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17s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

The annual game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey continues on with the release of our initial 17s Top 50 National Rankings. The first set of rankings are obviously going to change radically throughout the season. Identifying the top teams doesn’t take much, but filling out a Top 50 list certainly does. Even with identifying the top teams an easier process than completing the list is, that doesn’t always matter. Take what already happened with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We placed Coast 18 Ozhan as the No. 1 team in the country. Coast took bronze in 17 Open and while other top 18s teams lost players, Coast actually added to its roster from last year. That made enough sense to place Coast at No. 1. Of course, Coast went 5-3 at the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago and didn’t earn one of the three Open bids (those went to Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana and Mintonette Sports m.81). That’s just something to keep in mind as you go down the 17s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Dynasty 17 Black (KS) 2. TAV 17 Black (TX) 3. A5 17 Jing (GA) 4. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) 5. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (CO) 6. Triangle 17 Black (NC) 7. HJV 17 Elite (TX) 8. Wave 17 Juliana (CA) 9. Hou Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 10. Metro 17 Travel (DC) *** 11. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NE) 12. NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) 13. Drive Nation 17 Red (TX) 14. Vision 17 Gold (CA) 15. Coast 17 Rodrigo (CA) 16. Circle City 17 Purple (IN) 17. SG Elite 17 Rosh (CA) 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (OH) 19. Madfrog 17 Green (TX) 20. OT 17 O Felix (FL) *** 21. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) 22. KC Power 17-1 (KS) 23. Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 24. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (AZ) 25. AJV 17 Adidas (TX) 26. AVC Cle Red 17 Rox (OH) 27. Club V 17 (UT) 28. OT 17 T Aaron (FL) 29. Momentous 17 Dan (CA) 30. Top Select 17 Elite (FL) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) 32. MAVS KC 17-1 (KS) 33. HPSTL 17 Royal (MO) 34. Alamo 17 Premier (TX) 35. NORCO 17 Black (CO) 36. Northern Lights 17-1 (MN) 37. Rev 17 Raptors (IN) 38. City 17 Gold (CA) 39. Shockwave 17 Black (KS) 40. MKE Sting 17 Gold (WI) *** 41. Absolute 17 Black (CA) 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red (KY) 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 (OH) 44. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL) 45. Team Pineapple 17 Black (IN) 46. VCNebraska 17 Elite (NE) 47. Academy 17 Tsunami (IN) 48. Pohaku 17-1 (KS) 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (IN) 50. Rock City 17-1 (OH)

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JVA Rock’N Rumble Show Stoppers

It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways. Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack. Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along. Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor. Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively. Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect. Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing. Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role. Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend. Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back. Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC. Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space. Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well. Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to

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Rock’N Rumble: Pitt Elite Surprises And More

With the seedings tossed in the air on a wild Day 1, who knew what the conclusion of 17 Open was going to look like as the JVA Rock’N Rumble wrapped up in Cleveland on Sunday? As for 16 Open, a mild Day 1 quickly gave way to a big upset to open Day 2. A couple of thoughts I walked away from Saturday with was Metro 16 Travel was a true No. 1 seed in 16 Open and should be able to hold it all the way through. Another centered around Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Despite being the No. 15 seed overall, Pitt Elite looked like a dark horse or sleeper team which could rise up and surprise. As the draw happened to break in 16 Open, it was Metro and Pitt Elite matched up against each other in one of the eight challenge matches Sunday morning, with the winner getting a spot in the gold bracket quarterfinals. Something had to give though, either Metro knocking out a potential sleeper or Pitt Elite delivering the upset and looking to keep it rolling. After a true thriller with Pitt Elite escaping, 21-25, 25-17, 23-21, we had part of our answer. Now, could Pitt Elite finish the deal? Pitt kept it going by downing Defensa 16 Purple, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10, and Southwest 16 Ashley, 27-25, 25-18, to reach the final, where another surprise team was waiting in AVC Cle 16 White. AVC opened as the No. 12 overall seed, going 2-1 on Day 1 with a loss to Pakmen 16U Gold. Yet, AVC got hot on Day 2 and was playing very well, taking out Rock City 16-1 in challenge play then upsetting both EliteVBTC 16 Black, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8, and OPVC 16 Robinson, 28-26, 25-19, to set up the unexpected clash for the title. It was Pitt Elite hoisting the trophy after outlasting AVC in three, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11. Last year, Pitt Elite took 33rd in 15 National in Indy and with most everyone back will look to jump up the charts this season. Winning Rock’N Rumble is a great start, especially beating an Open hopeful like Metro on the way to the championship. In 17 Open, it was No. 6 overall seed Rock City 17-1 sweeping its way to the championship, including taking down HRVC Hurricanes 17, 25-13, 25-22, in the final. Rock City scored a solid victory in the semifinals, sweeping original top seed Legacy 17-1 Adidas in the semifinals. Legacy was upset by AVC Cle 17 White on Day 1, part of an afternoon full of them. However, AVC was unable to make it past Sunday morning’s challenge bracket, falling to Maverick 17 Elite, 25-22, 25-21. Meanwhile, Legacy fended off EliteVBTC 17 Black, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12, while Rock City swept NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, 25-20, 25-15, as both advanced. In 18 Open, Pakmen 18 Gold swept EliteVBTC 18 Black, 26-24, 29-27, in the championship match. Pakmen went 6-0 on the weekend. CVC 18 Black and Premier Academy 18 Onitsuka finished tied for third. We’ll have our tournament Show Stoppers from Rock’N Rumble out this week as well, so check back for that.

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Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 7-Jan 12

