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Number of Teams: 36 vballrecruiter.com National Rankings: 1. Madfrog 14 Green 2. MKE Sting 14 Gold 3. TAV 14 Black 4. Wave 14 Brennan 5. Flyers 14 Bill 6. Mintonette m.41 7. Pohaku 14-1 8. Boiler Jrs 14 Gold 9. Elevation 14 Molly 10. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami 11. GP 14 Rox 12. AZ Sky 14 Gold 13. Forza1 North 14 UA 14. SCVC 14 Roxy 15. Premier Nebraska 14 Gold 16. Alamo 14 Premier 17. Arizona Storm 14 Thunder 18. HPSTL 14 Royal 19. Dynasty 14 Black 20. SG Elite 14 Rosh 21. Tstreet 14 Carson 22. Hou Skyline 14 Royal 23. Austin Skyline 14 Royal 24. A5 Mizuno 14 Helen 25. AP 14 Adidas 26. TAV Houston 14 Adidas 28. AZ Rev 14 Premier 29. Skyline 14 Royal 31. Rev 14-1 Fuego 32. Drive Nation 14 Red 33. AVC Cle Rox 14 Red 36. OP2 14-1 37. High Tide 14 Elite 39. WPVC Armour Black 41. SF Tremors 14 Wolverines 42. Academy 14 Diamond Outlook: Madfrog 14 Green enters as the team to beat. Madfrog captured three national qualifier titles plus Triple Crown. It has just one loss on a national stage and that was to Elevation 14 Molly. Deservedly, Madfrog was awarded the No. 1. Six teams in the field also competed at AAUs. They were Boiler Jrs 14 Gold, GP 14 Rox, Dynasty 14 Black, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen, Rev 14-1 Fuego and WPVC Armour Black. It left them with eight days between competitions. Of course, Boiler Jrs took home the 14 Open gold medal in Orlando. The Indiana club starts off as the No. 2 overall seed and is playing well at the right time of year. GP finished runner up in Orlando, while A5 earned one of the bronze medals. Rounding out the top six is No. 3 MKE Sting 14 Gold, No. 4 Wave 14 Brennan, No. 5 Pohaku 14-1 and No. 6 Flyers 14 Anthony. While Madfrog is the favorite the way the 14s have played out anything can happen. All the top teams have taken turns beating each other. The main question is will any of the top seeds not advance from the first round of pool play? With four of the six teams moving on, it’s really unlikely that any top seeds won’t remain in the mix. But with three-team pools after that leading into the challenge matches to reach the top eight, the action is going to get interesting in a hurry. Prediction: The winner and gold medal goes to Madfrog, which defeats TAV in an all-Texas final. MKE Sting and Boiler Jrs get bronzes.

We are winding down at AAU in Orlando. With the 14s, 15s, 17s and 18s divisions in the rearview, it’s time the 16s take stage. Thursday marked the first day of play in the age group and girls were eager to get after it and compete (scroll further down for a recap of the day). vballrecruiter.com was on the move from court to court checking for the athletes who were making us take notice. Below, we highlight our Day 1 Show Stoppers. Allie Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 16 Gold – Shondell – a five-star recruit – is a setting highlight reel. She has a clean release and soft touch. She hits her target almost always and can be tough for defenses to read. Riley Resmer, MB, Boiler Jrs 16 Gold – A 6-1 middle, Resmer was a reliable scoring option. She was running 1s effectively and defenses were forced to stay close and committed to her. Paige Wagner, MB, Northern Lights – Wagner was letting opponents feel her existence in the middle with her 6-2 frame. She was touching a lot of balls while also scoring on quicks. Reis Baune, OH, Northern Lights – Baune was getting after it every time we saw her swing. A 6-0 outside, she’s an aggressive attacker with a quick swing to torment defenses with. London Wijay, OH, Supernova 16 All Stars – A three-star recruit, Wijay is a wirey outside with a nice bounce and swing. She’s a six-rotation threat and the main weapon for Supernova. Rachel Ogunleye, MB, Ilini Elite 16 Cardinal – With nice size in the middle at 6-2, there’s plenty of upside to Ogunleye and her potential to shine at the next level. A three-star recruit, she’s springy and quick, which allows her to move side to side with ease. Kendall Beshear, OH, SCVC 16 Roxy – Beshear is relentless. She’s a bit undersized but has an explosive jump and arm and crushes balls over and over. Taylor Deckert, L, SCVC 16 Roxy – We’ve seen Deckert throughout the year and she’s steady and consistent in the back row. She is rarely off in serve receive and makes tough digs look easy at times. Macie Malchow, S, Kairos 16 Adidas – A 5-10 disher, Malchow showcased a consistent release and nice touch. Her location was spot on and she was playing solid defense too. Liliana Dutcher, RS, Ka Ulukoa 16 Black – Dutcher changes the look of the offense when she checks in. A lefty, she’s a threat anytime Ka Ulukoa was in system and she will get fed the ball often in that scenario. Allison Pilat, MB, Mich Elite 16 Mizuno – At 6-1, when Pilat is able to extend she can deliver. She sent down a couple kills of note that