Premium Content

Central Zone: Day 2 Show Stoppers

It was a jammed-packed weekend at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis, with Sunday’s conclusion delivering its share of entertaining performances and efforts. We were there taking notice and it led to the list below, or what we call our Day 2 Show Stoppers. Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold – Vander Wal – a 5-star recruit – was back at it on Day 2. If there was a thought that her dominating Day 1 came against lower-seeded competition, she was an equal force against other top teams in the field. At 6-3, she’s had the length but the power she has added this season is remarkable! Hannah Kenny S 1st Alliance 16 Gold – A 3-star recruit, Kenny is feisty and full of fight! She’s a terrific player who dishes well. She’s can also be deceptive at times. Keira Lucas OH Circle City 16 Purple – Lucas – a 3-star recruit – had a solid performance Sunday, helping Circle City to the silver medal in 16 Open. She was a reliable scoring option, showing her smarts in not trying to do too much and finding different ways to score. Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple – The 6-3 Dunkle is active at the net. A 3-star recruit, she’s also very energetic with a knack for scoring. Ava Hunter S Circle City 16 Purple – Hunter is a 3-star recruit who joined Circle City this year and is fitting right in. She’s a smooth deliverer and her location is rarely off. Ella Craggs S Mich Elite 16 Mizuno – Craggs is a solid setter who connects well with her hitters. A 3-star recruit, she has added pieces to work with this season and she does well keeping everyone involved when the team is passing well. Billie Reiter S MKE Sting 16 Gold – Reiter – a 3-star recruit – sets effortlessly. She puts up a clean ball and puts her hitters in good positions. Olivia Durst L/DS MKE Sting 16 Gold – Durst – a 3-star recruit – was tough to put a ball down on. She was making plays in extending rallies and keeping her team in the point. Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 16 Gold – The big strength of Sting comes with the outside duo, which includes the 3-star recruit and 6-0 Koceja. She can find the open space or tool blocks consistently and always gives Sting someone to go to in the front row. Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold – Quest – a 4-star outside – is simply impressive. At 6-3, she’s long and can really extend. It allows her to hit at sharper angles and really pressure the defense with her pace as well. Ally Hughes S Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – A 3-star recruit, Hughes did a great job running the offense and putting her hitters in favorable positions. She showed a soft release and sound placement as well. Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 – It was a strong Day 2 for Hoying, a 3-star recruit. She displayed her all-around game, scoring in the front and playing defense in the back. Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.51 – With Snowbarger, a 3-star recruit, filling out the leftside duo, Mintonette is never hurting for a front row attacker who can deliver on a consistent basis. She can let it fly and put away big kills. Alia Schoonover MB Mintonette Sports m.51 – Schoonover – a 5-11 middle – could have had her own highlight reel from Sunday. She was coming through time and time again with loud kills! Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 – Cugino is a gritty libero who owns the back row. She’s a sound passer and doesn’t miss her mark often. Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m. 51 – Matheny – a 3-star recruit is another reason Mintonette prevailed in 15 Open. She’s a smooth dishing setter who does well mixing it up and adjusting to what the defense is doing. Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – A 4-star recruit, Foster is a true six-rotation outside with strong ball control skills. She sees the court well and has a variety of shots to throw at defenses.   Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Ward – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – is an impactful player on the right side. She’s long and gets in the way of opposing attackers. She’s also a real offensive threat and capable of bouncing balls straight down when the block is late. Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Hepler is a 4-star recruit and as steady and as consistent as they come in the back. She’s scrappy and she covers well for touches and tips. Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Shondell – a 4-star recruit – has firm command of the offense. Boiler Jrs has options in every rotation and Shondell knows how to take advantage of them. Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony – We wrote about Grimes – a 3-star recruit – on Day 1 and she continued to standout in a big way on Day 2. Her jump serve is a weapon and helps her team go on scoring runs. She’s a wall in the back row as well. Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony – Sprada – a 3-star recruit – has taken big strides from last year. She’s added a few inches both to her frame and jump and she was a force all weekend long. She gets up and bangs and she’s reason why Elevation is a medal contender this summer.   Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony – A strength of Elevation comes in the middle. One half is Geselbracht, a 3-star recruit who is really fun to watch running the slide. She has a whippy arm and can let it go when it’s there. Grace Herzog MB Elevation 15 Tony – Herzog is the other half of the Elevation middle

Read More »

Central Zone: All-Tournament Teams

A two-day tournament, the Central Zone Invitational is not a national qualifier but features many teams which we’ll see down the road in their respective Open Divisions this summer in Chicago. It made for a great weekend taking in as much action as we could possibly catch. Below, is the vballrecruiter.com All-Tournament team from Central Zone. The picks are based on our observations from the weekend. 17s All-Tournament Team OH: Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami OH: Charlotte Moriarty Adidas KiVA 17 Red OH: Emma McCartney AVC Cle 17 Red OH: Lauren Harden Rev 17-1 Raptors MB: Ava Kanj Maverick 17 Elite MB: Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue MB: Riley Resmer Boiler Jrs 17 Gold RS: Sophia Adkins Tri-State Elite 17 Blue RS: Elise Marchal Elevation 17 Ulland RS: Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold S: Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami S: Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold L/DS: Alleigh Dutton Circle City 17 Purple L/DS: Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami *** 16s All-Tournament Team OH: Abby Vander Wal 1st Alliance 16 Gold OH: Izzy Busignani Mich Elite 16 Mizuno OH: Madison Quest MKE Sting 16 Gold OH: Addison Tindall Team Pineapple 16 Black MB: Tara Greenberry HPSTL 16 Royal MB: Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red MB: Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple RS: Gabriella Babinski Mich Elite 16 Mizuno RS: Jillian Tippmann Team Pineapple 16 Black S/RS: Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red S/RS: Addison Horner 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Campbell Flynn Legacy 16-1 Adidas S: Hannah Kenny 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple S: Ally Hughes Tri-State Elite 16 Blue L/DS: Francescu Popescu A5 16 Gabe L/DS: McKenna Payne Mich Elite 16 Mizuno L/DS: Olivia Durst MKE Sting 16 Gold L/DS: Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple *** 15s All-Tournament Team OH: Sidney Sprada Elevation 15 Tony OH: Natalie Surges MKE Sting 15 Gold OH: Gabi DiVita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH: Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 MB: Reese Resmer Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB: Kennedy Tisdale MKE Sting 15 Gold MB: Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB: Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas RS: Haley Wilson AVC Cle 15 Red RS: Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS: Brooke Baldwin MKE Sting 15 Gold S: Makenna Kirlin Elevation 15 Tony S: Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S: Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S: Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L/DS: Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ella Grimes Elevation 15 Tony L/DS: Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 *** 14s All-Tournament Team OH: Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly OH: Shaye Witherspoon Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite OH: Bryn Meyer Mintonette Sports m.41 OH: Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB: Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red MB: Cynthia Ockerman Legacy 14-1 Adidas MB: Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB/RS: Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RS: Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red RS: Audrey Davis Circle City 14 Purple S/RS: Peyton Heatherly Lions 14-1 S/RS: Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly S: Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen S: Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red L/DS: Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Tony L/DS: Leah Kille Mintonette Sports m.41 L/DS: Peyton Wollman MKE Sting 14 Gold

Read More »

Central Zone: Day 2 Fast Recap As Champs Are Crowned

I said it about the JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago in Cleveland, and I’ll say it again about the Central Zone Invitational this past weekend in Indianapolis. These two-day tournaments go by fast! Almost too fast! The ink in the notebook barely is dry by the time a champion is named. But there’s no denying that the action happens quickly. If you missed our coverage from Day 1, you can catch up on it here. As for Day 2, it was a whirlwind day as trophies were handed out to the Open division winners. Below is a recap of the day’s events from the top division. The Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament Selections are set to come out in the next day or two. Here’s a quick list of the championship results: 18 Open: Circle City 18 Purple d Legacy 18-1 Adidas 25-22, 25-20 17O: Academy 17 Tsunami d Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 20-25, 25-21, 15-11 16O: 1st Alliance 16 Gold d Circle City 16 Purple 25-22, 22-25, 15-8 15O: Mintonette Sports m.51 d Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 25-12, 25-20 14O: Elevation 14 Molly d Adidas KiVA 14 Red 25-23, 25-19 Whipping around, Elevation started as the No. 4 overall seed in 14 Open and finished as the champion, sweeping KiVA in the final. The victory avenged Elevation’s only loss, which came when KiVA swept Elevation in Saturday evening’s start to the Round 2 Power Pools. Those were the only sets Elevation dropped on the weekend, as the Ohio Valley Region club turned in a flawless gold bracket run Sunday. Elevation opened by sweeping Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite, then beat A5 14 Helen in the quarterfinals and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue in the semis. The 14s were fun to catch this weekend, with lots of competitive matches taking place and learning of the next round of studs and standouts. Legacy 14-1 Adidas and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue tied for third, both losing just once. Tying for fifth was A5 14-Helen, Mintonette Sports m.41, MKE Sting 14 Gold and NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami.   Moving to 15 Open, Mintonette showed why it’s a threat to repeat after winning the USAV 14 Open gold last summer. Back in Indy, Mintonette had a rocky Day 1, dropping both matches in its power bracket. But that didn’t prevent Mintonette from making the gold bracket and once play kicked off Sunday it was all business. Mintontte didn’t drop a set on Day 2, opening with a sweep over Rev 15-1 Fuego. That was followed by straight-set victories over NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and Elevation 15 Tony before downing Boiler Jrs. It was Boiler Jrs’ only loss on the weekend. Elevation tied for third with upstart Team Pineapple 15 Black. MKE Sting 15 Gold, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami, TVC 15 Black and AVC Cle 15 Red tied for fifth. It was an impressive performance turned in by 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which went 8-0 and only dropped just one set. It came in the final victory against Circle City, which suffered its only loss. 1st Alliance looked impressed, as it was hardly touched until Circle City took the eventual champs to three. Tying for third with strong efforts were Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting 16 Gold. Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Legacy 16-1 Adidas, Team Pineapple 16 Black and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue tied for fifth. In 17 Open, Academy 17 Tsunami  lapped the field, going 8-0 after getting past Boiler Jrs in the final. Academy beat Rock City 17-1 on Day 1 in pool play. Rock City was the other semifinalist, losing to Boilers. Academy topped Elevation 17 Ulland in the other semi. Adidas KiVA 17 Red, Circle City 17 Purple, NKYVC and Rev 17-1 Raptors finished tied for fifth. Circle City 18 Purple put together a perfect weekend in 18 Open, going 8-0 without dropping a set. Circle City took down Lex United 87 Adidas, Elevation 18 Spinney and Tri-State Elite 18 Blue to reach the final.

