs. Depending on the competitiveness of the state and division, teams needed to reach at least the Round of 16 or quarterfinals to be considered. We’ll next narrow down the list of candidates to the Player of the Year Finalists, where we’ll highlight each finalist and the reason why they are up for the Senior Player of the Year award before eventually naming our Player of the Year. Lastly, we are releasing a separate list for our Libero of the Year Candidates, so you won’t find any defenders below. Senior Player of the Year Candidates (alphabetical order) Abby Yoder S Kings OHAdrianna Arquette MB Kamehameha HIAlex Bower S Skyview IDAlyssa Nelson S Lafayette MOAniya Joseph OH Harlan TXAnnabelle Groomes S/RS St. Joseph Academy OHAshley McMaster OH Lake Washington WAAva Falduto OH IC Catholic ILAvery Craig OH Tomball Memorial TXAvery Hamlin OH Lake Travis TX *** Avery Scoggins S Middle Creek NCAyden Ames OH Prosper TXBelle Patrick OH Green Hope NCBethanie Wu S Lovejoy TXBlakeley Robbins S Bayside Academy ALBrielle Wilson S Mead WABrooke Tietz MB Grand Rapids West Catholic MICalli Kenny S/RS Willowbrook ILCallie Squiers S Kearney Catholic NECamdyn Stucky S Maize South KS *** Camryn Chatellier OH St. Mary’s Dominican LACaroline Lanicek OH Calvery OHCatherine Young OH Flower Mound TXCayla Cogan OH Clarkston MICayley Hanson S/RS Deer Park TXCharley Staats OH Valley Christian CACharlie Fuerbringer S Mira Costa CACharlotte Moriarty OH Assumption KYChloe Hokenson S Langley VAClara Gyomory RS North Branch MI *** Connor Rahn OH Middleburg FLCorrie Anderson OH Palmer Ridge CODelaney Bub OH Eagle IDDelaney Russell OH Valor Christian CODominique Phills OH Dawson TXElana Erickson OH Forest Hills MIElina Mortensen OH Corner Canyon UTElise Marchal OH Kings OHElla Demetrician OH Appleton North WIElla Grace Holloway OH Lewisburg MI *** Ella Kloepper OH Howell MOElle Weaver OH Oak Ridge CAEllie White OH Mother McAuley ILEmerson Sellman OH Academy Holy Cross MDEmma Williams OH Jesuit ORErin Curtis OH St. Francis/Mountain View CAErin Debiec S Bishop O’Connell VAFallon Stewart OH Winter Park FLFavor Anyanwu OH Sachse TXGrace Agolli S/RS Pace Academy GA *** Grace Carroll RS Cornerstone Christian TXGracie Gordon OH Collegiate VAHaley Clark RS La Canada CAHannah Byers OH Olympia WAHannah Parant S Mountain Brook ALHannah Pattie S Lake Catholic OHIsabel Clark OH Mater Dei