Commitments & Signings Week of May 19-25
May 29, 2023
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023
With pool play wrapping up on Day 2 of the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach, setting the stage for bracket play on Day 3, let’s take a look at the top highlights as well as our Show Stoppers. A day after upsetting top-seeded SoCal 16 Eric in 16 Open, it was SF Tremors 16 Tigers which was on the other end of it on Sunday. Both VVA 16-1 and Tstreet LV 16 Trevor took down SF Tremors to advance from Pool 1. VVA, as the No. 2 team, finished 3-0 ahead of 2-1 Tstreet LV. Nothing was out of place in Pool 2, though, as both Arete 16 Navy Telos and Seal Beach 16 Black reached the gold bracket. There was a minor upset in Pool 3, as the No. 2 team in Tstreet 16 Naseri finished 3-0 ahead of No. 1 Sunshine 16 Pacific. Both also moved onto the gold bracket. In 15 Open, Actyve 15 Black, Tstreet 15 Curtis, Academy 15 HP Daniele and Sunshine 15 Westside advanced to the gold bracket. While Pool 1 played out according to seed with Actyve going 3-0 as the No. 1 team and Tstreet 2-1 as the No. 2 team, it was a different tale in Pool 2. Academy HP ended up on top at 3-0 as the No. 2 team, with Sunshine the No. 3 team going 2-1 and taking second. That kept Arete 15 Navy Telos, the No. 2 overall seed and No. 1 team in the pool, from advancing. The results were fairly straightforward in 17 Open. Saddleback 17 Sofly, Actyve 17 Black and Sa Clemente 17 Riley all advanced as the No. 1 teams in their pools. Tstreet LV 17 Britta and Balboa Bay 17 Blue also moved on as No. 2 teams in their pools, while Academy 17 HP Lukasz reached the gold bracket by winning Pool 3 as the No. 4 team. Academy HP, San Clemente and Tstreet IE 17 Taylor finished in a three-way tie at 2-1, with Tstreet being eliminated after taking third based on tiebreakers. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emerson Boyd S/RS Arete 15 Navy Telos: Boyd has a bright future a 6-0 setter/right side. She does well distributing the ball with a consistent release. As a hitter, she has a strong arm and was powering down balls. Brylee Moore OH Arete 15 Navy Telos: Another 6-0 prospect, Moore can bring it on the outside. When the opportunity presented itself she would let it fly. Sara Moynihan S/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis: Moynihan played a key role setting and hitting. Though she’s a bit undersized, she’s a springy lefty who gets up and is a reliable scorer. She’s also a solid setter who puts up a nice ball. Sammie Aaron OH VVA 15-1: Aaron was coming with it all around. She was a key cog in the attack with front and back row scoring. She also played sound defense in the back row. Emily Pruett RS VVA 15-1: Pruett is someone to keep tabs on. The lefty has a nice arm and can generate pace when called upon. Lauryn Lewis MB Sunshine 15 Westside: Lewis is a tad undersized but is quick and jumps well. She was getting her hands on plenty of balls moving side to side blocking at the net. Ayla Johanski S/RS SoCal 16 Eric: Johanski is another player who though is a bit undersized is a flat-out baller. She’s a feisty attacker who doesn’t back down and challenges bigger blockers. She’s also a steady setter who does well mixing it up. Kaylee Noa L/DS SoCal 16 Eric: Noa made a few incredible saves. She wasn’t afraid to lay out flat and get the ball up to keep the rally going. Ai-Lani Hunter RS VVA 16-1: Hunter is an athletic right side with an explosive jump and strong arm. She’s a definite threat and someone VVA likes to get involved plenty. Delaney Blied MB Seal Beach 16 Black: Blied was showing off her powerful arm. She was getting fed and was delivering the thunder as she hammered down her share of kills. Lola Padilla OH Tstreet IE 16 Andy: Padilla is a hard-hitting outside who takes plenty of swings. She has a big arm and was pounding balls for points. Evelyn Jurden OH VA Elite 16s: Jurden was another outside who displayed a powerful arm. She was not holding back and being aggressive with her attacks. *** Sophia Van Ness OH Sunshine 16 Pacific: Van Ness was giving Sunshine consistent offense, including a couple of loud kills. She was also doing well in the back row defending and keeping the ball alive. Nikki Tawil S Sunshine 16 Pacific: Tawil was sharing the ball and getting all her hitters involved when she could. She has a consistent release and locates well. Kiera Hamilton OH Club Cactus 16 Mizuno: Hamilton was among the best scoring threats with her 6-0 frame and ability to go over the block at times. She’s lanky with the ability to connect high and let it go. Camille Solovjev L/DS San Clemente 17 Riley: Solovjev was a back row stalwart, passing and defending well with on-point deliveries. Alice Taylor RS SF Elite 17 Saga: Taylor is a physical right side who can power through blocks. When she was across the front row, SF Elite looked to get her involved as she was coming through on the regular. Logan Stern S SF Elite 17 Saga: Stern is a smooth disher with a clean release. She was putting the ball in good spots and moving it around well. Arielle Bruk OH Academy 17 HP Lukasz: Bruk carries a strong arm and was bringing it over and over. When she connects she can really rip it. Marlee Arrington RS Tstreet IE 17 Taylor: A 6-0 right side touching 10-4, Arrington gets up. She has great upside with the ability to go right over blocks. Emma Rowell S/RS Actyve 17 Black: Part of the Class of 2025, Rowell
If it’s Memorial Day weekend, it must be time for clubs to begin traveling again as tournaments start back up as everyone gears up for the upcoming national championships. As for vballrecruiter.com, the latest escapade brought us to the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach. The three-day tournament kicked off Saturday as teams looked to get the competitive juices flowing. While the top seeds in 16 Open were able to escape any dooming upsets, there was plenty of shake up elsewhere in the division. Top-seeded SoCal 16 Eric was taken down by SF Tremors 16 Tigers but finished second and still advanced. SoCal was the only No. 1 team in its pool to fall, as Arete 16 Navy Telos, Sunshine 16 Pacific, Tstreet 16 Naseri and Seal Beach 16 Black all finished 3-0. However, it wasn’t so straightforward elsewhere as the No. 4 team in SD Beach 16 Premier took second in Pool 4. In Pool 2 it was the No. 3 team in VA Elite beating the No. 2 team in Club V 16 Ren Matt to advance after finishing second. And in Pool 3 Tstreet IE 16 Andy also advanced after finishing second as the No. 3 team in Pool 3. The results were all over the place in 17 Open, making for a hectic day. The big news was top-seeded SF Tremors 17 Wolverines being eliminated. SF Tremors went 1-2 and took third in Pool 1, where Saddleback 17 Sofly finished 3-0 as the No. 3 team. Taking second was Academy 17 HP Lukasz. Included in the highlights was Tstreet IE 17 Taylor going 3-0 and winning Pool 4 as the No. 4 team. It was a three-way tie behind Tstreet IE between Amazons 17 Mambas, VVA 17-1 and VA Elite 17. Amazons advanced in second place based on tiebreakers. Another No. 4 team in SF Elite 17 Saga had a great day, going 2-1 and making it out of Pool 3 behind 3-0 San Clemente 17 Riley. Actyve 17 Black had no troubles in winning Pool 2, but the chase for second was tight. MVVC 17 Red, ACT 17 Jim and TCV 17 Fighting Mermaids tied at 1-2. MVVC, as the No. 3 team, finished second to move on. There was only one case of a lower-seeded team breaking through in 15 Open. It came in Pool 2 when Balboa Bay 15 Blue finished 2-1 and in second place as the No. 3 team. The top four seeds in Actyve 15 Black, Arete 15 Navy Telos, Academy 15 HP Daniele and Tstreet 15 Curtis combined went 23-1 in sets. