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HS Player Spotlight: 15 Standout Sophomores

September 21, 2023

With matches going on all the time, the high school season doesn’t pause or take a break. We are still more than a month away from the postseason and state tournaments getting underway. So there is plenty more action on the way. Yet, it also feels like so much has already happened even though some states have only been playing for a couple of weeks. It’s one reason why we checked in last week and highlighted 11 freshmen who are having standout seasons to date. This week, we move on to 15 sophomores who are making key impacts for their respective schools. Henley Anderson OH Drippings Springs TX: Anderson – a 5-star recruit and vballrecruiter.com’s Freshman HS Player of the Year in 2022 – has been a huge part of the Tigers’ 36-2 mark to begin the week. Dripping Springs is the reigning Texas 6A state champion and is built for another deep run with Anderson powering the way. She’s amassed 447 kills to date, averaging 4.8 per set. She’s also second in aces. Three times so far she’s recorded 21 kills or more, including a season-high 26 in a five-set victory over Westlake last week. Peyton Carlson OH Waupaca WI: The Comets entered the week with an 18-4 record. Carlson – a 5-11, 4-star recruit who suited up at libero for FC Elite 18 Navy during club season – has been the featured part of the attack by a long shot. She came into the week with 309 of the team’s 607 total kills. She’s averaging 5.4 per set. She exploded for a season-best 42 kills in a five-set victory over Oconto Falls at the end of August. She also leads the roster in aces and is second in digs, averaging 3.6 per set. Gunny Brock OH Cleveland TN: Brock, a 6-1 outside, has been a reliable scorer for the Blue Raiders. She’s second on the team in kills behind junior Lauren Hurst. Brock entered the week with 293 kills, averaging 3.3 per set. She’s also been a key contributor on defense, as she’s second in digs with 268 and averaging 3.0 per set. She’s also second in aces with 54 and has stepped in to set off balls, as she’s racked up 93 assists. She put up a season-best 19 kills in a five-set loss to East Hamilton last week. Danielle Whitmire S/RS Walnut Grove TX: Walnut Grove is in its first year of existence and because of re-districting rules in the state of Texas Whitmire was forced to move from Prosper to the new high school. A 6-2, 5-star recruit, she’s been an integral part with her ability to set and hit. She came into this week leading her squad in kills with 280, averaging 3.6 per set. As a setter, she was one set behind junior J’Leigh Larra for the team lead with 311 assists, averaging 4.0 per set. On top of that, she’s also second in both digs and aces. Kayla Nwabueze MB Bloomfield Hills MI: We featured Nwabueze – a 5-star recruit – as a Player of the Week back in August and spoke to her about the high school season. It’s not surprising at all to see her putting together the year she has so far. She entered the week leading the Black Hawks in kills with 246. She’s averaging 4.1 per set. She’s also been a force at the net with her blocking, leading the team in that category as well with 59 in 60 sets played. She’s playing all the way around and is also third in digs with 145, averaging 2.4 per set. Nwabueze posted a season-high 17 kills last week in a victory against St. Mary’s Prep. Gabby Divita OH Grosse Pointe South MI: Divita – another 5-star recruit and a teammate of Nwabueze this past club season for Legacy 15-1 Adidas – is shining as well. She has over half of the team’s total kills, putting up 263 and averaging 5.3 per set. She’s been effective from the service line too, leading the roster in aces with 26. She’s also second in digs, averaging 2.7 per set. She’s had impressive outings, including dropping a season-best 20 kills and hitting .621 in a sweep of Sterling Heights. Blair Thiebaud S College Station TX: Thiebaud – a 6-0, 4-star recruit – is following up her rookie campaign with almost an identical season to date. She finished her freshman year averaging 8.1 assists per set. That’s the same average she has so far this year in racking up 735 assists through 91 sets. She’s also contributed in other ways, especially from the service line where she leads the team with 74 aces. That’s nearly double of the next closest leader. She’s also second in blocks, as well as third in both kills and digs. She recorded a season-high 13 kills in a victory over Concordia Lutheran in late August. She’s eclipsed the 40-assist mark twice thus far, including a season-best 42 dimes in a four-set victory over Magnolia. DaMya Mann S/RS Harlan TX: A 3-star recruit, Mann has played an integral role in Harlan starting off the year 30-5. She does it all for the Hawks in showcasing her versatility. She’s second in kills (201/2.5 per set), assists (423/5.2), digs (244/3.0) and blocks (65/.8). She’s also third in aces. Her best match came in a four-set victory over Warren, when she put up 13 kills, hit .435 and dished out a season-best 23 assists. It was one of three times she’s recorded 20 assists or more. She also had 17 digs in that contest. Her season-high was 18 against O’Connor, when she also had a season-high five blocks. Ellie Hepler L Warsaw IN: Hepler – a 4-star recruit – has been starring in her defensive role. She’s among the country’s top dig leaders for sophomore liberos. She’s made 313 saves so far, averaging 4.7 per set. She’s also been the team’s most efficient server, leading the way with 38 aces.

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Durango Fall Classic: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

September 20, 2023

The Durango Fall Classic has long been the gold standard when it comes to national high school tournaments. Day 2 at Durango High School, when the top 16 teams in the field compete for the championship, delivers the best that high school volleyball has to offer and is head-and-shoulders above any other day of competition during the season. The final results play a huge role and go a long way in determining the national champion at the end of the year. Given that, this year’s field could deliver the most epic edition yet and that’s no exaggeration. It’s impossible for the Durango results to not heavily influence this year’s national championship race as the top teams in the country are set to go at it for the prestigious title. On top of that, four major tournament champions from this season are participating in 2023, starting with top-ranked Mira Costa CA, which captured the Ann Kang Invitational in August by defeating Cornerstone Christian TX. Cornerstone finished first at the Nike TOC Southeast event at the beginning of the month, while Volleypalooza champ Mater Dei CA – as well as Volleypalooza runner-up Prestonwood Christian TX – are also in the mix. Wrapping it up is recent Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament winner Assumption KY. Any one of the five teams could take over the top spot in the nation – or in Mira Costa’s case retain it – should they leave Las Vegas this weekend with the coveted trophy. Of course, given the strength of the field, there is a chance none of the five finish first and another school lays claim to the throne. Defending national and tournament champion Cathedral Catholic CA could be one of them. A school like Torrey Pines CA has five-set losses to both Mira Costa and Cathedral Catholic and shouldn’t be overlooked, while Archbishop Mitty CA started the week undefeated and is the highest-seeded team still without a loss. Number of Teams: 64 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (16): 1. Mira Costa CA 2. Cornerstone Christian TX 4. Archbishop Mitty CA 5. Assumption KY 6. Mater Dei CA 7. Prestonwood Christian TX 9. Cathedral Catholic CA 16. Torrey Pines CA 22. St. Francis/Mountain View CA 23. Sierra Canyon CA 25. Xavier Prep AZ 34. Redondo Union CA 39. Marymount CA 40. Lone Peak UT 43. Huntington Beach CA 45. Kamehameha HI 5-Star Athletes to Know   4-Star Athletes to Know   Outlook: As mentioned in the intro, four schools have finished first at national tournaments already in Mira Costa, Mater Dei, Cornerstone Christian and Assumption, while a fifth in Prestonwood Christian finished runner up at Volleypalooza. Cathedral Catholic – which lost to Mater Dei in the semifinals of Volleypalooza – defeated Mater Dei earlier this month in the Dave Mohs championship match at a tournament in Southern California. Archbishop Mitty owns a victory already this season over last year’s California Open Division state runner up in St. Francis/Mountain View, which is also competing this weekend at Durango. Another storyline is Xavier Prep AZ, which entered the week 6-0 without losing a set yet. Then there is Sierra Canyon CA, which tied for third at Ann Kang in August. Two other schools who are typically among the final 16 are Redondo Union CA and Marymount CA and neither can be discounted. While ‘Iolani HI is unable to make the trip this year, another Hawaii school in Kamehameha/Kapalama is a Durango constant. The Warriors have opened the year 12-1, with their only setback to one-loss Punahou HI, which is the only school so far this season to beat Mira Costa. Punahou also owns a victory over another Durango participant in Huntington Beach CA, which defeated Sierra Canyon at Ann Kang. The storylines are plentiful at this year’s event, and yet another is a team like Branson CA, which was the California Division 1 state champion last year. They are all, as is everyone, fighting to win their Day 1 pool. With it comes a ticket to the top 16 and the fun and excitement of Day 2 at Durango High. The two-day tournament always comes with tons of anticipation and even with the hype surrounding this year’s field exceeding the norm, there is no way the 2023 version of Durango can disappoint! Prediction: Aiming to pick the correct winner is no easy task given the number of teams which can rise up and win it all. Preseason No. 1 Prestonwood Christian has all the talent to wind up on top. Current No. 1 Mira Costa has the best ball control of any team in the field but not the same firepower. Mater Dei, Assumption and Cornerstone Christian have all shown what they are capable of, while Cathedral Catholic plays with a ton of resiliency. I don’t see a team outside of one of those six capturing the title. In the end, Assumption keeps up its strong play of late and downs Mira Costa in the championship match.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Layla Hoying (FREE)

