
Commitments & Signings Week of June 16-22
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 2025 TRANSFERS BEACH 2025 TRANSFERS
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 2025 TRANSFERS BEACH 2025 TRANSFERS
With the 17 Open division ending Sunday at AAUs, it meant the conclusion of the season for some of the athletes participating. For others, we’ll see them real soon in Chicago for the USAV national championships. Below, we highlight standout players with our Show Stoppers. DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Juleigh Urbina S OT 17 Felix: Urbina – a 4-star Georgetown recruit – helped OT reach the gold bracket, falling to Far Out. Urbina has nice hands and mixes her sets around well to get her hitters involved. Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix: A 3-star Florida State commit, Russ is a super-quick libero who closes space in a hurry. She’s also a strong passer and defender and plays with lots of fire and passion. A’siya Magazine RS OT 17 Felix: A UNC-Wilmington commit, Magazine is a high-flying right side who can bash the ball down with authority. She gets utilized across the front by getting set in different spots, including out of the middle, to keep defenses guessing. Isabelle Swiercz RS Far Out 17 Black: Swiercz, a Central Michigan recruit, was coming with it on the right side. She’s a lanky attacker with a fluid swing and Far Out likes to get her the ball. She does well tooling blocks and scoring down the line. Kendall Hopewell MB Far Out 17 Black: A Northern Kentucky commit, Hopewell is a feisty middle who does well blocking and scoring in her role. She can get up and put balls down, as well as turn around and provide stuff blocks for points. Madison Evett OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Evett is a lanky outside with a loose arm and ability to let it fly when she connects. She was taking aggressive swings and nailing balls through gaps. Leah Richmond S Academy 17 Tsunami: A 3-star Western Michigan commit, Richmond is a bit undersized but she’s an athletic setter who gets her feet to the ball and sets with consistent accuracy. Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Tolliver – a 3-star Butler commit – is the big arm that powers the attack. When Academy needs a point it is Tolliver they are looking for. She’s an easy jumper with an easy swing and can crush balls. Hadley Burger RS Northern Lights 17-1: Burger is an undersized lefty right side but she’s fearless. She also has a whip for an arm and can blast balls that you might not expect her to be able to. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A Lipscomb commit, Bredenburg was among the standout liberos. She patrols the back row like a predator on the hunt, not letting balls drop and defending with a passion. She’s also someone servers like to keep the ball away from, as she doesn’t get challenged a lot. *** Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: Ptacek – a 3-star Kanas commit – is an impactful middle on both sides of the ball. She times her blocks well and gets a lot of touches on shots. On the other side, she’s a smart hitter who can boom balls down or tip to open spots. Lucy Mott L/DS @legacyvolleyballclub 17-1 Adidas: Mott – a 3-star Boston College commit – is a steady setter who locates well and mixes the ball around. Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: Bowron, a Coastal Carolina commit, plays a valuable offensive role with her scoring. She’s a strong attacker, able to send the ball off blocks or cross court with pace. Kamyla Vega David S Top Select 17 Elite: Vega David is quick on her feet. She sets a clean, consistent ball and does well going behind her. Dionna Mitchell OH Top Select 17 Elite: Mitchell carries a big arm and she can tee off with it. She’s the type of hitter when she connects you can feel it. Kaylee Musick S Mintonette Sports m.71: Musick – a 3-star FIU commit – helped Mintonette reach the gold bracket by was stopped in the opening round by A5. Musick is a taller setter with smooth hands and spot-on location. Linnea Nesheim OH Kairos 17 Alpha: Nesheim is an undersized outside who doesn’t back down no matter the challenge. She’s a free swinger who knows how to score against and frustrated bigger blocks. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: Molina is a force in the middle. She brings strength and physicality to the position. She has a powerful arm and Miami Hype likes getting her the ball as much as possible. Kelsey Niesen L/DS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Niesen plays with lots of energy and goes all out in efforts of making saves and digs to keep her team in the rally. Maria Drapp S Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: We’ve featured Drapp a couple times already and for good reason. She runs a smooth offense and knows how to get all her hitters involved. *** Taylor Bedinghaus OH OT 17 Aaron: Bedinghaus is a six-rotation mainstay. She plays solid defense and is a smart attacker who places her shots well. Olivia Hart OH OT 17 Aaron: Hart can send down highlight kills with the way she elevates and swings. She gets up and unleashes, leading to monster kills at times. Bella Lee L/DS OT 17 Aaron: Lee – a 3-star Florida commit – brings a defensive edge to the lineup. She’s vocal in the back row and is a sharp passer who covers ground well.
Twelve teams woke up with hopes and aspirations of winding up on the podium as the 17 Open division fought its way to its conclusion Sunday at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. vballrecruiter.com was on hand taking notes and we selected our last All Red Hat Team for this wave. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 4 ALL RED HAT TEAM Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 17 Black: Gauthier – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 who spent the season playing up on the 18s – is a rock star on the outside. She’s a high-flying, hard-hitting slugger who takes swings from all over the court. She gets set on the left, the right, on combos, back row left, back row right. Defenses can never relax with her on the court. Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing: Benjamin – a 5-star Kentucky recruit – brings it on the outside. She has a powerful swing and can blast balls as hard as any hitter in the division. She doesn’t come off the court as she’s the go-to hitter and carries a big chunk of the attack. Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing: Wiley – a 4-star Georgia Tech commit – was virtually unstoppable on the attack. She’s wirey, high-flying hitter who bounces ball straight down at 12 feet on the regular. She’s quick and gets up fast, which makes her tough to block. Especially when she can get up high enough to go over blocks. Faith Young MB Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: We love Young, a 3-star Western Kentucky commit – and her play in the middle. She’s a workhorse and has a no-nonsense approach when it comes to competing and winning. She’s a fearless, heady attacker who can beat defenses with her power or her off-speed placement. She’s a vital part of the attack and she changes the offensive dynamic across the front row. Madison Loiselle RS OT 17 Aaron: Loiselle was holding down the right side. She’s a physical presence. She puts up a strong block and she crushes balls to the floor with her strength attacking. She plays a key role as she helps open up the attack by being a legit threat defenses must account for. Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite: Cabello – a 5-star Louisville commit – is the real deal and a huge reason for Top Select’s success. She’s a two-way star. She excels setting, as she moves and gets to the ball well. She can jump set well too, and she sets a clean, consistent ball that she locates accurately. She’s just as good on the attack. She jumps well, has a strong arm and rips winners corner to corner. Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 17 Black: Pickard – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is fun to watch run the show and do her thing. Far Out runs a more complex offense than most and it’s possible because of Pickard’s ability to dish the ball to different spots. Far Out runs a lot of combos and off-centered back row sets. It definitely keeps the defense on its toes. She’s also has great hands and connects well with all her hitters. Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron: Parks – a 4-star Florida commit – is another smooth operator at the setter position. She plays with so much poise, composure and confidence. She’s certainly a steadying presence. She’s also a terrific setter with great hands and silky delivery. She knows how to hold defenses too and not give all her sets away. Maggie Meister L Kairos 17 Alpha: Meister continues to impress and own the back row. Kairos is not a big team and must rely on its defensive play to hang in rallies. Meister is all over the court making plays. She’s a dime passer out of serve receive and doesn’t get flustered under pressure. Carley Piercefield L Far Out 17 Black: A Western Michigan commit, we love Piercefield’s play in the back row. She plays under total control and is seemingly always in the right spot to make the play in front of her. She’s another strong passer out of serve receive and she makes a few highlight saves each match.