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Lynniah Rodriguez S/RS 303 VBA 14 Alpha: Rodriguez and company finished the day 3-0 and on top of Power Pool 1 in 14 Club. She played a valuable role with her setting and hitting. She also has a strong serve that was scoring points. Elsa Matherly OH 303 VBA 14 Alpha: Matherly flashed her potential at times. She’s a lanky outside who could send it down at certain moments and has plenty of upside. Kayla Wolford OH BRVBA 14 Royal: It was Wolford and teammates taking top honors with a 3-0 showing in Power Pool 2. Wolford is a heady attacker who was providing lots of offense. Madelyn Feramisco OH VVA 16-1: With Feramisco part of the attack, VVA went 2-1 and remains in contention. She was passing on point in serve receive and delivering consistently when set. Leimaile Lasike MB Tstreet LV 16 Trevor: Lasike is a tall middle with raw potential. She made herself known with stuff blocks and was also a reliable option on offense. Katie Camp MB Tstreet LV 16 Trevor: Camp was another impactful middle for Tstreet. She was scoring at a high rate as defenses struggled to slow her down. Sarah Page S Club V 16 Ren Matt: Page, who was part of a 6-2 package, did a nice job distributing the ball and looking to get her various hitters involved. Madison Evans S Club V 16 Ren Matt: Evans, the other half of Club V’s 6-2, showed what she could do with tempo sets to the outside and well-located backsets. Katie Swanson OH Empire 16-1: Swanson, part of the Class of 2026, was the go-to on the left for Empire. Though the team went 0-3, Swanson showed off her nice arm and the ability to score on the regular. Lauren Farris OH Tstreet 16 Naseri: Farris helped Tstreet to a 3-0 performance in Pool 4. She hits a heavy ball and was putting down big kills with it. Memphis Burnett OH Tstreet 16 Naseri: Burnett – part of the Class of 2026 – was the other half of a strong 1-2 attack that helped Tstreet not drop a set. Burnett gets off the ground quickly and has a nice arm to punish opponents with. Amika Swanson MB Seal Beach 16 Black: Seal Beach also managed to go 3-0 and win Pool 5. Swanson stood out in the middle with her blocking and scoring. She’s a tall middle with lots of potential. Kendall Timme OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Timme and Arete looked strong on Day 1 with a 3-0 mark in Pool 2. A six-rotation outside, Timme did plenty in helping the team succeed as she’s a threat front and back row. Mackenzi Davis OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Davis is an athletic outside who can bring it. She has an explosive jump and can crush balls. Ryan Gilhooly OH Sunshine 16 Pacific: Gilhooly and crew rolled in Pool 3 with a 3-0 finish. She’s a six-rotation outside with a high IQ. She was giving Sunshine consistent scoring and proved difficult for opponents to stop. Adriana Dorn S/RS Rage 15 Greg: Dorn showed considerable upside in her dual role setting and hitting. She has a nice touch and release and a strong arm when it comes to swinging. Aviya Russo OH Academy 15 HP Daniele: Russo is an offensive threat who provides lots of
It’s the perfect time of the season to put out our latest set of updated player rankings. We started with the Class of 2024. Next in line is the Class of 2025. We start with the players whose star rankings have changed, moving from either 4 to 5 stars or from 3 to 4 stars. That is followed by a list of new additions to the rankings. To view the full rankings, click here. Athletes Rising To 5 Stars Athletes Rising To 4 Stars NEW ADDITIONS Abbey Hayes OH Six Pack 16 Addison Burke OH CUVC 16 Beast Addison France S/RS AZ Sky 16G Addison Massey OH Tx Performance 16s Addison Walker OH Boomers BVA 17 Black Addyson Rebmann OH CSDP 16 National Adeline Sirbu MB Adversity 16 Adidas Alex Klukvin L/DS KC Power 16 Black Alivia Eikenberg OH FRVBC 16 Black Ally Fuchs L/DS HPSTL 16 Royal *** Anna Rice OH OK Charge 16 UA Arriana Brown OH Tulsa Power 16-1 Aubrey Anders OH AVC Cle 16 Red Avery Boothe RS Club One 16 Platinum Avery Stones OH Club One 16 Platinum Caelyn Dumas S AVA TX 16 Adidas Candela Fiuza S TCVA 17 Green Adidas Carly Slusser MN Northern Lights 16-1 ChiChi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Chloe Meester OH Adrenaline 16 Doug *** Cierra Grant OH Forza1 North 16 One Claire Anna Brown MB AJV 16 Adidas Dakota Mitchell L/DS Six Pack 16 Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Eliana Urzua OH Oaks 16 Gold Ella Keeven HPSTL 16 Royal Ella Rogers S Six Pack 17 Ella Seeger OH MJVA 16 Elite Elly Stewart MB Alamo 16 Premier Emily Goering OH/RS EU 16 Black *** Emma Parks OH Rock City 16-1 Gabriella Kucinski RS AZ Sky 16G Gia McGrew OK Charge 16 UA Gracie Trulson RS Muscle 16 Hailey Campagna OH EliteVBTC 16 Black Hailey Goebel RS MKE Sting 16 Gold Halle Jameson OH Excel 16 National Red Helen Beary S A4 Volley 16 Cassie Hope Westra OH AZ Rev 16 Premier Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red *** Izzy Romero OH Vision 16 Gold Jacy Carrejo S Austin Skyline 16 Royal Jordyn Decker S Club One 16 Platinum Jordyn Dugi L/DS AZ Sky 16G Jumana Martin L/DS CUVC 16 Beast Justice Fuhrmann S Forza1 16 One Kayla Dunlap MB TPV 18 Maverick Kenna McKenzie RS AJV 16 Adidas Kimanni Rugley MB AVA TX 16 Adidas Klea Tarja OH Forza1 16 One *** Lily Wedman S KC Power 16 Black Madison Pulsipher OH Viper 17 Ro Manaia Ogbechie MB Oaks 16 Gold Marly Burbach S PVA 16 Elite Megan Morello L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Melanie Hewlett S Viper 16 Costa Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze Mia Stahler L/DS EliteVBTC 16 Black Mija Bendziute RS Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 One *** Nicole Steiner OH Vision 16 Gold Noaomi Dowd RS SPVB 16 Elite Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 16 PV Legends Olivia Guzman OH MVA 16 Pedro Paige Felder OH RRHVB 17 Parker Duncan OH AJV 16 Adidas Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1 Sarah Shaw MB Oaks 16 Gold Simone Baskin MB AJV 16 Adidas Sofia King USA South 16 Purple *** Sophie Diouf MB ARVC 16-1 Adidas Sunni Skipps RS Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal Tea Kalajdzic OH ARVC 16-1 Adidas Willow Watson MB Vegas Aces 16 UA Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson
As we head toward the final stage of the club season, with the last round of tournaments followed by AAUs and USAV national championships, we present our updated vballrecruiter.com Player Rankings for the Class of 2024. We’ll release the rest of the classes in the following days. We start with the players whose star rankings changed, moving from either 4 to 5 stars or from 3 to 4 stars. That is followed by a list of new additions to the rankings. To view the full rankings, click here. Athletes Rising To 5 Stars Athletes Rising To 4 Stars NEW ADDITIONS Abbie Creese MB Empowered 17 Elite Black Alea Goolsby OH KC Power 17 Black Alexa Strandberg OH AVC Cle 17 Red Amar’e Stout RS Tx Performance 17s Aubrey Goodere MB AZ Sky 17G Audrey Waterman S MN Select 17-1 Ava Spachek OH Pohaku 17-1 Ava Vetter RS Adversity 17 Adidas Bridget Woodruff RS Dakine Warriors 17 Surf Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix Chloe Pravednikov OH Seal Beach 17 Black Coley Shiflet L/DS Triangle 17 Black Ella Holloway RS Memphis VBA 17 Red Ella Parker OH DCVC 17-1 Gwenyth Schiff RS Illini Elite 17 Cardinal Hannah Byers S/RS DaKine Warriors 17 Surf Havyn Rolle MB City 17 Gold Jaden Hendrickson OH Absolute 17 Black Kelsey Schenck S MAVS KC 17-1 Lauren Roediger MB MAVS KC 17-1 Mallorie Meyer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite Olivia Hart OH OT 17 Aaron Paige Bennett OH NorCal 17-1 Black Petra Fritz OH DCVA 17 Hong Regan Shields OH A4 17 Tyler Sophia Iglesias S OT 16 Roberto Sophia Matthews L/DS Triangle 17 Black Sophia Wolfson MB SG Elite 17 Rosh Tea Bosanac MB DaKine Warriors 17 Surf Tessa Hurley L/DS Seal Beach 17 Black Victoria Leyva L/DS TX Performance 17-1s Zada Sanger OH Absolute 17 Black