September 19, 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: Layla Hoying. *** With a dad who was a quarterback at Ohio State and spent six seasons in the NFL, two aunts who played Division 1 volleyball, an older brother, Jacob, who plays football at the University of Cincinnati and an older sister, Ava, currently playing volleyball at Northern Kentucky University, sports have always been a huge part of Layla Hoying’s life growing up. She spent five years doing competitive dance. She ran track. Played AAU basketball. And has participated in soccer and cheer. Still, she always knew volleyball would be No. 1. “I was exposed (to volleyball) from such a young age,” she said. “I was going to clinics. I did a lot of other sports but I always knew volleyball would be my sport.” Hoying – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2026 – started club during her 11s season at Mintonette and has been there since. It’s where her sister Ava played club too, so it was a natural fit. Currently, Hoying is in the middle of her sophomore season at Bishop Watterson, where Mintonette coach Stephanie Grieshop is the head coach. With Hoying a freshman last season and teaming with her older sister, the Eagles advanced to the Ohio Division 1 state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Ursuline Academy. “I was so excited because I always knew we would have the opportunity to play one year together,” Hoying said. “It really gave me extra incentive to make varsity because I really wanted to play with her. Everyone was telling me I had nothing to worry about but I wasn’t just expecting to make varsity. I was telling myself I had to work harder than everyone else to have that chance and it made it extra special.” Hoying ended her rookie season third in both kills and digs. The Eagles graduated seven seniors coming into her sophomore season, so she’s taken on an increased role. The team began this week 8-3 with Hoying leading the roster in kills and aces. “I think we were expecting this season to be more of a rebuilding year but the season has been pretty good so far,” she said. “Our first game was against Ursuline, who won state last year and we lost to in the semifinals, and we lost in five sets, 20-18. We have a lot of Mintonette players and we all have that same foundation with our training. Steph is our coach and she coaches with Max (Miller) so she is training us well. We have a lot of juniors so we’ll be a similar team next year. We are growing as a team and getting better.” When it comes to club, Hoying and company have enjoyed plenty of success the past two seasons. Her Mintonette squad finished the 2021-2022 season capturing the USAV 14 Open national championship. The ending to this past club campaign was just as memorable, even though it didn’t quite end the same way. The first chapter featured Mintonette defeating Skyline to take home the AAU 15 Open gold medal. A couple of weeks later the two clubs met again in the USAV 15 Open championship match. That one went Skyline’s way. “That was insane,” Hoying said. “That was not something I expected. At AAUs, we definitely expected to play them in the finals. When we beat them we were so excited about winning AAUs. We knew USAV was coming up and we needed to stay focused. We had it in the back of our mind that we could play them again. Once it was Day 4 and we both made it to the final, we were really excited playing them again. I do think we were the two top teams in the nation. We knew they had extra fire and reason to beat us, so that made us a little nervous. It’s hard to beat a really good team but it’s even harder to beat a really good team twice in the span of a few weeks. We worked our hardest and I do think we were capable of beating them, it just didn’t happen.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Hoying about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Hoying: I would say I definitely look up to my sister. I always go to her for advice, whether it’s about volleyball or school or anything else. She’s really wise. She’s only 18 but she is wise and always has good advice for me. I play volleyball because of her. When people compliment me about volleyball they are really complimenting her because she’s the reason I’m playing. With her, I always have someone to talk to who understands the sport in depth, plus I look up to her. I still want to beat her. That’s something that I use as an incentive is to beat Ava. That sense of competition definitely helps me to work harder. She’s definitely my biggest role model. What is your favorite food? Hoying: I’m definitely not a picky person. I think I’ll eat anything but olives. I definitely like fruit. I will eat any fruit. I also love pasta and I like getting my protein too though I don’t enjoy eating meat as much. Definitely fruit is my favorite food. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I’m really not picky. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Hoying: I feel like I would want to learn … there are so many options. I feel like I would want to learn how to play the piano super well. I took lessons

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vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings

September 18, 2023

We are into our third Top 50 National HS Rankings of the month. Compared to the first two weeks, this week’s rankings held steady, especially at the top where none of the top programs lost. We had to get to No. 13 St. Thomas Aquinas KS before seeing a Top-20 fall. The Saints lost to Olathe Northwest KS in tournament play over the weekend. It was their first setback of the season. They have a chance to move back up in a hurry, as they face undefeated and No. 13 Blue Valley North KS on Tuesday, as well as No. 38 St. James Academy KS. While there was very little movement at the top, that is very likely to change next week. That’s because the Durango Fall Classic is on hand this coming Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. Seven of the Top 10 teams are in the field, as well as No. 16 Torrey Pines CA and No. 22 St. Francis/Mountain View CA, No. 23 Sierra Canyon CA and No. 25 Xavier Prep AZ. Check back Wednesday for our Preview and Predictions, where we’ll have a more in-depth look at the biggest high school event of the season. For now, check below for this week’s full rankings. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mira Costa CA (1 – previous ranking) 2. Cornerstone Christian TX (2) 3. Papillion-LaVista South NE (3) 4. Archbishop Mitty CA (4) 5. Assumption KY (5) 6. Mater Dei CA (6) 7. Prestonwood Christian TX (7) 8. Grand Oaks TX (8) 9. Cathedral Catholic CA (9) 10. Notre Dame Academy KY (10) *** 11. Hamilton Southeastern IN (11) 12. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI (12) 13. Blue Valley North KS (21) 14. Wayzata MN (14) 15. Seton OH (17) 16. Torrey Pines CA (18) 17. Carrollwood Day FL (19) 18. Dripping Springs TX (20) 19. Angola IN (n/r) 20. St. Thomas Aquinas KS (13) *** 21. Mother McAuley IL (23) 22. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (24) 23. Sierra Canyon CA (28) 24. Oconomowoc WI (26) 25. Xavier College Prep AZ (43) 26. Benet Academy IL (n/r) 27. Viera FL (29) 28. Sacred Heart Academy KY (27) 29. Bellmont IN (22) 30. Marist IL (15) *** 31. Skyridge UT (49) 32. Calvary Christian FL (31) 33. Lake Catholic CA (35) 34. Redondo Union CA (33) 35. Winter Park FL (36) 36. Lafayette MO (16) 37. O’Connor AZ (25) 38. St. James Academy KS (32) 39. Marymount CA (34) 40. Lone Peak UT (37) *** 41. Berkeley Prep FL (38) 42. Punahou HI (44) 43. Huntington Beach CA (n/r) 44. Valor Christian CO (45) 45. Kamehameha HI (48) 46. Corona del Sol AZ (30) 47. Los Alamitos CA (41) 48. Notre Dame Prep AZ (46) 49. Millennium AZ (47) 50. Pace Academy GA (40) *** ON THE CUSP Nixa MO Mercy McAuley OH St. Ursula Academy OH Mount Notre Dame OH Clearwater Central Catholic FL Redlands CA Byron Nelson TX Pope GA Liberty North MO Corner Canyon UT Lewis Palmer CO Northville MI Maple Mountain UT Flint Hill VA Plant FL Hagerty FL Venice FL Westminster Christian FL Colleyville Heritage TX Cypress Ranch TX Harlan TX Roncalli IN Yorktown IN Washburn Rural KS Prosper TX Glenbard West IL Brighton IL Cardinal Gibbons NC Green Hope NC Green Level NC Bishop Gorman NV Mount Notre Dame OH Lake Highland Prep FL Perry AZ Queen Creek AZ Jenks OK Mount St. Mary OK

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HS Player Spotlight: 11 Standout Freshmen