Read More »

Central Zone: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

On a day like this, when there is competitive volleyball being played by nationally-ranked teams across many age groups, it’s impossible to pick a starting point. There’s only so much to get to, but rest assured one item below is the Day 1 Show Stoppers from Saturday’s action at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. However, first let’s take a look at teams and where the stand and how they may factor into Sunday’s conclusion. 14 OPEN A5 14 HELEN: The top seed was upended by Legacy 14-1 Adidas in its last outing Saturday evening. A5 won its three-team pool during the day, then beat NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami in a bracket-match Saturday evening. Yet, Legacy swept the seeding match for Sunday’s gold bracket, taking the contest, 25-11, 25-12. A5 has a wide array of options and one key piece is setter Marissa Jones. She has her pick of options, including outsides McKenzie Wilkie and Laila Amos, as well as middles Kylee Evans and Layla Dunn and right side Megan McLarty. LEGACY 14-1 ADIDAS: The Lakeshore Region club took over the top seed by going 4-0 on Saturday, beating Lex United 14-1 Adidas, AVC Cle 14 Red, Mintonette Sports m.41 and A5. One strength was the play of outsides Calli LeFevre and Kate Kalczynski, as well as setters Avery Thompson-Stepp and Marlie Smith. Libero Addison Thompson-Stepp was strong defensively while Isabelle Lawhorn and Cynthia Ockerman took care of the middle. Lions 14-1: Lions, the No. 9 seed, beat No. 8 Circle City 14 Purple to close out pool play and is still in the hunt. Outsides Francesca Lorenzo and Kalia Kroth teamed with setter/right side Peyton Heatherly, setter Natalie Bochantin and libero Ellie Kowalski to advance.   TRI-STATE ELITE 14 BLUE: The No. 2 overall seed held its position Saturday by defeating Academy 14 Fuego, Maverick 14 Elite, Lions 14-1 and Adidas KiVA 14 Red. Middles Alexandra Morris and Jillian Forrest stood out, as did outsides Makenna Meibers and Maisie Jones. 15 OPEN TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE: It was a strong opening day for Tri-State Elite. Seeded No. 11 overall, Tri-State upset No. 5 seed HPSTL 15 Royal in morning action then pushed No. 3 seed Boiler Jrs 15 Gold to three in afternoon bracket play. Tri-State then closed out by downing original No. 1 seed Mintonette Sports m.51. Helping the team taking over the No. 5 seed was outsides Nattie Slusher and Emma Adkins, as well as setter/right sides Morgan Heater and Milyn Minor and libero Grace Jones. AVC CLE 15 RED: The No. 9 seed to start, AVC upset top-seeded Mintonette in afternoon bracket play, sweeping 25-21, 25-23. AVC fell to Boiler Jrs in the next round but still advanced to Sunday’s gold bracket. Pins Sydney Borowy and Haley Wilson performed solidly. They were backed by middles Nizhoni Clement and D’Aira Whitner, libero Kailey Snow and setter Grace Daniels. VC United 15 Elite: VC United reached the gold bracket after starting play as the No. 26 seed. In a three-team pool, VC United took a three-way tie at 1-1 with HPSTL 15 Royal and Illini Elite 15 Cardinal to advance. Outside Madison Anspaugh played a big role, as did libero Natalie Leach. 16 OPEN MKE STING 16 GOLD: The gold bracket in 16 Open is loaded, with MKE Sting part of the mix. Sting went 3-1 Saturday, losing to No. 2 seed Circle City 16 Purple in straight sets before holding off Team Pineapple 16 Black in three. Sting has plenty of offense to throw at opponents. Setter Billie Reiter has a strong outside duo in Madison Quest and Emma Koceja, as wells as middles Gabriella Pitcel and Karli Molnau. TEAM PINEAPPLE 16 BLACK: Even though Team Pineapple faces an uphill fight in gold bracket, the team did well advancing and could be a border Open team this spring. Team Pineapple pushed both Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting to three sets, losing by a combined six points. Those are both top contenders here. Addison Tindall is a 5-star recruit on the outside. Maya Harris was holding down the other outside spot while Jillian Tippmann was contributing from the right side as setter Ava Harris was dishing to all. OPVC 16 Robinson: I caught this team at JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago and OPVC reached the gold bracket here in Indy. OPVC went 3-1 on Saturday, only losing to top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Outsides Mariah Gaines and Kaylie McIntosh were key, as was middle Raegan Waller. 17 OPEN AVC CLE 17 RED: AVC retained the No. 4 overall seed. It took three to defeat Summit 17 Blue Elite but AVC finished 4-0 nonetheless. Outsides Emma McCartney and Samantha Young were helping lead the charges, as was right side Sydney Waller. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony: A three-star recruit, Grimes spent her high school hitting for Ursuline Academy but is back in her normal defensive spot for Elevation and no doubt the team is thankful for that. Her play was outstanding, from her steady and consistent passing to her ripping jump serves for points. Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51: The defending USAV 14 Open champions were in action Saturday, helped by the strong effort of Cugino, a three-star recruit. She was on point with her passing and was flying around the court extending rallies. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 6-0, 3-star recruit, Miles was showcasing her arm as she delivered plenty of offense for her team. She was finding gaps in the block and exploiting them, sending balls down to the ground in impressive fashion. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer, a 4-star middle, was booming balls on the slide and was very active at the net. She draws lots of attention because teams know she’s getting the ball but still struggle slowing her. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: For now, Andrews is a 3-star recruit, mostly because she was hurt last year and

Read More »

NLQ 18/17s: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

In the 18 Open Division, undefeated and previously-qualified Premier Nebraska 18 Gold is in the four-team gold pool along with MN Select 18-1, Iowa Rockets 18R and Mizuno Northern Lights 18-1 on Sunday morning.  In 17 Open, Dynasty 17 Black and A5 17-Jing are the last two teams which are undefeated. But Sunday is another day and both gold pools have very good matchups in store! Gold Pool 1 features A5 as the No. 1 seed, 1st Alliance VBC 17 Gold as the No. 22 seed and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite as the No. 3 seed while Gold Pool 2 has Dynasty as the one seed, OT 17O Felix as the No. 2 seed and Premier Nebraska 17 Gold as the No. 3 seed. A match I truly enjoyed watching was the TAV Houston 17 Adidas against Club Ignit Select 17 Blue in 17 USA. TAV Houston was led by outsides Caelyn Emmerling and Katy Barger, setter Peyton Fadal and middle Chloe Morgan. Club Ignit Select was led by outsides Mackenzie Dean and Noelle Sutcliffe, setter Brittany Bacorn and middle Maeve Rehmann. Day 2 Show Stoppers Sierra Pertzborn MB 608 Jr’s 18-1s: A Toledo signee, Pertzborn, was a wall at the net.  Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1: A 4-star Clemson signee, Simington shut down opponents at the net all day.  Gabi Cornier L A5 17-Jing: A 4-star Florida signee, Cornier was smooth and scrappy like usual in the backcourt.  Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: Emmerling, a 3-star Texas State commit, was literally hammering balls on the OH today.  Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gol: A South Dakota commit and recently named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, Medeck was a ball of fire on the court. From swinging to defense, wow.  Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star Arizona commit, Cisneros was literally everywhere on the court. If she wasn’t sweeping up the back court defensively then she was swinging with fire on the outside.  Abigail Mullen Opp Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen, a 5-star recruit, was skying and hitting with force everywhere she was. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 O Felix: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Fallon was a hammer on the outside ALL DAY.  Mailinh Godschall L Metro VBC 17 Travel: Godschall, a 3-star Duke commit, was everywhere on the court.  Rayna Christianson S/Opp Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 : A 5-star athlete, Christianson can do it all out there on the court. Very smooth and very powerful.  Josalyn Samuels S/Opp Kairos 14 Alpha: A 2028 playing up, Samuels is strong and can dish to the pins efficiently.  Clara Christ L Mizuno Northern Lights 14-1: Christ was a smooth passer who sets the tempo for her squad.

Read More »

NLQ 18/17s: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Despite the gnarly wind chill outside, Day 1 of the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier 18s and 17s and January Thaw 14-16s tournament started off with straight fire Friday in Minneapolis. There were tons of great teams and athletes on several courts so let’s just jump right in with a few team and athlete spotlights. Iowa Rockets 18R: In 18 Open, this was the team which literally got touches on everything. St. Cloud State commit and outside Shelby Kimm was swinging well along with libero Meg Berkland owning the backline. Another athlete who was fun to watch was setter Allie Barlow, a Northern Michigan signee.  1st Alliance 17 Gold: This was a fun team to watch in 17 Open. You have 4-star Kansas commit Grace Nelson and 4-star Michigan commit Ellie White – the vballrecruiter.com 2022 HS Junior Player of the Year – swinging away on the outside. There is also 3-star recruit Ellery Rees owning the middle and 3-star recruit Calli Kenny dishing and swinging well. Ava Falduto – a 4-star Penn State recruit at L/DS – and Samantha Falk, a 3-star recruit, run the back court. And that’s just to name a few.  Day 1 Show Stoppers Jae Fitting DS Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold: A Loyola Chicago commit, Fitting is an incredible asset to her squad. Don’t get me wrong, Clemson commit Claire Luoma was amazing in the libero jersey but kudos to Fitting for being a lights-out DS on the court.  Calli Kenny S 1st Alliance 17 Gold: The 3-star S/RS Kenny was impressive on Day 1 in 17 Open. She was dishing and swinging with the best of them all the way around.  Bree Messenger OH VC United 171 Elite: Messenger is an undersized and an incredibly scrappy outside hitter. Messenger was fun to watch both offensively and defensively.  Kananihokuao Misipeka OH/Opp Pohaku 17-1: Misipeka, a 3-star athlete, is another undersized hitter who literally flies out there.  Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long, a Marquette commit, was fun to watch run the show for her VCN squad. She is a fiery setter with great connections.  Mackenzie Dean OH Club Ignit Select 17 Blue: Dean, a Kansas commit, brings the heat on the outside.  Hannah Benjamin OH A5 Jing: Benjamin, a 5-star Kentucky commit, just keeps getting better and more explosive on the court.  Andi Spies S 608 Juniors 18-1: Spies, a Middle Tennessee 2024 commit, is playing on the new 608 Juniors 18s team. She is fiery and has great hands. Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1: Swenson, a 5-star 2024 Minnesota commit, ran her court with precision. She has a great cast around her along with great decision making skills. Sidenotes With FC Elite 18 Elite 5-star libero Saige Damrow at Wisconsin this spring, make sure to watch 2026 athlete Peyton Carlson filling into the libero role for FC Elite this year. Skyler Pierce was missing from the court today but will be back on Sunday with her Dynasty 17 Black squad. In the meantime, outside Maya Houseworth filled in nicely.  Michigan signee and Nebraska Elite senior Morgan Burke was back dishing on her club team. On her high school squad Skutt Catholic she was the jack of many trades and was an offensive powerhouse at outside hitter.  Anyone else excited for Day 2!?