The 15 Open division at AAUs produced an epic final between the top-two teams in the country in Skyline 15 Royal and Mintonette Sports m.51. Is a rematch on the way when the same division gets underway for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago? The tournament is set for June 28-July 1. Below, we take a look at things to watch for plus make our prediction for the gold medalist. 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 5-Star Athletes to Know: Outlook: All eyes are going to be on Mintonette, which lifted the 15 Open trophy at AAUs after defeating Skyline in three sets. Mintonette captured the 14 Open gold medal a season ago and so it can accomplish a double-double of sorts by winning again in Chicago. Skyline is obviously going to motivated by its final loss to Mintonette and that’s a scary thought if Skyline is able to take it up a notch. The other team to watch for is Legacy 15-1 Adidas, which held two match points on Mintonette in the semifinals. Legacy is definitely capable of finishing on top of the podium? Is there anyone else? Boiler Jrs 15 Gold pushed Skyline to three sets in the semis in Orlando and is going to be motivated by that as well. TAV 15 Black defeated Skyline in the final at Show Me. SCVC 15 Roxy reached the final at Triple Crown and took first at the Salt Lake qualifier. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 Skyline 5-0 Wave 3-2 AP 2-3 GP 2-3 Team Pineapple 2-3 Academy HP 1-4 *** Pool 2 Mintonette 4-1 Hou Skyline 4-1 Pohaku 3-2 Michio 2-3 Club V 2-3 Long Beach 0-5 *** Pool 3 TAV 5-0 AZ Sky 4-1 SCVC 3-2 WPVC 2-3 Metro 1-4 Triangle 0-5 *** Pool 4 Legacy 4-1 Tribe 4-1 Madfrog 3-2 Dynasty 2-3 Aspire 2-3 Academy 0-5 *** Pool 5 Austin Skyline 5-0 Top Select 4-1 Elevation 2-3 Arizona Storm 2-3 Vision 1-4 SG Elite 1-4 *** Pool 6 Forza North 5-0 Boiler Jrs 4-1 NKYVC 3-2 Alamo 2-3 AVC Cle 1-4 Premier Nebraska 0-5 *** Quarterfinalists Skyline Legacy Mintonette TAV SCVC Hou Skyline NKYVC Austin Skyline *** Final Legacy d Mintonette Bronzes Skyline; Hou Skyline
Day 4 was high energy as we entered the last day of the AAU National Championships Wave 3. So much fun, so much excitement, so much energy on the courts. A few of the matches I watched were high passion and straight energy. The semifinals matchup between VAQUERAS 13-1 and OT 13 T Tabitha was electric. VAQUERAS 13-1 ended up winning the match 25-19, 22-25, 15-4. For OT 13 T Tabitha outside Isabel Penrose was lights-out on the court. She powered through the blocks over and over again. Her energy was infectious. Setter/right side Molly Monday, outside hitter/middle blocker Leilani Lamar, middle blocker Makaia Mohammed and outside Addelyn Vanduinen also had some great moments for their squad. On the VAQUERAS 13-1 side of the net Decelise Champion was incredible. The six-rotation opposite hitter was high-flying and powerful wherever she swung. The setter Natania Negron, outside hitter Paula Jimenez and libero Mia Erazo had their moments of greatness and helped lead their squad to the finals. On the other side of the bracket A5 13-Karen squared off against the newly-crowned 2023 USAV 13 Open Champions Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS, with Legacy winning the match in 25-18, 29-27. For A5 outside hitter Leah Stickney had a great match defensively and added big kills at crucial points. Middle blocker Kennedy Davis came up big defensively at the net too. And shout out to outside hitter Caelyn Whosendove for coming off the bench and collecting big time kills in a pinch. For Legacy outside hitter Lexi Coleman was cracking the ball over and over again. The setter/right side duo Kaelyn Easton and Payton Woodruff also got big time points offensively while dishing their hitters with ease from the back row. Middle blockers McKenzie Andrews and Lauren Sheldon also came up big at the net. And shoutout to the defensive specialists Allison Lee and Taylor Wilson coming in and passing nails. The 12 Open Gold Bracket matches were being played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports State Farm Fieldhouse courts so I was not able to watch them BUT a match I enjoyed watching was OT 12 O Gibby vs Mintonette Sports m.21 in the Consolation semifinals. OT 12 O Gibby ended up winning the match in three, 25-19, 14-25, 15-13. For OT 12 O Gibby six-rotation outside hitter Gabriella Travieso led the way. Outside hitter Kaylee Winkler, right side hitter Mya Green, and middle blocker Samarie Perez also shined on the court. Mintonette Sports m.21’s setter Roxanne Rigo was impressive on the court. She dished to her hitters with authority AND blocked well at the net. Outside hitter Reese Fenner, right side Emma Steele and middle blocker Sydney Walburn contributed offensively. Like I mentioned above I was not able to watch the 12 Open Gold bracket so I couldn’t write on those teams or pick Show Stoppers. BUT congrats to A5 12-LA for winning the Gold in 3 over BORINQUEN COQUI, 25-11, 24-26, 15-6! DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Leah Stickney OH A5 13-Karen: Stickney was a mainstay on the court. She was playing great defensively along tooling the block consistently in the front row. Caelyn Whosendove OH A5 13-Karen: Whosendove jumped on the court at critical times and was very effective offensively. And even though she wasn’t playing all the time her role was vital for her squad. Lexi Coleman OH Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Coleman just keeps getting better. When she connects on the ball she can bring the heat. Lauren Sheldon MB Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Sheldon did a great job moving laterally on the net, both defensively and offensively. McKenzie Andrews MB Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Andrews collected key blocks and kills when the points were on the line. Isabel Penrose OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Penrose was on fire. She was swinging with no fear everywhere on the court and bringing epic emotion after the plays! Molly Monday S/RS OT 13 T Tabitha: Monday was attacking smart in the front row. When she was setting she placed the ball well. Decelise Champion RS VAQUERAS 13-1: What else can I say about Champion except she can control outcomes of matches when she is on. Natania Negron S VAQUERAS 13-1: Negron did a great job moving the ball around and picked up great blocks for crucial points. Paula Jimenez OH VAQUERAS 13-1: Don’t let Jimenez’s size fool you, she can sky on the outside. And she swings with a vengeance on the outside. Elena White OH Top Select 13 Elite: White was a go-to for her squad. Kayleigh Rogers OH/MB Adidas KIVA 13 Red: Rogers was alot of fun to watch all over the court. She was scoring offensively and playing great defense in the back row. Carsyn Chitty L Mintonette Sports – m.31: Chitty is a scrappy libero who runs her side of the court. Rohm Takamoto L Mauloa 13’s Green: Takamoto was playing great defense against the VAQUERAS 13-1 team. Gabriella Travieso OH OT 12 O Gibby: Travieso, a six-rotation outside hitter, was swinging incredibly well and passing well out in serve receive. Kaylee Winkler OH OT 12 O Gibby: Winkler can hit a heavy ball when she connects. Roxanne Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo, a 5-1 setter, is someone to watch continue to grow in the game. She has great extension and a great net presence. Sydney Walburn MB Mintonette Sports – m.21: Walburn is a wall for her squad. Alana Blas S TOVC 12u- Ruben: Blas dishes incredibly well to her hitters. She has a great touch on the ball. Caryam Gil Carrion MB Capitanas 12-1: Gil Carrion has a ton of power offensively and is fun to watch when she connects with the ball. Adianis Mejia OH Wildfire 12N Ore: Meija is another six-rotation scrappy outside who swings with no fear and aggression.