September 14, 2023

The past couple of weeks we have checked in on teams from our Top 50 National HS Rankings. You can get caught up on those here and here. Below, we focus on 11 freshmen who have been starring so far for their respective high schools. Allie Hudgins OH Westlake TX – A 5-star recruit, Hudgins had a big club season playing for Austin Performance. She’ll spend next club season on the Austin Skyline 15 Royal roster. In the meantime, she’s been starring her rookie campaign at Westlake, which is 27-7 as of this writing. She’s currently second on the team in kills with 290, averaging 3.5 per set. She’s first in blocks with 35, as well as third in digs, averaging 2.3 per set. She recorded a season-best 19 kills in a five-set victory over Stony Point in mid-August. Carson Caraway OH Jackson Academy MS – The Raiders are currently sitting at 24-6. Caraway – a 4-star recruit who played this past club season at Infinity Volleyball Academy – has been a huge part of the success, leading the team in kills with 286. She’s also third in digs with 2.2 per set. She set a season-high mark with 20 kills in a sweep against Hartfield Academy on Sept. 7. Mia Ray OH North Gwinnett GA – Ray was part of A5 14 Helen’s silver-medal performance at AAUs, earning All-Tournament Team honors in 14 Open. Her talents have shown up for the Bulldogs, who are 20-8 to date. Ray’s another freshman who is leading her squad in kills. She’s totaled 262 so far, averaging 3.9 per set. She’s also second in aces with 30. Marissa Jones S Woodward Academy GA – A teammate of Ray during the club season for A5 14 Helen, Jones is a 5-star recruit who has played an important role for the Eagles. She sits at 350 assists, averaging 7.0 per set to date. She’s also playing another role in the offense as she’s third in kills with 68, averaging 1.4 per set. Other contributions have included leading the team in blocks so far with 35 and sitting second in aces with 29. Her best outing so far featured 18 assists and 9 kills in a five-set loss to Trinity Christian. Brynn Stephens S/RS Rock Hill TX – A 5-star recruit who was an integral part of TAV 14 Black’s gold-medal performance in 14 Open this summer in Chicago, the 6-2 Stephens is shining for the Blue Hawks. She’s made huge impacts with both her setting and hitting. She leads the team in both. She’s posted 243 kills, averaging 3.1 per set, and has dished out 443 assists, averaging 5.7 per set. She’s also second in digs with 205, averaging 2.6 per set, while leading the team in aces with 59. Sophee Peterson S Byron Nelson TX – Peterson – a 4-star recruit – was another key member of TAV 14 Black’s national championship in 14 Open. She too set and hit but has been setting her freshman season as part of a 6-2. Peterson has 365 assists, averaging 6.4 per set. She’s also tied for third in digs with 139, averaging 2.4 per set. She’s also contributed at the service line, as she’s third in aces. Lydia Chinchar RS Carrollwood Day FL – Chinchar became a household name this past club season while playing up two age groups for No Name 16 Sarah. The 4-star recruit set and hit in club but has starred as a right side for the Patriots. She’s been the featured part of the attack. Her 180 kills not only lead the team, but are more than the next three leaders combined. She’s averaging 6.2 kills per set as well as leading the team in blocks with 22. She’s reached double-digit in kills in all but two matches, including a season-best 20 in a three-set victory over Viera at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. Westley Matavao OH Orange Lutheran CA – Matavao – a 4-star recruit – was the go-to hitter this past club season for Forza1 North 14 One. She’s taken on the same role for the Lancers during her rookie season. She leads the roster with 175 kills, averaging 5.0 per set. She’s also tied for first in blocks and second in digs. She put up a season-high 30 kills in a five-set victory over Ontario Christian on Sept. 5. Peyton Heatherly S Mother McAuley IL – A 3-star recruit, Heatherly is another freshman who played a dual role in club by hitting and setting. However, she’s taken over the setting duties for the Macs, who recently took third place at the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament with Heatherly running a 5-1. In 36 sets played to date, she’s dished out 205 assists, averaging 5.7 per set. She’s been strong from the service line too, leading the team so far in aces with 16. Siena Ebert L/DS Hockaday School TX – Ebert, who will suit up during the club season for Madfrog 15 Green, has been a standout defender thus far for the Daisies. The freshman leads the team currently with 295 digs, averaging 4.5 per set. Hockaday is set to participate in next week’s Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, the second year in a row the school is making the trip. Kat Wulff-Smith L/DS Garces Memorial CA – The Bakersfield school lost its first match of the season. Since then, the Rams have reeled of 16 consecutive victories. Wulff-Smith has had her hands in on the success. She’s owned the back row, leading the way with 272 digs. That’s an average of 6.8 per set. She’s also second in aces with 30.

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Top 50: HS Team Spotlights

September 13, 2023

Last week we brought you our first Top 50 HS Team Spotlights featuring teams off to strong starts and highlighting their success. With our second regular-season Top 50 National HS Rankings dropping earlier this week on Monday, we offer another edition. In line with last week’s spotlights, we once more highlight teams off to tremendous starts. In fact, the seven teams spotlighted below entered the week with a combined record of 84-3! *** ARCHBISHOP MITTY CA – The Monarchs are off to a strong start, beginning the week 9-0 and with a handful of matches before traveling to the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in two weekends. It’s possible Archbishop Mitty could arrive at the 64-team tournament still unbeaten. One big bright spot so far this season has been the play of standout sophomore OH/RS McKenna Crosson, a 4-star recruit. The Monarchs have had a ton of contributors on offense, including seniors Katelyn Cook and Amiya Kuchibhotla and juniors Isabella Romero and Jasmine Shum. Directing the attack is 4-star Notre Dame commit and junior setter Maya Baker. Among Mitty’s impressive victories to date features beating St. Francis/Mountain View, last season’s California Open Division state runner up. DIVINE SAVIOR HOLY ANGELS WI – The defending Wisconsin Division 1 state champion is off to a flying start. The DHSA opened the week 13-0, including beating state runner-up Oconomowoc in tournament play. DHSA moved up a couple of spots from No. 14 to No. 12 in this week’s update. Featured on the talented roster is 5-star Wisconsin commit and junior outside Madison Quest and 4-star Michigan State commit and junior libero Olivia Durst. Other players who have shined brightly is senior outside Sophia Wendlick and junior setter Jordan Czajkowski (Belmont). A major upcoming test is the Asics Challenge hosted by Mother McAuley IL at the end of the month. LAFAYETTE MO – The Lancers captured last year’s Missouri Class 5A state championship and are another school that is off to a hot start. The Lancers have opened the year 10-0, including beating St. James Academy KS in tournament play over the weekend. With the majority of the lineup back from a season ago, Lafayette’s start is not unexpected. Still powering the attack are 4-star Vanderbilt commit and junior outside Maya Witherspoon and 3-star Northern Kentucky commit and senior outside Allison Risley. A new addition in 5-star freshman pin Shaye Witherspoon has also been instrumental. With 3-star Villanova commit and senior setter Alyssa Nelson guiding the offense, the Lancers are in great hands. Defensively, senior Amelia Moser has been holding it down at libero. Lafayette was one of the big movers in this week’s Top 50, climbing 17 places to No. 16. SETON OH – The Saints have been one of the early-season surprises. They have jumped out to a 10-0 mark. Among the key victories have been handing St. Ursula Academy its first loss as well as defeating Ursuline Academy earlier this week. After its big victory over St. Ursula, the Saints debuted in this week’s Top 50 at No. 17. Seton faces Mercy McAuley in another test later this week. Seniors Alli Kirch and Madison Lambers are leading the team in kills so far. Junior Millie Cluxton and sophomore Callie Combs have also contributed to the attack. Senior Taylor Grubbs and junior Reagan Miller have split the setting duties while 3-star UCLA commit and junior Sakura Codling has suited up and led the team defensively at libero. CARROLLWOOD DAY FL – As for early-season surprise, the Patriots are arguably leading the way in that category. They sit at 13-1 overall as of this writing, finishing runner up to Cornerstone Christian TX at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament and recently winning the FL Gem HS tournament this past weekend. The Patriots avoided a letdown in beating Berkeley Prep in four sets earlier this week and have shown they are the top team in the state of Florida so far. The lineup has been elevated by the presence of freshman right side Lydia Chinchar, a 4-star recruit who played up on No Name 16 this past club season. Two more key offensive pieces have been junior middle Sarah Dibbs-Frantz and sophomore outside Elena Dibbs-Frantz. Senior setter Naomi Chinchar has done well quarterbacking the offense and can even step in and hit on the outside in a pinch. Recent Purdue commit, Mattea Casale, a 3-star recruit, has been solid at libero and adds a strong defensive presence. Based on other results and teams moving up in the rankings, the Patriots actually moved down three positions to No. 19 but remain in the Top 20. BLUE VALLEY NORTH KS – The Mustangs are another school making its Top 50 debut this week. They check in at No. 21 based on their 11-0 start. They play Wednesday evening against Blue Valley Southwest. Blue Valley North has a couple of big matches on the horizon, facing both St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy next week. At the helm is 4-star Cincinnati commit and senior setter Janelle Green. She’s also third on the team in kills. Another making key contributions is 5-star recruit and junior S/RS Logan Parks, who is second in assists and leds the squad in kills. Juniors Jenna McClure, Natalie Harrington and Aubrey Shaw, as well as freshman Reese Maslowski have been part of the attack too. Senior Felicia Wu leads the team in digs. LOS ALAMITOS CA – The Griffins tied with Sierra Canyon for third place at the Ann Kang Invitational last month in Hawaii, including handing Punahou HI its only loss of the season to date. Los Al entered the week 18-2 and lands at No. 41 in the Top 50. Senior setter/OH Kaia Herweg – a 3-star Grand Canyon commit – and 3-star junior outside Ashley Repetti have provided a lift and played a big role in Los Al’s success so far.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Madeline Kraft (FREE)