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil   2023 KANSAS STATE: OH Lauren Schneider (Skyline) IOWA STATE: OH/MB Reaghan Larkin (Alliance VBC) OLIVET NAZARENE: OH Kennedy Kiger (The Academy VBC) LOYOLA CHICAGO: L Jordan Bruckner (Shockwave VBA) TEMPLE: OH Christiana Greene (A5) EASTERN KENTUCKY: Opp Gabriella Armitage (Gamepoint) OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY: DS Kenzie Schellenberger (AVC Cleveland) CASTLETON: DS Grace Mosco (Olympic Premier) CASTLETON: MB Kaitlyn Chapman (603 United) ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE: OH Leilani (Spike and Serve) WILLIAM CAREY: OH/DS Rachel Stegall (Infinity VBA) COLLEGE OF ST ROSE: Opp/S Taylor Grady (Xtreme VBA) WHEATON COLLEGE: Opp Paris Griffin (Vision) WHEATON COLLEGE: MB Sadie Orange (Illinois Performance) ELMIRA COLLEGE: L Myia Murphy (Sportime VBC) MONTCLAIR STATE: S Gianna Cefalu (Coast) POINT LOMA: MB Kate Sullivan (Rancho Valley) HOPE INTERNATIONAL: MB Milan Nimeh HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY: S Lauren Ross MILLIGAN UNIVERSITY: OH/MB Addison Varney (Phoenix Rising VBC) YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE: OH/MB Mckenna Steiner (Hive Volleyball) IOWA WESLEYAN: OH Reece Toner NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: Cadence Goebel (The Arena Club) NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: MB Ella Peterson (The Arena Club) YOUNG HARRIS: Opp Faith Kelly (Jacksonville Juniors) MILLSAPS COLLEGE: S Caroline Russo (Krewe of Maggie) WHEATON COLLEGE MA: MB Kirsten Reeley (Oviedo VBA) SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: OH Joy Aburto (Elevation CO) SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: S Ellison Spencer (Puyallup Juniors) UTICA UNIVERSITY: OH Naima Walsh (Downstate Juniors) UTICA UNIVERSITY: Katie Mattes (Saratoga VBC) BRESCIA: S Amanda Monk WHATCOM CC: S Sydney Walker (Apex NW) ST FRANCIS UNIVERSITY: MB Laney Wilson (Renaissance VBC) QUINCY: L Lilly Marth (JNVBC) NORTHWESTEN OHIO: OH/Opp Kearstyn Maxon-Honaker SALISBURY: S Julie Altieri (Triangle) GEORGETOWN COLLEGE: MB Giara Ferrari (Central Jersey VBA) MINNESOTA STATE COMMUNITY AND TECH: S Cassie Dahl ARIZONA: MB Journey Tucker (Spiral) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: OH/MB Eileen Sadati (A4) REGIS COLLEGE: Opp Lily DiRico (Mill City) CAL LUTHERAN: Opp Gianna Bava (Rage VBC) PRATT CC: MB Katy Beeman (Air Capital Aces) WAYLAND BAPTIST: OH/Opp Sloane Light WAYLAND BAPTIST: S Kaitlyn Gunn (NM Cactus) COWLEY COLLEGE: DS/OH Kara Martin COWLEY COLLEGE: MB Val Luna (Fight Club BUENA VISTA COLLEGE: Opp/OH Eternity Haaf (Arena VBC) STONEHILL COLLEGE: MB Abby Farrell (Mass Impact) LIFE UNIVERSITY: Opp Victoria Davenport (A5 Gwinnett) SEMINOLE STATE: L Jaylee Morrison BETHEL UNIVERSITY: S Peyton Howie (MN Select) HOPE COLLEGE: MB Kam Burbridge (Michigan VBA) NEBRASKA KEARNEY: S Allison Davis (VCNebraska) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: Celestine Hayes AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: OH Jasmin Silva (Delta Valley) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: MB Adrienne Vite AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: OH/DS Cady Hatch (SynergyForce) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: S Sofia MacPherson TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB Emma Bednarek UT TYLER: S Lauren Greene (TAV Houston) DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY IL: MB Kathryn Ksiezak (Ultimate VBC) ALBRIGHT COLLEGE: S Ryenn Mamrosch (Highline VBC) ILLINOIS WESLEYAN: L Olivia DeGuzman (Milwaukee Sting) VILLANOVA: MB Sophia Stalcup (Mizuno Long Beach) AURORA UNIVERSITY: L Lyndsey Austin (Chicago Elite) FROSTBURG STATE: OH Alyssa Stanton (Mill City) HOLY FAMILY: L Keira Rogan (Princeton VBC) NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: OH Molly Ramirez (Platform Elite)   2024 COASTAL CAROLINA: S/Opp Aisha Keric (Florida Gulfside) RUTGERS: L Alleigh Dutton (Circle City) COLUMBIA: MB Charlotte Gravlee (Gainesville Juniors) GEORGETOWN: L Avery Baughman (Drive Nation) NORTH ALABAMA: MB Amelia Keating (MidTN) JAMESTOWN: S Ava Bertsch (Northern Lights) BRYANT: OH Katelyn Rossini (Sky High) TCU: MB Bryn Shankle (Mizuno Long Beach)   TRANSFERS SMU: TR L Brooke Frazier (Texas A&M/Houston Skyline) KENT STATE: TR S Kendall White (Liberty/Elite Training Center) PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: TR Opp Kayla Craft (Southern Utah/805 Elite) RUTGERS: TR MB/Opp Rikki Williams (Penn State/Houston Juniors) UCLA: TR OH Carly Hendrickson (Florida/Elevation) CLEMSON: TR S Katie Hurta (Penn State/Adversity) UT EL PASO: TR OH Deanna Almaguer (Pima CC/Diamondback VBC) FORT LEWIS COLLEGE: TR OH/DS Chloe Ruhl (UC Riverside/Rocky Select) HOPE COLLEGE: TR OH Addie VanderWeide (Iowa/Michigan VBA) ALABAMA: TR L Francesca Bertucci (Northern Illinois/Adversity) SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE: TR S Gabi Theut (Coppin State/Coastal Bend College) CENTRAL MICHIGAN: TR MB Abby Olin (Michigan State/Inside Out) CENTRAL MICHIGAN: TR L Alina Anderson (Ferris State/Michigan VBA) GRAND VALLEY STATE: GR S Madison Gates (Purdue Fort Wayne) GRAND VALLEY STATE: TR MB Elena Vaara (Muskegon CC/Trinity Christian College/Team Angle) GRAND VALLEY STATE: TR OH/Opp Jaden Rice (Rutgers/Legacy) PAUL QUINN COLLEGE: TR OH LaTaysha Morgan (Mountain View College/360) MEDAILLE UNIVERSITY: TR OH Natalie Perl (Genesee CC) FLORIDA STATE: TR MB Kiari Robey (Oregon/Atlanta Performance) TENNESSEE: GR L Yelianiz Torres (Bowling Green State) MISSISSIPPI STATE: TR Opp Amina Shackelford (Butler/OTVA Orlando) TULSA: TR OH Beth Bayless (Oklahoma/Oklahoma Peak) NORTH ALABAMA: TR Opp Brenna Tietz (West Virginia) CHARLESTON SOUTHERN: TR OH Emmy Rollins (South Carolina/SC Midlands) TARLETON STATE: TR OH/Opp Rylie Morrison (Evangel University/AZ Sky) TARLETON STATE: GR OH Rajini Fitzmaurce (Liberty/Top Select) VALPARAISO: TR MB/Opp Maddie Moan (Milwaukee/Sky High) RICE: TR MB Kaitlyn Knobbe (SMU/Nebraska Elite) TCU: TR OH Melanie Parra (Texas) FLORIDA GULF COAST: GR S Lily Tessier (FSU/Iowa/USA South) FAYETTEVILLE STATE: TR MB Sariah Sumpter (Coffeyville CC) WEBER STATE: TR OH Mia Peterson (New Mexico State) RHODE ISLAND: GR OH Maddie Norris (North Florida Beach/Smash) FRANCIS MARION: TR L Hadley Prince (Chowan University/Timberlake Volleyball Club) WAYLAND BAPTIST: TR OH Selma Sutaj (Trinity Valley CC) PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE: TR OH Hannah Rowe (Albany) AUBURN: TR MB Bella Bell (Kentucky/Team MVP) UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & ARTS: TR Opp Mya Williams (Seminole State) TREVECCA NAZARENE: TR OH Elizabeth Wells (Terra State CC) MEMPHIS: TR MB/Opp Clara Bednarek (Georgia State/Aspire) UT SAN ANTONIO: TR Opp Mia Soerensen (Kent State/Club Ashtabula) SMU: TR Opp Anllelivis Fernandez (State of Florida College/Miami Dade College) SMU: TR OH Naya Shime (Wyoming) IDAHO STATE: TR OH/Opp Sophia Anderson (Utah State Eastern) IDAHO STATE: TR S Lauren Mena (Utah Tech/Seal Beach) SETON HALL: TR L Hadlee Ackerman (Furman/A5) VIRGINIA: TR L Saskia Hernandez (NC State/Miami Elite) ARKANSAS: TR MB Sania Petties (Mississippi State/Houston Skyline) EAST CAROLINA: TR Francesca McBride (Mississippi State/Michigan Elite) TENNESSEE MARTIN: TR OH/OPP Jenna Vallée (Indian Hills CC) TENNESSEE MARTIN: TR OH Halle Everett (ParklandCC/Memphis/HPSTL) WEST VIRGINIA: TR OH/OPP Hailey Green (Denver/Elevation) UTAH TECH: TR OH/Opp Patricia Tua’one (Snow College/Club 801) WRIGHT STATE: TR L Jennifer Wessling (High Point/KIVA) MISSISSIPPI STATE: TR OH