CAIsabelle Marco S/RS Sacred Heart Prep CAIzzy Starck S/RS Viera FLJackie Taylor MB Gulliver Prep FL *** Jaden Hendrickson OH Redwood CAJadyn Livings RS Prestonwood Christian TXJaela Auguste MB Grand Oaks TXJenna Hanes MB Cathedral Catholic CAJenna Meitzler OH Barrington ILJillian Huckabey OH Olathe Northwest KSJordan Smart S Reagan NCKacey Kazmierski S Lake Travis TXKaitlyn Burke OH Mill Valley KSKaitlyn Moran S Mount Paran Christian GA *** Kamaluhia Garcia RS Moanalua HIKamryn Kaminski S Howards Grove WIKatherine Holtman MB Argyle TXKatie Kopshever OH Castle INKatrina Pelds OH Waukee Northwest IAKaylee Musick OH Bishop Hartley OHKelsey Cooper OH St. Croix Falls WIKendall Beshear OH Palos Verdes CAKendall Hopewell MB Forest Hills MIKinslee McGowan S Cleveland TN *** Kourtney Grossman OH Billings West MTLauren Dreves OH Columbia River WALauren Evans OH Carmel INLauren Harden OH Hamilton Southeastern INLauren Medeck OH Papillion-La Vista South NELeilia Toailoa OH Bishop Gorman NVLevani Key-Powell OH Bingham UTLilly Lansing RS Jesuit ORLilly Wagner S Oconomowoc WILily Barron OH Olentangy Orange OH *** Logan Wiley MB Alpharetta GALucy Mott S St. Ursula Academy OHMackenzie Dean OH Dowling Catholic IAMakenzie Wagner OH Providence INMalayah Long S Lincoln Southwest NEMaren Johnson OH Jenks OKMaria Drapp S Mercy McAuley OHMariah Potter S Xavier WIMegan Smith OH Conway ARMia Tvrdy MB Papillion-La Vista NE *** Morgan Gaerte OH Angola INMyia McCoy OH Greenwood ARMyka Christiansen S Skyridge UTNikol Antova OH North Cobb GAOlivia Heitkamp OH New Bremen OHOlivia Swenson OH Wayzata MNPaige Bennett OH Foothill CAPayton Petersen OH Dike-New Hartford IAPeyton Fadal S Barbers Hill TXQuincy Moran OH North Creek WA *** Rachel Van Gorp OH Heritage Christian Academy KSReagan Sharp OH Keller TXRegan Harp OH Fayetteville ARRegan Kadal S Legend CORella Binney S Punahou HIRyla Jones MB Flint Hill VASami Blackett OH Orem UTSarah Brodner OH Jupiter FLSavannah Skopal S Rouse TXSkyler Pierce OH Olathe Northwest KS *** Sophia Adkins OH Mercy McAuley OHSophia Henry OH Walton GASophia Wendlick OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WIStella Swenson S Wayzata MNSydney Barrett OH Kings OHSydney Van Cott OH St. Thomas Aquinas FLTatum Johnson MB JSerra CATaylor Parks S Calvary Christian FLTaylor Williams OH St. Francis/Mountain View CAZoey Burgess MB Lone Peak UT