We took a look at the at-large selections for 16 and 17 Open here. Those picks were straight forward, largely because there were only two at-larges in each division and there were clear front runners. With five picks in 15 Open and seven in 14 Open, there was much more of a chance of there being some controversy of who was and wasn’t chosen. Let’s take a look. When it comes to 15 Open, it’s hard to argue with the choices with the exception of one possible outlier. AZ Sky 15G, Alamo 15 Premier, Top Select 15 Elite, Triangle 15 Black and WPVC 15 Armour Black ended up receiving the at-larges and all are worthy of the honor. Of the bunch, AZ Sky seemed like the most automatic selection. Even though AZ Sky played two qualifiers – coming in fifth at Red Rock and 21st at Lone Star – it compiled an impressive 12-5 record against the Open field. A record like that is hard to ignore and paired with finishing fifth at a difficult qualifier like Red Rock made AZ Sky a lock. We actually have AZ Sky ranked No. 5 in our current 15s Top 50. AZ Sky has victories this season over No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, No. 4 Hou Skyline, No. 6 Madfrog 16 Green (twice) and No. 7 TAV 15 Black. It means AZ Sky has what it takes to contend in the division. The next team that had to be selected in my opinion without question was Alamo. With a 9-15 mark against the Open field as well as finishing fourth at Big South and ninth at both Lone Star and Red Rock, Alamo’s case was airtight. Had Alamo been able to defeat Wave 15 Brennan in the third-place contest at Big South it wouldn’t even be in this position. Like AZ Sky, Top Select played in just two qualifiers but finished well at both. The Florida club came in seventh at Sunshine and fifth at Big South. Top Select also managed to go 7-6 against the Open field. That combined put Top Select over the top and into the Open field. Besides AZ Sky and Alamo, there was only one other team in the running with more victories against the field then Top Select. Top Select’s best victory of the season came against No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. Right behind Top Select with victories against the field is WPVC, which went 6-8 in such outings. WPVC also had solid finishes, coming in ninth at Sunshine, 14th at Northern Lights and seventh at NEQ. Compared to others in the mix, the case for WPVC to be in the field is a sound one. Triangle is the final team to look at. Triangle went 3-7 against the Open field, but did finish well at two of its three qualifiers. While Triangle placed 27th at Lone Star, it did finish fifth at both Sunshine and Big South. There’s no doubt that worked in Triangle’s favor being so close twice. That leaves HJV 15 Elite as the tough-luck candidate. HJV’s argument for an Open bid rested on its 9-14 against the field. That’s a strong record and tied HJV with Alamo for the second-most victories against the field among the at-large contenders. However, what worked against HJV and likely ultimately cost HJV a spot is the team’s finishes in qualifiers. HJV came in 23rd at Red Rock, 15th at Windy City and ninth at Lone Star. I think it’s natural to question if HJV should be in ahead of Triangle but I don’t think it’s out of line that Triangle made it over HJV. Perhaps if there were a head-to-head result between the two to factor in but there’s not. *** Moving on to 14 Open, where with seven at-larges in play there were plenty of teams under consideration. In the end, they went to Legacy 14-1 Adidas, GP 14 Rox, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami, VCNebraska 14 Elite, Mintonette Sports m.41, Tejas 14 Black and Forza1 14 One. Let’s look at the two I perceived to be the favorites in GP and Forza. Forza seemed like a safe bet based on its 7-15 mark against the field and finishing fifth at Northern Lights, seventh at Red Rock and ninth at Far Western. The seven victories is the most of any at-large candidate and Northern Lights and Red Rock were arguably the two toughest qualifiers for 14s. All that put Forza at the top of the list and certainly a worthy recipient. GP was right with Forza, having a 6-11 record against the Open field. GP finished 11th at Sunshine, 14th at Northern Lights and fifth at Big South. While GP had only one Top-10 showing at qualifiers, the six victories against the field is second to Forza so that made GP a strong candidate given there were seven at-larges. Two more contenders I expected to receive bids that did were Legacy and VCNebraska. Legacy’s 4-11 record against the Open field was on par with others in the running. What gave Legacy an advantage was its finishes at qualifiers. Those included placing fifth at both Sunshine and Windy City and seventh at Northern Lights. That consistency is hard to ignore and made Legacy a great choice. VCNebraska played in two qualifiers but finished fourth at both Northern Lights and Show Me. VCNebraska also went 4-8 against the Open field, which was comparable to other candidates. VCNebraska was one win away from qualifying outright but lost a showdown to Hou Skyline 14 Royal in the third-place match at Northern Lights. Mintonette seemed positioned to receive one of the at-larges as well. Like Legacy and VCNebraska, Mintonette, at 4-9, also had four victories against the Open field. Only AZ Rev 15 Premier, at 5-11, had more victories against the field and didn’t receive an at-large. More on that in a moment. As for Mintonette, the Ohio club performed consistently as well at national qualifiers. Mintonette came in 13th at
While we’ve spent the past two weeks updating our National Rankings for the 14-18s age groups and releasing our Mid-Season All-Stars, USA Volleyball officially announced the Open at-large recipients for the Junior National Championships this summer in Chicago. Let’s take a look at the selections in 16 and 17 Open. There were two available at-large bids in 17 Open, which came free at the Lone Star Classic qualifier. Those two spots were filled by City 17 Gold (CA) and Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL). The 17 Open at-large picture was really shaped on the final weekend of qualifying season at Far Western. Prior to that weekend, there were more than a handful of viable contenders. However, with Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar, Madfrog 17 Green and Pohaku 17-1 all earning Open bids in Reno, it removed three of the stronger candidates. That opened the door for others, especially with only two at-larges in play. In looking at the picks with City and Miami Hype, there doesn’t seem to be much controversy. Of the remaining teams, City had the strongest argument. The So Cal club had an 8-15 record against the Open field. That means City played a competitive schedule and picked up a decent amount of wins along the way. City also fared well at the three qualifiers it attended, finishing fifth at both Pacific Northwest and Salt Lake Showdown and ninth at Far Western. City did so playing much of the season without outside Danica Rach (Boston College). Stepping up and filling in nicely has been Kimi Watanbe-Mayhew along side Jenna Garner, who’s carried a bigger load as