The season-ending event we all have been clamoring for is finally near! It’s almost time for the start of the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. Below, we look at the 14 Open division, which runs June 28-July 1, and make our predictions as to which club is leaving with the gold medal. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 5-Star Athletes to Know: 4-Star Athletes to Know: Outlook: With this division, there’s one question to ask? Can anyone capture the gold medal outside of the top trio this season in TAV 14 Black, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson? Combined, they have won Triple Crown plus five qualifiers. It’s going to take a special effort to prevent one of them from keeping it going in Chicago and finishing the year on top. A handful of teams already warmed up by participating in 14 Open at AAUs. The national champion there – Northern Lights 14-1 – is in the National Division in Chicago. But the teams playing in both Open divisions include OT 14 Laura, A5 14 Helen, Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Legacy 14-1 Adidas, GP 14 Rox, Top Select 14 Elite and Mintonette Sports m.41. A5 finished runner up while Top Select collected a bronze medal. Legacy and OT tied for fifth. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 TAV 5-0 A5 4-1 Elevation 3-2 Forza1 14 One 2-3 Vision 14 Gold 1-4 Academy 14 Diamond 0-5 *** Pool 2 Tstreet 5-0 HPSTL 4-1 Top Select 3-2 Lions 1-4 PVA 1-4 Tejas 1-4 *** Pool 3 Arizona Storm 5-0 Madfrog 3-2 Forza North 3-2 MAVS 2-3 VCNebraska 1-4 Club V 1-4 *** Pool 4 Skyline 5-0 Wave 3-2 AZ Sky 3-2 GP 2-3 Absolute 1-4 SA Jrs 1-4 *** Pool 5 Long Beach 4-1 Drive Nation 4-1 Hou Skyline 3-2 Tribe 3-2 NKYVC 1-4 Premier Nebraska 0-5 *** Pool 6 OT 4-1 AP 4-1 Legacy 2-3 Rage 2-3 Mintonette 2-3 Excel 1-4 *** Quarterfinalists TAV Arizona Storm Tstreet Long Beach Skyline OT A5 AZ Sky *** Final Tstreet d Arizona Storm Bronzes TAV; Skyline
What a total contrast 17 Open has been compared to 15 Open last week here at the AAUs Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. With the 15s, we didn’t see any of the top six seeds lose until the third day. And even then, one of which lost still won its respective pool, while the other was the No. 6 seed which lost to the No. 7 seed in the 1 v 2 match in their pool. However, for the third consecutive day we watched the No. 1 overall seed go down, and for the second day in a row be eliminated altogether. First it was A5 17 Jing falling on Day 1, but A5 still managed to find its way to Sunday’s 12-team gold bracket and remains alive for a medal. Next, it was Summit 17 Blue Elite bowing out on Day 2 with a 1-2 showing. Following the unfortunate trend was Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal, which dropped contests to Northern Lights 17-1 and Kairos 17 Alpha in Pool A in going 1-2 and missing the gold bracket. If there’s one safe pick for the final day, it is that Kairos taking over the No. 1 seed is almost destined to lose, right? It’s been that type of unpredictable ride to this point and while a few teams are no doubt feeling fortunate to have survived Day 3, others who did not were surprising. Both VCNebraska 17 Elite and Boiler Jrs 17 Gold were knocked out of contention. Why was that surprising? They were the fifth and seventh highest-ranked teams competing from out Top 50 National Rankings. VCNebraska checks in at No. 25, while Boiler is just behind at No. 27. The other top-ranked teams pulled through in No. 5 A5, No. 9 OT 17 Aaron, No. 22 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue and No. 23 OT 17 Felix, as well as No. 26 Academy 17 Tsunami. Of the 13 ranked teams to begin, nine made the 12-team gold bracket. Others include No. 39 Top Select 17 Elite, No. 46 Miami Hype 17 Emilio, No. 48 Northern Lights 17-1 and No. 49 Mintonette Sports m.71. The ranked teams joining VCNebraska and Boiler Jrs outside the gold bracket are No. 38 Ku’Ikahi 17 RSB Wahine and No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red. Both Ku’Ikahi and KiVA were eliminated on Day 2. As for Saturday’s third round of pool play, Tri-State Elite caught a bit of a break in finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Legacy 17-1 Adidas and Boiler Jrs. Tri-State lost to Boiler, which had just lost to Legacy, and needed to beat Legacy to advance. Meanwhile, VCNebraska lost to Mintonette and OT Aaron to go 1-2. Top Select and NE Elite 17 Top Gun were both 1-1 heading into their 1 v 2 contest in Pool F, with only the winner advancing. Top Select prevailed, taking first ahead of Far Out 17 Black. *** 17 OPEN DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Natalie De Paula S/RS Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: With her two-way role, De Paula shoulders lots of responsibility and is a key part of the lineup. She’s a steady, quick setter who does well moving the ball around. As a hitter, she’s a springy lefty who takes a lot of swings in helping drive the attack. Elizabeth Havlicek MB Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Havlicek did her part in giving Tribe a middle presence. She puts up a solid block and can turn around and send it down with power. Amelia Wass de Czege MB TVA 17 Smack Megan: TVA did well making it to the third round. Wass de Czege was a force in the middle for her team. She has a huge arm and hits with tons of power. Amelia Haggins OH TVA 17 Smack Megan: Haggins, a Tulane commit, is an athletic outside who gets set a lot when she’s front row. She jumps well and can bring the heat on the outside. Sophia Adkins RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Adkins, a Providence commit, holds down the right side with her strength and power. She opens the attack across the front row with her big arm capable of producing pounding kills. Audrey Kocon S/RS Northern Lights 17-1: Kocon was a big reason why Northern Lights remains in contention. She starred in her two-way role. She did a nice job running the attack and going against the flow. When hitting, she can bring the thunder with her heavy left-arm attack. Nora Wurtz MB NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Wurtz, a 4-star Creighton commit, is a 6-4 middle/right side who puts up a huge block. She’s also difficult to slow offensively with her ability to go over blocks and send balls down with authority. Carly Ries OH NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Reis, a 6-3 South Dakota commit, is another lengthy attacker defenses must be concerned about with the NE Elite attack. She can hit at a high contact point and has a fluid swing to match. Emerson Lionberger MB VCNebraska 17 Elite: Lionberger did well in her role in the middle, providing timely offense. She was taking advantage of her opportunities and giving VCNebraska a reliable option in the middle. Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Douglas, a USC commit, is a speedy libero who does well covering and picking off shots. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive as well. *** Delaney Lawson OH Munciana 17 Pandas: A Utah State commit, Lawson carries a big offensive load swinging front and back row. She can unload at times and bounce balls straight down. Hattie Welker MB Mintonette Sports m.71: Welker is a lanky middle who helped Mintonette reach the gold bracket with her attacking and blocking. She did well getting her hands on balls and slowing down the attack. Taylor Bahnub OH Mintonette Sports m.71: Bahnub doesn’t back down, coming with aggressive swings and challenging blocks. She hits a hard ball and was taking care of business. Sarah Schnell RS Miami Hype 17 Emilio:
With spots in the gold bracket on the line, the intensity was turned up a full notch more than the previous two days on Saturday, which was the third day of 17 Open competition at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. It made for difficult choices for the All Red Hat Team, which we present below. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 3 ALL RED HAT TEAM Julia Lewkowitz OH Miami Hype 17 Emilio: A 3-0 outing has Miami Hype in the gold bracket. Lewkowitz – a 2025 outside – carried her duties well. She’s a bit undersized compared to the biggest hitters in the division but she’s not lacking for power or smarts. She hits a heavy, hard ball. She’s also smart with her placement of off-speed shots as she comes through with key kills in big moments. Linnea Nesheim OH Kairos 17 Alpha: A streaking Kairos also went 3-0 in winning its pool, upsetting top-seeded Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal in the process. Nesheim is the perfect fit for the All Red Hat Team. She’s another undersized outside but she’s fearless and comes at bigger blockers with a vengeance. She has a great, upbeat energy on the court and she exemplifies Kairos’ fighting spirit. Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing: Wiley – a 4-star Georgia Tech recruit – was making herself known in the middle. She moves well side to side and does a nice job of getting touches and her share of stuff blocks as well. She’s also a very difficult cover as she can score to any spot of the court. It includes ridiculous sharp-angled shots cross body that leave defenders looking at each other in disbelief. Caitlyn Cornell MB Excel 17 National Red: Unlike our first three players, Cornell and Excel won’t be around for the gold bracket after finishing third in pool play. However, Cornell still caught our attention with the way she was booming balls down and hyping up her teammates with it. She dropped the hammer more than a few times and watch out when she does! Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Whitlock – a 4-star Ball State commit – is long and lanky and has a whippy swing. It was a tough day overall for Boiler Jrs finishing third, yet Whitlock had her moments where she showed her athleticism and impact she can make. She puts up a solid block and is one of the main offensive threats across the front row with her ability to get up and deliver from different spots on the net. Kate Maley RS Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Legacy survived a three-way tie to make the gold bracket. We loved Maley’s play and contributions on the right side. She has an unassuming demeanor and was giving Legacy key production. We saw her getting set a bunch as defenses cheated to the outside and she made them pay time and time again. She has a nice arm and doesn’t try to do too much, instead taking what’s there. Maria Drapp S Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Tri-State was part of the three-way tie with Legacy, taking first place and holding onto its No. 2 overall seed. Drapp runs an effective offense, connecting with all her hitters and moving the ball around well in keeping defenses guessing. You can see her competitiveness in the way she gets after in her play and she did something we haven’t seen other setters do. That’s set the middle from behind the 10-foot line in yet another twist to the Tri-State attack. Whitney Scherrer S Munciana 17 Pandas: Munciana wasn’t able to crack the gold bracket but Scherrer was a bright spot with her setting. She’s long and moves well. She has nice hands and was locating on a consistent basis in helping keep Muncie in the fight until the end. Sarah Galligan L/DS NE Elite 17 Top Gun: A 1-2 day spelled the end of NE Elite’s medal hopes. Galligan was still exceptionally strong holding it down on the defensive side. She’s a quick libero who covers well and was defending the cross-court shots with ease. She also brings a lot of energy and hustle to the court. Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix: Russ helped OT Felix to a 2-1 mark and a spot in the gold bracket. She’s quick on a different level, as she flies around the court taking away space in a hurry. She was also showing strong in serve receive and defending without any hesitation.