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Rock’N Rumble: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Two-day tournaments come and go so fast! By the time the first day is over we are already in championship mode by the start of Day 2. That’s the case at the JVA Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland, where part of the vballrecruiter.com team is this weekend to witness the action on the chilly shores of Lake Erie. The big headline from Saturday came from 17 Open, where AVC Cle 17 White upset top-seeded Legacy 17-1 Adidas in three, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7, to win Pool 1 and take over the top spot. Right behind was EliteVBTC 17 Black. As the No. 3 team in Pool 2, Elite upset No. 2 overall seed Maverick 17 Elite, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16, to move up as well. In fact, it was a trend on Day 1 in 17 Open. Rock City 17-1 was the only No. 1 team out of six pools to win its pool. Rock City went 3-0 to hold seed. But in Pool 3, No. 2 VolleyFX 17 Rapture took first and No. 3 Legacy 16-1 Adidas – playing up – grabbed second as both advanced to Sunday morning’s challenge matches for a spot in the gold bracket. The madness continued in Pool 4 as OPVC 17 Day, Summit 17 Blue Elite and HRVC Hurricanes all finished 2-1. However, OPVC – the No. 1 team in the pool – took third based on tiebreakers as HRVC finished first and Summit second. As for Pool 5, it was Preds 17U Strive, the No. 2 team, and NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, the No. 4 team, finishing 1-2 and advancing. The chaos was mainly reserved for 17 Open, as 16 Open was much calmer. L2 16-1 was the only No. 1 team not to advance after finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Defensa 16 Purple and Nexus United 16 Gold. In Pool 3, the No. 1 team in Southwest 16 Ashley went 2-1 and finished second behind 3-0 EliteVBTC 16 Black, the No. 2 team, but still advanced. Before getting to the Day 1 Show Stoppers, let’s shine the light on a few contenders. METRO 16 TRAVEL: After taking fifth in 15 American last summer one goal of this Metro group this year is to qualify into Open. I’m curious if Metro can make it happen and it’s something to follow as qualifying season plays out. Metro definitely looks improved from a year ago. One key piece is Isabelle Bardin. She’s a stalwart on the court, setting in the back and hitting across the front. Metro was using Ryan Hicks to set in the back row when Bardin came across the front. Metro is plenty offensive with Jada Aksu on the right when she’s front row and Bardin setting back row. Aksu gets up quickly and can really rip it. Another area of strength comes on the outside with Madison Smith and Leni Stanton-Parker. Stanton-Parker is new to the roster this year and certainly adds more firepower with her lively arm and ability to blast balls down. Smith is a hard-hitter as well, bringing some physicality to the attack with it. In the middle it was Kristen Moore and Caitlin Johnson holding it down while Evie Huang was steady at libero. Metro, the top seed in 16 Open, had a light day Saturday, going 2-0 in a three-team pool where they played three sets no matter what. Metro went 5-1 in sets, sweeping Dead Frog 16 Black and going 2-1 against HRVC Hurricanes. OPVC 16 ROBINSON: Seeded No. 2 behind Metro, OPVC wrapped up its day going 3-0 overall and 6-1 in sets as OPVC needed three to down Pitt Elite 16 Elite. I’m not sure OPVC can crack Open this spring but I can see this team having a high finish in National or USA. There are definitely pieces to work with. Two of the best are on the left in 6-2 Kaylie McIntosh and 5-10 Mariah Gaines. McIntosh is tall with a solid arm. Gaines has a good arm too and hits with power. They are nice 1-2 punch on the outside. Zari Gillispie adds excitement across the front row as a middle. She’s springy and quick. Another option in the middle is 6-1 Reagan Waller. Tori Cravens was setting and hitting while Lilliana Gentes was setting in the back row. PITT ELITE 16 ELITE: While Metro and OPVC looked appropriately seeded and are favorites to meet for gold on Sunday, how about a sleeper team? Why not Pitt Elite? The group took OPVC to three sets in the 1 v 2 contest to end Pool 2 Saturday, dropping the third 15-10. Helping Pitt Elite challenge OPVC for first in the pool was the duo of Natalie Carr (2026) and Ella Koziara on the outside, as well as Isabelle Hoppe (2026) setting and Cassidy Trahan defending at libero. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active

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Tour of Texas Off To Electric Start

The 2023 Tour of Texas Austin Stop DEFINITELY started the year with a BANG. This year A5, Premier Nebraska, and Oklahoma Charge added an interesting twists to an already strong tournament series. Let’s start this off with a bang. The 17 Invitational pools featured A5 17 Jing, Drive Nation 17 Red, TAV 17 Black and AJV 17 Adidas in the same pool. AND the first matchup of the day happened to be TAV facing A5. Someone might want to chime in with ‘IT’S JANUARY,’ but that being said TAV defeated A5 in three. There was tons of big blocks, loaded swings and amazing ups happening on both sides. In other 17s action Houston Skyline 17 Royal and HJV 17 Elite went 3-0 in their power pools.  In 16 Invitational pools the day started off with another great match with HJV 16 Elite squaring off against Austin Skyline 16 Royal. HJV features a great group of athletes which includes 5-star recruit Jordan Taylor, 4-star recruit Sydney Bryant, 4-star recruit Aaliyah Smith. Austin Skyline returns a great group of athletes that includes 4-star recruit Callie Krueger, 4-star recruit Addison Gaido and 4-star recruit Lily Dee Davis. HJV ended up winning the match in three. By the end of the pool HJV swept their pool 3-0. In other 16s action Drive Nation 16 Red swept their pool 3-0 while Madfrog 16 Green ended up winning their pool after the three-way tie. Excel 16 National Red ended up second while Skyline 16 Royal ended up third.  In 15 Invitational the first pool was a slugfest with Houston Skyline 15 Royal coming out as the top seed. Skyline 15 Royal and HJV 15 Elite captured the other pools 3-0. Lots of great new names emerged from this group of athletes. Loads of high-flying hitters in this age with Austin Performance outside Henley Anderson, Houston Skyline outside Halle Thompson, Skyline outside Layla Austin and Madfrog outside Kennedy Crayton leading the way.  In 14 Invitational, TAV 14 Black, Skyline 14 Royal and Austin Skyline 14 Royal all swept their pools respectively. There is lots of size, athleticism and talent in this division.  Fun Fact: Two of the vballrecruiter.com HS Player of the Year athletes were swinging with ferocity in the gym in 2025 OH/Opp Macaria Spears and 2026 OH Henley Anderson as they helped lead their teams. Sometimes it’s all about matchups and Sunday is a new day. Anyone else excited to see how this weekend ends up?!?  Day 1 Standouts Macaria Spears, OH/Opp, TAV 17 Black Gillian Pitts, L, TAV 17 Black Ayden Ames, MB,  Drive Nation 17 Red Savannah Skopal, S, Austin Juniors 17 Adidas  Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 17 Jing Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 17 Jing Akunna Cos-Okpalla, L, Madfrog 17 Green  Jaela Auguste, MB, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Kirra Musgrove, S/Opp, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Alice Volpe, L, HJV 17 Elite Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red Sarah Mendoza, L Drive Nation 16 Red Taylor Porter, OH/Opp, Houston Skyline 16 Royal Sydnee Peterson, OH/Opp, TAV 16 Black Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 16 Elite Aaliyah Smith, OH, HJV 16 Elite Megan Fitch, OH, Alamo 16 Premier Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 16 Royal Halle Thompson, OH, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Lacy Tinnell, MB, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Kennedy Crayton, OH, Madfrog 15 Green Gabriella Rodriquez, L, Madfrog 15 Green Skylar Jackson, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Layla Austin, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Riley Malloy, OH, Austin Skyline 15 Royal Karsen O’Keefe, OH, Drive Nation 15 Red Ryan Sadler, OH, A5 15-Bob  Arianna Muoneke, OH, HJV 15 Elite Gwenyth Koss, OH, HJV 15 Elite Mya Cheatum, OH, Austin Juniors 15 Adidas Henley Anderson, OH, AP 15 Adidas Malia Miller, OH, Integrity 15 Intense Blue  Sophee Peterson, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Vanessa Glenn, OH, Madfrog 14 Green Kaylie Davis, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Lexi Martin, OH, Drive Nation 14 Red Jordan Morrow, OH Houston Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo, S/Opp, Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu, OH, Austin Skyline 14 Royal

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18s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

When the 18s broke off on their own it drastically changed the qualifying schedule. Whereas the younger age groups have a build up with preseason tournaments like Central Zones and Triple Crown there is no such luxury with the oldest age division. When it comes to the 18s, we just all dive into qualifying season right out of the gate. The 18s hopes of qualifying for one of the 48 Open spots later this season in Columbus starts this weekend with two events. One is the Windy City Qualifier in Chicago. The other is the KC MLK Tournament in Kansas City. With those events kicking off the qualifying for the 18s, we also get going with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We’ll see how much the list changes in our next update, after teams have hit the road and accumulated results from their travels. For now, we present the Top 50 based on how we see these teams stacking up at the starting gate. 18s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Coast 18-Ozhan (CA) 2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold (IL) 3. Wave 18 Juliana (CA) 4. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (NE) 5. Drive Nation 18 Red (TX) 6. A5 18-Marc (GA) 7. AZ Rev 18 Premier (AZ) 8. OT 18 John (FL) 9. Metro 18 Travel (DC) 10. Sunshine 18 LA (CA) *** 11. MAVS KC 18-1 (KS) 12. MN Select 18-1 (MN) 13. Madfrog 18 Green (TX) 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed (UT) 15. Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) 16. Circle City 18 Purple (IN) 17. HJV 18 Elite (TX) 18. AJV 18 Adidas (TX) 19. Alamo 18 Premier (TX) 20. TAV 18 Black (TX) *** 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (CA) 22. KiVA 18 Red (KY) 23. Hou Skyline 18 Royal (TX) 24. MKE Sting 18 Gold (WI) 25. Skyline 18 Royal (TX) 26. Legacy 18-1 Adidas (MI) 27. AVC Cle Rox 18 Red (OH) 28. Ku’Ikahi 18 Wahine (HI) 29. Michigan Elite 18 Mizuno (MI) 30. NPJ 18 Forefront (OR) *** 31. Dynasty 18 Black (KS) 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder (AZ) 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (MO) 34. Elevation 18 Spinney (OH) 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 (OH) 36. FC Elite 18 Elite (WI) 37. Rev 18-1 Avengers (IN) 38. Absolute 18 Black (CA) 39. Excel 18 National Red (TX) 40. KC Power 18-1 (KS) *** 41. Co Jrs 18 Doug (CO) 42. Topeka Impact 18-1 (KS) 43. Paramount VBC 18s (VA) 44. ID Crush 18 Bower (ID) 45. Northern Lights 18-1 (MN) 46. Triangle 18 Black (NC) 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black (FL) 48. AVA TX 18 Adidas (TX) 49. Union 18-1 UA (KY) 50. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami (KY)