September 12, 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: Madeline Kraft. *** It always has to start somewhere. When it came to Madeline Kraft’s beginning in the sport of volleyball, it was simple. “At first I did it because my friends were doing it and it just stuck,” she said. “Another interest I had in volleyball was going to a lot of (Minnesota) Gophers games. That also really got me into it.” Before taking up volleyball for the first time in fourth grade, Kraft had spent time doing gymnastics and dancing. She didn’t feel as comfortable with either of those as she did with volleyball. “It felt natural,” Kraft said of volleyball. Kraft – a 4-star libero/DS from the Class of 2026 – first played club for Northern Lights during her 12s season. Being part of a club like that and playing for a competitive team is when she started finding out how much she likes the sport. She’s been a defender throughout her relatively short volleyball career. With her dad being a 4-time All-American wrestler at Minnesota, Kraft has always had a competitive edge and she really enjoys bringing that mentality to the defensive side. “I love how relentless you have to be,” she said. “You don’t get to think too much about the play, you just have to react and go. It’s like being the quarterback of the defense and being a defensive leader, as well as cheering everyone up.” When we spoke with Kraft she was only two matches into her high school season with Eagan. The Wildcats currently sit at 6-1 as of this writing. It’s an exciting time at the school with the big coaching change this season. Longtime coach Kathy Gillen stepped down as head coach after 30 seasons. She was inducted into the Minnesota Hall of Fame in 2014, racked up over 700 victories and guided the program to seven state championships during her tenure. Gillen is now an assistant coach for her daughter, McKenna Melville, who has taken on head coaching duties this season. Melville – a Eagan alum who just concluded her collegiate career at the University of Central Florida – taking over the head position has created a buzz. She made a name for herself at UCF by leading the nation in kills and becoming the first player in program history to be named to the AVCA First Team All-America list. “We have a good team,” Kraft said. “We are all glad we get to play under her. Obviously, she’s a really good player and a really good role model.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Kraft about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Kraft: It’s Mckenna (Melville), my (new) coach for Eagan. She just graduated (from Central Florida). I can really relate to her. She’s a good student-athlete and I want to be like her. I look up to her because she succeeded a lot in college. I knew of her before. I met her once before and I always watched her while growing up. She played at Eagan. She committed as a libero but she grew four inches and started hitting in college. What is your favorite food? Kraft: It’s probably pasta and pineapple. When it comes to pasta, I really like spaghetti. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Kraft: I would like to become fluent in another language, so I can travel the world and be able to communicate with other cultures and people throughout the world. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be and why? Kraft: Probably spend time with my friends. It’s hard to make time for them with my busy schedule. I like hanging out with them. We’d probably go shopping. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Kraft: Starbucks. My everyday drink is the Strawberry Acai refresher with lemonade. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Kraft: Probably my dog. Whenever I’m sad she cheers me up. Her name is Olivia. She’s a Toy Poodle but she doesn’t really look like a poodle though. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? Kraft: It probably would be teleportation. I can’t drive right now and it would make my life a lot easier to go wherever, whenever I want. If I want to go to the beach, I’d just be there. Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Kraft: Just being a good person in general. Being a good friend, being a good sibling, being a good daughter. I’m always trying to think of the best in people and things. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Kraft: I can get very serious in stressful times and I can shut everything out and be focused. It’s because I’m usually all over the place. I’m usually making jokes and being light-hearted but I can switch and just turn it on, especially on the court. What is your strangest irrational fear? Kraft: It’s mice or rodents. I don’t like hamsters or anything like that. They freak me out. They are little and fast. I had a hamster once and one day the cage was open and we never found it. What’s your favorite number and why? Kraft: It’s probably 6 because I’ve always been some sort of 6 when I play. I’m usually always 6 or 16. I randomly just get a 6 every time.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings (Sept 11)

September 11, 2023

We are at the point of the high school season where we are releasing an updating Top 50 National HS Rankings every week. It can be hit and miss with the amount of movement we see based on the results taking place around the country. We definitely saw a few big changes with this week’s update, but not at the very top. Mira Costa CA still holds the No. 1 spot after narrowly defeating Torrey Pines CA in five sets last Friday. One of the big changes though took place with Assumption KY, which captured the LIVT tournament title. Assumption dropped in last week’s Top 50 after suffering its first loss of the season to Sacred Heart Academy KY. However, Assumption climb way up the rankings this week after defeating previously-undefeated Notre Dame Academy KY in the final of the LIVT, as well as notching a victory over Mother McAuley IL in the semifinals. In other big moves, Seton OH jumped into the Top 50 this week after defeating previously-unbeaten St. Ursula Academy OH. Seton is undefeated itself. Also in the undefeated ranks is Lafayette MO, which climbed to No. 15 after beating St. James Academy KS. Another Kansas school in Blue Valley North, which is also unbeaten entering this week, broke through and sits at No. 21. You can check out the full rankings below. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mira Costa CA (1 – previous ranking) 2. Cornerstone Christian TX (5) 3. Papillion-La Vista South NE (4) 4. Archbishop Mitty CA (10) 5. Assumption KY (30) 6. Mater Dei CA (6) 7. Prestonwood Christian TX (9) 8. Grand Oaks TX (11) 9. Cathedral Catholic CA (13) 10. Notre Dame Academy KY (3) *** 11. Hamilton Southeastern IN (12) 12. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI (14) 13. St. Thomas Aquinas KS (15) 14. Wayzata MN (17) 15. Marist IL (23) 16. Lafayette MO (33) 17. Seton OH (n/r) 18. Torrey Pines CA (8) 19. Carrollwood Day FL (16) 20. Dripping Springs TX (18) *** 21. Blue Valley North KS (n/r) 22. Bellmont IN (19) 23. Mother McAuley IL (2) 24. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (20) 25. O’Connor AZ (21) 26. Oconomowoc WI (22) 27. Sacred Heart Academy KY (38) 28. Sierra Canyon CA (24) 29. Viera FL (25) 30. Corona del Sol AZ (26) *** 31. Calvary Christian FL (27) 32. St. James Academy KS (7) 33. Redondo Union CA (28) 34. Marymount CA (34) 35. Lake Catholic OH (35) 36. Winter Park FL (n/r) 37. Lone Peak UT (36) 38. Berkeley Prep FL (29) 39. St. Ursula Academy OH (31) 40. Pace Academy GA (30) *** 41. Los Alamitos CA (39) 42. Nixa MO (n/r) 43. Xavier Prep AZ (n/r) 44. Punahou HI (43) 45. Valor Christian CO (47) 46. Notre Dame Prep AZ (n/r) 47. Millennium AZ (n/r) 48. Kamehameha HI (n/r) 49. Skyridge UT (49) 50. Mercy McAuley OH (50) *** ON THE CUSP Clearwater Central Catholic FLRedlands CAByron Nelson TXPope GALiberty North MOCorner Canyon UTLewis Palmer CONorthville MIMaple Mountain UTFlint Hill VAPlant FLHagerty FLVenice FLWestminster Christian FLColleyville Heritage TXCypress Ranch TXHarlan TXRoncalli INYorktown INWashburn Rural KSProsper TXGlenbard West ILBenet Academy ILBrighton ILCardinal Gibbons NCGreen Hope NCGreen Level NCBishop Gorman NVMount Notre Dame OHLake Highland Prep FLHuntington Beach CAPerry AZQueen Creek AZ