Read More »

Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 20-Jan 26

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 CLARKE UNIVERSITY: OH/Opp Emma Shea-Wopinek (Top Flight) OLIVET NAZARENE: OH/Opp Kennedy Kiger (The Academy) OLIVET NAZARENE: S Molly Riggs (Vantage Volleyball) SALISBURY UNIVERSITY: S Julie Altieri (Triangle) NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: S Kasey Schuster NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: S Harley Ludacka (VC Nebraska) NEWBERRY COLLEGE: OH Ally Owens (Carolina One) GRACELAND: OH Reagan Altman (Rancho Valley) LA VERNE: S Malia Capistrano (Rancho Valley) COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT: Opp Brooke Andries (Southwest Minnesota) NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: L Grace Ehlers (Southwest Minnesota) DORDT UNIVERSITY: OH Tarren Spartz (Southwest Minnesota) IOWA WESTERN CC: L Jessi Ritchhart (MAVS KC) AVILA UNIVERSITY: S Daphne Gardner (Pohaku) DREW UNIVERSITY: S Alyssa Rachwal (East Coast Power) MOUNT ST. VINCENT: L Carly Synder (CT Stars) STEVENSON: MB Carlee Darden (Metro) LINDENWOOD: Opp Anna Kraemer (Rockwood Thunder) SPOON RIVER COLLEGE: S Karson Park (Rapid Fire VBC) YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE: OH Tori Wolsborn (North Central Washington VBC) MAYVILLE STATE: S Noelle Erickson MAYVILLE STATE: MB Taylor Rath (Chaos) MAYVILLE STATE: Opp Jocelyn Aasen CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: OH Norah Boggs (Top Notch) CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: L Riley Passananti (Crossfire Elite South) CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: MB Faith Hopgood LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: OH Jade Von Deopp (Marin Juniors) AVERETT UNIVERSITY: OH Hope Parrish (Colonial VBC) AVERETT UNIVERSITY: MB Allie Wilkerson (Carolina Advantage) OLYMPIC COLLEGE: S/DS Holly Clarke (High Country) LYON COLLEGE: OH Abigail Adams (Memphis Metro) BRIDGEPORT UNIVERSITY: L Ella Young BRIDGEPORT UNIVERSITY: OH Grace Presswood WHEATON COLLEGE: S Paige Syswerda (Club Fusion) WALSH UNIVERSITY: S Hannah Roddis (Team Detroit) WALSH UNIVERSITY: OH/DS Kendra Courtock (Tandem VBC) WALSH UNIVERSITY: MB Kelli Conder (KIVA) KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Kaliyah Brown (Omni VBC) KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Kameryn Cortinas KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Taylor Hallam UTAH STATE EASTERN: OH Grace Thomsen EASTERN NAZARENE: S Annika Schmitt (Smash) DARTMOUTH: OH Valia Evangeliou MEDAILLE UNIVERSITY: L Lilly Henchen (Hot Shots) WINONA STATE: OH Kenna Kornely (Milwaukee Sting) MARIST: L Katherine Thompson (Milwaukee Sting) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: OH Makaelyn Perez (Austin Performance) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: Opp/OH Victoria Urbanczyk (Alamo) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: S Valeria Ortiz (SA Magic) EASTERN FLORIDA STATE: S Alana Baerga (Oviedo VBA) MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN: OH Sawyer Franz (Oklahoma Peak) SOUTHERN NAZARENE: L Brynlee Birney (Oklahoma Peak) CARDINAL STRITCH: L Nev Dukic (Wisconsin Juniors) OUACHITA: L Kylie Kisgen OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN: OH Claire Duley (Club Texas) SOUTHERN UTAH: Opp/OH Charlotte Wilson (Madfrog) COPPIN STATE: OH Kaliko Schilling (Spike and Serve) MCNEESE STATE: S/Opp Abby Montes (TAV Houston) CENTRAL ARKANSAS: L Jenna DeLaMater (Elite VBA) PRATT CC: OH/DS Emma Hendrickson SUNY ONEONTA: OH Emma Morretta (Downsville State) TEXAS TECH: S Claudia Rossi (Front Range) WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Opp Emma Sanders (MVP Volleyball Club) BLINN COLLEGE: S Chloe Howard (Texas Tornados) ROBERT MORRIS: MB Lindsey Scammell (Jupiter Elite) SOUTHWESTERN OREGON CC: S Apetahi Kua (Pi’opi’o Bears VBC) CAL U PA: S Mandy Altsman (Pittsburgh Elite) AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL): OH Lanah Queckboerner (VC United) 2024 MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD: MB/OH Brielle Riess (Southwest Minnesota) NORTHEASTERN: OH Jane Nelson (East Coast Power) AKRON: OH/Opp Delaney Gash (Lexington United) TRANSFERS PENN STATE: GR S Mac Podraza (Ohio State/Mintonette Sports) PENN STATE: GR S Ally Van Eekeren (High Point/Creighton/Sports Performance) MINNESOTA: GR L Kylie Murr (Ohio State/Municana) OLIVET NAZARENE: TR MB/S Sydney Marse (Prairie State College) BELMONT: TR S Kam Olson (Central Michigan/VC United) KANSAS WESLEYAN: TR Opp/MB Blondie Penaflor (Hutchinson CC/Next Level) NEWBERRY COLLEGE: TR OH/Opp Emma Christensen (Utah State Eastern) WISCONSIN OSHKOSH: TR L Macie Wieman (Minnesota State Moorhead/Balance VBC) PALM BEACH ATLANTIC: GR L Payton Ahrenstorff (Northern Iowa/Kairos Elite) NEW MEXICO STATE: TR MB Aleka Darko (Ithaca/Woodlands Revolution) LONG BEACH STATE: TR OH Elise Agi (Oregon/Encore VBC) CAL: TR S Paige Morningstar (Louisville/Renaissance VBC) BOISE STATE: GR S Noelani Helm (Portland/Cats VBC) PITT: GR L Logan Mosley (Virginia Tech/Triangle) CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: GR L Kelsey Knudsen (BYU/Saint Mary’s College/Legacy CA) CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: TR Opp Leah Miller (Arizona State/Dig This!) WALSH UNIVERSITY: TR DS Kelly Lynch (CalUPenn/AVC Cleveland) BALL STATE: TR L Josie Bloom (Virginia Tech/Michigan State) UTAH STATE: TR MB Kelsey Watson (Loyola Chicago/HPSTL) UTAH STATE: GR OH Jill Schneggenburger (Colorado/A4) SOUTHEASTERN: GR MB Tatyana Lyons (Tampa/Winter Park) NOTRE DAME: TR L Sydney Palazzolo (High Point/Legacy) CENTRAL WASHINGTON: TR MB Morgan Halady (Portland State/Dakine) HAWAII: TR MB Jacyn Bamis (Clemson/CPA Xtreme) ILLINOIS STATE: TR S Sammi Bunch (Tusculum/Lions) WASHINGTON STATE: GR OH Iman Isanovic (Arizona State) NORTHWESTERN: GR OH Julia Sangiacomo (Santa Clara/Absolute) TEXAS A&M: TR MB Morgan Perkins (Oklahoma/Houston Skyline) NORTH TEXAS: GR OH Jayde Harris (Portland/Forza1) SOUTH ALABAMA: GR OH Abryanna Cannon (Northwestern/Michigan Elite) TEXAS WOMANS: L Luna Franca (Panola College/Trinity Valley CC) FRANCIS MARION: TR MB Kaytlin Smart (Northwestern JC/Cache Valley VBC) NORTH CAROLINA: TR OH Emani’ Foster (North Carolina Charlotte/NC Academy) NORTH FLORIDA: GR OH Morgan Wilson (Towson/Paramount) XAVIER (LA): TR L Ruxandra Flueras (Colby CC) BEACH 2024 UT EL PASO: Calliandra Otjen (RPM Sand) MERCER: Kristi Talocka (Sandstorm Beach) BOYS 2023 MERRIMACK: S Blake Taschner (Wave) AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL): L Gavan Moua (MN Select)

Read More »

Central Zone Preview And Predictions

Part of the vballrecruiter.com team is headed to the Central Zone Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Indianapolis. Over the years this tournament has really grown in strength and once again boasts a loaded, loaded field, especially for the younger age groups. I’m personally super excited, because in my years of covering club volleyball I’ve never attended this event! That’s about to change and I’m eager to get to see these teams playing in the new year. Below are rundowns on the 15-18 Open divisions as we look at nationally-ranked teams in the field, top recruits and offer thoughts and predictions on those age groups. 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (14): 1. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 3. Mintonette Sports m.51 7. Elevation 15 Tony 11. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 12. HPSTL 15 Royal 13. MKE Sting 15 Gold 16. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 21. A5 15 Bob 29. AVC Cle 15 Red 34. Rev 15-1 Fuego 43. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 44. Circle City 15 Purple 45. TVC 15 Black 49. Team Pineapple 15 Black *** 5-Star Athletes Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Gabi DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal   4-Star Athletes Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 15 Gold Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob   Outlook/Prediction: There is no way this division can disappoint, can it? I don’t believe it can, not with 14 of the 32 teams ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. It includes top-ranked Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, one of three Top-10 clubs in the field, and one of seven Top-20 teams vying for the championship. Also in the field is No. 3 Mintonette Sports m.51 – the defending 14 Open gold medalist from Indy last summer – and No. 7 Elevation 15 Tony, which earned bronze last summer in 14 Open. Another team to follow is No. 11 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. Legacy captured the 15 Open title at the JVA Rock’N Rumble earlier this month, where it defeated No. 29 AVC Cle 15 Red in the finals. Given the youth and depth of the division, anything can and probably will happen. Certainly, I’m expecting the higher-ranked teams in the field to excel, but it’s likely someone else is going to rise up and surprise by making a deep run. In the end though, the pick is Boiler Jrs beating Legacy in the final. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (13): 4. A5 16 Gabe 9. Circle City 16 Purple 10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. HPSTL 16 Royal 15. Legacy 16-1 Adidas 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold 33. Mintonette Sports m.61 39. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 41. AVC Cle 16 Red 42. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 49. Elevation 16 Goller 50. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue *** 5-Star Athletes Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold   4-Star Athletes Ava Tilden OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Riley McCloskey OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black   Outlook/Prediction: With 13 of the 32 teams appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings, the 16 Open Division figures to be very competitive as well. Part of that is the field features seven teams ranked in our Top 15, including No. 4 A5 16 Gabe, No. 9 Circle City 15 Purple and No. 10 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which starts off as the top seed. I really expect the depth of this division to show up over the two days, with some unexpected results and upsets taking place throughout. A lot of the teams are bunched together in the rankings and there isn’t much separating many of them. It should produce a lot of close, three-setters as this is going to be the most competitive tournament teams have played in so far as they begin gearing up for qualifying season. When the dust settles, the pick is 1st Alliance over Mich Elite 16 Mizuno for the gold. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 27 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8): 12. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 16. Circle City 17 Purple 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue 33. HPSTL 17 Royal 37. Rev 17-1 Raptors 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold *** 5-Star Athletes Ava Utterback OH Circle City 17 Purple Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors   4-Star Athletes Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Though no clubs from our Top 10 is in attendance, there is still eight clubs from the Top 50. Our rankings follow the top three seeds, as No. 12 NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, No. 16 Circle City 17 Purple and No. 18 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue open as the top three seeds respectively. While those teams figure to make it deep into Sunday’s action, there’s a great chance for someone else to come on and surprise. One could be HPSTL 17 Royal, which is looking to make the jump to Open this season. Rev 17-1 Raptors and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are two more who could get hot and pull off upsets. Two teams we don’t