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High School: Looking Ahead to 2024

November 22, 2023

We have the holidays and then a full club season before the next high school season arrives. However, why wait that long to start talking about it? Even though it’s way too early to determine any sort of rankings of schools, it’s still possible to get an idea of how the 2024 high school campaign might stack up. Below, we look ahead and dive into where the Top 10 programs from this season might stand next year. MATER DEI CA: The Monarchs are certainly going to take a hit, as they lose their top-two kill leaders in Isabel Clark (San Diego) and Cymarah Gordon (Michigan), as well as setter/right side Julia Kakkis (Brown), libero Malyssa Cawa (Stanford) and defensive specialist Tessa Hurley. Mater Dei does have pieces to rebuild around in sophomore outside Layli Ostovar, freshman middle Emma Kingston, sophomore middle Addison Coady and junior setter Ayva Ostovar. It’s going to be next to impossible for Mater Dei to repeat as national champion and put together another season like this one. But it’s very possible the Monarchs remain as Top 20 program. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN IN: The Royals will enter 2024 as the two-time Indiana 4A state champs and riding a 67-match winning streak. It’s a mixed bag as to who stays and who goes. The big loss is outside Lauren Harden (Florida). Also graduating is setter Macy Hinshaw (Santa Clara) and libero Sophie Ledbetter (Ball State). However, among the returning players is junior outside Lindsey Mangelson (Mississippi State), who finished second on the team in kills behind Harden. It also stands that sophomore outside Madison Miles will take on a bigger role offensively next year, as will sophomore outside Merritt Sliwa. Junior setter Ava Hunter (Loyola-Chicago) is also coming back. Another undefeated season might be unlikely, but a three-peat in 4A is not. PRESTONWOOD CHRISTIAN TX: All eyes were on the Lions to begin 2023, as they returned every starter from a year ago. That won’t be the case going into 2024, but Prestonwood Christian brings back enough talent and will play a schedule worthy of a national champion. Seniors Jadyn Livings (USC), Mikala Young (TCU), Camille Edwards and Kennedy Washington will leave a void. Yet, the Lions are set up to absorb most of it. Kill leader and junior outside Cari Spears (Texas) is back. She’s joined by junior right side Taylor Clarke, junior setter Taylor Cook and junior libero Gillian Pitts. The younger Livings in Nyla and Naomi figure to take on much larger roles next season as sophomores too. Together, it’s likely to keep Prestonwood Christian near the top of the national rankings. GRAND OAKS TX: Could the Grizzlies open the season as the No. 1 team in the country next August? With the talent that is returning it’s possible. The Texas 6A state champs do lose a few key pieces in middle Jaela Auguste (Florida) and right side Caelyn Emmerling (Texas State), as well as one half of the setting duo in Audrey Terry. But the good news is the top-two kill leaders are back in sophomore outside Halle Thompson and junior outside Samara Coleman (Pitt). They combined for nearly 1,000 kills this fall. Sophomore libero Cali Reece returns, as does sophomore setter Samantha Sampson. It leaves the Grizzlies enough that they could have another season in store like this one, when they went 50-1. CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC CA: The Dons surprised in a major way this fall. After capturing the national championship in 2022 and losing a ton of talent, they were right back in the national championship picture in 2023. Cathedral Catholic is going to see more roster turnover next fall as it loses three of its top four kill leaders in Jenna Hanes (Michigan), Tiona Owens and Ayva Moi (Hawaii beach). Also graduating is senior setter Amanda Saeger (DePaul). The Dons are going to have to retool around sophomore outside Madyson McCarthy, freshman setter Kale’a Lee, junior libero Maya Evens (Maryland) and junior outside Mae Kordas (Yale). Freshman outside Jojo Wilson also figures to take on a bigger role next fall. It’s hard to see Cathedral Catholic remaining a Top-10 program in 2024, but we said the same thing about 2023, so we’ll see. WAYZATA MN: There is going to be big changes in the Trojans’ lineup next season. Key pieces in setter Stella Swenson (Minnesota), outside Olivia Swenson (Minnesota), right side Avery Jesewitz and libero Bianca Nistor. One of the biggest returners is junior middle Katie Kelzenberg (George Mason). Wayzata has big challenges to remain in the upper half of the national rankings. MIRA COSTA CA: The Mustangs are going to take a big loss with setter Charlie Fuerbringer (Wisconsin) graduating. They lose other parts in middles Bryn Shankle (TCU) and Rachel Moglia, as well as right sides Nora Williams (UCR) and Chloe Hynes (NYU). It’s going to create a new look, but the returning players could keep Mira Costa in the Top 10 in 2024. The top-two kill leaders are sophomore outsides Audrey Flanagan and Simone Roslon. Also back is junior libero Taylor Deckert (USC). That provides a great building block. Sophomore setters Milly McGee and Reese Stringer are also going to be part of the mix that should keep Mira Costa churning along. ASSUMPTION KY: This is a program that always finds a way to be competitive and typically finishes in at least the Top 20 in national rankings. Next season should be no different despite key seniors in outsides Charlotte Moriarty (Xavier) and Chloe Smith (Wofford). That’s an area that’s going to need to get sorted out. However, there are other pieces in place like junior middle Bailey Blair (Ohio), junior libero Kristen Simon (Wisconsin), junior outside Emma Barnett, junior setter Emilee Fuller and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Keiran. MOTHER MCAULEY IL: The Macs were among the schools who returned a bunch in 2023. That won’t be the case in 2024. Outside Ellie White (Michigan), middle Ellery Rees (Alabama) and libero Samantha Falk (Loyola-Chicago) are going to be missed.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Lydia Chinchar (FREE)

