Premium Content

The 14s and 18s divisions are behind us. In case you missed any of our coverage from those divisions, you can read about Munciana 18 Samurai bringing home the 18 Open gold and Boiler Jrs 14 Gold owning the 14 Open division. Also, we highlighted our Show Stoppers from the gold brackets as well. We are now onto the 15s and 17s divisions, which got underway Sunday at AAUs in Orlando. With 75 teams in 17 Open and another 59 in 15 Open, there was an insane amount of volleyball to attempt to take in on Day 1 of those divisions. We did our best to get to as many courts as possible. Fortunately, there is still three days of action to come. Also, keep scrolling on down for recaps on what took place but first here are 35 Day 1 Show Stoppers from those divisions. Abigail Li, S, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob – A four-star recruit, Li is a stoic setter who doesn’t get too high or low. She has a great touch and puts her hitters in favorable positions many more times than not. Addison Makun, MB, Adidas KiVA 15 Red –Makun – a three-star recruit – is a name you’ll be hearing plenty of in the coming years. She’s a great prospect with a bright future with her size and arm. She opens up the offense as opponents must focus in on her. Jenna Vande Weerd, MB, Kairos 15 Adidas – Vande Weerd proved to be a strong presence. She was hitting deep winners and was getting touches to help slow down attacks. Maggie Meister, L, Kairos 15 Adidas – A three-star recruit, was getting low to get balls up. It was part of the package as she was making saves on a regular basis. Shylah Swope, S/RS, VA Elite 15 – Swope is a bit undersized but plays a valuable role by setting and hitting. She can hang in the air a split-second longer than expected, which can make her tough to time up blocking. Evelyn Jurden, S/RS, VA Elite 15 – Jurden is the other half of the 6-2. She has a big arm and when in a pinch she can hit out the back row in out of system plays. Sakura Codling, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue – A three-star recruit, we saw Codling a few weeks ago at the JVA SummerFest. She impressed then and she impressed again this time. She’s steady out of serve receive and does a solid job covering touches. Charlotte Glass, S, Tribe 15 Elite Dean – A five-star recruit, Glass has a great touch and sets a consistently clean ball. She’s on the mark regularly and is a huge prospect. Caroline Noonan, RS, CUVC 15 Premier – Noonan provides a boost on offense with her scoring capabilities on the right side. Her big arm combined with a big swing equals big kills. Jasmine Glenn, MB, Team Indiana 15.1 – Glenn – a three-star recruit – is an undersized middle who we absolutely love. She’s fearless and doesn’t hold back. She jumps well and can provide an offensive punch when she’s in. Addison Tindall, OH, Team Pineapple 15 Black – Tindall is a four-star recruit but it wouldn’t be surprising to see her end up as a five-star recruit by the time she reaches the next level. She’s listed at 6-2 but seems to play even longer than that. She can go straight over blocks and can hammer balls at times. Navea Gauthier, OH, Far Out 15 Black – A four-star recruit, Gauthier is one of the best scoring outsides in the Class of 2025. She’s a force anywhere she’s at on the floor and Far Out definitely relies on her to score a lot. Abbigail Pickard, S, Far Out 15 Black – A four-star recruit, Pickard is someone we’ve mentioned before. She’s consistent, rarely missing her mark and she possesses a nice release. Kennedy Johnson, S/RS, Neb Jrs 15 Black – A bit undersized, Johnson fills two roles by setting and hitting. She’s a fun setter with her ability to run tempo and she goes behind her well too. Elena Hoecke, MB, MN Select 15-1 – A 6-2 middle, Hoecke spices up the lineup when she checks in. She can make an impact on both sides with her scoring and blocking. Ava Hunter, S, Asics Munciana 15 Lorax – Hunter is a fluid, smooth setter who can run tempo on any set. This three-star recruit also moves the ball around well and gets her hitters involved. Lauren Buchanan, OH, Alabama Perf 15 Red – Buchanan is a six-rotation glue piece. She’s the team’s go-to hitter and provides stability and steadiness on the outside. Bella Bullington, OH, SPVB 15 Elite – Bullington has a cannon for an arm. She’s smooth and fluid and is a huge threat on the outside. She scores lots of points as SPVB surely feeds her. Sydney Davis, MB, GP 15 Rox – Davis is someone to keep watch on. She can get up quickly and has a good arm. We saw her absolutely crush one ball that showed exactly what she’s able to bring on the attack. Ava Antonaros, OH, Infinity 15 Open – Every time we saw Antonaros pass in serve receive she was rarely off target. Allie Grossenbach, RS, Club GSL 15 Andrew – GSL likes to get Grossenbach the ball as much as possible. The lefty has the capability to score in bunches. Charlotte Bell, MB, Academy 15 Diamond – Bell is a difference maker across the front row. She provides high-level offense with her height and ability to put the ball down. Hazel Alevok, MB, Wildfire Corey 15 – We like to identify future prospects and that’s exactly what Alevok is. It’s our first time seeing the 6-4 freshman and she’s much more than a tall body. She can score and has huge upside when it comes to the next level. Reagan Jansen, OH, Kairos 17 Adidas – Jansen has