a result. Another bright spot has been the emergence of S/RS Kate Duffey, who recently committed to UCLA. City can run a 5-1 with her or a 6-2 with Charlotte Reff. The team has also been steady in the middle with Havyn Rolle, Maggie Lima and Katie Scuticchio. New to the roster this season is 4-star right side Kennedy Osunsanmi. She’s added a real front row presence. While City was close to being a lock, Miami Hype wasn’t such a sure thing. One thing working in Miami Hype’s favor was its record against the Open field, which stood at 7-10. That was more victories than any remaining at-large contenders. Miami Hype also finished ninth at Windy City and 14th at both Sunshine and MEQ. The intrigue with Miami Hype comes from three Top-10 upsets it has been able to pull off this year. They feature victories over top-ranked Dyansty 17 Black, No. 7 1st Alliance 17 Gold and No. 9 OT 17 Aaron. It’s clear Miami Hype – with right side Sarah Snell and libero Isabella Marrero among those leading the charge – is capable of creating real havoc. With City and Miami Hype receiving the at-large picks, it leaves Elevation 17 Ulland, VCNebraska 17 Elite and MKE Sting 17 Gold as the tough-luck teams this season. All three also had a case for receiving a bid. To me, it’s difficult to distinguish between the three teams and perhaps that’s why Miami Hype was the choice ahead of the trio. Working in Elevation’s favor was going 5-10 against the Open field, as well as finishing seventh at MEQ and 14th at Windy City. Elevation also owns a head-to-head victory over Miami Hype. At the same time, the way the at-large bids went out across the Open divisions it seemed like teams that played in three qualifiers as opposed to two were rewarded and that could be working against Elevation. VCNebraska’s case rested on going 4-13 against the Open field and finishing eighth at Northern Lights, fifth at Show Me and ninth at Lone Star. VCNebraska was a victory away at Show Me, needing to beat Skyline 17 Royal to qualify outright. It seemed like VCNebraska had a strong case because of that, but at the same time VCNebraska went 1-1 against MKE Sting, another at-large contender. Sting was right there with VCNebraska, going 4-12 against the Open field. What was interesting about Sting was it finished ninth at four qualifiers – Northern Lights, Sunshine, Windy City and Lone Star. While Sting has a head-to-head loss to Elevation, it does own a head-to-head victory over Miami Hype. I also liked that Sting beat Lone Star champ Dynasty in Dallas, while also beating the only team to qualify at Lone Star in HJV 17 Elite. I took that as a sign that Sting was playing well at the right time. Still, I think it’s hard to argue with the City and Miami Hype receiving the at-larges. City had the strongest case overall, so that was a no-brainer pick to me. I do like the Miami Hype pick because as we’ve seen Miami Hype has been able to pull off big upsets this year and that could certainly add spice to the 17 Open field come Chicago. *** Like 17 Open, there were two spots available in 16 Open. The big difference though was there were only two viable candidates. At least that’s how I viewed it. Things would have been interesting had there been three or four at-larges but that wasn’t the case. As it stood, the only real contenders both hailed from Michigan in Legacy 16-1 Adidas and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. Both stood so far out in front of the rest of the pack, it’s not even worth discussing the rest of the pack. Legacy was the clear-cut favorite no matter what. Its mark against the Open field is 12-13, which is a very respectable record. Without doubt Legacy played a challenging schedule and performed well. Legacy came in fifth at Sunshine and MEQ, ninth at Windy City and 17th at Lone Star. Another thing I liked about Legacy is among its victories is beating No. 2 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 9 Circle City 16 Purple and No. 10 OT 16 JP. While it remains to be seen how Legacy will do at JN’s, the club has definitely been
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023 2024
vballrecruiter.com’s Mid-Season All-Stars concludes with the release of the 14s division. If you missed the other age groups, you can catch up on the 15s, 16s and 17s by clicking the links. The picks are subjective and based on our observations up until this point in the season. To us, these players are not only standout players and have performed at a high level, their respective teams have also enjoyed a certain level of success with it. It can be challenging at times to choose between such skilled and talented players and unfortunately many more were left off than selected. At the conclusion of the season we’ll be releasing our Club All-Americans along with Honorable Mentions. However, for the Mid-Season All-Star selections there are no honorable mentions, just our picks for All-Stars. Congrats to those named! 14s OUTSIDES Gentry Barker TAV 14 Black Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red Ella Olson Tstreet 14 Carson Naomi Livings TAV 14 Black Leilani Lawrence OT 14 Laura MIDDLES Kendall Omoruyi Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Nyla Livings TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola TAV 14 Black Brooklyn Sippio GP 14 Rox Megan Hodges Tstreet 14 Carson RIGHT SIDES Janiah Burrage Forza1 14 One Mia Diouf GP 14 Rox Olivia Greenwood Wave 14 Tammy Brynn Stephens TAV 14 Black S/RS Sophee Peterson TAV 14 Black S/RS SETTERS Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen Zamari Christensen Club V 14 Ren Silver Sophia Dostic OT 14 Laura Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly S/RS Peyton Heatherly Lions 14-1 LIBEROS/DSs Pulelehua Laikona Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Cedra Talaga Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar Ansley Shafer TAV 14 Black Monica Bercaru-Maxim Madfrog 14 Green Dakota Huynh Skyline 14 Royal
In between qualifying season and the start of national championship season, we are checking in to see which players have been at the top of our list with our Mid-Season All-Stars. We’ve already put out our lists for the 17s and 16s divisions and that brings us to the 15s. The picks are subjective and based on our observations up until this point in the season. To us, these players are not only standout players and have performed at a high level, their respective teams have also enjoyed a certain level of success with it. It can be challenging at times to choose between such skilled and talented players and unfortunately many more were left off than selected. At the conclusion of the season we’ll be releasing our Club All-Americans along with Honorable Mentions. However, for the Mid-Season All-Star selections there are no honorable mentions, just our picks for All-Stars. Congrats to those named! 15s Mid-Season All-Stars OUTSIDES Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas Gabi Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 Audrey Flanagan SCVC 15 Roxy Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MIDDLES Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal Audrey Dyas NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas Kinsley Young TAV 15 Black Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas RIGHT SIDES Willow Weninger Pohaku 15-1 Taylor Clarke Skyline 15 Royal Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black S/RS Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Brooke Harwood Arizona Storm 15 Thunder SETTERS Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 Genevieve Harris Academy 15 Diamond Milly McGee SCVC 15 Roxy Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold LIBEROS/DSs Ella Grimes Elevation 15 Tony Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BEACH TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023