Read More »

18s Qualifiers On Tap: Preview And Predictions

Which 18s teams are next in line to join the group of Open qualifiers so far? With three national qualifiers on the slate for this weekend, eight more bids are going to be handed out. That will take the number of awarded bids from eight to 16. Here are the clubs which have earned their Open bids to date: Sunshine 18 LA (Windy City) Wave 18 Juliana (Windy City) Mintonette Sports m.81 (Windy City) MAVS KC 17-1 (KC MLK) Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK) Drive Nation 18 Red (Lone Star) A5 18 Marc (Lone Star) Skyline 18 Royal (Lone Star)   The Florida Fest, Northern Lights and Salt Lake City Showdown qualifiers will add to those numbers after those Friday-Sunday tournaments wrap up. Below, we take a look at each qualifier and what to expect. FLORIDA FEST Number of Teams: 26 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (3): Drive Nation 18 Red; MAVS KC 18-1; Mintonette Sports m.81 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (12):  2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 5. Drive Nation 18 Red 8. OT 18 John 9. Metro 18 Travel 11. MAVS KC 18-1 13. Madfrog 18 Green 29. Mich Elite 18 Mizuno 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 43. Paramount VBC 18s 46. Triangle 18 Black 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black *** 5 Star Athletes Reese Robins MB Drive Nation 18 Red (Louisville) Leah Ford MB Drive Nation 18 Red (USC) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Blaire Bayless OH Madfrog 18 Green (Pitt)   4 Star Athletes Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kamryn Lee-Caracci MB 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Georgetown) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Milan Rex S/OH Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Samantha Hoppes OH/RS Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordyn Dailey RS/MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Juliette Myrick S Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (Army) Lily Nicholson S Drive Nation 18 Red (TCU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Callie Kieffer S Drive Nation 18 Red (Alabama) Sydney Breon OH Drive Nation 18 Red (UCLA) Halle Schroder OH Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College)   Outlook/Prediction: This is the biggest qualifier of the weekend, both in total number of teams in 18 Open and the depth of the field as 12 of the 26 clubs appear in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. However, this could also be the ‘easiest’ qualifier of the weekend to gain a bid simply because there are three teams already with bids and that could push trickle down to sixth place. 1st Alliance 18 Gold didn’t play in the Windy City Qualifier earlier this month and is making its first appearance at a qualifier. 1st Alliance, the defending 17 Open national champions from Indy, are the top seed and are big favorites to grab one of the three bids. Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Drive Nation 18 Red follow as the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds but all three already have their spots clinched for Columbus. The teams to pay close attention to in terms of earning bids this weekend is OT 18 John, Metro 18 Travel, Mich Elite 18 Mizuno, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite and Gainesville Jrs 18 Black. The prediction is the three bids are going to that group of five teams, with Metro and Gainesville taking them home. As for the tournament winner, 1st Alliance defeats MAVS for first place. *** SALT LAKE CITY SHOWDOWN Number of Teams: 25 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (1): Sunshine 18 LA vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8):  7. AZ Rev 18 Premier 10. Sunshine 18 LA 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 30. NPJ 18 Forefront 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 38. Absolute 18 Black 44. ID Crush 18 Bower *** 5 Star Athletes Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower   4 Star Athletes Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Ava-Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Harvard) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor)   Outlook/Prediction: The bad news for teams hoping to qualify is Sunshine 18 LA – the top seed – is the only club with an Open bid and thus trickle down can’t go past fourth place. It’s going to take a legit finish to qualify at this event. The good news though is the field isn’t quite as deep as it was last season and there’s a great opportunity for three teams to take advantage of that. So Cal clubs like Wave 18 Juliana (already qualified) and Coast 18 Ozhan (not qualified) did not make the trip and that should help in the case of Coast, though teams wouldn’t mind Wave being here considering Wave already has a bid. In terms of Open bids going out, I think there is one lock here with Club V 18 Ren Reed. Playing at its local qualifier, I expect Club V to play well and secure one of the three bids. Club V opens as the No. 2 overall seed. Other clubs expected to compete for bids include Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar, AZ Rev 18 Premier, NPJ 18 Forefront and Arizona Storm 18 Thunder. If you want a few underdogs to create havoc and root for them, OJVA 18 Gold, ID Crush 18 Bower, Hive 18 Gold and A4 Volley 18 Joaco are teams to watch in that sense. Any one of

Read More »

Three More Open Bids Awarded in 18 Open

The second weekend of the 18s qualifier season was a light one, with just the Lone Star Classic 18s on the schedule. The 20-team field produced three 18 Open bids, which went to tournament champion Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18-Marc and Skyline 18 Royal. They joined Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana, Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold as clubs holding 18 Open bids after two weeks of qualifying. With three 18s qualifiers set for this coming weekend the field will double in size by next week. With nationally-ranked No. 5 Drive Nation and No. 6 A5 gaining their bids this past weekend, half of our initial Top 10 from the 18s National Rankings have secured bids so far, including No. 3 Wave, No. 4 Premier Nebraska and No. 10 Sunshine. Skyline opened up at No. 25. Drive Nation dropped just one match over the three days, with No. 18 AJV 18 Adidas taking down the eventual champs in three during Day 2 pool play. It was part of three consecutive three-setters for Drive Nation, which had defeated SA Magic 18 Elite in three to end Day 1 and opened Day 2 with a three-set victory over No. 23 Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Drive Nation swept No. 13 Madfrog 18 Green to make the gold pools. Once there, Drive Nation beat No. 17 HJV 18 Elite in three before sweeping both Skyline and A5. A5 had an interesting path to a bid. The Georgia club came out hot, winning its first five matches. However, A5 lost three of its final four contests but still managed to get its bid. A5 was already guaranteed a spot in gold pools before losing to Skyline to end Day 2. Unranked Actyve 18 Black then delivered an upset in three to start Day 3. A5 recovered to sweep Hou Skyline. That created a three-way tie with A5, Actyve and Hou Skyline as all were 1-1. A5 was fortunate to gain the first-place slot based on the best set percentage. Actyve was second and Hou Skyline was third. Skyline opened its weekend with a setback against unranked AZ EVJ 18 Elite but was able to steady itself quickly. Skyline didn’t lose against until facing Drive Nation on Day 3. That loss pitted Skyline against upstart Actyve for the final bid. Skyline swept, 25-13, 25-11, to earn the last Open spot. Actyve was one of the stories of the weekend. The So Cal club didn’t figure to be in the mix for a bid on Day 3 and yet it was a victory short of pulling off the shocker. Actyve picked up key victories over No. 20 TAV 18 Black, No. 17 HJV and No. 6 A5. Actyve came close to winning its gold pool and clinching a bid outright, but fell to No. 23 Hou Skyline 15-13 in the third. You never know!

Read More »

Central Zone: Day 2 Show Stoppers

It was a jammed-packed weekend at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis, with Sunday’s conclusion delivering its share of entertaining performances and efforts. We were there taking notice and it led to the list below, or what we call our Day 2 Show Stoppers. Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold – Vander Wal – a 5-star recruit – was back at it on Day 2. If there was a thought that her dominating Day 1 came against lower-seeded competition, she was an equal force against other top teams in the field. At 6-3, she’s had the length but the power she has added this season is remarkable! Hannah Kenny S 1st Alliance 16 Gold – A 3-star recruit, Kenny is feisty and full of fight! She’s a terrific player who dishes well. She’s can also be deceptive at times. Keira Lucas OH Circle City 16 Purple – Lucas – a 3-star recruit – had a solid performance Sunday, helping Circle City to the silver medal in 16 Open. She was a reliable scoring option, showing her smarts in not trying to do too much and finding different ways to score. Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple – The 6-3 Dunkle is active at the net. A 3-star recruit, she’s also very energetic with a knack for scoring. Ava Hunter S Circle City 16 Purple – Hunter is a 3-star recruit who joined Circle City this year and is fitting right in. She’s a smooth deliverer and her location is rarely off. Ella Craggs S Mich Elite 16 Mizuno – Craggs is a solid setter who connects well with her hitters. A 3-star recruit, she has added pieces to work with this season and she does well keeping everyone involved when the team is passing well. Billie Reiter S MKE Sting 16 Gold – Reiter – a 3-star recruit – sets effortlessly. She puts up a clean ball and puts her hitters in good positions. Olivia Durst L/DS MKE Sting 16 Gold – Durst – a 3-star recruit – was tough to put a ball down on. She was making plays in extending rallies and keeping her team in the point. Emma Koceja OH MKE Sting 16 Gold – The big strength of Sting comes with the outside duo, which includes the 3-star recruit and 6-0 Koceja. She can find the open space or tool blocks consistently and always gives Sting someone to go to in the front row. Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold – Quest – a 4-star outside – is simply impressive. At 6-3, she’s long and can really extend. It allows her to hit at sharper angles and really pressure the defense with her pace as well. Ally Hughes S Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – A 3-star recruit, Hughes did a great job running the offense and putting her hitters in favorable positions. She showed a soft release and sound placement as well. Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 – It was a strong Day 2 for Hoying, a 3-star recruit. She displayed her all-around game, scoring in the front and playing defense in the back. Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.51 – With Snowbarger, a 3-star recruit, filling out the leftside duo, Mintonette is never hurting for a front row attacker who can deliver on a consistent basis. She can let it fly and put away big kills. Alia Schoonover MB Mintonette Sports m.51 – Schoonover – a 5-11 middle – could have had her own highlight reel from Sunday. She was coming through time and time again with loud kills! Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 – Cugino is a gritty libero who owns the back row. She’s a sound passer and doesn’t miss her mark often. Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m. 51 – Matheny – a 3-star recruit is another reason Mintonette prevailed in 15 Open. She’s a smooth dishing setter who does well mixing it up and adjusting to what the defense is doing. Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – A 4-star recruit, Foster is a true six-rotation outside with strong ball control skills. She sees the court well and has a variety of shots to throw at defenses.   Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Ward – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2027 – is an impactful player on the right side. She’s long and gets in the way of opposing attackers. She’s also a real offensive threat and capable of bouncing balls straight down when the block is late. Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Hepler is a 4-star recruit and as steady and as consistent as they come in the back. She’s scrappy and she covers well for touches and tips. Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Shondell – a 4-star recruit – has firm command of the offense. Boiler Jrs has options in every rotation and Shondell knows how to take advantage of them. Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony – We wrote about Grimes – a 3-star recruit – on Day 1 and she continued to standout in a big way on Day 2. Her jump serve is a weapon and helps her team go on scoring runs. She’s a wall in the back row as well. Sidney Sprada OH Elevation 15 Tony – Sprada – a 3-star recruit – has taken big strides from last year. She’s added a few inches both to her frame and jump and she was a force all weekend long. She gets up and bangs and she’s reason why Elevation is a medal contender this summer.   Sydney Geselbracht MB Elevation 15 Tony – A strength of Elevation comes in the middle. One half is Geselbracht, a 3-star recruit who is really fun to watch running the slide. She has a whippy arm and can let it go when it’s there. Grace Herzog MB Elevation 15 Tony – Herzog is the other half of the Elevation middle