Umm, did y’all catch the 12 and 13s Open divisions at the AAU National Championships Friday? We’re talking high intensity, jaw-dropping athleticism and serious scrappiness all over the courts. It was awesome to see a few of the teams from USAV Girls Junior National Championship 11-13s which competed in Minneapolis doing their thing and squaring off against new competitors. A couple of my favorite games I watched included Game 1 of the A5 12-LA vs Capitanas 12-1 match. A5 ended winning, 25-22, and ultimately sweeping. But let me just say Capitanas had no fear taking on the recently crowned USAV 12 national champions. Everything they touched in the beginning was perfect. Now kudos to A5 for settling down and coming back swinging. The other one was Game 2 of the 13 T Tabitha vs Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal match. It was an absolute nail-biter! Both teams were battling it out, with the score going back-and-forth. Ultimately, OT came out on top, winning , 27-25, and taking the match in two. Side note, have you watched the Puerto Rican volleyball teams play? These scrappy players leave it all out on the court. Keep your eye on these Puerto Rican squads – they’re a force to be reckoned with. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Olivia Hayden S/Opp A5 12-LA: Hayden is a key piece in the lineup with the versatility she brings. She’s a solid setter with nice hands who can block well in the front row. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko takes a ton of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Gabrielle Robinson MB Top Select 12 Elite: Robinson is a heavy-hitting middle blocker who makes great athletic moves both offensively and defensively. Roxanne Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is a 5-1 setter who has great extension and has a sizable block at the net. Kiersten Lutz S TI Elite 12-Thundercats: Lutz has a great touch and quarterbacks her team well. Angelina Quiles MB TOVC 12u- Ruben: Quiles brings the heat in the middle blocking position. She packs a punch when she connects. Anabella Valentin Miranda S BORINQUEN COQUI 12-1F: Valentin Miranda has hands of gold. Alanis Lopez Saavedra OH Capitanas 12-1: Lopez is a smaller outside who literally flies and will swing with no fear. Kaylee Winkler OH OT 12 O Gibby: Winkler is an outside who is relentless when she attacks. Lucie Amonett MB OT 12 T Kesha: Amonett is a defensive gem at the net. She has the ability to shut down oppositions in every match. Alexandria White OH GP 12 Rox: White jumps and swings well on the outside. Isabelle Alexander L Adidas KIVA 12 Red: Alexander sets the rhythm in serve receive well. She also has no fear defensively. Decelise Champion Opp VAQUERAS 13-1: Champion is a six-rotation opposite who brings the heat everywhere on the court. She is also a defensive gem at the net. Paula Jimenez OH VAQUERAS 13-1: Jimenez is an undersized scrapper on the outside who literally skies when she attacks. Kelsey Bareswilt L Tri-State Elite 13 Blue: Bareswilt is a scrapper on the court, with a fearless attitude on defense. Carsyn Chitty L Mintonette Sports m.31: Chitty is a strong defender and an on-point passer which sets the tone for the rest of the team. Lia Ray OH Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal: Ray is a ball magnet. She also is incredibly smart on offense. Kaelyn Easton S/Opp Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Easton is part of a S/RS tandem. She is a strong setter with a nice release and she can also score well across the front. Payton Woodruff S/Opp Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Woodruff, the other S/RS on the squad, connects well with her hitters and swings well offensively. Isabel Penrose OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Penrose is the gutsy six-rotation outside who literally swings with no fear everywhere on the court. Leilani Lamar OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Lamar was the other half of a strong 1-2 attack on her squad. When she connects she can go literally over the block on the regular. Leah Stickney OH A5 13-Karen: Stickney is a six-rotation outside who is a consistent scorer and passes nails in serve receive. Ava Lazar MB OT 13 O Felix: Lazar was coming up big defensively at the net.
The race to the gold medal continued on as the 17 Open division took the courts for the second day of play at the AAU Girls Junior National Championship in Orlando. We spent our time checking on not only the teams duking it out, but the individual talents showcasing their skills and game. That leads us to our daily All Red Hat Team. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Kaila Kalama-Bajet OH Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB: Unfortunately, Ku’Ikahi’s run ended with an 0-3 outing, yet we really loved what we saw from Kalama-Bajet. She’s an undersized outside but is fearless and plays with lots of passion. She jumps well and is a smart hitter who can vary her shots to keep defenses on their toes. Olivia Heitkamp OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Heitkamp was lights out the times we caught her. The six-rotation outside is lanky with a lively arm. She was excelling going over the block and drilling balls down the line with authority. Then when the defense was dug in she would drop a well-timed, well-placed roll shot to catch them sleeping. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: It was a great day for Miami Hype, which went 3-0 and took over the No. 3 overall seed. We couldn’t decide which middle we liked more so why not feature both? Molina is a strong, powerful hitter who can blasts balls out of the middle. She also puts up a strong block to help slow down the attack. Jacqueline Taylor MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: Taylor is the lightning to the Molina’s thunder. She’s quick and can really get up. She has a whippy arm too and it leads to big kills at time and she tees off. Mollie Hobson RS VC United 17 Elite: VC United rose up, going 3-0 as the No. 4 team and taking over the No. 8 seed. Hobson was an absolute delight to watch on the right side. She’s undersized but plays with a ton of heart and determination. She’s a six-rotation right side who is an offensive option both front and back row. She has a lively arm and is a smart attacker. She knows when to swing all-out and when to keep the ball in the court and let the rally keep playing out. Brynne Topolski RS VC Nebraska 17 Elite: Topolski was not the hard-hitting or most physical right side but she was certainly very effective in her role in helping VCNebraska post a 3-0 showing. She was taking advantage of her chances and putting balls away both cross court and down the line equally well. Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long is among the top setters in the division and she shows great leadership and on-court demeanor. She’s a high-energy setter with great hands and command of the offense. She also has deception in her delivery, keeping defenses honest and allowing hitters to get 1-on-1 looks or even at times hitting with no blockers up. Ashlyn Tafoya S Rocky Elite 17 National: Rocky Elite faced a difficult pool and finished 0-3. Still, Tafoya, part of the Class of 2025, showed her potential and more. She’s a bit undersized but she does a nice job of getting to the ball and has a clean, consistent release. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: We really loved what we saw from our next two players. Brendenberg is a defensive stalwart who doesn’t blink or back down. She’s a very sharp passer out of serve receive and covers the court well too. Madison Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports .71: Cugino wins the toughest player award from Day 2. She got smacked in her right eye that left a mark and the need for an ice bag. Yet, there she was on the court answering the bell and holding it down on the defensive end. She’s a smooth passer who sees the court well.