November 21, 2023

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: Lydia Chinchar. *** To say our latest Player of the Week burst onto the high school scene this season would be inaccurate. Lydia Chinchar – a 4-star setter/right side from the Class of 2027 – was part of Carrollwood Day’s varsity team last year as an eighth-grader. She had an incredible campaign, leading the squad in kills and blocks. However, the Patriots’ state championship aspirations ended with a regional quarterfinal loss to Tampa Prep. Chinchar was among a handful of returning players – including her older sister and senior setter Naomi. Combining with a couple of newcomers – including 3-star Purdue commit and junior libero Mattea Casale – Carrollwood Day was on a mission in 2023. “I remember the first day of practice and we said our goal was to win state and nothing else,” Chinchar said. “We set our minds to that and we just kept going to the very end. In practice, we worked so hard each and every day and we did a really good job of that.” Chinchar once again led the charge. The freshman right side powered the offense with 573 kills – averaging 6.3 per set and hitting .428 – as the Patriots captured the program’s second-ever state championship after defeating Westminster Christian in the Florida 3A final. Adding a punctuation mark to her fabulous season, Chinchar sent down a season-high 37 kills (9.3 per set) and hit .301 in the four-set victory over the Warriors that helped Carrollwood Day finish the fall 31-2 overall. “Our mindset was to walk in confidently and just play our game and not worry about anyone else’s game,” Chinchar said. “That was the most important thing. We never had a doubt in our mind that we were going to lose. We always knew we had each other and that was the best part of it. “The emotions were everywhere on the last point when the ball hit the ground. There was so much excitement and a weight off our shoulders. Finally, all that hard work paid off. Everything we all put it, winning it with your best friends is a pretty awesome feeling.” Carrollwood Day emerged as the team to beat in Florida this fall after its run to the finals of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament in early September. The Patriots suffered their first setback in a sweep against Cornerstone Christian of Texas in the championship match. Along the way Carrollwood Day downed eventual Nebraska Class B state champion Skutt Catholic and eventual Florida 6A runner up Viera. Later in the season, Carrollwood Day notched a victory over eventual 7A state champ Plant. “After the Nike tournament, it was pretty early in the season and we made it to the final and I just remember people saying ‘Oh my goodness, who is this CDS team,’” Chinchar said. “We knew teams were targeting us and coming for us after that.” Chinchar grew up immersed in volleyball. Her parents – Douglas and Sarah – both played. Chinchar’s father is her coach at Carrollwood Day and both parents are directors of No Name Volleyball, where Chinchar will suit up as part of the top 17s team this coming club season. For Chinchar, volleyball was the only sport she ever wanted to play. “I started really young,” she said. “I was six and playing on a 12-and-under team. My parents got me into volleyball and I didn’t really want to do anything else. They were pushing me to try something else but I just wanted to pursue volleyball. I was around it every day. My sister Naomi was in love with volleyball so we decided to do it together.” With both her parents being setters, Chinchar naturally developed at that position as well as hitting. She did both this past club season for No Name 16 but she’s been purely a hitter in high school. “I would say I enjoy hitting more than setting,” Chinchar said. “It is quite the job to run the court and I really appreciate all my setters throughout the years.” It’s not surprising that volleyball takes up much of Chinchar’s time, but she does like to scuba dive and sew sometimes when her schedule allows for it. “My sister and I do scuba diving together,” she said. “It’s always fun to go and we love being able to do it together.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Chinchar about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Chinchar: A role model I look up to is my sister, Naomi. I’m with her every day and she’s always been front and center for me. We do everything together on and off the court. She’s a great role model. She’s going to West Point, so there is no better role model than that. If you could choose to be or do anything for a day, what would you be or do and why? Chinchar: If I had the chance to do anything for a day I would probably drive to Disney World. It’s right here in Florida. I love all the Disney characters. Since I was a little girl it was always a place to go to. It makes me feel like a kid again with all the rides and all the characters there. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Chinchar: I would like to learn to sing. I have always tried to sing and it never works out for me. It would be fun to be up on a stage performing and singing. But, really I wouldn’t try to do anything else but volleyball. Do

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vballrecruiter.com’s Final Top 50 National HS Rankings (Nov. 20)