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Club: 15s Preseason All-Americans

Moving down the age groups it’s time for the 15s Preseason All-Americans! We began with the 18s, which you can find here. We followed that with the 17s and then 16s. Below, you can see the 22 players selected as 15s Preseason All-Americans. OH – Finley Krystkowiak Wave 15 Brennan OH – Gabi Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH – Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas OH – Layla Austin Skyline 15 Royal OH – Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 OH – Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB – Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal MB – Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB – Bennett Raterman HPSTL 15 Royal MB – Margaret Czajka MKE Sting 15 Gold RS – Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS – Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black S/RS – Rayna Christianson Northern Lights 15-1 S/RS – Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal   S/RS – Eva Swenson MN Select 15-1 S – Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S – Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S – Genevieve Harris NC Academy 15 Diamond L – Gabi Rodriguez Madfrog 15 Green L – Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 L – Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L – Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas

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Club: 16s Preseason All-Americans

We ended last week with the start of our 2023 Club Preseason All-Americans. You can find the 18s division here and the 17s division here. Up next are the 16s and the 22 players named Preseason All-Americans. OH – Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red OH – Teraya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder OH – Megan Fitch Alamo 16 Premier OH – Bailey Warren Hou Skyline 16 Royal OH – Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends OH – Kelly Kinney Tribe 16 Elite MB – Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Drive Nation 16 Red MB – Bayleigh Minor Hou Skyline 16 Royal MB – Kalyssa Blackshear Surfside 16 PV Legends MB – Jordan Taylor HJV 16 Elite RS – Carly Gilk MN Select 16-1 RS – Mesaiya Bettis Northern Lights 16-1 RS – Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal S/RS – Logan Parks MAVS KC 16-1 S/RS – Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle Rox 16 Red S – Campbell Flynn Legacy 16 Adidas S – Kassidy O’Brien Hou Skyline 16 Royal S – Charlotte Glass Tribe 16 Elite L – Addison Applegate Munciana 16 Blaze L – Izzy Mahaffey Arizona Storm 16 Elite L – Francesca Popescu A5 16 Gabe L – Callie Krueger Austin Skyline 16 Royal

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SCVA Power League Show Stoppers

With Christmas and New Year’s in the rearview, the first weekend of 2023 meant one thing. Volleyball action! One of the many events taking place was the SCVA Power League Event 1 for the 16 and 18s age groups. That’s where I spent the weekend, splitting time between CLAVA and Momentous. Below, you can find the Show Stoppers from the weekend. Kayden Croy OH Rancho Valley 18 Premier – Rancho Valley had an uphill climb facing the other top teams in the SCVA 18s Power League this weekend but Croy was a bright spot with her play. She showed off a solid arm, hitting with pace and placement. She also was staying aggressive going against bigger blocks. AnnaMaria Ramos OH Vegas Aces 18 UA – Ramos, who is headed to Air Force, is a workhorse on the left for Vegas Aces. She’s a six-rotation player and a key contributor. Even against bigger and better teams, she was able to score with consistency. She has a nice arm with a loose swing. Sarah Wilson OH Temecula 18 Viper – Wilson is fearless on the attack. Temecula doesn’t have the punch of say a Wave or Coast but Wilson doesn’t back down from the challenge. She has a lively arm and isn’t afraid to let it loose and challenge blockers. Ellie Nichols RS Temecula 18 Viper – At 6-1, Nichols is a presence across the front row. She has a physical aspect to her on both sides of the ball. She can take up space on the right side and can make it tough on attackers to find space. She also hits a heavy ball and is someone who can add to the offense when she’s in. Tate Drageset OH Actyve 18 Black – We caught Drageset leading Buckley to the CA Div. 3 state runner up this past fall. Suiting up for Actyve, not much has changed except the uniform. Drageset has a slight frame that defies expectations when she goes on the attack. Don’t be fooled, she can rip it. She’s the main offensive weapon for Actyve and she’s a threat both front and back row. Carly Greskovics L Actyve 18 Black – Greskovics, a Michigan recruit, comes over from Sunshine. She’s used to playing at a high-level in club and she was solid in the back for Actyve when we caught her. Actyve is not a big team by 18s standards and Greskovics adds a ball-control presence to help keep Actyve in system. Nikki Hughes RS Actyve 18 Black – A 6-0 lefty right side, Hughes joined Actyve after playing for SG Elite last season. She’s committed to UC Riverside and she was showing what she can do at the next level during Saturday’s action. Hughes has a nice arm and she can definitely score in system. She seems to have a good court sense and knack for finding the open space. Sydney Bold L Coast 18 Ozhan – Coast finished two days of play undefeated, coming out on top of the 18s. One of the big strengths of this team is its physicality but it’s backed by great defensive play, with Bold – a 3-star Princeton recruit – leading the charge. Bold is business-like at the position. She gets the job done with steady, consistent play. Claire Little OH Coast 18 Ozhan – Little gives Coast its big arm on the left that top 18s teams need. Her play Saturday was representative of what we’ve come to appreciate about her game. The 4-star BYU recruit  is a competitor but will show her lighter side on the court at times, releasing a sly smile or laugh. She’s a threat no matter where she is and just being on the court she opens up the dynamic of the Coast attack. Tanon Rosenthal S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Rosenthal is a new member of Beach’s roster this season, having come from Texas and playing at Mira Costa for high school. She’s a natural fit on this team with her ability to both set and hit. Rosenthal, who is committed to Arizona for beach, is also a player who doesn’t draw a lot of attention to herself, just going about her play without much fanfare but Beach wouldn’t have had the weekend it did without her. Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – We’ve been writing this about Blagojevich – a 4-star Oklahoma recruit – for years. Her power always stands out, whether she’s going for a kill or ripping a jump serve. She hits the ball hard! She’s also a heady player who sees the court well and understands the game at a high level. Olivia Babcock OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA – Babcock was used a lot in serve receive as the Sunshine staff continues to develop Babcock’s all-around game. One thing remains the same though and that’s the 5-star Pitt recruit’s ability to simply score. She’s long and lengthy and she gets up. She’s able to attack at angles that others aren’t and it puts extra stress on the defense to try and cover it all. Ava-Marie Lange OH Sunshine 18 LA – A 4-star Harvard recruit, we loved the way Lange was playing. There’s no doubt that Babcock and Torrey Stafford carry much of the offense for Sunshine. But Lange – who was part of Sunshine’s 18 Open gold medal roster last spring – is a capable scorer who can help take a load off of those two. She put away a couple of really big swings. She could play a key role filling in on both the left and right. Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana – Payne was a force at the net. The 4-star Colorado recruit was very active across the front row. Her blocking was disruptive as she covered pin-to-pin. She also made spectators take note offensively. One thing Wave does well is run the slide and Payne can certainly connect on it. Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana –

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17s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