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 2025 TRANSFERS BEACH 2025 TRANSFERS
With the 17 Open division ending Sunday at AAUs, it meant the conclusion of the season for some of the athletes participating. For others, we’ll see them real soon in Chicago for the USAV national championships. Below, we highlight standout players with our Show Stoppers. DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Juleigh Urbina S OT 17 Felix: Urbina – a 4-star Georgetown recruit – helped OT reach the gold bracket, falling to Far Out. Urbina has nice hands and mixes her sets around well to get her hitters involved. Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix: A 3-star Florida State commit, Russ is a super-quick libero who closes space in a hurry. She’s also a strong passer and defender and plays with lots of fire and passion. A’siya Magazine RS OT 17 Felix: A UNC-Wilmington commit, Magazine is a high-flying right side who can bash the ball down with authority. She gets utilized across the front by getting set in different spots, including out of the middle, to keep defenses guessing. Isabelle Swiercz RS Far Out 17 Black: Swiercz, a Central Michigan recruit, was coming with it on the right side. She’s a lanky attacker with a fluid swing and Far Out likes to get her the ball. She does well tooling blocks and scoring down the line. Kendall Hopewell MB Far Out 17 Black: A Northern Kentucky commit, Hopewell is a feisty middle who does well blocking and scoring in her role. She can get up and put balls down, as well as turn around and provide stuff blocks for points. Madison Evett OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Evett is a lanky outside with a loose arm and ability to let it fly when she connects. She was taking aggressive swings and nailing balls through gaps. Leah Richmond S Academy 17 Tsunami: A 3-star Western Michigan commit, Richmond is a bit undersized but she’s an athletic setter who gets her feet to the ball and sets with consistent accuracy. Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Tolliver – a 3-star Butler commit – is the big arm that powers the attack. When Academy needs a point it is Tolliver they are looking for. She’s an easy jumper with an easy swing and can crush balls. Hadley Burger RS Northern Lights 17-1: Burger is an undersized lefty right side but she’s fearless. She also has a whip for an arm and can blast balls that you might not expect her to be able to. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: A Lipscomb commit, Bredenburg was among the standout liberos. She patrols the back row like a predator on the hunt, not letting balls drop and defending with a passion. She’s also someone servers like to keep the ball away from, as she doesn’t get challenged a lot. *** Reese Ptacek MB Northern Lights 17-1: Ptacek – a 3-star Kanas commit – is an impactful middle on both sides of the ball. She times her blocks well and gets a lot of touches on shots. On the other side, she’s a smart hitter who can boom balls down or tip to open spots. Lucy Mott L/DS @legacyvolleyballclub 17-1 Adidas: Mott – a 3-star Boston College commit – is a steady setter who locates well and mixes the ball around. Samantha Bowron OH Top Select 17 Elite: Bowron, a Coastal Carolina commit, plays a valuable offensive role with her scoring. She’s a strong attacker, able to send the ball off blocks or cross court with pace. Kamyla Vega David S Top Select 17 Elite: Vega David is quick on her feet. She sets a clean, consistent ball and does well going behind her. Dionna Mitchell OH Top Select 17 Elite: Mitchell carries a big arm and she can tee off with it. She’s the type of hitter when she connects you can feel it. Kaylee Musick S Mintonette Sports m.71: Musick – a 3-star FIU commit – helped Mintonette reach the gold bracket by was stopped in the opening round by A5. Musick is a taller setter with smooth hands and spot-on location. Linnea Nesheim OH Kairos 17 Alpha: Nesheim is an undersized outside who doesn’t back down no matter the challenge. She’s a free swinger who knows how to score against and frustrated bigger blocks. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: Molina is a force in the middle. She brings strength and physicality to the position. She has a powerful arm and Miami Hype likes getting her the ball as much as possible. Kelsey Niesen L/DS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Niesen plays with lots of energy and goes all out in efforts of making saves and digs to keep her team in the rally. Maria Drapp S Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: We’ve featured Drapp a couple times already and for good reason. She runs a smooth offense and knows how to get all her hitters involved. *** Taylor Bedinghaus OH OT 17 Aaron: Bedinghaus is a six-rotation mainstay. She plays solid defense and is a smart attacker who places her shots well. Olivia Hart OH OT 17 Aaron: Hart can send down highlight kills with the way she elevates and swings. She gets up and unleashes, leading to monster kills at times. Bella Lee L/DS OT 17 Aaron: Lee – a 3-star Florida commit – brings a defensive edge to the lineup. She’s vocal in the back row and is a sharp passer who covers ground well.
Twelve teams woke up with hopes and aspirations of winding up on the podium as the 17 Open division fought its way to its conclusion Sunday at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. vballrecruiter.com was on hand taking notes and we selected our last All Red Hat Team for this wave. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 4 ALL RED HAT TEAM Navea Gauthier OH Far Out 17 Black: Gauthier – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 who spent the season playing up on the 18s – is a rock star on the outside. She’s a high-flying, hard-hitting slugger who takes swings from all over the court. She gets set on the left, the right, on combos, back row left, back row right. Defenses can never relax with her on the court. Hannah Benjamin OH A5 17 Jing: Benjamin – a 5-star Kentucky recruit – brings it on the outside. She has a powerful swing and can blast balls as hard as any hitter in the division. She doesn’t come off the court as she’s the go-to hitter and carries a big chunk of the attack. Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing: Wiley – a 4-star Georgia Tech commit – was virtually unstoppable on the attack. She’s wirey, high-flying hitter who bounces ball straight down at 12 feet on the regular. She’s quick and gets up fast, which makes her tough to block. Especially when she can get up high enough to go over blocks. Faith Young MB Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: We love Young, a 3-star Western Kentucky commit – and her play in the middle. She’s a workhorse and has a no-nonsense approach when it comes to competing and winning. She’s a fearless, heady attacker who can beat defenses with her power or her off-speed placement. She’s a vital part of the attack and she changes the offensive dynamic across the front row. Madison Loiselle RS OT 17 Aaron: Loiselle was holding down the right side. She’s a physical presence. She puts up a strong block and she crushes balls to the floor with her strength attacking. She plays a key role as she helps open up the attack by being a legit threat defenses must account for. Nayelis Cabello S/RS Top Select 17 Elite: Cabello – a 5-star Louisville commit – is the real deal and a huge reason for Top Select’s success. She’s a two-way star. She excels setting, as she moves and gets to the ball well. She can jump set well too, and she sets a clean, consistent ball that she locates accurately. She’s just as good on the attack. She jumps well, has a strong arm and rips winners corner to corner. Abbigail Pickard S Far Out 17 Black: Pickard – a 4-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is fun to watch run the show and do her thing. Far Out runs a more complex offense than most and it’s possible because of Pickard’s ability to dish the ball to different spots. Far Out runs a lot of combos and off-centered back row sets. It definitely keeps the defense on its toes. She’s also has great hands and connects well with all her hitters. Taylor Parks S OT 17 Aaron: Parks – a 4-star Florida commit – is another smooth operator at the setter position. She plays with so much poise, composure and confidence. She’s certainly a steadying presence. She’s also a terrific setter with great hands and silky delivery. She knows how to hold defenses too and not give all her sets away. Maggie Meister L Kairos 17 Alpha: Meister continues to impress and own the back row. Kairos is not a big team and must rely on its defensive play to hang in rallies. Meister is all over the court making plays. She’s a dime passer out of serve receive and doesn’t get flustered under pressure. Carley Piercefield L Far Out 17 Black: A Western Michigan commit, we love Piercefield’s play in the back row. She plays under total control and is seemingly always in the right spot to make the play in front of her. She’s another strong passer out of serve receive and she makes a few highlight saves each match.