With pool play wrapping up on Day 2 of the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach, setting the stage for bracket play on Day 3, let’s take a look at the top highlights as well as our Show Stoppers. A day after upsetting top-seeded SoCal 16 Eric in 16 Open, it was SF Tremors 16 Tigers which was on the other end of it on Sunday. Both VVA 16-1 and Tstreet LV 16 Trevor took down SF Tremors to advance from Pool 1. VVA, as the No. 2 team, finished 3-0 ahead of 2-1 Tstreet LV. Nothing was out of place in Pool 2, though, as both Arete 16 Navy Telos and Seal Beach 16 Black reached the gold bracket. There was a minor upset in Pool 3, as the No. 2 team in Tstreet 16 Naseri finished 3-0 ahead of No. 1 Sunshine 16 Pacific. Both also moved onto the gold bracket. In 15 Open, Actyve 15 Black, Tstreet 15 Curtis, Academy 15 HP Daniele and Sunshine 15 Westside advanced to the gold bracket. While Pool 1 played out according to seed with Actyve going 3-0 as the No. 1 team and Tstreet 2-1 as the No. 2 team, it was a different tale in Pool 2. Academy HP ended up on top at 3-0 as the No. 2 team, with Sunshine the No. 3 team going 2-1 and taking second. That kept Arete 15 Navy Telos, the No. 2 overall seed and No. 1 team in the pool, from advancing. The results were fairly straightforward in 17 Open. Saddleback 17 Sofly, Actyve 17 Black and Sa Clemente 17 Riley all advanced as the No. 1 teams in their pools. Tstreet LV 17 Britta and Balboa Bay 17 Blue also moved on as No. 2 teams in their pools, while Academy 17 HP Lukasz reached the gold bracket by winning Pool 3 as the No. 4 team. Academy HP, San Clemente and Tstreet IE 17 Taylor finished in a three-way tie at 2-1, with Tstreet being eliminated after taking third based on tiebreakers. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Emerson Boyd S/RS Arete 15 Navy Telos: Boyd has a bright future a 6-0 setter/right side. She does well distributing the ball with a consistent release. As a hitter, she has a strong arm and was powering down balls. Brylee Moore OH Arete 15 Navy Telos: Another 6-0 prospect, Moore can bring it on the outside. When the opportunity presented itself she would let it fly. Sara Moynihan S/RS Tstreet 15 Curtis: Moynihan played a key role setting and hitting. Though she’s a bit undersized, she’s a springy lefty who gets up and is a reliable scorer. She’s also a solid setter who puts up a nice ball. Sammie Aaron OH VVA 15-1: Aaron was coming with it all around. She was a key cog in the attack with front and back row scoring. She also played sound defense in the back row. Emily Pruett RS VVA 15-1: Pruett is someone to keep tabs on. The lefty has a nice arm and can generate pace when called upon. Lauryn Lewis MB Sunshine 15 Westside: Lewis is a tad undersized but is quick and jumps well. She was getting her hands on plenty of balls moving side to side blocking at the net. Ayla Johanski S/RS SoCal 16 Eric: Johanski is another player who though is a bit undersized is a flat-out baller. She’s a feisty attacker who doesn’t back down and challenges bigger blockers. She’s also a steady setter who does well mixing it up. Kaylee Noa L/DS SoCal 16 Eric: Noa made a few incredible saves. She wasn’t afraid to lay out flat and get the ball up to keep the rally going. Ai-Lani Hunter RS VVA 16-1: Hunter is an athletic right side with an explosive jump and strong arm. She’s a definite threat and someone VVA likes to get involved plenty. Delaney Blied MB Seal Beach 16 Black: Blied was showing off her powerful arm. She was getting fed and was delivering the thunder as she hammered down her share of kills. Lola Padilla OH Tstreet IE 16 Andy: Padilla is a hard-hitting outside who takes plenty of swings. She has a big arm and was pounding balls for points. Evelyn Jurden OH VA Elite 16s: Jurden was another outside who displayed a powerful arm. She was not holding back and being aggressive with her attacks. *** Sophia Van Ness OH Sunshine 16 Pacific: Van Ness was giving Sunshine consistent offense, including a couple of loud kills. She was also doing well in the back row defending and keeping the ball alive. Nikki Tawil S Sunshine 16 Pacific: Tawil was sharing the ball and getting all her hitters involved when she could. She has a consistent release and locates well. Kiera Hamilton OH Club Cactus 16 Mizuno: Hamilton was among the best scoring threats with her 6-0 frame and ability to go over the block at times. She’s lanky with the ability to connect high and let it go. Camille Solovjev L/DS San Clemente 17 Riley: Solovjev was a back row stalwart, passing and defending well with on-point deliveries. Alice Taylor RS SF Elite 17 Saga: Taylor is a physical right side who can power through blocks. When she was across the front row, SF Elite looked to get her involved as she was coming through on the regular. Logan Stern S SF Elite 17 Saga: Stern is a smooth disher with a clean release. She was putting the ball in good spots and moving it around well. Arielle Bruk OH Academy 17 HP Lukasz: Bruk carries a strong arm and was bringing it over and over. When she connects she can really rip it. Marlee Arrington RS Tstreet IE 17 Taylor: A 6-0 right side touching 10-4, Arrington gets up. She has great upside with the ability to go right over blocks. Emma Rowell S/RS Actyve 17 Black: Part of the Class of 2025, Rowell
If it’s Memorial Day weekend, it must be time for clubs to begin traveling again as tournaments start back up as everyone gears up for the upcoming national championships. As for vballrecruiter.com, the latest escapade brought us to the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach. The three-day tournament kicked off Saturday as teams looked to get the competitive juices flowing. While the top seeds in 16 Open were able to escape any dooming upsets, there was plenty of shake up elsewhere in the division. Top-seeded SoCal 16 Eric was taken down by SF Tremors 16 Tigers but finished second and still advanced. SoCal was the only No. 1 team in its pool to fall, as Arete 16 Navy Telos, Sunshine 16 Pacific, Tstreet 16 Naseri and Seal Beach 16 Black all finished 3-0. However, it wasn’t so straightforward elsewhere as the No. 4 team in SD Beach 16 Premier took second in Pool 4. In Pool 2 it was the No. 3 team in VA Elite beating the No. 2 team in Club V 16 Ren Matt to advance after finishing second. And in Pool 3 Tstreet IE 16 Andy also advanced after finishing second as the No. 3 team in Pool 3. The results were all over the place in 17 Open, making for a hectic day. The big news was top-seeded SF Tremors 17 Wolverines being eliminated. SF Tremors went 1-2 and took third in Pool 1, where Saddleback 17 Sofly finished 3-0 as the No. 3 team. Taking second was Academy 17 HP Lukasz. Included in the highlights was Tstreet IE 17 Taylor going 3-0 and winning Pool 4 as the No. 4 team. It was a three-way tie behind Tstreet IE between Amazons 17 Mambas, VVA 17-1 and VA Elite 17. Amazons advanced in second place based on tiebreakers. Another No. 4 team in SF Elite 17 Saga had a great day, going 2-1 and making it out of Pool 3 behind 3-0 San Clemente 17 Riley. Actyve 17 Black had no troubles in winning Pool 2, but the chase for second was tight. MVVC 17 Red, ACT 17 Jim and TCV 17 Fighting Mermaids tied at 1-2. MVVC, as the No. 3 team, finished second to move on. There was only one case of a lower-seeded team breaking through in 15 Open. It came in Pool 2 when Balboa Bay 15 Blue finished 2-1 and in second place as the No. 3 team. The top four seeds in Actyve 15 Black, Arete 15 Navy Telos, Academy 15 HP Daniele and Tstreet 15 Curtis combined went 23-1 in sets. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Lynniah Rodriguez S/RS 303 VBA 14 Alpha: Rodriguez and company finished the day 3-0 and on top of Power Pool 1 in 14 Club. She played a valuable role with her setting and hitting. She also has a strong serve that was scoring points. Elsa Matherly OH 303 VBA 14 Alpha: Matherly flashed her potential at times. She’s a lanky outside who could send it down at certain moments and has plenty of upside. Kayla Wolford OH BRVBA 14 Royal: It was Wolford and teammates taking top honors with a 3-0 showing in Power Pool 2. Wolford is a heady attacker who was providing lots of offense. Madelyn Feramisco OH VVA 16-1: With Feramisco part of the attack, VVA went 2-1 and remains in contention. She was passing on point in serve receive and delivering consistently when set. Leimaile Lasike MB Tstreet LV 16 Trevor: Lasike is a tall middle with raw potential. She made herself known with stuff blocks and was also a reliable option on offense. Katie Camp MB Tstreet LV 16 Trevor: Camp was another impactful middle for Tstreet. She was scoring at a high rate as defenses struggled to slow her down. Sarah Page S Club V 16 Ren Matt: Page, who was part of a 6-2 package, did a nice job distributing the ball and looking to get her various hitters involved. Madison Evans S Club V 16 Ren Matt: Evans, the other half of Club V’s 6-2, showed what she could do with tempo sets to the outside and well-located backsets. Katie Swanson OH Empire 16-1: Swanson, part of the Class of 2026, was the go-to on the left for Empire. Though the team went 0-3, Swanson showed off her nice arm and the ability to score on the regular. Lauren Farris OH Tstreet 16 Naseri: Farris helped Tstreet to a 3-0 performance in Pool 4. She hits a heavy ball and was putting down big kills with it. Memphis Burnett OH Tstreet 16 Naseri: Burnett – part of the Class of 2026 – was the other half of a strong 1-2 attack that helped Tstreet not drop a set. Burnett gets off the ground quickly and has a nice arm to punish opponents with. Amika Swanson MB Seal Beach 16 Black: Seal Beach also managed to go 3-0 and win Pool 5. Swanson stood out in the middle with her blocking and scoring. She’s a tall middle with lots of potential. Kendall Timme OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Timme and Arete looked strong on Day 1 with a 3-0 mark in Pool 2. A six-rotation outside, Timme did plenty in helping the team succeed as she’s a threat front and back row. Mackenzi Davis OH Arete 16 Navy Telos: Davis is an athletic outside who can bring it. She has an explosive jump and can crush balls. Ryan Gilhooly OH Sunshine 16 Pacific: Gilhooly and crew rolled in Pool 3 with a 3-0 finish. She’s a six-rotation outside with a high IQ. She was giving Sunshine consistent scoring and proved difficult for opponents to stop. Adriana Dorn S/RS Rage 15 Greg: Dorn showed considerable upside in her dual role setting and hitting. She has a nice touch and release and a strong arm when it comes to swinging. Aviya Russo OH Academy 15 HP Daniele: Russo is an offensive threat who provides lots of
It’s the perfect time of the season to put out our latest set of updated player rankings. We started with the Class of 2024. Next in line is the Class of 2025. We start with the players whose star rankings have changed, moving from either 4 to 5 stars or from 3 to 4 stars. That is followed by a list of new additions to the rankings. To view the full rankings, click here. Athletes Rising To 5 Stars Athletes Rising To 4 Stars NEW ADDITIONS Abbey Hayes OH Six Pack 16 Addison Burke OH CUVC 16 Beast Addison France S/RS AZ Sky 16G Addison Massey OH Tx Performance 16s Addison Walker OH Boomers BVA 17 Black Addyson Rebmann OH CSDP 16 National Adeline Sirbu MB Adversity 16 Adidas Alex Klukvin L/DS KC Power 16 Black Alivia Eikenberg OH FRVBC 16 Black Ally Fuchs L/DS HPSTL 16 Royal *** Anna Rice OH OK Charge 16 UA Arriana Brown OH Tulsa Power 16-1 Aubrey Anders OH AVC Cle 16 Red Avery Boothe RS Club One 16 Platinum Avery Stones OH Club One 16 Platinum Caelyn Dumas S AVA TX 16 Adidas Candela Fiuza S TCVA 17 Green Adidas Carly Slusser MN Northern Lights 16-1 ChiChi Nnaji RS Skyline 16 Royal Chloe Meester OH Adrenaline 16 Doug *** Cierra Grant OH Forza1 North 16 One Claire Anna Brown MB AJV 16 Adidas Dakota Mitchell L/DS Six Pack 16 Elena Maynulet OH GP 16 Rox Eliana Urzua OH Oaks 16 Gold Ella Keeven HPSTL 16 Royal Ella Rogers S Six Pack 17 Ella Seeger OH MJVA 16 Elite Elly Stewart MB Alamo 16 Premier Emily Goering OH/RS EU 16 Black *** Emma Parks OH Rock City 16-1 Gabriella Kucinski RS AZ Sky 16G Gia McGrew OK Charge 16 UA Gracie Trulson RS Muscle 16 Hailey Campagna OH EliteVBTC 16 Black Hailey Goebel RS MKE Sting 16 Gold Halle Jameson OH Excel 16 National Red Helen Beary S A4 Volley 16 Cassie Hope Westra OH AZ Rev 16 Premier Isabela Haggard S/RS Adidas KiVA 16 Red *** Izzy Romero OH Vision 16 Gold Jacy Carrejo S Austin Skyline 16 Royal Jordyn Decker S Club One 16 Platinum Jordyn Dugi L/DS AZ Sky 16G Jumana Martin L/DS CUVC 16 Beast Justice Fuhrmann S Forza1 16 One Kayla Dunlap MB TPV 18 Maverick Kenna McKenzie RS AJV 16 Adidas Kimanni Rugley MB AVA TX 16 Adidas Klea Tarja OH Forza1 16 One *** Lily Wedman S KC Power 16 Black Madison Pulsipher OH Viper 17 Ro Manaia Ogbechie MB Oaks 16 Gold Marly Burbach S PVA 16 Elite Megan Morello L/DS Hou Skyline 16 Royal Melanie Hewlett S Viper 16 Costa Melina Schrader S Munciana 16 Blaze Mia Stahler L/DS EliteVBTC 16 Black Mija Bendziute RS Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 One *** Nicole Steiner OH Vision 16 Gold Noaomi Dowd RS SPVB 16 Elite Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 16 PV Legends Olivia Guzman OH MVA 16 Pedro Paige Felder OH RRHVB 17 Parker Duncan OH AJV 16 Adidas Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1 Sarah Shaw MB Oaks 16 Gold Simone Baskin MB AJV 16 Adidas Sofia King USA South 16 Purple *** Sophie Diouf MB ARVC 16-1 Adidas Sunni Skipps RS Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal Tea Kalajdzic OH ARVC 16-1 Adidas Willow Watson MB Vegas Aces 16 UA Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson
As we head toward the final stage of the club season, with the last round of tournaments followed by AAUs and USAV national championships, we present our updated vballrecruiter.com Player Rankings for the Class of 2024. We’ll release the rest of the classes in the following days. We start with the players whose star rankings changed, moving from either 4 to 5 stars or from 3 to 4 stars. That is followed by a list of new additions to the rankings. To view the full rankings, click here. Athletes Rising To 5 Stars Athletes Rising To 4 Stars NEW ADDITIONS Abbie Creese MB Empowered 17 Elite Black Alea Goolsby OH KC Power 17 Black Alexa Strandberg OH AVC Cle 17 Red Amar’e Stout RS Tx Performance 17s Aubrey Goodere MB AZ Sky 17G Audrey Waterman S MN Select 17-1 Ava Spachek OH Pohaku 17-1 Ava Vetter RS Adversity 17 Adidas Bridget Woodruff RS Dakine Warriors 17 Surf Caylan Russ L/DS OT 17 Felix Chloe Pravednikov OH Seal Beach 17 Black Coley Shiflet L/DS Triangle 17 Black Ella Holloway RS Memphis VBA 17 Red Ella Parker OH DCVC 17-1 Gwenyth Schiff RS Illini Elite 17 Cardinal Hannah Byers S/RS DaKine Warriors 17 Surf Havyn Rolle MB City 17 Gold Jaden Hendrickson OH Absolute 17 Black Kelsey Schenck S MAVS KC 17-1 Lauren Roediger MB MAVS KC 17-1 Mallorie Meyer L/DS VCNebraska 17 Elite Olivia Hart OH OT 17 Aaron Paige Bennett OH NorCal 17-1 Black Petra Fritz OH DCVA 17 Hong Regan Shields OH A4 17 Tyler Sophia Iglesias S OT 16 Roberto Sophia Matthews L/DS Triangle 17 Black Sophia Wolfson MB SG Elite 17 Rosh Tea Bosanac MB DaKine Warriors 17 Surf Tessa Hurley L/DS Seal Beach 17 Black Victoria Leyva L/DS TX Performance 17-1s Zada Sanger OH Absolute 17 Black