November 20, 2023

It’s official! Mater Dei of California is the vballrecruiter.com 2023 High School National Champion. You can read about Mater Dei’s season and why the Monarchs finished this fall as the best high school team in the country. With most of the states wrapped up, there was very little movement in our final Top 50 of the year. With Mater Dei winning the CA Open Division state final and Grand Oaks taking home the Texas 6A state title, there was no change in the Top 10. The biggest change came with Cinco Ranch, which lost to Grand Oaks in the 6A state final, moving up from No. 29 to No. 13 after a strong campaign. Cinco Ranch was No. 29 last week because it had a prior loss to Harlan. But after beating Harlan in the 6A semis, Cinco Ranch shot up in our final rankings. There was only one new school cracking the rankings. With Mercy winning the Michigan Division 1 state final, it knocked Northville from the Top 50. As a result, Lake Travis TX ends the year in the Top 50. You can view the full final rankings below. vballrecruiter.com’S FINAL TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mater Dei CA 43-2 (1 – previous ranking) 2. Hamilton Southeastern IN 33-0 (2) 3. Prestonwood Christian TX 36-4 (3) 4. Grand Oaks TX 50-1 (4) 5. Cathedral Catholic CA 34-5 (5) 6. Wayzata MN 34-0 (6) 7. Mira Costa CA 39-4 (7) 8. Assumption KY 37-5 (8) 9. Mother McAuley IL 37-5 (9) 10. Benet Academy IL 39-3 (10) *** 11. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI 47-1 (11) 12. O’Connor AZ 34-1 (12) 13. Cinco Ranch TX 38-5 (29) 14. Lincoln Southwest NE 33-4 (13) 15. Middle Creek NC 26-1 (14) 16. Lake Catholic OH 29-0 (16) 17. Archbishop Mitty CA 33-5 (15) 18. Kings OH 28-1 (18) 19. St. Francis/Mountain View CA 35-6 (17) 20. Papillion-La Vista NE 26-16 (19) *** 21. Papillion-La Vista South NE 35-2 (20) 22. Mill Valley KS 37-5 (21) 23. Marist IL 33-5 (22) 24. Notre Dame Academy KY 35-7 (23) 25. Sierra Canyon CA 34-9 (24) 26. Blue Valley North KS 38-4 (25) 27. Harlan TX 44-6 (26) 28. Dike-New Hartford IA 50-0 (27) 29. Valor Christian CO 29-0 (28) 30. Oconomowoc WI 41-4 (30) *** 31. Seaman KS 38-6 (31) 32. St. Thomas Aquinas KS 31-9 (32) 33. Lafayette MO 36-2 (33) 34. Dripping Springs TX 48-7 (34) 35. Maize South KS 38-5 (35) 36. St. James Academy KS 33-6 (36) 37. Cornerstone Christian TX 34-7 (37) 38. Carrollwood Day FL 31-2 (38) 39. North Branch MI 56-4 (46) 40. Foothill CA 37-2 (40) *** 41. Branson CA 28-5 (41) 42. Lone Peak UT 28-5 (42) 43. Plant FL 25-3 (43) 44. Berkeley Prep FL 20-6 (44) 45. Pace Academy GA 37-3 (45) 46. Alpharetta GA 38-3 (47) 47. Skyridge UT 28-2 (48) 48. Glenbard West IL 35-4 (49) 49. Pope GA 39-4 (50) 50. Lake Travis TX 44-6 (n/r) *** ON THE CUSP Huntington Beach CA Mercy MI Forest Hills Northern MI Perry AZ Xavier Prep AZ St. Josepha Academy OH Olentangy Orange OH Winter Park FL St. Thomas Aquinas FL Kamehameha HI Punahou HI Bishop Gorman NV McGill-Toolen AL Mountain Brook AL Cox Mill NC *** Past vballrecruiter.com National Champions: 2022: Cathedral Catholic CA

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vballrecruiter.com’s 2023 HS National Champion: Mater Dei Monarchs