The 15 Open division at AAUs produced an epic final between the top-two teams in the country in Skyline 15 Royal and Mintonette Sports m.51. Is a rematch on the way when the same division gets underway for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago? The tournament is set for June 28-July 1. Below, we take a look at things to watch for plus make our prediction for the gold medalist. 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 5-Star Athletes to Know: Outlook: All eyes are going to be on Mintonette, which lifted the 15 Open trophy at AAUs after defeating Skyline in three sets. Mintonette captured the 14 Open gold medal a season ago and so it can accomplish a double-double of sorts by winning again in Chicago. Skyline is obviously going to motivated by its final loss to Mintonette and that’s a scary thought if Skyline is able to take it up a notch. The other team to watch for is Legacy 15-1 Adidas, which held two match points on Mintonette in the semifinals. Legacy is definitely capable of finishing on top of the podium? Is there anyone else? Boiler Jrs 15 Gold pushed Skyline to three sets in the semis in Orlando and is going to be motivated by that as well. TAV 15 Black defeated Skyline in the final at Show Me. SCVC 15 Roxy reached the final at Triple Crown and took first at the Salt Lake qualifier. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 Skyline 5-0 Wave 3-2 AP 2-3 GP 2-3 Team Pineapple 2-3 Academy HP 1-4 *** Pool 2 Mintonette 4-1 Hou Skyline 4-1 Pohaku 3-2 Michio 2-3 Club V 2-3 Long Beach 0-5 *** Pool 3 TAV 5-0 AZ Sky 4-1 SCVC 3-2 WPVC 2-3 Metro 1-4 Triangle 0-5 *** Pool 4 Legacy 4-1 Tribe 4-1 Madfrog 3-2 Dynasty 2-3 Aspire 2-3 Academy 0-5 *** Pool 5 Austin Skyline 5-0 Top Select 4-1 Elevation 2-3 Arizona Storm 2-3 Vision 1-4 SG Elite 1-4 *** Pool 6 Forza North 5-0 Boiler Jrs 4-1 NKYVC 3-2 Alamo 2-3 AVC Cle 1-4 Premier Nebraska 0-5 *** Quarterfinalists Skyline Legacy Mintonette TAV SCVC Hou Skyline NKYVC Austin Skyline *** Final Legacy d Mintonette Bronzes Skyline; Hou Skyline
Day 4 was high energy as we entered the last day of the AAU National Championships Wave 3. So much fun, so much excitement, so much energy on the courts. A few of the matches I watched were high passion and straight energy. The semifinals matchup between VAQUERAS 13-1 and OT 13 T Tabitha was electric. VAQUERAS 13-1 ended up winning the match 25-19, 22-25, 15-4. For OT 13 T Tabitha outside Isabel Penrose was lights-out on the court. She powered through the blocks over and over again. Her energy was infectious. Setter/right side Molly Monday, outside hitter/middle blocker Leilani Lamar, middle blocker Makaia Mohammed and outside Addelyn Vanduinen also had some great moments for their squad. On the VAQUERAS 13-1 side of the net Decelise Champion was incredible. The six-rotation opposite hitter was high-flying and powerful wherever she swung. The setter Natania Negron, outside hitter Paula Jimenez and libero Mia Erazo had their moments of greatness and helped lead their squad to the finals. On the other side of the bracket A5 13-Karen squared off against the newly-crowned 2023 USAV 13 Open Champions Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS, with Legacy winning the match in 25-18, 29-27. For A5 outside hitter Leah Stickney had a great match defensively and added big kills at crucial points. Middle blocker Kennedy Davis came up big defensively at the net too. And shout out to outside hitter Caelyn Whosendove for coming off the bench and collecting big time kills in a pinch. For Legacy outside hitter Lexi Coleman was cracking the ball over and over again. The setter/right side duo Kaelyn Easton and Payton Woodruff also got big time points offensively while dishing their hitters with ease from the back row. Middle blockers McKenzie Andrews and Lauren Sheldon also came up big at the net. And shoutout to the defensive specialists Allison Lee and Taylor Wilson coming in and passing nails. The 12 Open Gold Bracket matches were being played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports State Farm Fieldhouse courts so I was not able to watch them BUT a match I enjoyed watching was OT 12 O Gibby vs Mintonette Sports m.21 in the Consolation semifinals. OT 12 O Gibby ended up winning the match in three, 25-19, 14-25, 15-13. For OT 12 O Gibby six-rotation outside hitter Gabriella Travieso led the way. Outside hitter Kaylee Winkler, right side hitter Mya Green, and middle blocker Samarie Perez also shined on the court. Mintonette Sports m.21’s setter Roxanne Rigo was impressive on the court. She dished to her hitters with authority AND blocked well at the net. Outside hitter Reese Fenner, right side Emma Steele and middle blocker Sydney Walburn contributed offensively. Like I mentioned above I was not able to watch the 12 Open Gold bracket so I couldn’t write on those teams or pick Show Stoppers. BUT congrats to A5 12-LA for winning the Gold in 3 over BORINQUEN COQUI, 25-11, 24-26, 15-6! DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS Leah Stickney OH A5 13-Karen: Stickney was a mainstay on the court. She was playing great defensively along tooling the block consistently in the front row. Caelyn Whosendove OH A5 13-Karen: Whosendove jumped on the court at critical times and was very effective offensively. And even though she wasn’t playing all the time her role was vital for her squad. Lexi Coleman OH Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Coleman just keeps getting better. When she connects on the ball she can bring the heat. Lauren Sheldon MB Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Sheldon did a great job moving laterally on the net, both defensively and offensively. McKenzie Andrews MB Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Andrews collected key blocks and kills when the points were on the line. Isabel Penrose OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Penrose was on fire. She was swinging with no fear everywhere on the court and bringing epic emotion after the plays! Molly Monday S/RS OT 13 T Tabitha: Monday was attacking smart in the front row. When she was setting she placed the ball well. Decelise Champion RS VAQUERAS 13-1: What else can I say about Champion except she can control outcomes of matches when she is on. Natania Negron S VAQUERAS 13-1: Negron did a great job moving the ball around and picked up great blocks for crucial points. Paula Jimenez OH VAQUERAS 13-1: Don’t let Jimenez’s size fool you, she can sky on the outside. And she swings with a vengeance on the outside. Elena White OH Top Select 13 Elite: White was a go-to for her squad. Kayleigh Rogers OH/MB Adidas KIVA 13 Red: Rogers was alot of fun to watch all over the court. She was scoring offensively and playing great defense in the back row. Carsyn Chitty L Mintonette Sports – m.31: Chitty is a scrappy libero who runs her side of the court. Rohm Takamoto L Mauloa 13’s Green: Takamoto was playing great defense against the VAQUERAS 13-1 team. Gabriella Travieso OH OT 12 O Gibby: Travieso, a six-rotation outside hitter, was swinging incredibly well and passing well out in serve receive. Kaylee Winkler OH OT 12 O Gibby: Winkler can hit a heavy ball when she connects. Roxanne Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo, a 5-1 setter, is someone to watch continue to grow in the game. She has great extension and a great net presence. Sydney Walburn MB Mintonette Sports – m.21: Walburn is a wall for her squad. Alana Blas S TOVC 12u- Ruben: Blas dishes incredibly well to her hitters. She has a great touch on the ball. Caryam Gil Carrion MB Capitanas 12-1: Gil Carrion has a ton of power offensively and is fun to watch when she connects with the ball. Adianis Mejia OH Wildfire 12N Ore: Meija is another six-rotation scrappy outside who swings with no fear and aggression.