The annual game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey continues on with the release of our initial 17s Top 50 National Rankings. The first set of rankings are obviously going to change radically throughout the season. Identifying the top teams doesn’t take much, but filling out a Top 50 list certainly does. Even with identifying the top teams an easier process than completing the list is, that doesn’t always matter. Take what already happened with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We placed Coast 18 Ozhan as the No. 1 team in the country. Coast took bronze in 17 Open and while other top 18s teams lost players, Coast actually added to its roster from last year. That made enough sense to place Coast at No. 1. Of course, Coast went 5-3 at the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago and didn’t earn one of the three Open bids (those went to Sunshine 18 LA, Wave 18 Juliana and Mintonette Sports m.81). That’s just something to keep in mind as you go down the 17s Top 50. vballrecruiter.com’s 17s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Dynasty 17 Black (KS) 2. TAV 17 Black (TX) 3. A5 17 Jing (GA) 4. 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) 5. Co Jrs 17 Kevin (CO) 6. Triangle 17 Black (NC) 7. HJV 17 Elite (TX) 8. Wave 17 Juliana (CA) 9. Hou Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 10. Metro 17 Travel (DC) *** 11. Premier Nebraska 17 Gold (NE) 12. NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) 13. Drive Nation 17 Red (TX) 14. Vision 17 Gold (CA) 15. Coast 17 Rodrigo (CA) 16. Circle City 17 Purple (IN) 17. SG Elite 17 Rosh (CA) 18. Tri-State Elite 17 Blue (OH) 19. Madfrog 17 Green (TX) 20. OT 17 O Felix (FL) *** 21. Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) 22. KC Power 17-1 (KS) 23. Skyline 17 Royal (TX) 24. Arizona Storm 17 Thunder (AZ) 25. AJV 17 Adidas (TX) 26. AVC Cle Red 17 Rox (OH) 27. Club V 17 (UT) 28. OT 17 T Aaron (FL) 29. Momentous 17 Dan (CA) 30. Top Select 17 Elite (FL) *** 31. Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) 32. MAVS KC 17-1 (KS) 33. HPSTL 17 Royal (MO) 34. Alamo 17 Premier (TX) 35. NORCO 17 Black (CO) 36. Northern Lights 17-1 (MN) 37. Rev 17 Raptors (IN) 38. City 17 Gold (CA) 39. Shockwave 17 Black (KS) 40. MKE Sting 17 Gold (WI) *** 41. Absolute 17 Black (CA) 42. Adidas KiVA 17 Red (KY) 43. Mintonette Sports m.71 (OH) 44. Miami Hype 17 Emilio (FL) 45. Team Pineapple 17 Black (IN) 46. VCNebraska 17 Elite (NE) 47. Academy 17 Tsunami (IN) 48. Pohaku 17-1 (KS) 49. Boiler Jrs 17 Gold (IN) 50. Rock City 17-1 (OH)

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JVA Rock’N Rumble Show Stoppers

It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days. DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways. Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack. Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along. Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor. Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively. Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect. Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing. Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role. Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend. Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back. Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC. Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space. Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack. Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack. Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive. Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well. Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to

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Rock’N Rumble: Pitt Elite Surprises And More

With the seedings tossed in the air on a wild Day 1, who knew what the conclusion of 17 Open was going to look like as the JVA Rock’N Rumble wrapped up in Cleveland on Sunday? As for 16 Open, a mild Day 1 quickly gave way to a big upset to open Day 2. A couple of thoughts I walked away from Saturday with was Metro 16 Travel was a true No. 1 seed in 16 Open and should be able to hold it all the way through. Another centered around Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Despite being the No. 15 seed overall, Pitt Elite looked like a dark horse or sleeper team which could rise up and surprise. As the draw happened to break in 16 Open, it was Metro and Pitt Elite matched up against each other in one of the eight challenge matches Sunday morning, with the winner getting a spot in the gold bracket quarterfinals. Something had to give though, either Metro knocking out a potential sleeper or Pitt Elite delivering the upset and looking to keep it rolling. After a true thriller with Pitt Elite escaping, 21-25, 25-17, 23-21, we had part of our answer. Now, could Pitt Elite finish the deal? Pitt kept it going by downing Defensa 16 Purple, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10, and Southwest 16 Ashley, 27-25, 25-18, to reach the final, where another surprise team was waiting in AVC Cle 16 White. AVC opened as the No. 12 overall seed, going 2-1 on Day 1 with a loss to Pakmen 16U Gold. Yet, AVC got hot on Day 2 and was playing very well, taking out Rock City 16-1 in challenge play then upsetting both EliteVBTC 16 Black, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8, and OPVC 16 Robinson, 28-26, 25-19, to set up the unexpected clash for the title. It was Pitt Elite hoisting the trophy after outlasting AVC in three, 25-16, 22-25, 15-11. Last year, Pitt Elite took 33rd in 15 National in Indy and with most everyone back will look to jump up the charts this season. Winning Rock’N Rumble is a great start, especially beating an Open hopeful like Metro on the way to the championship. In 17 Open, it was No. 6 overall seed Rock City 17-1 sweeping its way to the championship, including taking down HRVC Hurricanes 17, 25-13, 25-22, in the final. Rock City scored a solid victory in the semifinals, sweeping original top seed Legacy 17-1 Adidas in the semifinals. Legacy was upset by AVC Cle 17 White on Day 1, part of an afternoon full of them. However, AVC was unable to make it past Sunday morning’s challenge bracket, falling to Maverick 17 Elite, 25-22, 25-21. Meanwhile, Legacy fended off EliteVBTC 17 Black, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12, while Rock City swept NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, 25-20, 25-15, as both advanced. In 18 Open, Pakmen 18 Gold swept EliteVBTC 18 Black, 26-24, 29-27, in the championship match. Pakmen went 6-0 on the weekend. CVC 18 Black and Premier Academy 18 Onitsuka finished tied for third. We’ll have our tournament Show Stoppers from Rock’N Rumble out this week as well, so check back for that.

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Commitment & Signings Week of Jan 7-Jan 12