Read More »

Central Zone: All-Tournament Teams

A two-day tournament, the Central Zone Invitational is not a national qualifier but features many teams which we’ll see down the road in their respective Open Divisions this summer in Chicago. It made for a great weekend taking in as much action as we could possibly catch. Below, is the vballrecruiter.com All-Tournament team from Central Zone. The picks are based on our observations from the weekend. 17s All-Tournament Team OH: Alaleh Tolliver Academy 17 Tsunami OH: Charlotte Moriarty Adidas KiVA 17 Red OH: Emma McCartney AVC Cle 17 Red OH: Lauren Harden Rev 17-1 Raptors MB: Ava Kanj Maverick 17 Elite MB: Faith Young Tri-State Elite 17 Blue MB: Riley Resmer Boiler Jrs 17 Gold RS: Sophia Adkins Tri-State Elite 17 Blue RS: Elise Marchal Elevation 17 Ulland RS: Riley Whitlock Boiler Jrs 17 Gold S: Abby Yoder NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami S: Allie Shondell Boiler Jrs 17 Gold L/DS: Alleigh Dutton Circle City 17 Purple L/DS: Elizabeth Tabeling NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami *** 16s All-Tournament Team OH: Abby Vander Wal 1st Alliance 16 Gold OH: Izzy Busignani Mich Elite 16 Mizuno OH: Madison Quest MKE Sting 16 Gold OH: Addison Tindall Team Pineapple 16 Black MB: Tara Greenberry HPSTL 16 Royal MB: Addison Makun Adidas KiVA 16 Red MB: Reese Dunkle Circle City 16 Purple RS: Gabriella Babinski Mich Elite 16 Mizuno RS: Jillian Tippmann Team Pineapple 16 Black S/RS: Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle 16 Red S/RS: Addison Horner 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Campbell Flynn Legacy 16-1 Adidas S: Hannah Kenny 1st Alliance 16 Gold S: Ava Hunter Circle City 16 Purple S: Ally Hughes Tri-State Elite 16 Blue L/DS: Francescu Popescu A5 16 Gabe L/DS: McKenna Payne Mich Elite 16 Mizuno L/DS: Olivia Durst MKE Sting 16 Gold L/DS: Avery Freeman Circle City 16 Purple *** 15s All-Tournament Team OH: Sidney Sprada Elevation 15 Tony OH: Natalie Surges MKE Sting 15 Gold OH: Gabi DiVita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH: Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.51 MB: Reese Resmer Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB: Kennedy Tisdale MKE Sting 15 Gold MB: Ella Andrews Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB: Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas RS: Haley Wilson AVC Cle 15 Red RS: Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS: Brooke Baldwin MKE Sting 15 Gold S: Makenna Kirlin Elevation 15 Tony S: Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S: Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S: Sophia Gisslen Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L/DS: Cala Haffner Team Pineapple 15 Black L/DS: Ella Grimes Elevation 15 Tony L/DS: Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 *** 14s All-Tournament Team OH: Morgan Meiring Elevation 14 Molly OH: Shaye Witherspoon Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite OH: Bryn Meyer Mintonette Sports m.41 OH: Brooke Codey Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB: Kyla Williams AVC Cle 14 Red MB: Cynthia Ockerman Legacy 14-1 Adidas MB: Emily Poteraj Adidas KiVA 14 Red MB/RS: Lilly Tierney NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami RS: Lilah Anthony Adidas KiVA 14 Red RS: Audrey Davis Circle City 14 Purple S/RS: Peyton Heatherly Lions 14-1 S/RS: Kendall Hubbard Elevation 14 Molly S: Marissa Jones A5 14 Helen S: Addison Hurley Adidas KiVA 14 Red L/DS: Lindsey Curless Elevation 14 Tony L/DS: Leah Kille Mintonette Sports m.41 L/DS: Peyton Wollman MKE Sting 14 Gold

Read More »

Central Zone: Day 2 Fast Recap As Champs Are Crowned

I said it about the JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago in Cleveland, and I’ll say it again about the Central Zone Invitational this past weekend in Indianapolis. These two-day tournaments go by fast! Almost too fast! The ink in the notebook barely is dry by the time a champion is named. But there’s no denying that the action happens quickly. If you missed our coverage from Day 1, you can catch up on it here. As for Day 2, it was a whirlwind day as trophies were handed out to the Open division winners. Below is a recap of the day’s events from the top division. The Day 2 Show Stoppers and All-Tournament Selections are set to come out in the next day or two. Here’s a quick list of the championship results: 18 Open: Circle City 18 Purple d Legacy 18-1 Adidas 25-22, 25-20 17O: Academy 17 Tsunami d Boiler Jrs 17 Gold 20-25, 25-21, 15-11 16O: 1st Alliance 16 Gold d Circle City 16 Purple 25-22, 22-25, 15-8 15O: Mintonette Sports m.51 d Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 25-12, 25-20 14O: Elevation 14 Molly d Adidas KiVA 14 Red 25-23, 25-19 Whipping around, Elevation started as the No. 4 overall seed in 14 Open and finished as the champion, sweeping KiVA in the final. The victory avenged Elevation’s only loss, which came when KiVA swept Elevation in Saturday evening’s start to the Round 2 Power Pools. Those were the only sets Elevation dropped on the weekend, as the Ohio Valley Region club turned in a flawless gold bracket run Sunday. Elevation opened by sweeping Rockwood Thunder 14 Elite, then beat A5 14 Helen in the quarterfinals and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue in the semis. The 14s were fun to catch this weekend, with lots of competitive matches taking place and learning of the next round of studs and standouts. Legacy 14-1 Adidas and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue tied for third, both losing just once. Tying for fifth was A5 14-Helen, Mintonette Sports m.41, MKE Sting 14 Gold and NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami.   Moving to 15 Open, Mintonette showed why it’s a threat to repeat after winning the USAV 14 Open gold last summer. Back in Indy, Mintonette had a rocky Day 1, dropping both matches in its power bracket. But that didn’t prevent Mintonette from making the gold bracket and once play kicked off Sunday it was all business. Mintontte didn’t drop a set on Day 2, opening with a sweep over Rev 15-1 Fuego. That was followed by straight-set victories over NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami and Elevation 15 Tony before downing Boiler Jrs. It was Boiler Jrs’ only loss on the weekend. Elevation tied for third with upstart Team Pineapple 15 Black. MKE Sting 15 Gold, NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami, TVC 15 Black and AVC Cle 15 Red tied for fifth. It was an impressive performance turned in by 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which went 8-0 and only dropped just one set. It came in the final victory against Circle City, which suffered its only loss. 1st Alliance looked impressed, as it was hardly touched until Circle City took the eventual champs to three. Tying for third with strong efforts were Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting 16 Gold. Adidas KiVA 16 Red, Legacy 16-1 Adidas, Team Pineapple 16 Black and Tri-State Elite 16 Blue tied for fifth. In 17 Open, Academy 17 Tsunami  lapped the field, going 8-0 after getting past Boiler Jrs in the final. Academy beat Rock City 17-1 on Day 1 in pool play. Rock City was the other semifinalist, losing to Boilers. Academy topped Elevation 17 Ulland in the other semi. Adidas KiVA 17 Red, Circle City 17 Purple, NKYVC and Rev 17-1 Raptors finished tied for fifth. Circle City 18 Purple put together a perfect weekend in 18 Open, going 8-0 without dropping a set. Circle City took down Lex United 87 Adidas, Elevation 18 Spinney and Tri-State Elite 18 Blue to reach the final.