The season-ending event we all have been clamoring for is finally near! It’s almost time for the start of the USAV Girls Junior National Championships in Chicago. Below, we look at the 14 Open division, which runs June 28-July 1, and make our predictions as to which club is leaving with the gold medal. 14 OPEN Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 5-Star Athletes to Know: 4-Star Athletes to Know: Outlook: With this division, there’s one question to ask? Can anyone capture the gold medal outside of the top trio this season in TAV 14 Black, Arizona Storm 14 Thunder and Tstreet 14 Carson? Combined, they have won Triple Crown plus five qualifiers. It’s going to take a special effort to prevent one of them from keeping it going in Chicago and finishing the year on top. A handful of teams already warmed up by participating in 14 Open at AAUs. The national champion there – Northern Lights 14-1 – is in the National Division in Chicago. But the teams playing in both Open divisions include OT 14 Laura, A5 14 Helen, Tribe 14 Elite Cardinal, Legacy 14-1 Adidas, GP 14 Rox, Top Select 14 Elite and Mintonette Sports m.41. A5 finished runner up while Top Select collected a bronze medal. Legacy and OT tied for fifth. Prediction: Let’s first look at which teams are going to break pool, then we’ll pick the quarterfinalists and eventual winner. ROUND 1 Pool 1 TAV 5-0 A5 4-1 Elevation 3-2 Forza1 14 One 2-3 Vision 14 Gold 1-4 Academy 14 Diamond 0-5 *** Pool 2 Tstreet 5-0 HPSTL 4-1 Top Select 3-2 Lions 1-4 PVA 1-4 Tejas 1-4 *** Pool 3 Arizona Storm 5-0 Madfrog 3-2 Forza North 3-2 MAVS 2-3 VCNebraska 1-4 Club V 1-4 *** Pool 4 Skyline 5-0 Wave 3-2 AZ Sky 3-2 GP 2-3 Absolute 1-4 SA Jrs 1-4 *** Pool 5 Long Beach 4-1 Drive Nation 4-1 Hou Skyline 3-2 Tribe 3-2 NKYVC 1-4 Premier Nebraska 0-5 *** Pool 6 OT 4-1 AP 4-1 Legacy 2-3 Rage 2-3 Mintonette 2-3 Excel 1-4 *** Quarterfinalists TAV Arizona Storm Tstreet Long Beach Skyline OT A5 AZ Sky *** Final Tstreet d Arizona Storm Bronzes TAV; Skyline
What a total contrast 17 Open has been compared to 15 Open last week here at the AAUs Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. With the 15s, we didn’t see any of the top six seeds lose until the third day. And even then, one of which lost still won its respective pool, while the other was the No. 6 seed which lost to the No. 7 seed in the 1 v 2 match in their pool. However, for the third consecutive day we watched the No. 1 overall seed go down, and for the second day in a row be eliminated altogether. First it was A5 17 Jing falling on Day 1, but A5 still managed to find its way to Sunday’s 12-team gold bracket and remains alive for a medal. Next, it was Summit 17 Blue Elite bowing out on Day 2 with a 1-2 showing. Following the unfortunate trend was Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal, which dropped contests to Northern Lights 17-1 and Kairos 17 Alpha in Pool A in going 1-2 and missing the gold bracket. If there’s one safe pick for the final day, it is that Kairos taking over the No. 1 seed is almost destined to lose, right? It’s been that type of unpredictable ride to this point and while a few teams are no doubt feeling fortunate to have survived Day 3, others who did not were surprising. Both VCNebraska 17 Elite and Boiler Jrs 17 Gold were knocked out of contention. Why was that surprising? They were the fifth and seventh highest-ranked teams competing from out Top 50 National Rankings. VCNebraska checks in at No. 25, while Boiler is just behind at No. 27. The other top-ranked teams pulled through in No. 5 A5, No. 9 OT 17 Aaron, No. 22 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue and No. 23 OT 17 Felix, as well as No. 26 Academy 17 Tsunami. Of the 13 ranked teams to begin, nine made the 12-team gold bracket. Others include No. 39 Top Select 17 Elite, No. 46 Miami Hype 17 Emilio, No. 48 Northern Lights 17-1 and No. 49 Mintonette Sports m.71. The ranked teams joining VCNebraska and Boiler Jrs outside the gold bracket are No. 38 Ku’Ikahi 17 RSB Wahine and No. 40 Adidas KiVA 17 Red. Both Ku’Ikahi and KiVA were eliminated on Day 2. As for Saturday’s third round of pool play, Tri-State Elite caught a bit of a break in finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Legacy 17-1 Adidas and Boiler Jrs. Tri-State lost to Boiler, which had just lost to Legacy, and needed to beat Legacy to advance. Meanwhile, VCNebraska lost to Mintonette and OT Aaron to go 1-2. Top Select and NE Elite 17 Top Gun were both 1-1 heading into their 1 v 2 contest in Pool F, with only the winner advancing. Top Select prevailed, taking first ahead of Far Out 17 Black. *** 17 OPEN DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS Natalie De Paula S/RS Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: With her two-way role, De Paula shoulders lots of responsibility and is a key part of the lineup. She’s a steady, quick setter who does well moving the ball around. As a hitter, she’s a springy lefty who takes a lot of swings in helping drive the attack. Elizabeth Havlicek MB Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Havlicek did her part in giving Tribe a middle presence. She puts up a solid block and can turn around and send it down with power. Amelia Wass de Czege MB TVA 17 Smack Megan: TVA did well making it to the third round. Wass de Czege was a force in the middle for her team. She has a huge arm and hits with tons of power. Amelia Haggins OH TVA 17 Smack Megan: Haggins, a Tulane commit, is an athletic outside who gets set a lot when she’s front row. She jumps well and can bring the heat on the outside. Sophia Adkins RS Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Adkins, a Providence commit, holds down the right side with her strength and power. She opens the attack across the front row with her big arm capable of producing pounding kills. Audrey Kocon S/RS Northern Lights 17-1: Kocon was a big reason why Northern Lights remains in contention. She starred in her two-way role. She did a nice job running the attack and going against the flow. When hitting, she can bring the thunder with her heavy left-arm attack. Nora Wurtz MB NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Wurtz, a 4-star Creighton commit, is a 6-4 middle/right side who puts up a huge block. She’s also difficult to slow offensively with her ability to go over blocks and send balls down with authority. Carly Ries OH NE Elite 17 Top Gun: Reis, a 6-3 South Dakota commit, is another lengthy attacker defenses must be concerned about with the NE Elite attack. She can hit at a high contact point and has a fluid swing to match. Emerson Lionberger MB VCNebraska 17 Elite: Lionberger did well in her role in the middle, providing timely offense. She was taking advantage of her opportunities and giving VCNebraska a reliable option in the middle. Paisley Douglas L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite: Douglas, a USC commit, is a speedy libero who does well covering and picking off shots. She’s a sound passer out of serve receive as well. *** Delaney Lawson OH Munciana 17 Pandas: A Utah State commit, Lawson carries a big offensive load swinging front and back row. She can unload at times and bounce balls straight down. Hattie Welker MB Mintonette Sports m.71: Welker is a lanky middle who helped Mintonette reach the gold bracket with her attacking and blocking. She did well getting her hands on balls and slowing down the attack. Taylor Bahnub OH Mintonette Sports m.71: Bahnub doesn’t back down, coming with aggressive swings and challenging blocks. She hits a hard ball and was taking care of business. Sarah Schnell RS Miami Hype 17 Emilio:
With spots in the gold bracket on the line, the intensity was turned up a full notch more than the previous two days on Saturday, which was the third day of 17 Open competition at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando. It made for difficult choices for the All Red Hat Team, which we present below. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 3 ALL RED HAT TEAM Julia Lewkowitz OH Miami Hype 17 Emilio: A 3-0 outing has Miami Hype in the gold bracket. Lewkowitz – a 2025 outside – carried her duties well. She’s a bit undersized compared to the biggest hitters in the division but she’s not lacking for power or smarts. She hits a heavy, hard ball. She’s also smart with her placement of off-speed shots as she comes through with key kills in big moments. Linnea Nesheim OH Kairos 17 Alpha: A streaking Kairos also went 3-0 in winning its pool, upsetting top-seeded Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal in the process. Nesheim is the perfect fit for the All Red Hat Team. She’s another undersized outside but she’s fearless and comes at bigger blockers with a vengeance. She has a great, upbeat energy on the court and she exemplifies Kairos’ fighting spirit. Logan Wiley MB A5 17 Jing: Wiley – a 4-star Georgia Tech recruit – was making herself known in the middle. She moves well side to side and does a nice job of getting touches and her share of stuff blocks as well. She’s also a very difficult cover as she can score to any spot of the court. It includes ridiculous sharp-angled shots cross body that leave defenders looking at each other in disbelief. Caitlyn Cornell MB Excel 17 National Red: Unlike our first three players, Cornell and Excel won’t be around for the gold bracket after finishing third in pool play. However, Cornell still caught our attention with the way she was booming balls down and hyping up her teammates with it. She dropped the hammer more than a few times and watch out when she does! Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Whitlock – a 4-star Ball State commit – is long and lanky and has a whippy swing. It was a tough day overall for Boiler Jrs finishing third, yet Whitlock had her moments where she showed her athleticism and impact she can make. She puts up a solid block and is one of the main offensive threats across the front row with her ability to get up and deliver from different spots on the net. Kate Maley RS Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Legacy survived a three-way tie to make the gold bracket. We loved Maley’s play and contributions on the right side. She has an unassuming demeanor and was giving Legacy key production. We saw her getting set a bunch as defenses cheated to the outside and she made them pay time and time again. She has a nice arm and doesn’t try to do too much, instead taking what’s there. Maria Drapp S Tri-State Elite 17 Blue: Tri-State was part of the three-way tie with Legacy, taking first place and holding onto its No. 2 overall seed. Drapp runs an effective offense, connecting with all her hitters and moving the ball around well in keeping defenses guessing. You can see her competitiveness in the way she gets after in her play and she did something we haven’t seen other setters do. That’s set the middle from behind the 10-foot line in yet another twist to the Tri-State attack. Whitney Scherrer S Munciana 17 Pandas: Munciana wasn’t able to crack the gold bracket but Scherrer was a bright spot with her setting. She’s long and moves well. She has nice hands and was locating on a consistent basis in helping keep Muncie in the fight until the end. Sarah Galligan L/DS NE Elite 17 Top Gun: A 1-2 day spelled the end of NE Elite’s medal hopes. Galligan was still exceptionally strong holding it down on the defensive side. She’s a quick libero who covers well and was defending the cross-court shots with ease. She also brings a lot of energy and hustle to the court. Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix: Russ helped OT Felix to a 2-1 mark and a spot in the gold bracket. She’s quick on a different level, as she flies around the court taking away space in a hurry. She was also showing strong in serve receive and defending without any hesitation.