November 20, 2023

Anything short of a head-to-head result or results between the undisputed two top programs in the country means determining the high school national champion is completely subjective. A season ago Cathedral Catholic made it an easy choice given the Dons went undefeated and only dropped one set all year as they captured the Durango Fall Classic title and the California Open Division state championship. The only other team under consideration last fall was Cornerstone Christian of Texas. While the Warriors did hand eventual TAPPS 6A champ Prestonwood Christian its only loss as well as defeat Texas 6A state champ Dripping Springs, plus beat CA Open Division semifinalist Mira Costa, they suffered their only loss to Westminster Christian FL in the final of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. That lone loss ended any heated debate between Cathedral Catholic and Cornerstone Christian in terms of the national championship. It would have been nearly impossible to pick between the pair had both ended the year undefeated. There are three important factors in determining a national champion. One is overall record. Another is strength of schedule. And lastly a team must capture its state championship, because if a team isn’t the best in its state how can it be the best in the nation? That leads us to our 2023 High School National Champion – Mater Dei of California. Mater Dei finished the year 43-2. While they did not go undefeated like Hamilton Southeastern of Indiana or Wayzata of Minnesota, the Monarchs strength of schedule was vastly superior. The Monarchs earned two major tournament titles in Volleypalooza and the Durango Fall Classic. And after defeating nationally-ranked Archbishop Mitty in four sets this past Saturday evening, they earned their second California Open Division state championship to match the one they claimed in 2018. “It’s amazing,” Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell said. “Winning tournaments is tough. I’ve had a lot of good teams and we didn’t win Durango. Playing those best-of-three tournaments is just a crap shoot. I don’t know if I would have believed anyone who said we would win two major tournaments, CIF and state and accomplish all of that. It’s really impressive. It’s a testament to the girls. Whenever they needed to be really good, they showed up.” The core of the roster was largely the same from a season ago. Senior outside and 4-star San Diego commit Isabel Clark, senior right side and 4-star Michigan commit Cymarah Gordon, sophomore outside and 5-star recruit Layli Ostovar, senior libero and 3-star Stanford commit Malyssa Cawa, junior setter Ayva Ostovar and senior defensive specialist and 3-star recruit Tessa Hurley all played key roles in 2022. The biggest turnover came in the middle, where Mater Dei leaned on sophomore and 3-star recruit Addison Coady and freshman and 3-star recruit Emma Kingston to start the year. Mater Dei was boosted by the eligibility of senior setter/right side and 3-star Brown commit Julia Kakkis, who had to sit out all last year after transferring due to a CIF ruling. The depth of the lineup was crucial in the team’s success.   “That was our strength,” O’Dell said. “We never really relied on just one kid every match. We had Izzy, Cymarah and Layli to carry us. If someone was off, there was someone else to shoulder the load. We had such balance and multiple players being part of our success. We have an amazing libero in Malyssa and a great setter in Julia to orchestrate it all. “Emma, our freshman middle, was massive at the end of the season. She really improved her blocking from the beginning of the season and by the end she was single-handily taking out middles and shutting down outsides. She had nine blocks in the CIF final. She had seven or eight against Cathedral Catholic in the semis and she had eight against Mitty. She was averaging about two blocks per set in that stretch. “Tessa Hurley, our DS, she made some outstanding plays. She would be a starting libero on so many teams but she happens to play with Malyssa.” A season ago, Cathedral Catholic overcame the loss of senior outside and Stanford commit Julia Blyashov and won four state matches without her. While Mater Dei didn’t lose its top player like the Dons, the Monarchs did deal with a couple of key injuries. The first was losing Coady to an ankle injury during Volleypalooza. She remained out past the Durango Fall Classic. Another was losing Ayva Ostovar the week leading into Dave Mohs and having to switch to Kakkis running a 5-1, which she did for the remainder of the season. “When we switched to a 5-1 it was tough,” O’Dell said. “We were trying something new and we were exposed by Cathedral Catholic. They were doubling up our outsides and we weren’t running the middles. We just weren’t great. After that, we started implementing Layli going to six rotations. She was hurt at the beginning of the year so we had been subbing her out back row. We wanted her in the back row so with her and Izzy we always had a back row attack to get more offense in the 5-1. Julia started getting more comfortable at the net and getting used to the 5-1. It also helped having middle depth because with Megan Rice and Sofia Walker we were able to mix and match. But the main change was Layli going six rotations so we had more offense.” Mater Dei didn’t lose the rest of the way after falling to Cathedral Catholic in the Dave Mohs final. That brings us to Mater Dei’s record. A pair of losses is usually enough to eliminate a team from the national championship picture. As we mentioned earlier, Cornerstone Christian was eliminated with just one loss in 2022, as was Prestonwood Christian, who only lost to Cornerstone Christian. As for Mater Dei, the Monarchs ended the year with a winning record against both opponents they lost to in Mira Costa

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HS Player Spotlight: 13 Impactful Freshmen