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HS Player Spotlight: 15 Standout Sophomores

September 21, 2023

With matches going on all the time, the high school season doesn’t pause or take a break. We are still more than a month away from the postseason and state tournaments getting underway. So there is plenty more action on the way. Yet, it also feels like so much has already happened even though some states have only been playing for a couple of weeks. It’s one reason why we checked in last week and highlighted 11 freshmen who are having standout seasons to date. This week, we move on to 15 sophomores who are making key impacts for their respective schools. Henley Anderson OH Drippings Springs TX: Anderson – a 5-star recruit and vballrecruiter.com’s Freshman HS Player of the Year in 2022 – has been a huge part of the Tigers’ 36-2 mark to begin the week. Dripping Springs is the reigning Texas 6A state champion and is built for another deep run with Anderson powering the way. She’s amassed 447 kills to date, averaging 4.8 per set. She’s also second in aces. Three times so far she’s recorded 21 kills or more, including a season-high 26 in a five-set victory over Westlake last week. Peyton Carlson OH Waupaca WI: The Comets entered the week with an 18-4 record. Carlson – a 5-11, 4-star recruit who suited up at libero for FC Elite 18 Navy during club season – has been the featured part of the attack by a long shot. She came into the week with 309 of the team’s 607 total kills. She’s averaging 5.4 per set. She exploded for a season-best 42 kills in a five-set victory over Oconto Falls at the end of August. She also leads the roster in aces and is second in digs, averaging 3.6 per set. Gunny Brock OH Cleveland TN: Brock, a 6-1 outside, has been a reliable scorer for the Blue Raiders. She’s second on the team in kills behind junior Lauren Hurst. Brock entered the week with 293 kills, averaging 3.3 per set. She’s also been a key contributor on defense, as she’s second in digs with 268 and averaging 3.0 per set. She’s also second in aces with 54 and has stepped in to set off balls, as she’s racked up 93 assists. She put up a season-best 19 kills in a five-set loss to East Hamilton last week. Danielle Whitmire S/RS Walnut Grove TX: Walnut Grove is in its first year of existence and because of re-districting rules in the state of Texas Whitmire was forced to move from Prosper to the new high school. A 6-2, 5-star recruit, she’s been an integral part with her ability to set and hit. She came into this week leading her squad in kills with 280, averaging 3.6 per set. As a setter, she was one set behind junior J’Leigh Larra for the team lead with 311 assists, averaging 4.0 per set. On top of that, she’s also second in both digs and aces. Kayla Nwabueze MB Bloomfield Hills MI: We featured Nwabueze – a 5-star recruit – as a Player of the Week back in August and spoke to her about the high school season. It’s not surprising at all to see her putting together the year she has so far. She entered the week leading the Black Hawks in kills with 246. She’s averaging 4.1 per set. She’s also been a force at the net with her blocking, leading the team in that category as well with 59 in 60 sets played. She’s playing all the way around and is also third in digs with 145, averaging 2.4 per set. Nwabueze posted a season-high 17 kills last week in a victory against St. Mary’s Prep. Gabby Divita OH Grosse Pointe South MI: Divita – another 5-star recruit and a teammate of Nwabueze this past club season for Legacy 15-1 Adidas – is shining as well. She has over half of the team’s total kills, putting up 263 and averaging 5.3 per set. She’s been effective from the service line too, leading the roster in aces with 26. She’s also second in digs, averaging 2.7 per set. She’s had impressive outings, including dropping a season-best 20 kills and hitting .621 in a sweep of Sterling Heights. Blair Thiebaud S College Station TX: Thiebaud – a 6-0, 4-star recruit – is following up her rookie campaign with almost an identical season to date. She finished her freshman year averaging 8.1 assists per set. That’s the same average she has so far this year in racking up 735 assists through 91 sets. She’s also contributed in other ways, especially from the service line where she leads the team with 74 aces. That’s nearly double of the next closest leader. She’s also second in blocks, as well as third in both kills and digs. She recorded a season-high 13 kills in a victory over Concordia Lutheran in late August. She’s eclipsed the 40-assist mark twice thus far, including a season-best 42 dimes in a four-set victory over Magnolia. DaMya Mann S/RS Harlan TX: A 3-star recruit, Mann has played an integral role in Harlan starting off the year 30-5. She does it all for the Hawks in showcasing her versatility. She’s second in kills (201/2.5 per set), assists (423/5.2), digs (244/3.0) and blocks (65/.8). She’s also third in aces. Her best match came in a four-set victory over Warren, when she put up 13 kills, hit .435 and dished out a season-best 23 assists. It was one of three times she’s recorded 20 assists or more. She also had 17 digs in that contest. Her season-high was 18 against O’Connor, when she also had a season-high five blocks. Ellie Hepler L Warsaw IN: Hepler – a 4-star recruit – has been starring in her defensive role. She’s among the country’s top dig leaders for sophomore liberos. She’s made 313 saves so far, averaging 4.7 per set. She’s also been the team’s most efficient server, leading the way with 38 aces.

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Durango Fall Classic: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

September 20, 2023

The Durango Fall Classic has long been the gold standard when it comes to national high school tournaments. Day 2 at Durango High School, when the top 16 teams in the field compete for the championship, delivers the best that high school volleyball has to offer and is head-and-shoulders above any other day of competition during the season. The final results play a huge role and go a long way in determining the national champion at the end of the year. Given that, this year’s field could deliver the most epic edition yet and that’s no exaggeration. It’s impossible for the Durango results to not heavily influence this year’s national championship race as the top teams in the country are set to go at it for the prestigious title. On top of that, four major tournament champions from this season are participating in 2023, starting with top-ranked Mira Costa CA, which captured the Ann Kang Invitational in August by defeating Cornerstone Christian TX. Cornerstone finished first at the Nike TOC Southeast event at the beginning of the month, while Volleypalooza champ Mater Dei CA – as well as Volleypalooza runner-up Prestonwood Christian TX – are also in the mix. Wrapping it up is recent Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament winner Assumption KY. Any one of the five teams could take over the top spot in the nation – or in Mira Costa’s case retain it – should they leave Las Vegas this weekend with the coveted trophy. Of course, given the strength of the field, there is a chance none of the five finish first and another school lays claim to the throne. Defending national and tournament champion Cathedral Catholic CA could be one of them. A school like Torrey Pines CA has five-set losses to both Mira Costa and Cathedral Catholic and shouldn’t be overlooked, while Archbishop Mitty CA started the week undefeated and is the highest-seeded team still without a loss. Number of Teams: 64 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (16): 1. Mira Costa CA 2. Cornerstone Christian TX 4. Archbishop Mitty CA 5. Assumption KY 6. Mater Dei CA 7. Prestonwood Christian TX 9. Cathedral Catholic CA 16. Torrey Pines CA 22. St. Francis/Mountain View CA 23. Sierra Canyon CA 25. Xavier Prep AZ 34. Redondo Union CA 39. Marymount CA 40. Lone Peak UT 43. Huntington Beach CA 45. Kamehameha HI 5-Star Athletes to Know   4-Star Athletes to Know   Outlook: As mentioned in the intro, four schools have finished first at national tournaments already in Mira Costa, Mater Dei, Cornerstone Christian and Assumption, while a fifth in Prestonwood Christian finished runner up at Volleypalooza. Cathedral Catholic – which lost to Mater Dei in the semifinals of Volleypalooza – defeated Mater Dei earlier this month in the Dave Mohs championship match at a tournament in Southern California. Archbishop Mitty owns a victory already this season over last year’s California Open Division state runner up in St. Francis/Mountain View, which is also competing this weekend at Durango. Another storyline is Xavier Prep AZ, which entered the week 6-0 without losing a set yet. Then there is Sierra Canyon CA, which tied for third at Ann Kang in August. Two other schools who are typically among the final 16 are Redondo Union CA and Marymount CA and neither can be discounted. While ‘Iolani HI is unable to make the trip this year, another Hawaii school in Kamehameha/Kapalama is a Durango constant. The Warriors have opened the year 12-1, with their only setback to one-loss Punahou HI, which is the only school so far this season to beat Mira Costa. Punahou also owns a victory over another Durango participant in Huntington Beach CA, which defeated Sierra Canyon at Ann Kang. The storylines are plentiful at this year’s event, and yet another is a team like Branson CA, which was the California Division 1 state champion last year. They are all, as is everyone, fighting to win their Day 1 pool. With it comes a ticket to the top 16 and the fun and excitement of Day 2 at Durango High. The two-day tournament always comes with tons of anticipation and even with the hype surrounding this year’s field exceeding the norm, there is no way the 2023 version of Durango can disappoint! Prediction: Aiming to pick the correct winner is no easy task given the number of teams which can rise up and win it all. Preseason No. 1 Prestonwood Christian has all the talent to wind up on top. Current No. 1 Mira Costa has the best ball control of any team in the field but not the same firepower. Mater Dei, Assumption and Cornerstone Christian have all shown what they are capable of, while Cathedral Catholic plays with a ton of resiliency. I don’t see a team outside of one of those six capturing the title. In the end, Assumption keeps up its strong play of late and downs Mira Costa in the championship match.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Layla Hoying (FREE)