had to make the defense pay attention. Katelynn Rottman, OH, Mich Elite 16 Mizuno – A bit undersized on the pin, Rottman plays with lots of energy and a high spirit. She has a good arm and is fearless, as she keeps coming at defenses time and time again. Ava Vetter, RS, Adversity 16 Adidas – Vetter is a featured part of the attack. Adversity likes to move her around to give defenses more to think about. Vetter has nice extension on her swings as well. Grace Busold, OH, AVC Cle Rox 16 Red – A bit undersized at 5-9, Busold was showing plenty of pop on the outside. She cracked a few that were impossible to ignore. Annabelle Groomes, S, AVC Cle Rox 16 Red – A five-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Groomes is an unbelievable talent. She has remarkable hands and consistently sets a clean, hittable ball in guiding the offense. Delaney Lawson, OH, Asics Munciana 16 Moana – A 6-1, three-star recruit, Lawson is lanky with a fluid swing that generates plenty of pace. She was showing great extension with a high contact point, making it difficult for blockers to slow down. Lola Schumacher, L, Asics Munciana 16 Moana – Schumacher was showing why she’s a five-star recruit. She owns the back row with lots of range and presence. She can slide over and pass dimes on the move with little effort. Maria Drapp, S, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – A three-star recruit, Drapp has really good hands and hits her mark regularly. She does well varying her sets to get all her hitters involved and can be hard for defenses to get a feel for. Camille Morrison, OH, SPVB 16 Elite – Morrison is 5-11 but plays taller than that. She’s wirey and springy with huge upside. Chloe Gels, OH, Summit 16 Blue Elite – Gels – a three-star recruit, was taking aggressive rips and really challenging defenses to make a play. She’s a threat front and back row, so defenses need to be aware of her no matter what. Carly O’Brien, OH, Upward Stars 16 Amy – At 5-9, O’Brien is a little undersized but she’s a gamer. A six-rotation outside, she can get up and attack with a passion. Ellie Moore, S, Northeast 16 Open – Moore was showing consistent spotting with her dishes. She features a soft release and was making a few plays defensively as well. Caroline Ellis, OH, Northeast 16 Open – A 6-1 outside from the Class of 2025, Ellis has a strong, powerful arm. She was pounding balls deep near the end line consistently. Ryan Hunter, RS, CJV 16 Zoe – Another member of the Class of 2025, Hunter is a four-star recruit who is going to star at the next level. She’s a lefty with a big jump and arm who plays all the way around. Taylor Treahy, RS, LAVA North 16 Adidas – A 6-0 lefty right side, Treahy completely changes the dynamic of the game when she comes across the front row. She’s long and can go over blocks. She’s also able to help slow down attackers with her ability to get her hands on shots. Nina Mitchell, MB, Shockwave

Another day, two more age groups wrapped up. Gold medals were awarded in the 15s and 17s divisions Wednesday at AAU in Orlando. We’ll have more on Legacy 15-1 Adidas topping OT 15 Randy in the 15 Open championship match and Legacy 17-1 Adidas defending its title by beating Rev 17-1 in the 17 Open final in separate articles. Below, we bring you our Day 4 Show Stoppers. Lauren Yacobucci, S, AVC Cle Rox 17 Red – Yacobucci was showing off her smooth hands. She was consistently on target with her sets and did a solid job directing the offense. Sophia Anghilante, MB, AVC Cle Rox 17 Red – Anghilante was a presence on both sides of the ball. She delivered a few resounding blocks and was scoring well when her number was called. Kamaluhia Garcia, RS, Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB – We highlighted this lefty on Day 3 and she was back at it again. Once more she was producing big kills and changed the dynamic of the offense every time she checked in. She also puts up a wall of the block on the right. Melie Vaioleti, L, Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB – Another member of Ku’Ikahi that we featured from Day 3, Vaioleti is nails out of serve receive. She was also holding the defensive line effectively. Reese Diersbock, OH, Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB – When this three-rotation outside checks in she brings her powerful arm to the court. She was firing away time and time again. Sarah Brodner, RS, High Tide 17 Elite – A 6-5 right side from the Class of 2024, we are high on the potential of Brodner. She can control the net on both sides of the ball, as she showed in the quarterfinals with shutdown blocks and critical kills at key moments. Lindsay Walch, MB, High Tide 17 Elite – Walch was not holding back when she went on the attack. She was swinging fiercely and also was clamping down with her block. Janyah Henderson, MB, Rev 17-1 – Henderson is a firecracker in the middle with her speed and quickness. She’s a bit undersized buy owns everything she touches and puts constant pressure on the defense. Elie Patterson, OH, Rev 17-1 – A six-rotation stalwart, Patterson delivered clutch kill after clutch kill. Just one example was her semifinal match-clincher off the block that boosted Rev into the 17 Open final. Sarah Gooch, OH, Top Select 17 Elite – One of the main offensive weapons for Top Select, Gooch was swinging well with her long arm and high contact point. She also displayed her smarts with her heady shot selections. Ileyshmi Negron, L, Top Select 17 Elite – Negron seemed to play her best in the bigger moments. If Top Select needed a dig she seemed to always get one. Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17 Adidas – Murray’s performance in the 17 Open final was next level magic. She was unstoppable, powering Legacy to the gold medal with her wide array of shots from the front and back row, including the match-clinching kill to set off the celebration. Laurece Abraham, MB, Legacy 17 Adidas – Abraham is a scoring threat every time she checks in. Legacy doesn’t hesistate to go to her and time after time she delivered, including a few resounding kills. Abigail Reck, MB, Legacy 17 Adidas – Reck was also giving Legacy a potent punch out of the middle with her attacking. It helped keep the defense honest and not allow blockers to stack up on Legacy’s outsides. Nina Horning, OH, Legacy 17 Adidas – Throughout gold bracket play Horning showed off her arm and scoring prowess. She consistently delivered timely kills and loud winners. Sydney Lewis, L, OT 17 John – Lewis was showing what she’s able to do in the back row in the quarters and semis. She’s smooth with her passing and defending and was a defensive force. Allison Cavanaugh, RS, OT 17 John – With her height, Cavanaugh is a presence on both sides of the ball. She was showcasing her blocking knack on the right side, stuffing more than a few when challenged. Stella Swenson, S, MN Select 17-1 – Few command the offense like Swenson, who is a sophomore playing up. She was running a 5-1 with poise and confidence and had MN Select on the brink of the semifinals. Charlotte Vinson, RS, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A six-rotation right side who provides offense all the way around, Vinson was showcasing her arm time and time again. She has a high contact point and just keeps coming at the defense. Lilly Howell, MB, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Howell was giving Muncie tons of production out of the middle. So much so Muncie trusted going to her with the season on the line twice in a row in the semifinals against Legacy and she scored both times. Taylor Cripe, OH, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Cripe come can up with big time kills with her strong arm. She also has a great wrist snap that keeps her hard shots in the court. Mallory Johnson, L, Far Out 15 Black – Johnson had a strong Day 4. She was holding it down in serve receive by regularly putting her passes on target. She was also making key digs to extend rallies. Navea Gauthier, OH, Far Out 15 Black – Far Out is not the same team without Gauthier on the outside. She’s a menacing presence to any opponent Far Out faces, as she can wail front or back row with the best of them. Victoria Hill, OH, GP 15 Rox – A bit undersized, it doesn’t matter to Hill. She soars high and swings hard. That combo makes her a scoring machine and someone defenses to need to guard against no matter where she’s at in the rotation. Elizabeth Bower, L, ID Crush 15 Bower – ID Crush is built on its defensive prowess, led by Bower. An eighth-grader, she owns

Bracket play in 17 Open at AAU in Orlando essentially started Day 3, with eight late afternoon/early evening challenge matches deciding the eight-team gold bracket for Day 4. There was an unexpected twist that we wrote about in yesterday’s recap when original top-seeded Legacy 17-1 Adidas squared off against No. 2 A5 Mizuno 17 Jing after Legacy was upset by Rev 17-1 in pool play. With Legacy and A5 not only being the two highest-seeds teams but the two highest-ranked teams from our National Rankings, no doubt one was going to be severely disappointed not to be playing for a gold medal on the final day of competition. After suffering the setback to Rev, Legacy hit its stride, beginning with A5 and ending with a rematch against Rev in the 17 Open gold medal match. Legacy swept the revenge outing, 25-20, 25-19, to hoist the championship trophy for the second consecutive season after finishing on top of the 16 Open field a summer ago. “Obviously, coming into a tournament as the defending champs and the No. 1 seed there is a lot of pressure on you immediately,” Legacy coach Jen Cottrill said. “They are phenomenal athletes but they are also 16 and 17-years-old. I felt like we played really heavy the first half of the tournament. When we lost to