Umm, did y’all catch the 12 and 13s Open divisions at the AAU National Championships Friday? We’re talking high intensity, jaw-dropping athleticism and serious scrappiness all over the courts. It was awesome to see a few of the teams from USAV Girls Junior National Championship 11-13s which competed in Minneapolis doing their thing and squaring off against new competitors. A couple of my favorite games I watched included Game 1 of the A5 12-LA vs Capitanas 12-1 match. A5 ended winning, 25-22, and ultimately sweeping. But let me just say Capitanas had no fear taking on the recently crowned USAV 12 national champions. Everything they touched in the beginning was perfect. Now kudos to A5 for settling down and coming back swinging. The other one was Game 2 of the 13 T Tabitha vs Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal match. It was an absolute nail-biter! Both teams were battling it out, with the score going back-and-forth. Ultimately, OT came out on top, winning , 27-25, and taking the match in two. Side note, have you watched the Puerto Rican volleyball teams play? These scrappy players leave it all out on the court. Keep your eye on these Puerto Rican squads – they’re a force to be reckoned with. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Olivia Hayden S/Opp A5 12-LA: Hayden is a key piece in the lineup with the versatility she brings. She’s a solid setter with nice hands who can block well in the front row. Mikayla Matuszko OH Tribe 12 Elite Cardinal: Matuszko takes a ton of swings. She’s one of the mainstays in the attack and consistently finds ways to score. Gabrielle Robinson MB Top Select 12 Elite: Robinson is a heavy-hitting middle blocker who makes great athletic moves both offensively and defensively. Roxanne Rigo S Mintonette Sports – m.21: Rigo is a 5-1 setter who has great extension and has a sizable block at the net. Kiersten Lutz S TI Elite 12-Thundercats: Lutz has a great touch and quarterbacks her team well. Angelina Quiles MB TOVC 12u- Ruben: Quiles brings the heat in the middle blocking position. She packs a punch when she connects. Anabella Valentin Miranda S BORINQUEN COQUI 12-1F: Valentin Miranda has hands of gold. Alanis Lopez Saavedra OH Capitanas 12-1: Lopez is a smaller outside who literally flies and will swing with no fear. Kaylee Winkler OH OT 12 O Gibby: Winkler is an outside who is relentless when she attacks. Lucie Amonett MB OT 12 T Kesha: Amonett is a defensive gem at the net. She has the ability to shut down oppositions in every match. Alexandria White OH GP 12 Rox: White jumps and swings well on the outside. Isabelle Alexander L Adidas KIVA 12 Red: Alexander sets the rhythm in serve receive well. She also has no fear defensively. Decelise Champion Opp VAQUERAS 13-1: Champion is a six-rotation opposite who brings the heat everywhere on the court. She is also a defensive gem at the net. Paula Jimenez OH VAQUERAS 13-1: Jimenez is an undersized scrapper on the outside who literally skies when she attacks. Kelsey Bareswilt L Tri-State Elite 13 Blue: Bareswilt is a scrapper on the court, with a fearless attitude on defense. Carsyn Chitty L Mintonette Sports m.31: Chitty is a strong defender and an on-point passer which sets the tone for the rest of the team. Lia Ray OH Tribe 13 Elite Cardinal: Ray is a ball magnet. She also is incredibly smart on offense. Kaelyn Easton S/Opp Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Easton is part of a S/RS tandem. She is a strong setter with a nice release and she can also score well across the front. Payton Woodruff S/Opp Legacy 13-1 ADIDAS: Woodruff, the other S/RS on the squad, connects well with her hitters and swings well offensively. Isabel Penrose OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Penrose is the gutsy six-rotation outside who literally swings with no fear everywhere on the court. Leilani Lamar OH OT 13 T Tabitha: Lamar was the other half of a strong 1-2 attack on her squad. When she connects she can go literally over the block on the regular. Leah Stickney OH A5 13-Karen: Stickney is a six-rotation outside who is a consistent scorer and passes nails in serve receive. Ava Lazar MB OT 13 O Felix: Lazar was coming up big defensively at the net.
The race to the gold medal continued on as the 17 Open division took the courts for the second day of play at the AAU Girls Junior National Championship in Orlando. We spent our time checking on not only the teams duking it out, but the individual talents showcasing their skills and game. That leads us to our daily All Red Hat Team. The goal is to highlight a daily team consisting of two players from each position – outside, middle, right side, setter and libero who – were our absolute favorite players of the day. Favorite doesn’t mean only a 5-star recruit or a familiar name. These are players who stood out to us for a variety of reasons, from amazing play to great energy or attitude or making key hustle plays. These are daily all-stars who really stood out the most to us for one reason or another. DAY 2 ALL RED HAT TEAM Kaila Kalama-Bajet OH Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB: Unfortunately, Ku’Ikahi’s run ended with an 0-3 outing, yet we really loved what we saw from Kalama-Bajet. She’s an undersized outside but is fearless and plays with lots of passion. She jumps well and is a smart hitter who can vary her shots to keep defenses on their toes. Olivia Heitkamp OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Heitkamp was lights out the times we caught her. The six-rotation outside is lanky with a lively arm. She was excelling going over the block and drilling balls down the line with authority. Then when the defense was dug in she would drop a well-timed, well-placed roll shot to catch them sleeping. Izabela Molina MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: It was a great day for Miami Hype, which went 3-0 and took over the No. 3 overall seed. We couldn’t decide which middle we liked more so why not feature both? Molina is a strong, powerful hitter who can blasts balls out of the middle. She also puts up a strong block to help slow down the attack. Jacqueline Taylor MB Miami Hype 17 Emilio: Taylor is the lightning to the Molina’s thunder. She’s quick and can really get up. She has a whippy arm too and it leads to big kills at time and she tees off. Mollie Hobson RS VC United 17 Elite: VC United rose up, going 3-0 as the No. 4 team and taking over the No. 8 seed. Hobson was an absolute delight to watch on the right side. She’s undersized but plays with a ton of heart and determination. She’s a six-rotation right side who is an offensive option both front and back row. She has a lively arm and is a smart attacker. She knows when to swing all-out and when to keep the ball in the court and let the rally keep playing out. Brynne Topolski RS VC Nebraska 17 Elite: Topolski was not the hard-hitting or most physical right side but she was certainly very effective in her role in helping VCNebraska post a 3-0 showing. She was taking advantage of her chances and putting balls away both cross court and down the line equally well. Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long is among the top setters in the division and she shows great leadership and on-court demeanor. She’s a high-energy setter with great hands and command of the offense. She also has deception in her delivery, keeping defenses honest and allowing hitters to get 1-on-1 looks or even at times hitting with no blockers up. Ashlyn Tafoya S Rocky Elite 17 National: Rocky Elite faced a difficult pool and finished 0-3. Still, Tafoya, part of the Class of 2025, showed her potential and more. She’s a bit undersized but she does a nice job of getting to the ball and has a clean, consistent release. Luca Bredenberg L/DS Northern Lights 17-1: We really loved what we saw from our next two players. Brendenberg is a defensive stalwart who doesn’t blink or back down. She’s a very sharp passer out of serve receive and covers the court well too. Madison Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports .71: Cugino wins the toughest player award from Day 2. She got smacked in her right eye that left a mark and the need for an ice bag. Yet, there she was on the court answering the bell and holding it down on the defensive end. She’s a smooth passer who sees the court well.