Congrats to all! Corrections? Questions? Additions? Email christi@vballrecruiter.com or DM on Social Media @vballphil   2023 KANSAS STATE: OH Lauren Schneider (Skyline) IOWA STATE: OH/MB Reaghan Larkin (Alliance VBC) OLIVET NAZARENE: OH Kennedy Kiger (The Academy VBC) LOYOLA CHICAGO: L Jordan Bruckner (Shockwave VBA) TEMPLE: OH Christiana Greene (A5) EASTERN KENTUCKY: Opp Gabriella Armitage (Gamepoint) OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY: DS Kenzie Schellenberger (AVC Cleveland) CASTLETON: DS Grace Mosco (Olympic Premier) CASTLETON: MB Kaitlyn Chapman (603 United) ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE: OH Leilani (Spike and Serve) WILLIAM CAREY: OH/DS Rachel Stegall (Infinity VBA) COLLEGE OF ST ROSE: Opp/S Taylor Grady (Xtreme VBA) WHEATON COLLEGE: Opp Paris Griffin (Vision) WHEATON COLLEGE: MB Sadie Orange (Illinois Performance) ELMIRA COLLEGE: L Myia Murphy (Sportime VBC) MONTCLAIR STATE: S Gianna Cefalu (Coast) POINT LOMA: MB Kate Sullivan (Rancho Valley) HOPE INTERNATIONAL: MB Milan Nimeh HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY: S Lauren Ross MILLIGAN UNIVERSITY: OH/MB Addison Varney (Phoenix Rising VBC) YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE: OH/MB Mckenna Steiner (Hive Volleyball) IOWA WESLEYAN: OH Reece Toner NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: Cadence Goebel (The Arena Club) NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE: MB Ella Peterson (The Arena Club) YOUNG HARRIS: Opp Faith Kelly (Jacksonville Juniors) MILLSAPS COLLEGE: S Caroline Russo (Krewe of Maggie) WHEATON COLLEGE MA: MB Kirsten Reeley (Oviedo VBA) SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: OH Joy Aburto (Elevation CO) SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: S Ellison Spencer (Puyallup Juniors) UTICA UNIVERSITY: OH Naima Walsh (Downstate Juniors) UTICA UNIVERSITY: Katie Mattes (Saratoga VBC) BRESCIA: S Amanda Monk WHATCOM CC: S Sydney Walker (Apex NW) ST FRANCIS UNIVERSITY: MB Laney Wilson (Renaissance VBC) QUINCY: L Lilly Marth (JNVBC) NORTHWESTEN OHIO: OH/Opp Kearstyn Maxon-Honaker SALISBURY: S Julie Altieri (Triangle) GEORGETOWN COLLEGE: MB Giara Ferrari (Central Jersey VBA) MINNESOTA STATE COMMUNITY AND TECH: S Cassie Dahl ARIZONA: MB Journey Tucker (Spiral) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: OH/MB Eileen Sadati (A4) REGIS COLLEGE: Opp Lily DiRico (Mill City) CAL LUTHERAN: Opp Gianna Bava (Rage VBC) PRATT CC: MB Katy Beeman (Air Capital Aces) WAYLAND BAPTIST: OH/Opp Sloane Light WAYLAND BAPTIST: S Kaitlyn Gunn (NM Cactus) COWLEY COLLEGE: DS/OH Kara Martin COWLEY COLLEGE: MB Val Luna (Fight Club BUENA VISTA COLLEGE: Opp/OH Eternity Haaf (Arena VBC) STONEHILL COLLEGE: MB Abby Farrell (Mass Impact) LIFE UNIVERSITY: Opp Victoria Davenport (A5 Gwinnett) SEMINOLE STATE: L Jaylee Morrison BETHEL UNIVERSITY: S Peyton Howie (MN Select) HOPE COLLEGE: MB Kam Burbridge (Michigan VBA) NEBRASKA KEARNEY: S Allison Davis (VCNebraska) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: Celestine Hayes AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: OH Jasmin Silva (Delta Valley) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: MB Adrienne Vite AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: OH/DS Cady Hatch (SynergyForce) AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE: S Sofia MacPherson TRINITY VALLEY CC: MB Emma Bednarek UT TYLER: S Lauren Greene (TAV Houston) DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY IL: MB Kathryn Ksiezak (Ultimate VBC) ALBRIGHT COLLEGE: S Ryenn Mamrosch (Highline VBC) ILLINOIS WESLEYAN: L Olivia DeGuzman (Milwaukee Sting) VILLANOVA: MB Sophia Stalcup (Mizuno Long Beach) AURORA UNIVERSITY: L Lyndsey Austin (Chicago Elite) FROSTBURG STATE: OH Alyssa Stanton (Mill City) HOLY FAMILY: L Keira Rogan (Princeton VBC) NEBRASKA WESLEYAN: OH Molly Ramirez (Platform Elite)   2024 COASTAL CAROLINA: S/Opp Aisha Keric (Florida Gulfside) RUTGERS: L Alleigh Dutton (Circle City) COLUMBIA: MB Charlotte Gravlee (Gainesville Juniors) GEORGETOWN: L Avery Baughman (Drive Nation) NORTH ALABAMA: MB Amelia Keating (MidTN) JAMESTOWN: S Ava Bertsch (Northern Lights) BRYANT: OH Katelyn Rossini (Sky High) TCU: MB Bryn Shankle (Mizuno Long Beach)   TRANSFERS SMU: TR L Brooke Frazier (Texas A&M/Houston Skyline) KENT STATE: TR S Kendall White (Liberty/Elite Training Center) PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: TR Opp Kayla Craft (Southern Utah/805 Elite) RUTGERS: TR MB/Opp Rikki Williams (Penn State/Houston Juniors) UCLA: TR OH Carly Hendrickson (Florida/Elevation) CLEMSON: TR S Katie Hurta (Penn State/Adversity) UT EL PASO: TR OH Deanna Almaguer (Pima CC/Diamondback VBC) FORT LEWIS COLLEGE: TR OH/DS Chloe Ruhl (UC Riverside/Rocky Select) HOPE COLLEGE: TR OH Addie VanderWeide (Iowa/Michigan VBA) ALABAMA: TR L Francesca Bertucci (Northern Illinois/Adversity) SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE: TR S Gabi Theut (Coppin State/Coastal Bend College) CENTRAL MICHIGAN: TR MB Abby Olin (Michigan State/Inside Out) CENTRAL MICHIGAN: TR L Alina Anderson (Ferris State/Michigan VBA) GRAND VALLEY STATE: GR S Madison Gates (Purdue Fort Wayne) GRAND VALLEY STATE: TR MB Elena Vaara (Muskegon CC/Trinity Christian College/Team Angle) GRAND VALLEY STATE: TR OH/Opp Jaden Rice (Rutgers/Legacy) PAUL QUINN COLLEGE: TR OH LaTaysha Morgan (Mountain View College/360) MEDAILLE UNIVERSITY: TR OH Natalie Perl (Genesee CC) FLORIDA STATE: TR MB Kiari Robey (Oregon/Atlanta Performance) TENNESSEE: GR L Yelianiz Torres (Bowling Green State) MISSISSIPPI STATE: TR Opp Amina Shackelford (Butler/OTVA Orlando) TULSA: TR OH Beth Bayless (Oklahoma/Oklahoma Peak) NORTH ALABAMA: TR Opp Brenna Tietz (West Virginia) CHARLESTON SOUTHERN: TR OH Emmy Rollins (South Carolina/SC Midlands) TARLETON STATE: TR OH/Opp Rylie Morrison (Evangel University/AZ Sky) TARLETON STATE: GR OH Rajini Fitzmaurce (Liberty/Top Select) VALPARAISO: TR MB/Opp Maddie Moan (Milwaukee/Sky High) RICE: TR MB Kaitlyn Knobbe (SMU/Nebraska Elite) TCU: TR OH Melanie Parra (Texas) FLORIDA GULF COAST: GR S Lily Tessier (FSU/Iowa/USA South) FAYETTEVILLE STATE: TR MB Sariah Sumpter (Coffeyville CC) WEBER STATE: TR OH Mia Peterson (New Mexico State) RHODE ISLAND: GR OH Maddie Norris (North Florida Beach/Smash) FRANCIS MARION: TR L Hadley Prince (Chowan University/Timberlake Volleyball Club) WAYLAND BAPTIST: TR OH Selma Sutaj (Trinity Valley CC) PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE: TR OH Hannah Rowe (Albany) AUBURN: TR MB Bella Bell (Kentucky/Team MVP) UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & ARTS: TR Opp Mya Williams (Seminole State) TREVECCA NAZARENE: TR OH Elizabeth Wells (Terra State CC) MEMPHIS: TR MB/Opp Clara Bednarek (Georgia State/Aspire) UT SAN ANTONIO: TR Opp Mia Soerensen (Kent State/Club Ashtabula) SMU: TR Opp Anllelivis Fernandez (State of Florida College/Miami Dade College) SMU: TR OH Naya Shime (Wyoming) IDAHO STATE: TR OH/Opp Sophia Anderson (Utah State Eastern) IDAHO STATE: TR S Lauren Mena (Utah Tech/Seal Beach) SETON HALL: TR L Hadlee Ackerman (Furman/A5) VIRGINIA: TR L Saskia Hernandez (NC State/Miami Elite) ARKANSAS: TR MB Sania Petties (Mississippi State/Houston Skyline) EAST CAROLINA: TR Francesca McBride (Mississippi State/Michigan Elite) TENNESSEE MARTIN: TR OH/OPP Jenna Vallée (Indian Hills CC) TENNESSEE MARTIN: TR OH Halle Everett (ParklandCC/Memphis/HPSTL) WEST VIRGINIA: TR OH/OPP Hailey Green (Denver/Elevation) UTAH TECH: TR OH/Opp Patricia Tua’one (Snow College/Club 801) WRIGHT STATE: TR L Jennifer Wessling (High Point/KIVA) MISSISSIPPI STATE: TR OH

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Rock’N Rumble: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

Two-day tournaments come and go so fast! By the time the first day is over we are already in championship mode by the start of Day 2. That’s the case at the JVA Rock’N Rumble in Cleveland, where part of the vballrecruiter.com team is this weekend to witness the action on the chilly shores of Lake Erie. The big headline from Saturday came from 17 Open, where AVC Cle 17 White upset top-seeded Legacy 17-1 Adidas in three, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7, to win Pool 1 and take over the top spot. Right behind was EliteVBTC 17 Black. As the No. 3 team in Pool 2, Elite upset No. 2 overall seed Maverick 17 Elite, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16, to move up as well. In fact, it was a trend on Day 1 in 17 Open. Rock City 17-1 was the only No. 1 team out of six pools to win its pool. Rock City went 3-0 to hold seed. But in Pool 3, No. 2 VolleyFX 17 Rapture took first and No. 3 Legacy 16-1 Adidas – playing up – grabbed second as both advanced to Sunday morning’s challenge matches for a spot in the gold bracket. The madness continued in Pool 4 as OPVC 17 Day, Summit 17 Blue Elite and HRVC Hurricanes all finished 2-1. However, OPVC – the No. 1 team in the pool – took third based on tiebreakers as HRVC finished first and Summit second. As for Pool 5, it was Preds 17U Strive, the No. 2 team, and NOVA Jrs 17 Navy, the No. 4 team, finishing 1-2 and advancing. The chaos was mainly reserved for 17 Open, as 16 Open was much calmer. L2 16-1 was the only No. 1 team not to advance after finishing in a three-way tie at 2-1 with Defensa 16 Purple and Nexus United 16 Gold. In Pool 3, the No. 1 team in Southwest 16 Ashley went 2-1 and finished second behind 3-0 EliteVBTC 16 Black, the No. 2 team, but still advanced. Before getting to the Day 1 Show Stoppers, let’s shine the light on a few contenders. METRO 16 TRAVEL: After taking fifth in 15 American last summer one goal of this Metro group this year is to qualify into Open. I’m curious if Metro can make it happen and it’s something to follow as qualifying season plays out. Metro definitely looks improved from a year ago. One key piece is Isabelle Bardin. She’s a stalwart on the court, setting in the back and hitting across the front. Metro was using Ryan Hicks to set in the back row when Bardin came across the front. Metro is plenty offensive with Jada Aksu on the right when she’s front row and Bardin setting back row. Aksu gets up quickly and can really rip it. Another area of strength comes on the outside with Madison Smith and Leni Stanton-Parker. Stanton-Parker is new to the roster this year and certainly adds more firepower with her lively arm and ability to blast balls down. Smith is a hard-hitter as well, bringing some physicality to the attack with it. In the middle it was Kristen Moore and Caitlin Johnson holding it down while Evie Huang was steady at libero. Metro, the top seed in 16 Open, had a light day Saturday, going 2-0 in a three-team pool where they played three sets no matter what. Metro went 5-1 in sets, sweeping Dead Frog 16 Black and going 2-1 against HRVC Hurricanes. OPVC 16 ROBINSON: Seeded No. 2 behind Metro, OPVC wrapped up its day going 3-0 overall and 6-1 in sets as OPVC needed three to down Pitt Elite 16 Elite. I’m not sure OPVC can crack Open this spring but I can see this team having a high finish in National or USA. There are definitely pieces to work with. Two of the best are on the left in 6-2 Kaylie McIntosh and 5-10 Mariah Gaines. McIntosh is tall with a solid arm. Gaines has a good arm too and hits with power. They are nice 1-2 punch on the outside. Zari Gillispie adds excitement across the front row as a middle. She’s springy and quick. Another option in the middle is 6-1 Reagan Waller. Tori Cravens was setting and hitting while Lilliana Gentes was setting in the back row. PITT ELITE 16 ELITE: While Metro and OPVC looked appropriately seeded and are favorites to meet for gold on Sunday, how about a sleeper team? Why not Pitt Elite? The group took OPVC to three sets in the 1 v 2 contest to end Pool 2 Saturday, dropping the third 15-10. Helping Pitt Elite challenge OPVC for first in the pool was the duo of Natalie Carr (2026) and Ella Koziara on the outside, as well as Isabelle Hoppe (2026) setting and Cassidy Trahan defending at libero. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently. Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies. Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry. Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch. Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation. Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active