Read More »

Central Zone: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

On a day like this, when there is competitive volleyball being played by nationally-ranked teams across many age groups, it’s impossible to pick a starting point. There’s only so much to get to, but rest assured one item below is the Day 1 Show Stoppers from Saturday’s action at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. However, first let’s take a look at teams and where the stand and how they may factor into Sunday’s conclusion. 14 OPEN A5 14 HELEN: The top seed was upended by Legacy 14-1 Adidas in its last outing Saturday evening. A5 won its three-team pool during the day, then beat NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami in a bracket-match Saturday evening. Yet, Legacy swept the seeding match for Sunday’s gold bracket, taking the contest, 25-11, 25-12. A5 has a wide array of options and one key piece is setter Marissa Jones. She has her pick of options, including outsides McKenzie Wilkie and Laila Amos, as well as middles Kylee Evans and Layla Dunn and right side Megan McLarty. LEGACY 14-1 ADIDAS: The Lakeshore Region club took over the top seed by going 4-0 on Saturday, beating Lex United 14-1 Adidas, AVC Cle 14 Red, Mintonette Sports m.41 and A5. One strength was the play of outsides Calli LeFevre and Kate Kalczynski, as well as setters Avery Thompson-Stepp and Marlie Smith. Libero Addison Thompson-Stepp was strong defensively while Isabelle Lawhorn and Cynthia Ockerman took care of the middle. Lions 14-1: Lions, the No. 9 seed, beat No. 8 Circle City 14 Purple to close out pool play and is still in the hunt. Outsides Francesca Lorenzo and Kalia Kroth teamed with setter/right side Peyton Heatherly, setter Natalie Bochantin and libero Ellie Kowalski to advance.   TRI-STATE ELITE 14 BLUE: The No. 2 overall seed held its position Saturday by defeating Academy 14 Fuego, Maverick 14 Elite, Lions 14-1 and Adidas KiVA 14 Red. Middles Alexandra Morris and Jillian Forrest stood out, as did outsides Makenna Meibers and Maisie Jones. 15 OPEN TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE: It was a strong opening day for Tri-State Elite. Seeded No. 11 overall, Tri-State upset No. 5 seed HPSTL 15 Royal in morning action then pushed No. 3 seed Boiler Jrs 15 Gold to three in afternoon bracket play. Tri-State then closed out by downing original No. 1 seed Mintonette Sports m.51. Helping the team taking over the No. 5 seed was outsides Nattie Slusher and Emma Adkins, as well as setter/right sides Morgan Heater and Milyn Minor and libero Grace Jones. AVC CLE 15 RED: The No. 9 seed to start, AVC upset top-seeded Mintonette in afternoon bracket play, sweeping 25-21, 25-23. AVC fell to Boiler Jrs in the next round but still advanced to Sunday’s gold bracket. Pins Sydney Borowy and Haley Wilson performed solidly. They were backed by middles Nizhoni Clement and D’Aira Whitner, libero Kailey Snow and setter Grace Daniels. VC United 15 Elite: VC United reached the gold bracket after starting play as the No. 26 seed. In a three-team pool, VC United took a three-way tie at 1-1 with HPSTL 15 Royal and Illini Elite 15 Cardinal to advance. Outside Madison Anspaugh played a big role, as did libero Natalie Leach. 16 OPEN MKE STING 16 GOLD: The gold bracket in 16 Open is loaded, with MKE Sting part of the mix. Sting went 3-1 Saturday, losing to No. 2 seed Circle City 16 Purple in straight sets before holding off Team Pineapple 16 Black in three. Sting has plenty of offense to throw at opponents. Setter Billie Reiter has a strong outside duo in Madison Quest and Emma Koceja, as wells as middles Gabriella Pitcel and Karli Molnau. TEAM PINEAPPLE 16 BLACK: Even though Team Pineapple faces an uphill fight in gold bracket, the team did well advancing and could be a border Open team this spring. Team Pineapple pushed both Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting to three sets, losing by a combined six points. Those are both top contenders here. Addison Tindall is a 5-star recruit on the outside. Maya Harris was holding down the other outside spot while Jillian Tippmann was contributing from the right side as setter Ava Harris was dishing to all. OPVC 16 Robinson: I caught this team at JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago and OPVC reached the gold bracket here in Indy. OPVC went 3-1 on Saturday, only losing to top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Outsides Mariah Gaines and Kaylie McIntosh were key, as was middle Raegan Waller. 17 OPEN AVC CLE 17 RED: AVC retained the No. 4 overall seed. It took three to defeat Summit 17 Blue Elite but AVC finished 4-0 nonetheless. Outsides Emma McCartney and Samantha Young were helping lead the charges, as was right side Sydney Waller. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony: A three-star recruit, Grimes spent her high school hitting for Ursuline Academy but is back in her normal defensive spot for Elevation and no doubt the team is thankful for that. Her play was outstanding, from her steady and consistent passing to her ripping jump serves for points. Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51: The defending USAV 14 Open champions were in action Saturday, helped by the strong effort of Cugino, a three-star recruit. She was on point with her passing and was flying around the court extending rallies. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 6-0, 3-star recruit, Miles was showcasing her arm as she delivered plenty of offense for her team. She was finding gaps in the block and exploiting them, sending balls down to the ground in impressive fashion. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer, a 4-star middle, was booming balls on the slide and was very active at the net. She draws lots of attention because teams know she’s getting the ball but still struggle slowing her. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: For now, Andrews is a 3-star recruit, mostly because she was hurt last year and

Read More »

NLQ 18/17s: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

In the 18 Open Division, undefeated and previously-qualified Premier Nebraska 18 Gold is in the four-team gold pool along with MN Select 18-1, Iowa Rockets 18R and Mizuno Northern Lights 18-1 on Sunday morning.  In 17 Open, Dynasty 17 Black and A5 17-Jing are the last two teams which are undefeated. But Sunday is another day and both gold pools have very good matchups in store! Gold Pool 1 features A5 as the No. 1 seed, 1st Alliance VBC 17 Gold as the No. 22 seed and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite as the No. 3 seed while Gold Pool 2 has Dynasty as the one seed, OT 17O Felix as the No. 2 seed and Premier Nebraska 17 Gold as the No. 3 seed. A match I truly enjoyed watching was the TAV Houston 17 Adidas against Club Ignit Select 17 Blue in 17 USA. TAV Houston was led by outsides Caelyn Emmerling and Katy Barger, setter Peyton Fadal and middle Chloe Morgan. Club Ignit Select was led by outsides Mackenzie Dean and Noelle Sutcliffe, setter Brittany Bacorn and middle Maeve Rehmann. Day 2 Show Stoppers Sierra Pertzborn MB 608 Jr’s 18-1s: A Toledo signee, Pertzborn, was a wall at the net.  Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1: A 4-star Clemson signee, Simington shut down opponents at the net all day.  Gabi Cornier L A5 17-Jing: A 4-star Florida signee, Cornier was smooth and scrappy like usual in the backcourt.  Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: Emmerling, a 3-star Texas State commit, was literally hammering balls on the OH today.  Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gol: A South Dakota commit and recently named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, Medeck was a ball of fire on the court. From swinging to defense, wow.  Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star Arizona commit, Cisneros was literally everywhere on the court. If she wasn’t sweeping up the back court defensively then she was swinging with fire on the outside.  Abigail Mullen Opp Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen, a 5-star recruit, was skying and hitting with force everywhere she was. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 O Felix: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Fallon was a hammer on the outside ALL DAY.  Mailinh Godschall L Metro VBC 17 Travel: Godschall, a 3-star Duke commit, was everywhere on the court.  Rayna Christianson S/Opp Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 : A 5-star athlete, Christianson can do it all out there on the court. Very smooth and very powerful.  Josalyn Samuels S/Opp Kairos 14 Alpha: A 2028 playing up, Samuels is strong and can dish to the pins efficiently.  Clara Christ L Mizuno Northern Lights 14-1: Christ was a smooth passer who sets the tempo for her squad.

Read More »

NLQ 18/17s: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Despite the gnarly wind chill outside, Day 1 of the Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier 18s and 17s and January Thaw 14-16s tournament started off with straight fire Friday in Minneapolis. There were tons of great teams and athletes on several courts so let’s just jump right in with a few team and athlete spotlights. Iowa Rockets 18R: In 18 Open, this was the team which literally got touches on everything. St. Cloud State commit and outside Shelby Kimm was swinging well along with libero Meg Berkland owning the backline. Another athlete who was fun to watch was setter Allie Barlow, a Northern Michigan signee.  1st Alliance 17 Gold: This was a fun team to watch in 17 Open. You have 4-star Kansas commit Grace Nelson and 4-star Michigan commit Ellie White – the vballrecruiter.com 2022 HS Junior Player of the Year – swinging away on the outside. There is also 3-star recruit Ellery Rees owning the middle and 3-star recruit Calli Kenny dishing and swinging well. Ava Falduto – a 4-star Penn State recruit at L/DS – and Samantha Falk, a 3-star recruit, run the back court. And that’s just to name a few.  Day 1 Show Stoppers Jae Fitting DS Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold: A Loyola Chicago commit, Fitting is an incredible asset to her squad. Don’t get me wrong, Clemson commit Claire Luoma was amazing in the libero jersey but kudos to Fitting for being a lights-out DS on the court.  Calli Kenny S 1st Alliance 17 Gold: The 3-star S/RS Kenny was impressive on Day 1 in 17 Open. She was dishing and swinging with the best of them all the way around.  Bree Messenger OH VC United 171 Elite: Messenger is an undersized and an incredibly scrappy outside hitter. Messenger was fun to watch both offensively and defensively.  Kananihokuao Misipeka OH/Opp Pohaku 17-1: Misipeka, a 3-star athlete, is another undersized hitter who literally flies out there.  Malayah Long S VCNebraska 17 Elite: Long, a Marquette commit, was fun to watch run the show for her VCN squad. She is a fiery setter with great connections.  Mackenzie Dean OH Club Ignit Select 17 Blue: Dean, a Kansas commit, brings the heat on the outside.  Hannah Benjamin OH A5 Jing: Benjamin, a 5-star Kentucky commit, just keeps getting better and more explosive on the court.  Andi Spies S 608 Juniors 18-1: Spies, a Middle Tennessee 2024 commit, is playing on the new 608 Juniors 18s team. She is fiery and has great hands. Stella Swenson S MN Select 18-1: Swenson, a 5-star 2024 Minnesota commit, ran her court with precision. She has a great cast around her along with great decision making skills. Sidenotes With FC Elite 18 Elite 5-star libero Saige Damrow at Wisconsin this spring, make sure to watch 2026 athlete Peyton Carlson filling into the libero role for FC Elite this year. Skyler Pierce was missing from the court today but will be back on Sunday with her Dynasty 17 Black squad. In the meantime, outside Maya Houseworth filled in nicely.  Michigan signee and Nebraska Elite senior Morgan Burke was back dishing on her club team. On her high school squad Skutt Catholic she was the jack of many trades and was an offensive powerhouse at outside hitter.  Anyone else excited for Day 2!?