Rev we were able to work on our mental focus and getting rid some of the pressure and we never looked back.” Rev pulled out its upset over Legacy in three games on Day 3 but couldn’t maintain the same play in the final. Legacy took command early in each set and made Rev play from behind the rest of the way. It was only fitting that Harper Murray skied for the final point and delivered an emphatic kill to clinch it. “We focus on our serve and pass all the time and being disciplined defensively,” Cottrill said. “With a player like Harper who can terminate she draws a lot of attention. Earlier in the day we were able to use our middles and other players to score with her drawing all the attention. In the final she was just unbelievable so it was just feed her the ball.” Before getting an opportunity to get even with Rev, Legacy had another chance to extract revenge in the quarterfinals. Top Select 17 Elite upset Legacy on Day 1 of the JVA SummerFest in Columbus earlier this month before Legacy went on to capture that title. When Top Select grabbed the first set it looked like it could be a repeat performance from the Florida club. But Legacy grabbed control midway through the second set and took it from there. Murray put an end to it with a kill for the victory, 20-25, 25-16, 15-6. Up next in the semis was OT 17 John, which was coming off a nail-biter in the quarterfinals. OT snuck past MN Select 17-1 in three, 20-25, 25-15, 15-13. OT was up 10-6 in the final frame before Select tied it up at 12 all. That was all the drama on the day for OT though, as Legacy swept OT, 25-20, 25-21, to reach the final. Rev and Ku’Ikahi 17 Wahine RSB both swept their quarterfinal contests before producing a tight affair in the semis. A kill off the block from Elie Patterson finally put a cap on that one for Rev in three, 25-22, 16-25, 15-13. Legacy, Top Select, OT and MN Select, as well as A5, are in 17 Open at the USAV GJNC in Indy starting July 1. Rev is in 17 National and is a team to watch out for in that division. “It’s nice, we get almost a week,” Cottrill said. “Last year we had like two days (in between). We’ll go home and practice a little bit and try and take this confidence into Indy.” *** Finishing off with some final thoughts on 17 Open. Whereas the rides in 14 Open and 15 Open – where Legacy 15-1 Adidas brought home gold as well for the club – were more straight-forward, I didn’t feel like that was the case in 17 Open. And where our National Rankings held up well in 14 and 15 Open, they took more of a hit in 17 Open. Only eight of the 14 teams in the field appearing in our National Rankings made it to challenge play, which featured 16 teams. Three of the four top teams in our rankings did make the gold bracket in No. 10 Legacy, No. 13 MN Select and No. 17 OT John. It would have been the top four making it except for what happened with No. 3 A5 having to play Legacy. Legacy winning was something most thought possible when the tournament started. Most probably figured to see an A5-Legacy final. But it’s likely very few if anyone not associated with the club saw Rev making it all the way to the final. It can hardly be called a fluke either. Rev defeated A5 on Day 2 and Legacy on Day 3. That’s legit. Rev also handed Ku’Ikahi its only loss of the tournament. Ku’Ikahi didn’t have enough results to make our Top 50 put out in May. But the Hawaiian club showed it belongs in our final rankings coming out in July to be sure. Rev – sitting at No. 44 – could very well move up quite a few spots as well. Another surprise was High Tide 17 Elite. Rev swept High Tide in the quarterfinals. Academy 17 Diamond was the only other team to beat High Tide, which actually beat Rev in pool play on Day 1. AVC Cle Rox 17 Red – which finished tied for fifth – had a shaky loss to Miami Elite 17 in pool play on Day 3, when it also lost to Academy Diamond. But AVC defeated Kokoro Volleyball to make the challenge rounds and delivered a big upset in knocking out original No. 6 seed Adidas KiVA

Ten of the original top 13 seeds were still in the hunt for the 15 Open gold medal in the modified 12-team gold bracket Wednesday. It featured the top three seeds in OT 15 Randy, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax and Legacy 15-1 Adidas. The three just happened to be the highest-ranked teams in the field from our National Rankings too, with OT at No. 7, Legacy at No. 8 and Munciana at No. 25. Along with Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – which opened as the No. 11 seed and was the fifth-highest ranked team in the field from our National Rankings at No. 27 – all walked away with medals. Tops among everyone was Legacy, which edged out OT in three games, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12, for the gold medal. Mich Elite and Munciana, which met on Day 3 in pool play, tied for the bronze. “I’ll tell you what, we’ve won a couple of national