We took a look at the at-large selections for 16 and 17 Open here. Those picks were straight forward, largely because there were only two at-larges in each division and there were clear front runners. With five picks in 15 Open and seven in 14 Open, there was much more of a chance of there being some controversy of who was and wasn’t chosen. Let’s take a look. When it comes to 15 Open, it’s hard to argue with the choices with the exception of one possible outlier. AZ Sky 15G, Alamo 15 Premier, Top Select 15 Elite, Triangle 15 Black and WPVC 15 Armour Black ended up receiving the at-larges and all are worthy of the honor. Of the bunch, AZ Sky seemed like the most automatic selection. Even though AZ Sky played two qualifiers – coming in fifth at Red Rock and 21st at Lone Star – it compiled an impressive 12-5 record against the Open field. A record like that is hard to ignore and paired with finishing fifth at a difficult qualifier like Red Rock made AZ Sky a lock. We actually have AZ Sky ranked No. 5 in our current 15s Top 50. AZ Sky has victories this season over No. 3 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, No. 4 Hou Skyline, No. 6 Madfrog 16 Green (twice) and No. 7 TAV 15 Black. It means AZ Sky has what it takes to contend in the division. The next team that had to be selected in my opinion without question was Alamo. With a 9-15 mark against the Open field as well as finishing fourth at Big South and ninth at both Lone Star and Red Rock, Alamo’s case was airtight. Had Alamo been able to defeat Wave 15 Brennan in the third-place contest at Big South it wouldn’t even be in this position. Like AZ Sky, Top Select played in just two qualifiers but finished well at both. The Florida club came in seventh at Sunshine and fifth at Big South. Top Select also managed to go 7-6 against the Open field. That combined put Top Select over the top and into the Open field. Besides AZ Sky and Alamo, there was only one other team in the running with more victories against the field then Top Select. Top Select’s best victory of the season came against No. 8 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. Right behind Top Select with victories against the field is WPVC, which went 6-8 in such outings. WPVC also had solid finishes, coming in ninth at Sunshine, 14th at Northern Lights and seventh at NEQ. Compared to others in the mix, the case for WPVC to be in the field is a sound one. Triangle is the final team to look at. Triangle went 3-7 against the Open field, but did finish well at two of its three qualifiers. While Triangle placed 27th at Lone Star, it did finish fifth at both Sunshine and Big South. There’s no doubt that worked in Triangle’s favor being so close twice. That leaves HJV 15 Elite as the tough-luck candidate. HJV’s argument for an Open bid rested on its 9-14 against the field. That’s a strong record and tied HJV with Alamo for the second-most victories against the field among the at-large contenders. However, what worked against HJV and likely ultimately cost HJV a spot is the team’s finishes in qualifiers. HJV came in 23rd at Red Rock, 15th at Windy City and ninth at Lone Star. I think it’s natural to question if HJV should be in ahead of Triangle but I don’t think it’s out of line that Triangle made it over HJV. Perhaps if there were a head-to-head result between the two to factor in but there’s not. *** Moving on to 14 Open, where with seven at-larges in play there were plenty of teams under consideration. In the end, they went to Legacy 14-1 Adidas, GP 14 Rox, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami, VCNebraska 14 Elite, Mintonette Sports m.41, Tejas 14 Black and Forza1 14 One. Let’s look at the two I perceived to be the favorites in GP and Forza. Forza seemed like a safe bet based on its 7-15 mark against the field and finishing fifth at Northern Lights, seventh at Red Rock and ninth at Far Western. The seven victories is the most of any at-large candidate and Northern Lights and Red Rock were arguably the two toughest qualifiers for 14s. All that put Forza at the top of the list and certainly a worthy recipient. GP was right with Forza, having a 6-11 record against the Open field. GP finished 11th at Sunshine, 14th at Northern Lights and fifth at Big South. While GP had only one Top-10 showing at qualifiers, the six victories against the field is second to Forza so that made GP a strong candidate given there were seven at-larges. Two more contenders I expected to receive bids that did were Legacy and VCNebraska. Legacy’s 4-11 record against the Open field was on par with others in the running. What gave Legacy an advantage was its finishes at qualifiers. Those included placing fifth at both Sunshine and Windy City and seventh at Northern Lights. That consistency is hard to ignore and made Legacy a great choice. VCNebraska played in two qualifiers but finished fourth at both Northern Lights and Show Me. VCNebraska also went 4-8 against the Open field, which was comparable to other candidates. VCNebraska was one win away from qualifying outright but lost a showdown to Hou Skyline 14 Royal in the third-place match at Northern Lights. Mintonette seemed positioned to receive one of the at-larges as well. Like Legacy and VCNebraska, Mintonette, at 4-9, also had four victories against the Open field. Only AZ Rev 15 Premier, at 5-11, had more victories against the field and didn’t receive an at-large. More on that in a moment. As for Mintonette, the Ohio club performed consistently as well at national qualifiers. Mintonette came in 13th at
While we’ve spent the past two weeks updating our National Rankings for the 14-18s age groups and releasing our Mid-Season All-Stars, USA Volleyball officially announced the Open at-large recipients for the Junior National Championships this summer in Chicago. Let’s take a look at the selections in 16 and 17 Open. There were two available at-large bids in 17 Open, which came free at the Lone Star Classic qualifier. Those two spots were filled by City 17 Gold (CA) and Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL). The 17 Open at-large picture was really shaped on the final weekend of qualifying season at Far Western. Prior to that weekend, there were more than a handful of viable contenders. However, with Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar, Madfrog 17 Green and Pohaku 17-1 all earning Open bids in Reno, it removed three of the stronger candidates. That opened the door for others, especially with only two at-larges in play. In looking at the picks with City and Miami Hype, there doesn’t seem to be much controversy. Of the remaining teams, City had the strongest argument. The So Cal club had an 8-15 record against the Open field. That means City played a competitive schedule and picked up a decent amount of wins along the way. City also fared well at the three qualifiers it attended, finishing fifth at both Pacific Northwest and Salt Lake Showdown and ninth at Far Western. City did so playing much of the season without outside Danica Rach (Boston College). Stepping up and filling in nicely has been Kimi Watanbe-Mayhew along side Jenna Garner, who’s carried a bigger load as a result. Another bright spot has been the emergence of S/RS Kate Duffey, who recently committed to UCLA. City