Read More »

Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 20-Jan 26

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil 2023 CLARKE UNIVERSITY: OH/Opp Emma Shea-Wopinek (Top Flight) OLIVET NAZARENE: OH/Opp Kennedy Kiger (The Academy) OLIVET NAZARENE: S Molly Riggs (Vantage Volleyball) SALISBURY UNIVERSITY: S Julie Altieri (Triangle) NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: S Kasey Schuster NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: S Harley Ludacka (VC Nebraska) NEWBERRY COLLEGE: OH Ally Owens (Carolina One) GRACELAND: OH Reagan Altman (Rancho Valley) LA VERNE: S Malia Capistrano (Rancho Valley) COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT: Opp Brooke Andries (Southwest Minnesota) NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: L Grace Ehlers (Southwest Minnesota) DORDT UNIVERSITY: OH Tarren Spartz (Southwest Minnesota) IOWA WESTERN CC: L Jessi Ritchhart (MAVS KC) AVILA UNIVERSITY: S Daphne Gardner (Pohaku) DREW UNIVERSITY: S Alyssa Rachwal (East Coast Power) MOUNT ST. VINCENT: L Carly Synder (CT Stars) STEVENSON: MB Carlee Darden (Metro) LINDENWOOD: Opp Anna Kraemer (Rockwood Thunder) SPOON RIVER COLLEGE: S Karson Park (Rapid Fire VBC) YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE: OH Tori Wolsborn (North Central Washington VBC) MAYVILLE STATE: S Noelle Erickson MAYVILLE STATE: MB Taylor Rath (Chaos) MAYVILLE STATE: Opp Jocelyn Aasen CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: OH Norah Boggs (Top Notch) CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: L Riley Passananti (Crossfire Elite South) CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE: MB Faith Hopgood LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: OH Jade Von Deopp (Marin Juniors) AVERETT UNIVERSITY: OH Hope Parrish (Colonial VBC) AVERETT UNIVERSITY: MB Allie Wilkerson (Carolina Advantage) OLYMPIC COLLEGE: S/DS Holly Clarke (High Country) LYON COLLEGE: OH Abigail Adams (Memphis Metro) BRIDGEPORT UNIVERSITY: L Ella Young BRIDGEPORT UNIVERSITY: OH Grace Presswood WHEATON COLLEGE: S Paige Syswerda (Club Fusion) WALSH UNIVERSITY: S Hannah Roddis (Team Detroit) WALSH UNIVERSITY: OH/DS Kendra Courtock (Tandem VBC) WALSH UNIVERSITY: MB Kelli Conder (KIVA) KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Kaliyah Brown (Omni VBC) KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Kameryn Cortinas KEYSTONE COLLEGE: OH Taylor Hallam UTAH STATE EASTERN: OH Grace Thomsen EASTERN NAZARENE: S Annika Schmitt (Smash) DARTMOUTH: OH Valia Evangeliou MEDAILLE UNIVERSITY: L Lilly Henchen (Hot Shots) WINONA STATE: OH Kenna Kornely (Milwaukee Sting) MARIST: L Katherine Thompson (Milwaukee Sting) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: OH Makaelyn Perez (Austin Performance) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: Opp/OH Victoria Urbanczyk (Alamo) OUR LADY OF THE LAKE: S Valeria Ortiz (SA Magic) EASTERN FLORIDA STATE: S Alana Baerga (Oviedo VBA) MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN: OH Sawyer Franz (Oklahoma Peak) SOUTHERN NAZARENE: L Brynlee Birney (Oklahoma Peak) CARDINAL STRITCH: L Nev Dukic (Wisconsin Juniors) OUACHITA: L Kylie Kisgen OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN: OH Claire Duley (Club Texas) SOUTHERN UTAH: Opp/OH Charlotte Wilson (Madfrog) COPPIN STATE: OH Kaliko Schilling (Spike and Serve) MCNEESE STATE: S/Opp Abby Montes (TAV Houston) CENTRAL ARKANSAS: L Jenna DeLaMater (Elite VBA) PRATT CC: OH/DS Emma Hendrickson SUNY ONEONTA: OH Emma Morretta (Downsville State) TEXAS TECH: S Claudia Rossi (Front Range) WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Opp Emma Sanders (MVP Volleyball Club) BLINN COLLEGE: S Chloe Howard (Texas Tornados) ROBERT MORRIS: MB Lindsey Scammell (Jupiter Elite) SOUTHWESTERN OREGON CC: S Apetahi Kua (Pi’opi’o Bears VBC) CAL U PA: S Mandy Altsman (Pittsburgh Elite) AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL): OH Lanah Queckboerner (VC United) 2024 MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD: MB/OH Brielle Riess (Southwest Minnesota) NORTHEASTERN: OH Jane Nelson (East Coast Power) AKRON: OH/Opp Delaney Gash (Lexington United) TRANSFERS PENN STATE: GR S Mac Podraza (Ohio State/Mintonette Sports) PENN STATE: GR S Ally Van Eekeren (High Point/Creighton/Sports Performance) MINNESOTA: GR L Kylie Murr (Ohio State/Municana) OLIVET NAZARENE: TR MB/S Sydney Marse (Prairie State College) BELMONT: TR S Kam Olson (Central Michigan/VC United) KANSAS WESLEYAN: TR Opp/MB Blondie Penaflor (Hutchinson CC/Next Level) NEWBERRY COLLEGE: TR OH/Opp Emma Christensen (Utah State Eastern) WISCONSIN OSHKOSH: TR L Macie Wieman (Minnesota State Moorhead/Balance VBC) PALM BEACH ATLANTIC: GR L Payton Ahrenstorff (Northern Iowa/Kairos Elite) NEW MEXICO STATE: TR MB Aleka Darko (Ithaca/Woodlands Revolution) LONG BEACH STATE: TR OH Elise Agi (Oregon/Encore VBC) CAL: TR S Paige Morningstar (Louisville/Renaissance VBC) BOISE STATE: GR S Noelani Helm (Portland/Cats VBC) PITT: GR L Logan Mosley (Virginia Tech/Triangle) CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: GR L Kelsey Knudsen (BYU/Saint Mary’s College/Legacy CA) CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: TR Opp Leah Miller (Arizona State/Dig This!) WALSH UNIVERSITY: TR DS Kelly Lynch (CalUPenn/AVC Cleveland) BALL STATE: TR L Josie Bloom (Virginia Tech/Michigan State) UTAH STATE: TR MB Kelsey Watson (Loyola Chicago/HPSTL) UTAH STATE: GR OH Jill Schneggenburger (Colorado/A4) SOUTHEASTERN: GR MB Tatyana Lyons (Tampa/Winter Park) NOTRE DAME: TR L Sydney Palazzolo (High Point/Legacy) CENTRAL WASHINGTON: TR MB Morgan Halady (Portland State/Dakine) HAWAII: TR MB Jacyn Bamis (Clemson/CPA Xtreme) ILLINOIS STATE: TR S Sammi Bunch (Tusculum/Lions) WASHINGTON STATE: GR OH Iman Isanovic (Arizona State) NORTHWESTERN: GR OH Julia Sangiacomo (Santa Clara/Absolute) TEXAS A&M: TR MB Morgan Perkins (Oklahoma/Houston Skyline) NORTH TEXAS: GR OH Jayde Harris (Portland/Forza1) SOUTH ALABAMA: GR OH Abryanna Cannon (Northwestern/Michigan Elite) TEXAS WOMANS: L Luna Franca (Panola College/Trinity Valley CC) FRANCIS MARION: TR MB Kaytlin Smart (Northwestern JC/Cache Valley VBC) NORTH CAROLINA: TR OH Emani’ Foster (North Carolina Charlotte/NC Academy) NORTH FLORIDA: GR OH Morgan Wilson (Towson/Paramount) XAVIER (LA): TR L Ruxandra Flueras (Colby CC) BEACH 2024 UT EL PASO: Calliandra Otjen (RPM Sand) MERCER: Kristi Talocka (Sandstorm Beach) BOYS 2023 MERRIMACK: S Blake Taschner (Wave) AUGUSTANA COLLEGE (IL): L Gavan Moua (MN Select)

Read More »

Central Zone Preview And Predictions

Part of the vballrecruiter.com team is headed to the Central Zone Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Indianapolis. Over the years this tournament has really grown in strength and once again boasts a loaded, loaded field, especially for the younger age groups. I’m personally super excited, because in my years of covering club volleyball I’ve never attended this event! That’s about to change and I’m eager to get to see these teams playing in the new year. Below are rundowns on the 15-18 Open divisions as we look at nationally-ranked teams in the field, top recruits and offer thoughts and predictions on those age groups. 15 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (14): 1. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 3. Mintonette Sports m.51 7. Elevation 15 Tony 11. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 12. HPSTL 15 Royal 13. MKE Sting 15 Gold 16. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami 21. A5 15 Bob 29. AVC Cle 15 Red 34. Rev 15-1 Fuego 43. Tri-State Elite 15 Blue 44. Circle City 15 Purple 45. TVC 15 Black 49. Team Pineapple 15 Black *** 5-Star Athletes Kayla Nwabueze MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas Gabi DiVita OH Legacy 15-1 Adidas Bennett Raterman MB HPSTL 15 Royal   4-Star Athletes Margaret Czajka MB MKE Sting 15 Gold Ellie Hepler L/DS Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Cali Foster OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Meredith Martin L/DS Legacy 15-1 Adidas Lexi Shondell S Boiler Jrs 15 Gold Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51 Audrey Dyas MB NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami Addison Haberthy S Circle City 15 Purple Kalyssa Taggart S/RS A5 15 Bob   Outlook/Prediction: There is no way this division can disappoint, can it? I don’t believe it can, not with 14 of the 32 teams ranked in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. It includes top-ranked Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, one of three Top-10 clubs in the field, and one of seven Top-20 teams vying for the championship. Also in the field is No. 3 Mintonette Sports m.51 – the defending 14 Open gold medalist from Indy last summer – and No. 7 Elevation 15 Tony, which earned bronze last summer in 14 Open. Another team to follow is No. 11 Legacy 15-1 Adidas. Legacy captured the 15 Open title at the JVA Rock’N Rumble earlier this month, where it defeated No. 29 AVC Cle 15 Red in the finals. Given the youth and depth of the division, anything can and probably will happen. Certainly, I’m expecting the higher-ranked teams in the field to excel, but it’s likely someone else is going to rise up and surprise by making a deep run. In the end though, the pick is Boiler Jrs beating Legacy in the final. *** 16 OPEN Number of Teams: 32 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (13): 4. A5 16 Gabe 9. Circle City 16 Purple 10. 1st Alliance 16 Gold 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno 14. HPSTL 16 Royal 15. Legacy 16-1 Adidas 27. MKE Sting 16 Gold 33. Mintonette Sports m.61 39. Adidas KiVA 16 Red 41. AVC Cle 16 Red 42. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami 49. Elevation 16 Goller 50. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue *** 5-Star Athletes Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas Addison Tindall OH Team Pineapple 16 Black Annabelle Groomes S/RS AVC Cle 16 Red Abby Vander Wal OH 1st Alliance 16 Gold   4-Star Athletes Ava Tilden OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple Julia Grace L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Francesca Popescu L/DS A5 16 Gabe Asia Harvey OH A5 16 Gabe Riley McCloskey OH/RS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami Addison Makun MB Adidas KiVA 16 Red Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold Abigail Li S A5 16 Gabe Ava Harris S Team Pineapple 16 Black   Outlook/Prediction: With 13 of the 32 teams appearing in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings, the 16 Open Division figures to be very competitive as well. Part of that is the field features seven teams ranked in our Top 15, including No. 4 A5 16 Gabe, No. 9 Circle City 15 Purple and No. 10 1st Alliance 16 Gold, which starts off as the top seed. I really expect the depth of this division to show up over the two days, with some unexpected results and upsets taking place throughout. A lot of the teams are bunched together in the rankings and there isn’t much separating many of them. It should produce a lot of close, three-setters as this is going to be the most competitive tournament teams have played in so far as they begin gearing up for qualifying season. When the dust settles, the pick is 1st Alliance over Mich Elite 16 Mizuno for the gold. *** 17 OPEN Number of Teams: 27 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8): 12. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami 16. Circle City 17 Purple 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue 33. HPSTL 17 Royal 37. Rev 17-1 Raptors 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold *** 5-Star Athletes Ava Utterback OH Circle City 17 Purple Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Lauren Harden OH Rev 17-1 Raptors   4-Star Athletes Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold Mallory Bohl MB Legacy 17-1 Adidas Elizabeth Tabeling L/DS NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Julia Hunt MB NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami Alexis Maesch RS Circle City 17 Purple   Outlook/Prediction: Though no clubs from our Top 10 is in attendance, there is still eight clubs from the Top 50. Our rankings follow the top three seeds, as No. 12 NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami, No. 16 Circle City 17 Purple and No. 18 Tri-State Elite 17 Blue open as the top three seeds respectively. While those teams figure to make it deep into Sunday’s action, there’s a great chance for someone else to come on and surprise. One could be HPSTL 17 Royal, which is looking to make the jump to Open this season. Rev 17-1 Raptors and Adidas KiVA 17 Red are two more who could get hot and pull off upsets. Two teams we don’t