championships in the past but you never really know if you’ll ever get back and play for another one,” Legacy coach Ricky Cottrill said. “The way the last couple of matches started off I didn’t know what it was going to be like. We had a rough set against Munciana then another rough set to start in the championship game. Our girls were resilient and battled. They played their hearts out and when you do that good things seem to happen.” Overall, the gold bracket produced entertaining volleyball as seven of the 11 contests went the distance, including both semifinals. Legacy barely made it past Munciana, 17-25, 26-24, 17-15. The same went for OT, which clipped Mich Elite, 25-21, 26-28, 15-13. Legacy – which finished 11-0 for the week – hadn’t faced either Munciana or OT Randy yet this season. Before getting to either of those teams, Legacy extracted a measure of revenge in the quarterfinals by sweeping past Far Out 15 Black. Far Out defeated Legacy earlier this month at the JVA SummerFest but Legacy had the answer in Orlando. Munciana was a different beast. Cottrill said Muncie was the best passing team Legacy has dueled with all season. Munciana’s only prior setback came to Mich Elite to end pool play on Day 3. But Muncie still earned first place in the pool and retained the No. 2 overall seed. Legacy was ahead 11-9 in the final set but Muncie pulled even at 12 all. The teams played side out volleyball until setter Campbell Flynn delivered a match-clinching block to end the drama. OT was pushed all day long, starting with the quarterfinal clash against Kairos 15 Adidas. OT moved on in three, 25-17, 20-25, 15-11. Then in the semis, OT had to deal with a key injury. Libero Lily Hayes went down midway through the second set and OT had to play the rest of the frame without her and was unable to replace her until the third set with Aaliyah Harlow. Hayes was wearing a sling on her right arm as she watched from the sidelines in the final. Her status for next week’s USAV GJNC is unknown. OT almost rallied back in the second set against Mich Elite despite trailing 19-13. OT actually held match point at 24-23 after Maggie Dostic’s ace. Mich Elite held on before OT finally finished it in Game 3 on Kaylee Peper’s quick attack. “I’m super happy and excited,” OT coach Randy Thomas said. “We overcame a couple of big third games. We battled and powered through. We are doing something right. We just came up a little short. We mis-executed when we needed it those last couple of points to seal the deal. I’m stoked for the team. It’s exciting. It’s not easy to make a final of Open. We were right there.” The championship match was there for the taking for both sides. Tied at 10 all in Game 3, Legacy used a 4-1 run to lead 14-11. Two points later Gabriella Divita ripped down her second big kill in three points to close it out as Legacy hit the floor in celebration. Both Legacy and OT are headed to Indy for 15 Open, which begins Monday. “You know what was working well, we passed pretty darn well,” Cottrill said. “We passed better than we have the last couple of tournaments and that’s the key for us. When we pass well we can run our offense. We have good attackers we can take advantage of and an aggressive setter who we can give opportunities in the front row. That was our biggest key this week our ability to pass and our ability to scrap on defense.” *** Getting to some more thoughts on 15 Open, I’m going to shamelessly plug the 15s National Rankings produced last month. In 14 Open, four of our top five ranked teams in the field found their way to the podium. It was the same scenario in 15 Open. We had OT Randy at No. 7 (silver medal); Legacy at No. 8 (gold); Munciana at No. 25 (bronze) and Mich Elite at No. 27 (bronze). Adidas KiVA 15 Red – at No. 26 – didn’t make the gold bracket. National Rankings can be a bit of crap shoot so it’s nice when they hold up at national championships. One thing is for sure, Munciana is going to finish higher than No. 25 in our final rankings released in July. Munciana can be a hard team to rank because it plays a limited schedule but the Indiana club showed it’s among the best in the nation. I confidently feel this team would place Top 10 in 15 Open in Indy next week if it were competing there. Far Out is like Munciana in that the club doesn’t do qualifiers. Far Out is listed in the On The Cusp section in our National Rankings. Far Out beat three ranked teams in Indy – A5 Mizuno 15 Bob, GP (in gold bracket action) and Top Select 15 Elite and is likely