September 19, 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: Layla Hoying. *** With a dad who was a quarterback at Ohio State and spent six seasons in the NFL, two aunts who played Division 1 volleyball, an older brother, Jacob, who plays football at the University of Cincinnati and an older sister, Ava, currently playing volleyball at Northern Kentucky University, sports have always been a huge part of Layla Hoying’s life growing up. She spent five years doing competitive dance. She ran track. Played AAU basketball. And has participated in soccer and cheer. Still, she always knew volleyball would be No. 1. “I was exposed (to volleyball) from such a young age,” she said. “I was going to clinics. I did a lot of other sports but I always knew volleyball would be my sport.” Hoying – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2026 – started club during her 11s season at Mintonette and has been there since. It’s where her sister Ava played club too, so it was a natural fit. Currently, Hoying is in the middle of her sophomore season at Bishop Watterson, where Mintonette coach Stephanie Grieshop is the head coach. With Hoying a freshman last season and teaming with her older sister, the Eagles advanced to the Ohio Division 1 state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Ursuline Academy. “I was so excited because I always knew we would have the opportunity to play one year together,” Hoying said. “It really gave me extra incentive to make varsity because I really wanted to play with her. Everyone was telling me I had nothing to worry about but I wasn’t just expecting to make varsity. I was telling myself I had to work harder than everyone else to have that chance and it made it extra special.” Hoying ended her rookie season third in both kills and digs. The Eagles graduated seven seniors coming into her sophomore season, so she’s taken on an increased role. The team began this week 8-3 with Hoying leading the roster in kills and aces. “I think we were expecting this season to be more of a rebuilding year but the season has been pretty good so far,” she said. “Our first game was against Ursuline, who won state last year and we lost to in the semifinals, and we lost in five sets, 20-18. We have a lot of Mintonette players and we all have that same foundation with our training. Steph is our coach and she coaches with Max (Miller) so she is training us well. We have a lot of juniors so we’ll be a similar team next year. We are growing as a team and getting better.” When it comes to club, Hoying and company have enjoyed plenty of success the past two seasons. Her Mintonette squad finished the 2021-2022 season capturing the USAV 14 Open national championship. The ending to this past club campaign was just as memorable, even though it didn’t quite end the same way. The first chapter featured Mintonette defeating Skyline to take home the AAU 15 Open gold medal. A couple of weeks later the two clubs met again in the USAV 15 Open championship match. That one went Skyline’s way. “That was insane,” Hoying said. “That was not something I expected. At AAUs, we definitely expected to play them in the finals. When we beat them we were so excited about winning AAUs. We knew USAV was coming up and we needed to stay focused. We had it in the back of our mind that we could play them again. Once it was Day 4 and we both made it to the final, we were really excited playing them again. I do think we were the two top teams in the nation. We knew they had extra fire and reason to beat us, so that made us a little nervous. It’s hard to beat a really good team but it’s even harder to beat a really good team twice in the span of a few weeks. We worked our hardest and I do think we were capable of beating them, it just didn’t happen.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Hoying about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Hoying: I would say I definitely look up to my sister. I always go to her for advice, whether it’s about volleyball or school or anything else. She’s really wise. She’s only 18 but she is wise and always has good advice for me. I play volleyball because of her. When people compliment me about volleyball they are really complimenting her because she’s the reason I’m playing. With her, I always have someone to talk to who understands the sport in depth, plus I look up to her. I still want to beat her. That’s something that I use as an incentive is to beat Ava. That sense of competition definitely helps me to work harder. She’s definitely my biggest role model. What is your favorite food? Hoying: I’m definitely not a picky person. I think I’ll eat anything but olives. I definitely like fruit. I will eat any fruit. I also love pasta and I like getting my protein too though I don’t enjoy eating meat as much. Definitely fruit is my favorite food. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I’m really not picky. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Hoying: I feel like I would want to learn … there are so many options. I feel like I would want to learn how to play the piano super well. I took lessons

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vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings

September 18, 2023

We are into our third Top 50 National HS Rankings of the month. Compared to the first two weeks, this week’s rankings held steady, especially at the top where none of the top programs lost. We had to get to No. 13 St. Thomas Aquinas KS before seeing a Top-20 fall. The Saints lost to Olathe Northwest KS in tournament play over the weekend. It was their first setback of the season. They have a chance to move back up in a hurry, as they face undefeated and No. 13 Blue Valley North KS on Tuesday, as well as No. 38 St. James Academy KS. While there was very little movement at the top, that is very likely to change next week. That’s because the Durango Fall Classic is on hand this coming Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. Seven of the Top 10 teams are in the field, as well as No. 16 Torrey Pines CA and No. 22 St. Francis/Mountain View CA, No. 23 Sierra Canyon CA and No. 25 Xavier Prep AZ. Check back Wednesday for our Preview and Predictions, where we’ll have a more in-depth look at the biggest high school event of the season. For now, check below for this week’s full rankings. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mira Costa CA (1 – previous ranking) 2. Cornerstone Christian TX (2) 3. Papillion-LaVista South NE (3) 4. Archbishop Mitty CA (4) 5. Assumption KY (5) 6. Mater Dei CA (6) 7. Prestonwood Christian TX (7) 8. Grand Oaks TX (8) 9. Cathedral Catholic CA (9) 10. Notre Dame Academy KY (10) *** 11. Hamilton Southeastern IN (11) 12. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI (12) 13. Blue Valley North KS (21) 14. Wayzata MN (14) 15. Seton OH (17) 16. Torrey Pines CA (18) 17. Carrollwood Day FL (19) 18. Dripping Springs TX (20) 19. Angola IN (n/r) 20. St. Thomas Aquinas KS (13) *** 21. Mother McAuley IL (23) 22. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (24) 23. Sierra Canyon CA (28) 24. Oconomowoc WI (26) 25. Xavier College Prep AZ (43) 26. Benet Academy IL (n/r) 27. Viera FL (29) 28. Sacred Heart Academy KY (27) 29. Bellmont IN (22) 30. Marist IL (15) *** 31. Skyridge UT (49) 32. Calvary Christian FL (31) 33. Lake Catholic CA (35) 34. Redondo Union CA (33) 35. Winter Park FL (36) 36. Lafayette MO (16) 37. O’Connor AZ (25) 38. St. James Academy KS (32) 39. Marymount CA (34) 40. Lone Peak UT (37) *** 41. Berkeley Prep FL (38) 42. Punahou HI (44) 43. Huntington Beach CA (n/r) 44. Valor Christian CO (45) 45. Kamehameha HI (48) 46. Corona del Sol AZ (30) 47. Los Alamitos CA (41) 48. Notre Dame Prep AZ (46) 49. Millennium AZ (47) 50. Pace Academy GA (40) *** ON THE CUSP Nixa MO Mercy McAuley OH St. Ursula Academy OH Mount Notre Dame OH Clearwater Central Catholic FL Redlands CA Byron Nelson TX Pope GA Liberty North MO Corner Canyon UT Lewis Palmer CO Northville MI Maple Mountain UT Flint Hill VA Plant FL Hagerty FL Venice FL Westminster Christian FL Colleyville Heritage TX Cypress Ranch TX Harlan TX Roncalli IN Yorktown IN Washburn Rural KS Prosper TX Glenbard West IL Brighton IL Cardinal Gibbons NC Green Hope NC Green Level NC Bishop Gorman NV Mount Notre Dame OH Lake Highland Prep FL Perry AZ Queen Creek AZ Jenks OK Mount St. Mary OK

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HS Player Spotlight: 11 Standout Freshmen