can run a 5-1 with her or a 6-2 with Charlotte Reff. The team has also been steady in the middle with Havyn Rolle, Maggie Lima and Katie Scuticchio. New to the roster this season is 4-star right side Kennedy Osunsanmi. She’s added a real front row presence. While City was close to being a lock, Miami Hype wasn’t such a sure thing. One thing working in Miami Hype’s favor was its record against the Open field, which stood at 7-10. That was more victories than any remaining at-large contenders. Miami Hype also finished ninth at Windy City and 14th at both Sunshine and MEQ. The intrigue with Miami Hype comes from three Top-10 upsets it has been able to pull off this year. They feature victories over top-ranked Dyansty 17 Black, No. 7 1st Alliance 17 Gold and No. 9 OT 17 Aaron. It’s clear Miami Hype – with right side Sarah Snell and libero Isabella Marrero among those leading the charge – is capable of creating real havoc. With City and Miami Hype receiving the at-large picks, it leaves Elevation 17 Ulland, VCNebraska 17 Elite and MKE Sting 17 Gold as the tough-luck teams this season. All three also had a case for receiving a bid. To me, it’s difficult to distinguish between the three teams and perhaps that’s why Miami Hype was the choice ahead of the trio. Working in Elevation’s favor was going 5-10 against the Open field, as well as finishing seventh at MEQ and 14th at Windy City. Elevation also owns a head-to-head victory over Miami Hype. At the same time, the way the at-large bids went out across the Open divisions it seemed like teams that played in three qualifiers as opposed to two were rewarded and that could be working against Elevation. VCNebraska’s case rested on going 4-13 against the Open field and finishing eighth at Northern Lights, fifth at Show Me and ninth at Lone Star. VCNebraska was a victory away at Show Me, needing to beat Skyline 17 Royal to qualify outright. It seemed like VCNebraska had a strong case because of that, but at the same time VCNebraska went 1-1 against MKE Sting, another at-large contender. Sting was right there with VCNebraska, going 4-12 against the Open field. What was interesting about Sting was it finished ninth at four qualifiers – Northern Lights, Sunshine, Windy City and Lone Star. While Sting has a head-to-head loss to Elevation, it does own a head-to-head victory over Miami Hype. I also liked that Sting beat Lone Star champ Dynasty in Dallas, while also beating the only team to qualify at Lone Star in HJV 17 Elite. I took that as a sign that Sting was playing well at the right time. Still, I think it’s hard to argue with the City and Miami Hype receiving the at-larges. City had the strongest case overall, so that was a no-brainer pick to me. I do like the Miami Hype pick because as we’ve seen Miami Hype has been able to pull off big upsets this year and that could certainly add spice to the 17 Open field come Chicago. *** Like 17 Open, there were two spots available in 16 Open. The big difference though was there were only two viable candidates. At least that’s how I viewed it. Things would have been interesting had there been three or four at-larges but that wasn’t the case. As it stood, the only real contenders both hailed from Michigan in Legacy 16-1 Adidas and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. Both stood so far out in front of the rest of the pack, it’s not even worth discussing the rest of the pack. Legacy was the clear-cut favorite no matter what. Its mark against the Open field is 12-13, which is a very respectable record. Without doubt Legacy played a challenging schedule and performed well. Legacy came in fifth at Sunshine and MEQ, ninth at Windy City and 17th at Lone Star. Another thing I liked about Legacy is among its victories is beating No. 2 Drive Nation 16 Red, No. 9 Circle City 16 Purple and No. 10 OT 16 JP. While it remains to be seen how Legacy will do at JN’s, the club has definitely been
Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 2024 TRANSFERS BOY’S 2023 2024
vballrecruiter.com’s Mid-Season All-Stars concludes with the release of the 14s division. If you missed the other age groups, you can catch up on the 15s, 16s and 17s by clicking the links. The picks are subjective and based on our observations up until this point in the season. To us, these players are not only standout players and have performed at a high level, their respective teams have also enjoyed a certain level of success with it. It can be challenging at times to choose between such skilled and talented players and unfortunately many more were left off than selected. At the conclusion of the season we’ll be releasing our Club All-Americans along with Honorable Mentions. However, for the Mid-Season All-Star selections there are no honorable mentions, just our picks for All-Stars. Congrats to those named! 14s OUTSIDES Gentry Barker TAV 14 Black Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red Ella Olson Tstreet 14 Carson Naomi Livings TAV 14 Black Leilani Lawrence OT 14 Laura MIDDLES Kendall Omoruyi Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Nyla Livings TAV 14 Black Mariah Akinsola TAV 14 Black Brooklyn Sippio GP 14 Rox Megan Hodges Tstreet 14 Carson RIGHT SIDES Janiah Burrage Forza1 14 One Mia Diouf GP 14 Rox Olivia Greenwood Wave 14 Tammy Brynn Stephens TAV 14 Black S/RS Sophee Peterson TAV 14 Black S/RS SETTERS Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen Zamari Christensen Club V 14 Ren Silver Sophia Dostic OT 14 Laura Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly S/RS Peyton Heatherly Lions 14-1 LIBEROS/DSs Pulelehua Laikona Arizona Storm 14 Thunder Cedra Talaga Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar Ansley Shafer TAV 14 Black Monica Bercaru-Maxim Madfrog 14 Green Dakota Huynh Skyline 14 Royal
In between qualifying season and the start of national championship season, we are checking in to see which players have been at the top of our list with our Mid-Season All-Stars. We’ve already put out our lists for the 17s and 16s divisions and that brings us to the 15s. The picks are subjective and based on our observations up until this point in the season. To us, these players are not only standout players and have performed at a high level, their respective teams have also enjoyed a certain level of success with it. It can be challenging at times to choose between such skilled and talented players and unfortunately many more were left off than selected. At the conclusion of the season we’ll be releasing our Club All-Americans along with Honorable Mentions. However, for the Mid-Season All-Star selections there are no honorable mentions, just our picks for All-Stars. Congrats to those named! 15s Mid-Season All-Stars OUTSIDES Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas Gabi Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 Audrey Flanagan SCVC 15 Roxy Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MIDDLES Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal Audrey Dyas NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas Kinsley Young TAV 15 Black Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas RIGHT SIDES Willow Weninger Pohaku 15-1 Taylor Clarke Skyline 15 Royal Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black S/RS Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Brooke Harwood Arizona Storm 15 Thunder SETTERS Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 Genevieve Harris Academy 15 Diamond Milly McGee SCVC 15 Roxy Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold LIBEROS/DSs Ella Grimes Elevation 15 Tony Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51