As teams transition from pool play to gold bracket, we like to call that moving day. That was what Day 3 represented in the 15s and 17s divisions at AAU in Orlando. There are 12 teams still in the hunt for the gold in 15 Open. In 17 Open, the field was reduced to eight teams still alive for the top spot on the podium. A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – ranked No. 3 in our National Rankings and the original No. 2 seed overall in 17 Open – is not one of them after an unexpected turn of events Tuesday. You can read more about that and more if you keep scrolling down. First, we want to bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers highlighting the players who caught our attention the most during our time walking from court to court. Jannelize Perez, L, OT 15 Meg – Perez was active and playing with high energy. She was making big digs to extend rallies, bringing a defensive edge to the lineup. KK Green, S/RS, OT 15 Meg – One of the key pieces with her role as a setter and hitter, Green delivers a consistent ball. Offensively, she has the ability to unload on the ball with her strong arm. Addison Tindall, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – It’s impossible to watch this 6-2 four-star recruit and not mention her as a Show Stopper. She never fails to hit at least one wow shot that leaves you shaking your head and asking yourself how did she do that? Maya Harris, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – A bit undersized at outside, Harris an aggressive and smart hitter who can challenge blocks or tip/roll into the open spaces. She’s also an option in the back row too. Bella Bullington, OH, SPVB 15 Elite – Bullington – who we mentioned on Day 1 – was at it again. She’s one to keep watch on with an arm that rips and generates lots of pace. Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite – A 6-2 four-star recruit, Coyne is a difference maker across the front row. She adds another dynamic to the attack with her length and forcing blockers to stay on her. Kennedy Cherry, L, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – A three-star recruit, Cherry was passing dimes in serve receive and helping to keep Boiler Jrs in system. She was also all over the court chasing down balls. Taylor Cripe, OH, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold – Another three-star recruit on the roster, Cripe is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s a hard worker who can hit front and back row, as well as pass and play defense. Charlotte Glass, S, Tribe 15 Elite – Glass – a five-star recruit – is a highly-sought after setter at the collegiate level. Her touch is soft and she can be aggressive across the front row going on two to keep defenses on guard. Tekoa Barnes, OH, Tribe 15 Elite – The more we catch Barnes, the more we like of her. She’s a high-flying outside who can absolutely pound down winners with her powerful arm. Addison Applegate, L, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Applegate – a three-star recruit – is just so smooth and steady at the position. She is lights-out in serve receive and covers the court with high IQ. Spencer Etzler, OH, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A bit undersized, Etzler doesn’t back down against bigger blockers. She keeps coming with an aggressive swing. She also takes care of business in the back row with her above average defending. Ava Hunter, S, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A three-star recruit, Hunter sets a clean ball that is rarely off the mark. She can set on the move as well and does a nice job of connecting with all her hitters. Isabelle Busignani, OH, Mich Elite 15 Mizuno – A six-rotation outside and three-star recruit, Busignani has a fluid swing and nice upside. She gets set both front and back row and can carry the offense in spurts. Lindsey Mangelson, OH, Munciana Indy 15 Eagles – A lanky 6-2 outside, Mangelson is a name to follow as she moves up in age groups. She flashed lots of potential with the shots she was hitting. Connore Siler-Nixon, MB, OT 15 Randy – Siler-Nixon, though a bit undersized at the position, is a quick jumper with a strong arm. She’s difficult to lineup and time and was giving OT a great scoring presence when she was in. Amaiyah Long, RS, OT 15 Randy – Another undersized attacker for OT, Long also jumps and swings well. She delivered a few big kills that showed defenses cannot forget about her and must pay her respect. Maija Howse, OH, ID Crush 15 Bower – A three-star recruit with plenty of upside, Howse is a consistent contributor to the attack and a tough one to slow down with her extension that has her going over the block. Brooklyn Hardy, MB, ID Crush 15 Bower – Hardy, a member of the Class of 2026, was putting on a show as ID Crush upset KiVA in the morning match. She was making all types of plays, from scoring on 1s, to tips and putting down any overpasses that came her way. McKenna Garr, L, Northern Lights 15-1 – Garr can pass a large portion of the court in serve receive, where she was passing dimes. She was also covering well and makes up ground well. Sophia Randall, S, Kairos 15 Adidas – We were really impressed with Randall’s play. She sets a clean ball with soft hands and was hitting her spots on the regular. Chloe Karn, MB, A4 Volley 17 Joaco – Karn was another middle who when we caught her was making a big impact with her scoring. She was connecting on 1s well and was winning 50-50 balls, as well as tipping down a couple overpasses. Margo Hernandez, S, Rev 17-1 – Hernandez – three-star recruit – is a vital