November 16, 2023

Once the high school schedule officially wraps up, we’ll start releasing our Player of the Year candidates for the 2024-2027 classes. It’s likely you’ll see many of the names below listed as our Freshman of the Year candidates for the 2023 season. What all 13 ninth-graders below have in common is that their respective seasons are completed and all made tremendous impacts towards their team success. Lauren Garcia S/RS Reagan TX: Garcia – a 3-star recruit – had a big freshman season in helping the Rattlers reach the regional quarterfinals. She finished off the year second in kills with 428, averaging 3.2 per set. She also led the team in assists with 798, averaging 6.0 per set. She was third in digs with 375 and first in aces with 54. She recorded a season-high 17 kills in a September victory over Johnson. She twice reached a season-best 33 assists. The first came in a victory against Churchill in September. The next was in an October bi-district triumph over New Braunfels. Mallory Wandel OH Rockford MI: The Rams’ run came to an end in the Division 1 regional final. Still, it was a tremendous rookie campaign for Wandel. She was second in kills with 373. She averaged 2.8 per set. One of her best matches came in August when she had 13 kills and hit .647. She had a season-high 17 kills in a September victory over Caledonia. Louise Neuhart OH Virginia Academy VA: Neuhart played a key role in the Patriots making it to the Virginia Division 2 state semifinals. The freshman outside led the offense with 366 kills. She averaged 2.9 per set and hit .290. Neuhart twice registered a season-high 17 kills. One was in a victory against St. Anne’s-Belfield as she hit .412. The other time came against Chelsea Academy, when she hit .406. McKenna McIntosh OH St. Mary’s CA: McIntosh – a 3-star recruit – made an immediate impact for the Rams, who captured the CIF Sac-Joaquin Division 1 championship and qualifed for the CA Open Division state playoffs, where they fell to Foothill in the Round of 16. McIntosh led the attack with 362 kills. She averaged 4.5 kills per set and hit .350. She was also second in both digs (179) and blocks (22) and third in aces (48). McIntosh had a couple of her biggest outings late in the season. It included dropping 17 kills and hitting .308 as St. Mary’s beat Rocklin in the sectional final. In the sectional semis, she had a season-best 20 kills and hit .462. Marissa Jones S Woodward Academy GA: Jones – a 5-star recruit – guided Woodward Academy to the Georgia 6A state quarterfinals before falling to eventual champ Alpharetta. She dished out 702 assists, averaging 7.5 per set. She also finished first in blocks with 71 and third in digs with 239. She twice recorded a season-best 35 assists, as well as a season-high seven blocks in an August loss to McIntosh. Lauren Forelli OH Liberty AZ: With Forelli leading the charge on offense, the Lions advanced to the Arizona 6A state quarterfinals this fall. The 4-star recruit sent down a team-leading 250 kills. In her best match of the season, she put away a high of 21 kills and hit .439 in a five-set victory against Pinnacle in October. Kendall Omoruyi MB Sunnyslope AZ: The Vikings also made it to the Arizona 6A state quarterfinals. A 5-star recruit, Omoruyi was an important factor in the middle. She ended third in kills with 171, averaging 2.3 per set. She made a bigger impact defensively, sending down 83 blocks and averaging 1.1 per set. She amassed a season-high 14 kills in a five-set victory against Mountain Ridge in September. She also twice had a season-high nine blocks. It came against Lake Highlands Prep FL and Bishop’s CA during the Nike TOC Southwest tournament. Calli LeFevre OH Marian MI: LeFevre’s role in helping the Mustangs reach the Michigan Division 1 state quarterfinals cannot be overlooked. The 3-star outside wrapped up the year second in kills with 338. She averaged 2.7 per set and was third in digs with 300, averaging 2.4. She tallied a season-high 15 kills in a five-set loss to Lake Orion in September. Amelie Pankonin OH River Falls WI: The Wildcats advanced to the Wisconsin Division 1 state quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion and nationally-ranked Divine Savior Holy Angels. Pankonin played a vital part on offense, finishing the year second in kills with 322. That was one short of tying for the team lead. She averaged 3.4 per set. Four times she totaled 20 kills or more, including a season-high 22 and hitting .388 in a four-set victory over Eau Claire Memorial in the second round of state. Ellyson Randolph OH Reagan NC: The Raiders suffered their only loss of the fall in the North Carolina 4A state semifinals when Cox Mill prevailed in four sets. It was quite the season for the 6-2 Randolph, who led the team in kills. She put down 311 and averaged 3.2 per set while hitting .314. She notched a season-high 15 kills in a four-set victory against East Surry in October. Caroline Ward OH Tri-West Hendricks IN: Ward – a 5-star talent – played a crucial role in the Bruins finishing on top of the Indiana 3A state playoffs. She finished second in kills with 312, averaging 2.8 per set. She was also third in blocks with 45. She had 19 kills and hit .640 in a victory against Westner Boone in mid-October. She set her season high of 24 kills while hitting .439 in a five-set triumph over Center Grove in early October. Addyson Avery MB Briarcrest Christian TN: The Saints came out on top of the Tennessee Division 2AA state playoffs. Avery contributed in a big way out of the middle. She finished fourth in kills with 166, averaging 1.6 per set and hitting .352, and led the way blocking with 139. That

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