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Tour of Texas Off To Electric Start

The 2023 Tour of Texas Austin Stop DEFINITELY started the year with a BANG. This year A5, Premier Nebraska, and Oklahoma Charge added an interesting twists to an already strong tournament series. Let’s start this off with a bang. The 17 Invitational pools featured A5 17 Jing, Drive Nation 17 Red, TAV 17 Black and AJV 17 Adidas in the same pool. AND the first matchup of the day happened to be TAV facing A5. Someone might want to chime in with ‘IT’S JANUARY,’ but that being said TAV defeated A5 in three. There was tons of big blocks, loaded swings and amazing ups happening on both sides. In other 17s action Houston Skyline 17 Royal and HJV 17 Elite went 3-0 in their power pools.  In 16 Invitational pools the day started off with another great match with HJV 16 Elite squaring off against Austin Skyline 16 Royal. HJV features a great group of athletes which includes 5-star recruit Jordan Taylor, 4-star recruit Sydney Bryant, 4-star recruit Aaliyah Smith. Austin Skyline returns a great group of athletes that includes 4-star recruit Callie Krueger, 4-star recruit Addison Gaido and 4-star recruit Lily Dee Davis. HJV ended up winning the match in three. By the end of the pool HJV swept their pool 3-0. In other 16s action Drive Nation 16 Red swept their pool 3-0 while Madfrog 16 Green ended up winning their pool after the three-way tie. Excel 16 National Red ended up second while Skyline 16 Royal ended up third.  In 15 Invitational the first pool was a slugfest with Houston Skyline 15 Royal coming out as the top seed. Skyline 15 Royal and HJV 15 Elite captured the other pools 3-0. Lots of great new names emerged from this group of athletes. Loads of high-flying hitters in this age with Austin Performance outside Henley Anderson, Houston Skyline outside Halle Thompson, Skyline outside Layla Austin and Madfrog outside Kennedy Crayton leading the way.  In 14 Invitational, TAV 14 Black, Skyline 14 Royal and Austin Skyline 14 Royal all swept their pools respectively. There is lots of size, athleticism and talent in this division.  Fun Fact: Two of the vballrecruiter.com HS Player of the Year athletes were swinging with ferocity in the gym in 2025 OH/Opp Macaria Spears and 2026 OH Henley Anderson as they helped lead their teams. Sometimes it’s all about matchups and Sunday is a new day. Anyone else excited to see how this weekend ends up?!?  Day 1 Standouts Macaria Spears, OH/Opp, TAV 17 Black Gillian Pitts, L, TAV 17 Black Ayden Ames, MB,  Drive Nation 17 Red Savannah Skopal, S, Austin Juniors 17 Adidas  Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 17 Jing Gabriela Cornier, L, A5 17 Jing Akunna Cos-Okpalla, L, Madfrog 17 Green  Jaela Auguste, MB, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Kirra Musgrove, S/Opp, Houston Skyline 17 Royal Alice Volpe, L, HJV 17 Elite Suli Davis, OH, Drive Nation 16 Red Sarah Mendoza, L Drive Nation 16 Red Taylor Porter, OH/Opp, Houston Skyline 16 Royal Sydnee Peterson, OH/Opp, TAV 16 Black Jordan Taylor, MB, HJV 16 Elite Aaliyah Smith, OH, HJV 16 Elite Megan Fitch, OH, Alamo 16 Premier Callie Krueger, L, Austin Skyline 16 Royal Halle Thompson, OH, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Lacy Tinnell, MB, Houston Skyline 15 Royal Kennedy Crayton, OH, Madfrog 15 Green Gabriella Rodriquez, L, Madfrog 15 Green Skylar Jackson, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Layla Austin, OH, Skyline 15  Royal Riley Malloy, OH, Austin Skyline 15 Royal Karsen O’Keefe, OH, Drive Nation 15 Red Ryan Sadler, OH, A5 15-Bob  Arianna Muoneke, OH, HJV 15 Elite Gwenyth Koss, OH, HJV 15 Elite Mya Cheatum, OH, Austin Juniors 15 Adidas Henley Anderson, OH, AP 15 Adidas Malia Miller, OH, Integrity 15 Intense Blue  Sophee Peterson, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Brynn Stephens, S/OH, TAV 14 Black Vanessa Glenn, OH, Madfrog 14 Green Kaylie Davis, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Kate Cuppett, OH, Skyline 14 Royal Lexi Martin, OH, Drive Nation 14 Red Jordan Morrow, OH Houston Skyline 14 Royal Nafanua Alofipo, S/Opp, Austin Skyline 14 Royal Lucky Fasavalu, OH, Austin Skyline 14 Royal

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18s: Initial Top 50 National Rankings

When the 18s broke off on their own it drastically changed the qualifying schedule. Whereas the younger age groups have a build up with preseason tournaments like Central Zones and Triple Crown there is no such luxury with the oldest age division. When it comes to the 18s, we just all dive into qualifying season right out of the gate. The 18s hopes of qualifying for one of the 48 Open spots later this season in Columbus starts this weekend with two events. One is the Windy City Qualifier in Chicago. The other is the KC MLK Tournament in Kansas City. With those events kicking off the qualifying for the 18s, we also get going with our initial 18s Top 50 National Rankings. We’ll see how much the list changes in our next update, after teams have hit the road and accumulated results from their travels. For now, we present the Top 50 based on how we see these teams stacking up at the starting gate. 18s Top 50 National Rankings 1. Coast 18-Ozhan (CA) 2. 1st Alliance 18 Gold (IL) 3. Wave 18 Juliana (CA) 4. Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (NE) 5. Drive Nation 18 Red (TX) 6. A5 18-Marc (GA) 7. AZ Rev 18 Premier (AZ) 8. OT 18 John (FL) 9. Metro 18 Travel (DC) 10. Sunshine 18 LA (CA) *** 11. MAVS KC 18-1 (KS) 12. MN Select 18-1 (MN) 13. Madfrog 18 Green (TX) 14. Club V 18 Ren Reed (UT) 15. Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) 16. Circle City 18 Purple (IN) 17. HJV 18 Elite (TX) 18. AJV 18 Adidas (TX) 19. Alamo 18 Premier (TX) 20. TAV 18 Black (TX) *** 21. Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (CA) 22. KiVA 18 Red (KY) 23. Hou Skyline 18 Royal (TX) 24. MKE Sting 18 Gold (WI) 25. Skyline 18 Royal (TX) 26. Legacy 18-1 Adidas (MI) 27. AVC Cle Rox 18 Red (OH) 28. Ku’Ikahi 18 Wahine (HI) 29. Michigan Elite 18 Mizuno (MI) 30. NPJ 18 Forefront (OR) *** 31. Dynasty 18 Black (KS) 32. Arizona Storm 18 Thunder (AZ) 33. Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite (MO) 34. Elevation 18 Spinney (OH) 35. Mintonette Sports m.81 (OH) 36. FC Elite 18 Elite (WI) 37. Rev 18-1 Avengers (IN) 38. Absolute 18 Black (CA) 39. Excel 18 National Red (TX) 40. KC Power 18-1 (KS) *** 41. Co Jrs 18 Doug (CO) 42. Topeka Impact 18-1 (KS) 43. Paramount VBC 18s (VA) 44. ID Crush 18 Bower (ID) 45. Northern Lights 18-1 (MN) 46. Triangle 18 Black (NC) 47. Gainesville Jrs 18 Black (FL) 48. AVA TX 18 Adidas (TX) 49. Union 18-1 UA (KY) 50. NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami (KY)