September 14, 2023

The past couple of weeks we have checked in on teams from our Top 50 National HS Rankings. You can get caught up on those here and here. Below, we focus on 11 freshmen who have been starring so far for their respective high schools. Allie Hudgins OH Westlake TX – A 5-star recruit, Hudgins had a big club season playing for Austin Performance. She’ll spend next club season on the Austin Skyline 15 Royal roster. In the meantime, she’s been starring her rookie campaign at Westlake, which is 27-7 as of this writing. She’s currently second on the team in kills with 290, averaging 3.5 per set. She’s first in blocks with 35, as well as third in digs, averaging 2.3 per set. She recorded a season-best 19 kills in a five-set victory over Stony Point in mid-August. Carson Caraway OH Jackson Academy MS – The Raiders are currently sitting at 24-6. Caraway – a 4-star recruit who played this past club season at Infinity Volleyball Academy – has been a huge part of the success, leading the team in kills with 286. She’s also third in digs with 2.2 per set. She set a season-high mark with 20 kills in a sweep against Hartfield Academy on Sept. 7. Mia Ray OH North Gwinnett GA – Ray was part of A5 14 Helen’s silver-medal performance at AAUs, earning All-Tournament Team honors in 14 Open. Her talents have shown up for the Bulldogs, who are 20-8 to date. Ray’s another freshman who is leading her squad in kills. She’s totaled 262 so far, averaging 3.9 per set. She’s also second in aces with 30. Marissa Jones S Woodward Academy GA – A teammate of Ray during the club season for A5 14 Helen, Jones is a 5-star recruit who has played an important role for the Eagles. She sits at 350 assists, averaging 7.0 per set to date. She’s also playing another role in the offense as she’s third in kills with 68, averaging 1.4 per set. Other contributions have included leading the team in blocks so far with 35 and sitting second in aces with 29. Her best outing so far featured 18 assists and 9 kills in a five-set loss to Trinity Christian. Brynn Stephens S/RS Rock Hill TX – A 5-star recruit who was an integral part of TAV 14 Black’s gold-medal performance in 14 Open this summer in Chicago, the 6-2 Stephens is shining for the Blue Hawks. She’s made huge impacts with both her setting and hitting. She leads the team in both. She’s posted 243 kills, averaging 3.1 per set, and has dished out 443 assists, averaging 5.7 per set. She’s also second in digs with 205, averaging 2.6 per set, while leading the team in aces with 59. Sophee Peterson S Byron Nelson TX – Peterson – a 4-star recruit – was another key member of TAV 14 Black’s national championship in 14 Open. She too set and hit but has been setting her freshman season as part of a 6-2. Peterson has 365 assists, averaging 6.4 per set. She’s also tied for third in digs with 139, averaging 2.4 per set. She’s also contributed at the service line, as she’s third in aces. Lydia Chinchar RS Carrollwood Day FL – Chinchar became a household name this past club season while playing up two age groups for No Name 16 Sarah. The 4-star recruit set and hit in club but has starred as a right side for the Patriots. She’s been the featured part of the attack. Her 180 kills not only lead the team, but are more than the next three leaders combined. She’s averaging 6.2 kills per set as well as leading the team in blocks with 22. She’s reached double-digit in kills in all but two matches, including a season-best 20 in a three-set victory over Viera at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. Westley Matavao OH Orange Lutheran CA – Matavao – a 4-star recruit – was the go-to hitter this past club season for Forza1 North 14 One. She’s taken on the same role for the Lancers during her rookie season. She leads the roster with 175 kills, averaging 5.0 per set. She’s also tied for first in blocks and second in digs. She put up a season-high 30 kills in a five-set victory over Ontario Christian on Sept. 5. Peyton Heatherly S Mother McAuley IL – A 3-star recruit, Heatherly is another freshman who played a dual role in club by hitting and setting. However, she’s taken over the setting duties for the Macs, who recently took third place at the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament with Heatherly running a 5-1. In 36 sets played to date, she’s dished out 205 assists, averaging 5.7 per set. She’s been strong from the service line too, leading the team so far in aces with 16. Siena Ebert L/DS Hockaday School TX – Ebert, who will suit up during the club season for Madfrog 15 Green, has been a standout defender thus far for the Daisies. The freshman leads the team currently with 295 digs, averaging 4.5 per set. Hockaday is set to participate in next week’s Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, the second year in a row the school is making the trip. Kat Wulff-Smith L/DS Garces Memorial CA – The Bakersfield school lost its first match of the season. Since then, the Rams have reeled of 16 consecutive victories. Wulff-Smith has had her hands in on the success. She’s owned the back row, leading the way with 272 digs. That’s an average of 6.8 per set. She’s also second in aces with 30.

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Top 50: HS Team Spotlights

September 13, 2023

Last week we brought you our first Top 50 HS Team Spotlights featuring teams off to strong starts and highlighting their success. With our second regular-season Top 50 National HS Rankings dropping earlier this week on Monday, we offer another edition. In line with last week’s spotlights, we once more highlight teams off to tremendous starts. In fact, the seven teams spotlighted below entered the week with a combined record of 84-3! *** ARCHBISHOP MITTY CA – The Monarchs are off to a strong start, beginning the week 9-0 and with a handful of matches before traveling to the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in two weekends. It’s possible Archbishop Mitty could arrive at the 64-team tournament still unbeaten. One big bright spot so far this season has been the play of standout sophomore OH/RS McKenna Crosson, a 4-star recruit. The Monarchs have had a ton of contributors on offense, including seniors Katelyn Cook and Amiya Kuchibhotla and juniors Isabella Romero and Jasmine Shum. Directing the attack is 4-star Notre Dame commit and junior setter Maya Baker. Among Mitty’s impressive victories to date features beating St. Francis/Mountain View, last season’s California Open Division state runner up. DIVINE SAVIOR HOLY ANGELS WI – The defending Wisconsin Division 1 state champion is off to a flying start. The DHSA opened the week 13-0, including beating state runner-up Oconomowoc in tournament play. DHSA moved up a couple of spots from No. 14 to No. 12 in this week’s update. Featured on the talented roster is 5-star Wisconsin commit and junior outside Madison Quest and 4-star Michigan State commit and junior libero Olivia Durst. Other players who have shined brightly is senior outside Sophia Wendlick and junior setter Jordan Czajkowski (Belmont). A major upcoming test is the Asics Challenge hosted by Mother McAuley IL at the end of the month. LAFAYETTE MO – The Lancers captured last year’s Missouri Class 5A state championship and are another school that is off to a hot start. The Lancers have opened the year 10-0, including beating St. James Academy KS in tournament play over the weekend. With the majority of the lineup back from a season ago, Lafayette’s start is not unexpected. Still powering the attack are 4-star Vanderbilt commit and junior outside Maya Witherspoon and 3-star Northern Kentucky commit and senior outside Allison Risley. A new addition in 5-star freshman pin Shaye Witherspoon has also been instrumental. With 3-star Villanova commit and senior setter Alyssa Nelson guiding the offense, the Lancers are in great hands. Defensively, senior Amelia Moser has been holding it down at libero. Lafayette was one of the big movers in this week’s Top 50, climbing 17 places to No. 16. SETON OH – The Saints have been one of the early-season surprises. They have jumped out to a 10-0 mark. Among the key victories have been handing St. Ursula Academy its first loss as well as defeating Ursuline Academy earlier this week. After its big victory over St. Ursula, the Saints debuted in this week’s Top 50 at No. 17. Seton faces Mercy McAuley in another test later this week. Seniors Alli Kirch and Madison Lambers are leading the team in kills so far. Junior Millie Cluxton and sophomore Callie Combs have also contributed to the attack. Senior Taylor Grubbs and junior Reagan Miller have split the setting duties while 3-star UCLA commit and junior Sakura Codling has suited up and led the team defensively at libero. CARROLLWOOD DAY FL – As for early-season surprise, the Patriots are arguably leading the way in that category. They sit at 13-1 overall as of this writing, finishing runner up to Cornerstone Christian TX at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament and recently winning the FL Gem HS tournament this past weekend. The Patriots avoided a letdown in beating Berkeley Prep in four sets earlier this week and have shown they are the top team in the state of Florida so far. The lineup has been elevated by the presence of freshman right side Lydia Chinchar, a 4-star recruit who played up on No Name 16 this past club season. Two more key offensive pieces have been junior middle Sarah Dibbs-Frantz and sophomore outside Elena Dibbs-Frantz. Senior setter Naomi Chinchar has done well quarterbacking the offense and can even step in and hit on the outside in a pinch. Recent Purdue commit, Mattea Casale, a 3-star recruit, has been solid at libero and adds a strong defensive presence. Based on other results and teams moving up in the rankings, the Patriots actually moved down three positions to No. 19 but remain in the Top 20. BLUE VALLEY NORTH KS – The Mustangs are another school making its Top 50 debut this week. They check in at No. 21 based on their 11-0 start. They play Wednesday evening against Blue Valley Southwest. Blue Valley North has a couple of big matches on the horizon, facing both St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy next week. At the helm is 4-star Cincinnati commit and senior setter Janelle Green. She’s also third on the team in kills. Another making key contributions is 5-star recruit and junior S/RS Logan Parks, who is second in assists and leds the squad in kills. Juniors Jenna McClure, Natalie Harrington and Aubrey Shaw, as well as freshman Reese Maslowski have been part of the attack too. Senior Felicia Wu leads the team in digs. LOS ALAMITOS CA – The Griffins tied with Sierra Canyon for third place at the Ann Kang Invitational last month in Hawaii, including handing Punahou HI its only loss of the season to date. Los Al entered the week 18-2 and lands at No. 41 in the Top 50. Senior setter/OH Kaia Herweg – a 3-star Grand Canyon commit – and 3-star junior outside Ashley Repetti have provided a lift and played a big role in Los Al’s success so far.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Madeline Kraft (FREE)