Read More »

18s Qualifiers On Tap: Preview And Predictions

Which 18s teams are next in line to join the group of Open qualifiers so far? With three national qualifiers on the slate for this weekend, eight more bids are going to be handed out. That will take the number of awarded bids from eight to 16. Here are the clubs which have earned their Open bids to date: Sunshine 18 LA (Windy City) Wave 18 Juliana (Windy City) Mintonette Sports m.81 (Windy City) MAVS KC 17-1 (KC MLK) Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (KC MLK) Drive Nation 18 Red (Lone Star) A5 18 Marc (Lone Star) Skyline 18 Royal (Lone Star)   The Florida Fest, Northern Lights and Salt Lake City Showdown qualifiers will add to those numbers after those Friday-Sunday tournaments wrap up. Below, we take a look at each qualifier and what to expect. FLORIDA FEST Number of Teams: 26 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (3): Drive Nation 18 Red; MAVS KC 18-1; Mintonette Sports m.81 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (12):  2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold 5. Drive Nation 18 Red 8. OT 18 John 9. Metro 18 Travel 11. MAVS KC 18-1 13. Madfrog 18 Green 29. Mich Elite 18 Mizuno 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 43. Paramount VBC 18s 46. Triangle 18 Black 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black *** 5 Star Athletes Reese Robins MB Drive Nation 18 Red (Louisville) Leah Ford MB Drive Nation 18 Red (USC) Eloise Brandewie MB Mintonette Sports m.81 (Ohio State) Blaire Bayless OH Madfrog 18 Green (Pitt)   4 Star Athletes Allison Cavanaugh RS OT 18 John (Georgia) Kamryn Lee-Caracci MB 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Georgetown) Safi Hampton OH Metro 18 Travel (North Carolina) Reagan Fox OH MAVS KC 18-1 (Rutgers) Milan Rex S/OH Metro 18 Travel (UCSB) Lauryn Bowie RS Mintonette Sports m.81 (Virginia) Zeta Washington MB OT 18 John (Cincinnati) Samantha Hoppes OH/RS Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College) Betsy Goodenow RS MAVS KC 18-1 (Yale) Gigi Navarrete L/DS 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Northwestern) Jordyn Dailey RS/MB Triangle 18 Black (Kentucky) Brielle Kemavor MB Metro 18 Travel (BYU) Juliette Myrick S Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (Army) Lily Nicholson S Drive Nation 18 Red (TCU) Kennedy Wagner OH 1st Alliance 18 Gold (Clemson) Ava Sarafa S Mich Elite 18 Mizuno (Kentucky) Callie Kieffer S Drive Nation 18 Red (Alabama) Sydney Breon OH Drive Nation 18 Red (UCLA) Halle Schroder OH Drive Nation 18 Red (Boston College)   Outlook/Prediction: This is the biggest qualifier of the weekend, both in total number of teams in 18 Open and the depth of the field as 12 of the 26 clubs appear in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National Rankings. However, this could also be the ‘easiest’ qualifier of the weekend to gain a bid simply because there are three teams already with bids and that could push trickle down to sixth place. 1st Alliance 18 Gold didn’t play in the Windy City Qualifier earlier this month and is making its first appearance at a qualifier. 1st Alliance, the defending 17 Open national champions from Indy, are the top seed and are big favorites to grab one of the three bids. Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Drive Nation 18 Red follow as the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds but all three already have their spots clinched for Columbus. The teams to pay close attention to in terms of earning bids this weekend is OT 18 John, Metro 18 Travel, Mich Elite 18 Mizuno, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite and Gainesville Jrs 18 Black. The prediction is the three bids are going to that group of five teams, with Metro and Gainesville taking them home. As for the tournament winner, 1st Alliance defeats MAVS for first place. *** SALT LAKE CITY SHOWDOWN Number of Teams: 25 Available Bids: 3 Qualified Teams (1): Sunshine 18 LA vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (8):  7. AZ Rev 18 Premier 10. Sunshine 18 LA 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar 30. NPJ 18 Forefront 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder 38. Absolute 18 Black 44. ID Crush 18 Bower *** 5 Star Athletes Alex Acevedo OH NPJ 18 Forefront (Oregon) Olivia Babcock RS Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Torrey Stafford OH Sunshine 18 LA (Pitt) Jordyn Harvey OH Club V 18 Ren Reed (Stanford) Taylor Harvey MB Club V 18 Ren Reed Alex Bower S ID Crush 18 Bower   4 Star Athletes Tehani Ulufatu L/DS Absolute 18 Black (Baylor) Ava-Marie Lange OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA (Harvard) Makena Lim L/DS A4 Volley 18 Joaco (Georgia) Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (Oklahoma) Kendal Murphy OH AZ Rev 18 Premier (Baylor)   Outlook/Prediction: The bad news for teams hoping to qualify is Sunshine 18 LA – the top seed – is the only club with an Open bid and thus trickle down can’t go past fourth place. It’s going to take a legit finish to qualify at this event. The good news though is the field isn’t quite as deep as it was last season and there’s a great opportunity for three teams to take advantage of that. So Cal clubs like Wave 18 Juliana (already qualified) and Coast 18 Ozhan (not qualified) did not make the trip and that should help in the case of Coast, though teams wouldn’t mind Wave being here considering Wave already has a bid. In terms of Open bids going out, I think there is one lock here with Club V 18 Ren Reed. Playing at its local qualifier, I expect Club V to play well and secure one of the three bids. Club V opens as the No. 2 overall seed. Other clubs expected to compete for bids include Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar, AZ Rev 18 Premier, NPJ 18 Forefront and Arizona Storm 18 Thunder. If you want a few underdogs to create havoc and root for them, OJVA 18 Gold, ID Crush 18 Bower, Hive 18 Gold and A4 Volley 18 Joaco are teams to watch in that sense. Any one of

Read More »

Three More Open Bids Awarded in 18 Open

The second weekend of the 18s qualifier season was a light one, with just the Lone Star Classic 18s on the schedule. The 20-team field produced three 18 Open bids, which went to tournament champion Drive Nation 18 Red, A5 18-Marc and Skyline 18 Royal. They joined Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana, Mintonette Sports m.81, MAVS KC 18-1 and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold as clubs holding 18 Open bids after two weeks of qualifying. With three 18s qualifiers set for this coming weekend the field will double in size by next week. With nationally-ranked No. 5 Drive Nation and No. 6 A5 gaining their bids this past weekend, half of our initial Top 10 from the 18s National Rankings have secured bids so far, including No. 3 Wave, No. 4 Premier Nebraska and No. 10 Sunshine. Skyline opened up at No. 25. Drive Nation dropped just one match over the three days, with No. 18 AJV 18 Adidas taking down the eventual champs in three during Day 2 pool play. It was part of three consecutive three-setters for Drive Nation, which had defeated SA Magic 18 Elite in three to end Day 1 and opened Day 2 with a three-set victory over No. 23 Hou Skyline 18 Royal. Drive Nation swept No. 13 Madfrog 18 Green to make the gold pools. Once there, Drive Nation beat No. 17 HJV 18 Elite in three before sweeping both Skyline and A5. A5 had an interesting path to a bid. The Georgia club came out hot, winning its first five matches. However, A5 lost three of its final four contests but still managed to get its bid. A5 was already guaranteed a spot in gold pools before losing to Skyline to end Day 2. Unranked Actyve 18 Black then delivered an upset in three to start Day 3. A5 recovered to sweep Hou Skyline. That created a three-way tie with A5, Actyve and Hou Skyline as all were 1-1. A5 was fortunate to gain the first-place slot based on the best set percentage. Actyve was second and Hou Skyline was third. Skyline opened its weekend with a setback against unranked AZ EVJ 18 Elite but was able to steady itself quickly. Skyline didn’t lose against until facing Drive Nation on Day 3. That loss pitted Skyline against upstart Actyve for the final bid. Skyline swept, 25-13, 25-11, to earn the last Open spot. Actyve was one of the stories of the weekend. The So Cal club didn’t figure to be in the mix for a bid on Day 3 and yet it was a victory short of pulling off the shocker. Actyve picked up key victories over No. 20 TAV 18 Black, No. 17 HJV and No. 6 A5. Actyve came close to winning its gold pool and clinching a bid outright, but fell to No. 23 Hou Skyline 15-13 in the third. You never know!

Read More »