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Club: 15s Preseason All-Americans

Moving down the age groups it’s time for the 15s Preseason All-Americans! We began with the 18s, which you can find here. We followed that with the 17s and then 16s. Below, you can see the 22 players selected as 15s Preseason All-Americans. OH – Finley Krystkowiak Wave 15 Brennan OH – Gabi Divita Legacy 15-1 Adidas OH – Henley Anderson AP 15 Adidas OH – Layla Austin Skyline 15 Royal OH – Layla Hoying Mintonette Sports m.51 OH – Cali Foster Boiler Jrs 15 Gold MB – Keoni Williams Skyline 15 Royal MB – Kayla Nwabueze Legacy 15-1 Adidas MB – Bennett Raterman HPSTL 15 Royal MB – Margaret Czajka MKE Sting 15 Gold RS – Caroline Ward Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S/RS – Danielle Whitmire TAV 15 Black S/RS – Rayna Christianson Northern Lights 15-1 S/RS – Sydney Lund Austin Skyline 15 Royal   S/RS – Eva Swenson MN Select 15-1 S – Lexi Shondell Boiler Jrs 15 Gold S – Mallory Matheny Mintonette Sports m.51 S – Genevieve Harris NC Academy 15 Diamond L – Gabi Rodriguez Madfrog 15 Green L – Emma Cugino Mintonette Sports m.51 L – Ellie Hepler Boiler Jrs 15 Gold L – Meredith Martin Legacy 15-1 Adidas

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Club: 16s Preseason All-Americans

We ended last week with the start of our 2023 Club Preseason All-Americans. You can find the 18s division here and the 17s division here. Up next are the 16s and the 22 players named Preseason All-Americans. OH – Suli Davis Drive Nation 16 Red OH – Teraya Sigler Arizona Storm 16 Thunder OH – Megan Fitch Alamo 16 Premier OH – Bailey Warren Hou Skyline 16 Royal OH – Kaci Demaria Surfside 16 PV Legends OH – Kelly Kinney Tribe 16 Elite MB – Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Drive Nation 16 Red MB – Bayleigh Minor Hou Skyline 16 Royal MB – Kalyssa Blackshear Surfside 16 PV Legends MB – Jordan Taylor HJV 16 Elite RS – Carly Gilk MN Select 16-1 RS – Mesaiya Bettis Northern Lights 16-1 RS – Addison Gaido Austin Skyline 16 Royal S/RS – Logan Parks MAVS KC 16-1 S/RS – Annabelle Groomes AVC Cle Rox 16 Red S – Campbell Flynn Legacy 16 Adidas S – Kassidy O’Brien Hou Skyline 16 Royal S – Charlotte Glass Tribe 16 Elite L – Addison Applegate Munciana 16 Blaze L – Izzy Mahaffey Arizona Storm 16 Elite L – Francesca Popescu A5 16 Gabe L – Callie Krueger Austin Skyline 16 Royal

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SCVA Power League Show Stoppers

With Christmas and New Year’s in the rearview, the first weekend of 2023 meant one thing. Volleyball action! One of the many events taking place was the SCVA Power League Event 1 for the 16 and 18s age groups. That’s where I spent the weekend, splitting time between CLAVA and Momentous. Below, you can find the Show Stoppers from the weekend. Kayden Croy OH Rancho Valley 18 Premier – Rancho Valley had an uphill climb facing the other top teams in the SCVA 18s Power League this weekend but Croy was a bright spot with her play. She showed off a solid arm, hitting with pace and placement. She also was staying aggressive going against bigger blocks. AnnaMaria Ramos OH Vegas Aces 18 UA – Ramos, who is headed to Air Force, is a workhorse on the left for Vegas Aces. She’s a six-rotation player and a key contributor. Even against bigger and better teams, she was able to score with consistency. She has a nice arm with a loose swing. Sarah Wilson OH Temecula 18 Viper – Wilson is fearless on the attack. Temecula doesn’t have the punch of say a Wave or Coast but Wilson doesn’t back down from the challenge. She has a lively arm and isn’t afraid to let it loose and challenge blockers. Ellie Nichols RS Temecula 18 Viper – At 6-1, Nichols is a presence across the front row. She has a physical aspect to her on both sides of the ball. She can take up space on the right side and can make it tough on attackers to find space. She also hits a heavy ball and is someone who can add to the offense when she’s in. Tate Drageset OH Actyve 18 Black – We caught Drageset leading Buckley to the CA Div. 3 state runner up this past fall. Suiting up for Actyve, not much has changed except the uniform. Drageset has a slight frame that defies expectations when she goes on the attack. Don’t be fooled, she can rip it. She’s the main offensive weapon for Actyve and she’s a threat both front and back row. Carly Greskovics L Actyve 18 Black – Greskovics, a Michigan recruit, comes over from Sunshine. She’s used to playing at a high-level in club and she was solid in the back for Actyve when we caught her. Actyve is not a big team by 18s standards and Greskovics adds a ball-control presence to help keep Actyve in system. Nikki Hughes RS Actyve 18 Black – A 6-0 lefty right side, Hughes joined Actyve after playing for SG Elite last season. She’s committed to UC Riverside and she was showing what she can do at the next level during Saturday’s action. Hughes has a nice arm and she can definitely score in system. She seems to have a good court sense and knack for finding the open space. Sydney Bold L Coast 18 Ozhan – Coast finished two days of play undefeated, coming out on top of the 18s. One of the big strengths of this team is its physicality but it’s backed by great defensive play, with Bold – a 3-star Princeton recruit – leading the charge. Bold is business-like at the position. She gets the job done with steady, consistent play. Claire Little OH Coast 18 Ozhan – Little gives Coast its big arm on the left that top 18s teams need. Her play Saturday was representative of what we’ve come to appreciate about her game. The 4-star BYU recruit  is a competitor but will show her lighter side on the court at times, releasing a sly smile or laugh. She’s a threat no matter where she is and just being on the court she opens up the dynamic of the Coast attack. Tanon Rosenthal S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Rosenthal is a new member of Beach’s roster this season, having come from Texas and playing at Mira Costa for high school. She’s a natural fit on this team with her ability to both set and hit. Rosenthal, who is committed to Arizona for beach, is also a player who doesn’t draw a lot of attention to herself, just going about her play without much fanfare but Beach wouldn’t have had the weekend it did without her. Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – We’ve been writing this about Blagojevich – a 4-star Oklahoma recruit – for years. Her power always stands out, whether she’s going for a kill or ripping a jump serve. She hits the ball hard! She’s also a heady player who sees the court well and understands the game at a high level. Olivia Babcock OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA – Babcock was used a lot in serve receive as the Sunshine staff continues to develop Babcock’s all-around game. One thing remains the same though and that’s the 5-star Pitt recruit’s ability to simply score. She’s long and lengthy and she gets up. She’s able to attack at angles that others aren’t and it puts extra stress on the defense to try and cover it all. Ava-Marie Lange OH Sunshine 18 LA – A 4-star Harvard recruit, we loved the way Lange was playing. There’s no doubt that Babcock and Torrey Stafford carry much of the offense for Sunshine. But Lange – who was part of Sunshine’s 18 Open gold medal roster last spring – is a capable scorer who can help take a load off of those two. She put away a couple of really big swings. She could play a key role filling in on both the left and right. Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana – Payne was a force at the net. The 4-star Colorado recruit was very active across the front row. Her blocking was disruptive as she covered pin-to-pin. She also made spectators take note offensively. One thing Wave does well is run the slide and Payne can certainly connect on it. Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana –

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