September 12, 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: Madeline Kraft. *** It always has to start somewhere. When it came to Madeline Kraft’s beginning in the sport of volleyball, it was simple. “At first I did it because my friends were doing it and it just stuck,” she said. “Another interest I had in volleyball was going to a lot of (Minnesota) Gophers games. That also really got me into it.” Before taking up volleyball for the first time in fourth grade, Kraft had spent time doing gymnastics and dancing. She didn’t feel as comfortable with either of those as she did with volleyball. “It felt natural,” Kraft said of volleyball. Kraft – a 4-star libero/DS from the Class of 2026 – first played club for Northern Lights during her 12s season. Being part of a club like that and playing for a competitive team is when she started finding out how much she likes the sport. She’s been a defender throughout her relatively short volleyball career. With her dad being a 4-time All-American wrestler at Minnesota, Kraft has always had a competitive edge and she really enjoys bringing that mentality to the defensive side. “I love how relentless you have to be,” she said. “You don’t get to think too much about the play, you just have to react and go. It’s like being the quarterback of the defense and being a defensive leader, as well as cheering everyone up.” When we spoke with Kraft she was only two matches into her high school season with Eagan. The Wildcats currently sit at 6-1 as of this writing. It’s an exciting time at the school with the big coaching change this season. Longtime coach Kathy Gillen stepped down as head coach after 30 seasons. She was inducted into the Minnesota Hall of Fame in 2014, racked up over 700 victories and guided the program to seven state championships during her tenure. Gillen is now an assistant coach for her daughter, McKenna Melville, who has taken on head coaching duties this season. Melville – a Eagan alum who just concluded her collegiate career at the University of Central Florida – taking over the head position has created a buzz. She made a name for herself at UCF by leading the nation in kills and becoming the first player in program history to be named to the AVCA First Team All-America list. “We have a good team,” Kraft said. “We are all glad we get to play under her. Obviously, she’s a really good player and a really good role model.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Kraft about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Kraft: It’s Mckenna (Melville), my (new) coach for Eagan. She just graduated (from Central Florida). I can really relate to her. She’s a good student-athlete and I want to be like her. I look up to her because she succeeded a lot in college. I knew of her before. I met her once before and I always watched her while growing up. She played at Eagan. She committed as a libero but she grew four inches and started hitting in college. What is your favorite food? Kraft: It’s probably pasta and pineapple. When it comes to pasta, I really like spaghetti. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Kraft: I would like to become fluent in another language, so I can travel the world and be able to communicate with other cultures and people throughout the world. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be and why? Kraft: Probably spend time with my friends. It’s hard to make time for them with my busy schedule. I like hanging out with them. We’d probably go shopping. Aside from necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Kraft: Starbucks. My everyday drink is the Strawberry Acai refresher with lemonade. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Kraft: Probably my dog. Whenever I’m sad she cheers me up. Her name is Olivia. She’s a Toy Poodle but she doesn’t really look like a poodle though. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? Kraft: It probably would be teleportation. I can’t drive right now and it would make my life a lot easier to go wherever, whenever I want. If I want to go to the beach, I’d just be there. Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Kraft: Just being a good person in general. Being a good friend, being a good sibling, being a good daughter. I’m always trying to think of the best in people and things. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Kraft: I can get very serious in stressful times and I can shut everything out and be focused. It’s because I’m usually all over the place. I’m usually making jokes and being light-hearted but I can switch and just turn it on, especially on the court. What is your strangest irrational fear? Kraft: It’s mice or rodents. I don’t like hamsters or anything like that. They freak me out. They are little and fast. I had a hamster once and one day the cage was open and we never found it. What’s your favorite number and why? Kraft: It’s probably 6 because I’ve always been some sort of 6 when I play. I’m usually always 6 or 16. I randomly just get a 6 every time.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings (Sept 11)

September 11, 2023

We are at the point of the high school season where we are releasing an updating Top 50 National HS Rankings every week. It can be hit and miss with the amount of movement we see based on the results taking place around the country. We definitely saw a few big changes with this week’s update, but not at the very top. Mira Costa CA still holds the No. 1 spot after narrowly defeating Torrey Pines CA in five sets last Friday. One of the big changes though took place with Assumption KY, which captured the LIVT tournament title. Assumption dropped in last week’s Top 50 after suffering its first loss of the season to Sacred Heart Academy KY. However, Assumption climb way up the rankings this week after defeating previously-undefeated Notre Dame Academy KY in the final of the LIVT, as well as notching a victory over Mother McAuley IL in the semifinals. In other big moves, Seton OH jumped into the Top 50 this week after defeating previously-unbeaten St. Ursula Academy OH. Seton is undefeated itself. Also in the undefeated ranks is Lafayette MO, which climbed to No. 15 after beating St. James Academy KS. Another Kansas school in Blue Valley North, which is also unbeaten entering this week, broke through and sits at No. 21. You can check out the full rankings below. vballrecruiter.com’S TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Mira Costa CA (1 – previous ranking) 2. Cornerstone Christian TX (5) 3. Papillion-La Vista South NE (4) 4. Archbishop Mitty CA (10) 5. Assumption KY (30) 6. Mater Dei CA (6) 7. Prestonwood Christian TX (9) 8. Grand Oaks TX (11) 9. Cathedral Catholic CA (13) 10. Notre Dame Academy KY (3) *** 11. Hamilton Southeastern IN (12) 12. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI (14) 13. St. Thomas Aquinas KS (15) 14. Wayzata MN (17) 15. Marist IL (23) 16. Lafayette MO (33) 17. Seton OH (n/r) 18. Torrey Pines CA (8) 19. Carrollwood Day FL (16) 20. Dripping Springs TX (18) *** 21. Blue Valley North KS (n/r) 22. Bellmont IN (19) 23. Mother McAuley IL (2) 24. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (20) 25. O’Connor AZ (21) 26. Oconomowoc WI (22) 27. Sacred Heart Academy KY (38) 28. Sierra Canyon CA (24) 29. Viera FL (25) 30. Corona del Sol AZ (26) *** 31. Calvary Christian FL (27) 32. St. James Academy KS (7) 33. Redondo Union CA (28) 34. Marymount CA (34) 35. Lake Catholic OH (35) 36. Winter Park FL (n/r) 37. Lone Peak UT (36) 38. Berkeley Prep FL (29) 39. St. Ursula Academy OH (31) 40. Pace Academy GA (30) *** 41. Los Alamitos CA (39) 42. Nixa MO (n/r) 43. Xavier Prep AZ (n/r) 44. Punahou HI (43) 45. Valor Christian CO (47) 46. Notre Dame Prep AZ (n/r) 47. Millennium AZ (n/r) 48. Kamehameha HI (n/r) 49. Skyridge UT (49) 50. Mercy McAuley OH (50) *** ON THE CUSP Clearwater Central Catholic FLRedlands CAByron Nelson TXPope GALiberty North MOCorner Canyon UTLewis Palmer CONorthville MIMaple Mountain UTFlint Hill VAPlant FLHagerty FLVenice FLWestminster Christian FLColleyville Heritage TXCypress Ranch TXHarlan TXRoncalli INYorktown INWashburn Rural KSProsper TXGlenbard West ILBenet Academy ILBrighton ILCardinal Gibbons NCGreen Hope NCGreen Level NCBishop Gorman NVMount Notre Dame OHLake Highland Prep FLHuntington Beach CAPerry AZQueen Creek AZ

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