We are half way through the 15s and 17s divisions at AAU in Orlando. There was no doubt the tension and excitement began ramping up on Day 2 as we turned the corner and start heading down the home stretch. Before we get to the headlines of the day down below, we first want to bring attention to the day’s standout players. They are who we call our Show Stoppers and there were plenty to highlight from Monday’s action. Sarah Shaw, MB, Oaks 15 Gold – With her height, Shaw is a weapon for Oaks. She has a big arm and can over blocks, making her a difficult cover. She also has the ability to play all the way around and is part of serve receive. Anna Cathcart, OH, OVA 15 Black – This 6-2 outside has a bright future. She has a lively arm that helps her hit with plenty of pace. She’ll carry the offensive load whether she’s front or back row. Francesca Popescu, L, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – A three-star recruit, Popescu can pass half the court in serve receive along with DS Alexa Flowers. She also has the confidence to step in and take balls overhead. Addison Applegate, L, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Another three-star recruit, Applegate has solid command of the back row. She too can pass half the court in serve receive and has a great ball control. Charlotte Vinson, RS, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – A 6-1, three-star recruit, Vinson is a terrific option on the right side. She can go over blocks with her length. Jaya Rimm, OH, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – A bit undersized at 5-9, Rimm gets off the ground well. She has a nice extension and snap and is the go-to outside for Tornados. Jaeda Rawls-Fletcher, MB, Tx Tornados 15 Adidas – Rawls-Fletcher is springy. She’s 5-10 and with her jump plays longer than that. She’s tough for blockers to time up and Tornados will definitely set her the ball when the option is there. Campbell Flynn, S, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – A 6-1, four-star recruit, Flynn owns the position. She has a great touch and consistently sets a clean ball. With her height, she can also go over on two, giving defenses another thing to worry about. Addison Newblatt, L, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – Newblatt was not getting challenge very much in serve receive as teams focused on keeping the ball away from her. Eva Swenson, S/RS, MN Select 15-1 – Swenson has a high ceiling. She’s already 6-3 and able to set and hit. She’s a valuable piece of the puzzle for Select because of that. Lily Hayes, L, OT 15 Randy – Teams do not come at Hayes in serve receive very often. When they do, she’s usually on target with sound passing. She’s also a hard worker on defense and isn’t afraid to hit the floor. Jordyn Gray, OH, CJV 15 Anna – Gray is definitely someone to keep tabs on as she moves through the ranks as she has great potential. She jumps and swings well and is the main scoring threat for CJV be it front or back row. Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite – A 6-2, four-star recruit, Coyne is an offensive force. The lefty is lanky with a strong arm who can overpower blockers and defenders. Lilliana Montes, MB, Temecula Viper 15-1 – The saying goes you can’t teach height and Montes, at 6-4, certainly has plenty of it. It makes her a prospect to be aware of in the coming years. Right now, she’s trouble at the net, winning 50-50 balls and easily get her shots and swings over smaller blockers. Makenna Grimes, RS, Elite VBTC 15 Black – Grimes is a gamer. She’s a bit undersized at 5-9 but she’s fun to watch go on the attack. She has a lively arm and let’s loose with it time and time again. Fatimah Hall, S, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A three-star recruit committed to San Diego State, Hall is a physically-strong setter with a nice release and consistent location. She can run tempo when needed to and can get all her hitters involved. Mele Corral-Blagojevich, OH, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar – A four-star recruit who recently committed to Oklahoma, Corral-Blagojevich was part of the 18s roster this season and has since moved down to play with her age group. She’s a physical attacker who can impact the match from the service line as well.                                                                  Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – Murray – a five-star recruit headed to Nebraska – can be written about at length. What stood out the most was her ability to generate kills on out of system plays and off balls by using her smarts to tool or tip the ball of blocks. She was key in helping Legacy close out Mich Elite 17 Mizuno down the stretch in Game 3. Sydney Robinson, OH, Asics Munciana 17 Pandas – An undersized outside at 5-8, attacks with passion. She jumps very well, takes aggressive swings and doesn’t back down if she gets blocked. Kamden Schrand, L, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – A Louisville commit, Schrand’s passing out of serve receive was sharp and on point. She was also picking up touches and tips well too. Ivey Stocks, MB, Tri-State 17 Elite Blue – Stocks is a little undersized in the middle but she’s athletic and springy and that helps make up for it. She gets up in the air fast and defenses need to stay close because she’s a definite threat when she’s front row. Lauren Purnell, MB, Tribe 17 Elite – Another middle who is a bit undersized at 5-10, Purnell has similar attributes as Stocks. She’s also a quick jumper who takes aggressive cuts and gives Tribe an option in the middle. Ariana Brown, OH, Asics Willowbrook 17 Gold – A three-star recruit committed to Louisiana Monroe, Brown is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s a terrific

We spent four days watching the 14 Open field contesting for the AAU National Championship and accompanying gold medal. We brought you our Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 Show Stoppers, as well as a recap of Boiler Jrs 14 Gold finishing on top of the podium. Below, we release our 14-player All-Tournament Team. OH – Cali Foster, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold OH – Chalei Reid, Mauloa 14 Green OH – Catherine Palmi, GP 14 Rox OH – Ella Jenkins, Rev 14-1 MB – Reese Resmer, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold MB – Kayla Nwabueze, Legacy 14-1 Adidas MB – Sofia Guerrero-Wilson, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen MB – Gabby Semona, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue RS – Caroline Ward, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold S/RS – Rayna Christianson, Northern Lights 14-1 S/RS – Kalyssa Taggart, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen S – Lexi Shondell, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold L – Madeline Kraft, Northern Lights 14-1 L – Meredith Martin, Legacy 14-1 Adidas

Number of Teams: 72 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (15): 3. A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe 8. OT 16 Jason 10. Tri-State Elite 16 Blue 11. Munciana 16 Moana 24. OT 16 Roberto 27. Top Select 16 Elite 32. Pohaku 16-1 33. Momentous 16 Dan 35. NE Elite 16 Lokahi 37. City Volleyball 16 Gold 39. SCVC 16 Roxy 42. OT 16 Will 48. Tribe 16 Elite 49. Rev Fury 16-1 50. Boiler Jrs 16 Gold vballrecruiter.com 5-star recruits (5): Lola Schumacher, L, Munciana 16 Moana Lauren Harden, OH, Rev Fury 16-1 Allie Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 16 Gold Makenzie Miller, MB, Pohaku 16-1 (2025) Amina N’diaye, OH, OT 16 Roberto (2025) vballrecruiter.com 4-star recruits (6): Mia Hood, MB, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Logan Wiley, MB, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Alex Rothe, MB/OH, EliteVBTC 16 Black Abby Hoybjerg, OH, SynergyForce 16 James Hannah Benjamin, OH, A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe Amanda Mack, OH, K2 16 Adidas Outlook: The top four seeded teams match up with the top four teams in our national rankings in A5, OT Jason, Tri-State Elite and Munciana. The first variation comes with Momentous, which is the No. 6 seed overall and ranked No. 33 in our rankings. Rounding out the top eight seeds are No. 5 Capitanas, No. 7 OT Roberto and No. 8 City. Also seeded are No. 9 Pohaku, No. 10 Boiler Jrs and No. 11 Top Select. Of the top 11 seeds all appear in our Top 50 with the exception of Capitanas, which is not ranked being a club from Puerto Rico. Five of the teams playing here are also in 16 Open in Indy. They are A5, OT Jason, OT Roberto, Top Select and OT Will. The field might not be as deep as 16 Open will be in Indy but it’s still going to be really competitive. Teams like K2, OT Will and SCVC are ranked No. 28, 29 and 30 respectively. All are capable of pulling upsets and creating havoc with higher seeds. It’ll take a bit for the tournament to gain steam. On Day 1, only teams finishing in last place will be eliminated. That means going from 72 down to 54. Day 3 is when it’s going to really ramp up and get tight. That day will start with 28 teams and get cut in half to 14 for the gold bracket. The final day will be as much about attrition as it will be competition. It’s possible the finalists could be playing their fourth match of the day on the fourth day of a tournament. Prediction: We already saw the top two seeds go at it in 14 Open for gold. Why not in 16 Open? A5 beats out OT Jason for the top spot. Momentous and Munciana grab the bronze medals.