AAU 14s Day 4 2022 The 18s and 14s divisions wrapped up play at AAUs in Orlando. It was podium day as teams competed in the gold bracket in hopes of medaling and reaching it. vballrecruiter.com was on hand taking it all in and scribbling notes on which players were standing out the most. Below, we present our Day 4 Show Stoppers. Sofia Guerrero-Wilson, MB, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – A 6-1 middle with amazing upside and potential, Guerrero-Wilson can rip it when it’s lined up for her. She was also winning 50-50 balls at the net with her size and scoring that way too. Kalyssa Taggart, S/RS, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – Taggart is a valuable piece to the puzzle, as she can run a 5-1 or set in the back and hit across the front as she was doing for most of the tournament. She has a great touch as a setter and doesn’t miss her spots too often. Ruby McDermott, L, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – McDermott is the type of player the more you see of her the more you appreciate what she does. She holds down the back row well and shows plenty of range when it comes to keeping plays alive. Emily Keiran, L, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Like many of the players featured on Day 4, we’ve written about Keiran before during the tournament. She again displayed her back row prowess and ability to chase down balls and anchor serve receive. Rayna Christianson, S/RS, Northern Lights 14-1 –A 6-2 high-level prospect, Christianson is part of the backbone of Northern Lights. She does a lot setting and hitting. When she’s front row, she’s a featured part of the attack and for good reason. With her length, smaller blockers have virtually no chance of slowing her down. Madeline Kraft, L, Northern Lights 14-1 – Attackers need to bring real heat if they are going to score on Kraft going cross court when she’s at left back. Anything short of that and she’ll get it up. She also showed her willingness to hit the floor to extend rallies. Romi Chlebecek, OH, Northern Lights 14-1 – A bit undersized on the left, Chlebecek is a gamer and a smart hitter. If it’s there, she’ll go for it but if it’s not she doesn’t overdo things and looks to keep the ball in play and not make an error. Kaleigh Langmo, OH, Top Select 14 Elite – Langmo brings physicality to the attack. She takes strong cuts and hits a heavy ball that can be tough on defenders to get up. Isabella Johnson, RS, Top Select 14 Elite – Another strong hitter for Top Select to utilize, Johnson put down a few powerful hits. She was also able to block a few balls for points as well. Caroline Vargas, MB, Top Select 14 Elite – Vargas is a capable scorer and somebody Top Select will go to when the pass allows. She also makes a mark blocking, getting in the way and helping to slow down attacks. Catherine Palmi, OH, GP 14 Rox – Palmi powers GP along, literally. She’s a strong hitter and server who uses her strength and jumping ability to her advantage. She can absolutely unload on shots to all parts of the court. Madison Wehr, S, GP 14 Rox – Wehr is on the stoic and unassuming side and doesn’t get too high or low. She’s a steady setter who puts up a clean ball in good locations for her hitters to score. Jenness Orcutt, RS, GP 14 Rox – Orcutt might be the tallest member of GP and it’s her height that helps her score consistently on the right side. She swings with nice extension and can go over smaller blocks regularly. Lexi Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Que the broken record, like we said on Day 3 we could write about Shondell every time she plays. She has great leadership skills and is in total control of running the offense. Reese Resmer, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – We’ve yet to see a team stop or slow Resmer down with any consistency. The best hope is getting Boiler Jrs out of system, because if Shondell can run the full offense Resmer is going to make her presence known over and over. Arielle Hepler, L, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Hepler is one of those players who you see smiling a lot. She’s a steady passer and defender and is always uplifting her teammates. Caroline Ward, RS, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – The way Ward has it going already, she’s a future Top 10 recruit. She’s 6-0 and only a seventh grader. She’s long with a whippy swing that can generate serious heat be it down the line or cross court. Cali Foster, OH, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – One of the best all-around players in the age group, Foster is fun to watch because of her smoothness. She’s a really smart hitter who can tool blocks, go through them or around them. She’s also a back row treasure with her defending and passing skills. Bre Morgan, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Another point scorer out of the middle for Boiler Jrs, Morgan can get up and put it down. Madison Miles, OH, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – There’s a reason it comes from everywhere with Boiler Jrs. Miles is a point-scoring machine on the outside with her fluid swing and ability to generate plenty of pace with it. Kayla Nwabueze, MB, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – As we keep saying, this is a name you’ll get to know well in the coming years. At 6-0, Nwabueze has nice size and can hit from anywhere across the front row with great extension and power. Meredith Martin, L, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – A sound libero, Martin doesn’t make many errors. She’s sturdy in serve receive and is capable of making some big-time saves. Marlie Smith, S/OH, Legacy 14-1 Adidas –

Road signs are accurate. Volleyball ones can be misleading. Just because all the signs were pointing to a showdown between top-seeded Boiler Jrs 14 Gold and No. 2 Game Point 14 Rox in the 14 Open division at AAUs in Orlando, it hardly meant that was the championship match that was going to happen. Yet, the two highest-ranked clubs in our National Rankings – Boilers Jrs at No. 8 and GP at No. 11 – squared off for the gold medal Saturday afternoon at the ESPN Zone. On paper, it was the perfect final. On the court, Boiler Jrs was nearly perfect. The Indiana club turned in a no-doubt performance in sweeping GP, 25-18, 25-14, and claiming the gold medal. The sides had been on a collision course since the tournament started four days ago. In some regard, it was a case of who would blink first. Neither lost a set through the first two days. Game Point remained flawless after Day 3, when Boiler Jrs finally flinched and gave up a set in a three-game victory over Tribe 14 Elite. That was as close to losing as Boiler Jrs faced in Orlando, winning the third set 15-13. Perhaps that meant Boiler Jrs was vulnerable entering the gold bracket. Then again, perhaps the Florida humidity won’t be here when we gather in Orlando next summer. Opponents could only dream, as can we. Boiler Jrs’ finishing touch was on display, coming out firing against Northern Lights 14-1 in the quarterfinals and sweeping, 25-19, 25-7. The match was actually close midway through the first set. Coming off three days of PM pools before the schedule switched to AM matches, Boiler Jrs woke up, found its rhythm and just like that was onto the semifinals. A5 Mizuno 14 Helen offered more resistance, but not enough to push to force a third after Boiler Jrs pulled out a close second set and finished its sweep, 25-18, 25-22. Game Point, on the other hand, was tested out of the gate Saturday in its quarterfinal. Outside hitter Jordin Southall went down in the second set with an ankle injury and spent the rest of the match on the sidelines with ice on it. That seemed to rattle GP at first before the Florida club settled down, regrouped and pulled out the victory over Top Select 14 Elite in three games, 25-18, 16-25, 15-10. With Southall back in the lineup for the semis, GP was back to its usual self. Legacy 14-1 Adidas was taken care of quickly as GP swept, 25-13, 25-14, to set up the showdown with Boiler Jrs. The teams are similar in that both have strong outsides. For GP, it’s Southall and Catherine Palmi. For Boiler Jrs, it’s Cali Foster and Madison Miles. Both also have reliable options on the right in Jenness Orcutt (GP) and Caroline Ward (Boiler Jrs). The setting positions are ones of strengths with Lexi Shondell (Boiler Jrs) and Madison Wehr (GP). Where Boiler Jrs had the edge was in the middle with Reese Resmer and Bre Morgan, as well as at libero with Elle Hepler. It’s the strength of Boiler Jrs in that there isn’t a clear weakness anywhere. The team passes and defends and doesn’t have a rotation it gets stuck in because of the offensive firepower it can keep throwing at opponents. Game Point found that out first hand in the final. Boiler Jrs finished the four days going 11-0 overall and 22-1 in sets. It posted an impressive 1.5134 points ratio and now turns its sights on another national championship in its home state. The seedings for 14 Open at the USAV GJNC weren’t released as of Saturday. Regardless, Boiler Jrs will head to Indy as one of the favorites. Game Point is also part of that tournament as well. With a much deeper field there, the winner of that event will most assuredly take the No. 1 spot in our final 14s National Rankings. *** Before getting to what happened in 14 Premier, here are some final thoughts on 14 Open. Here’s the point where we can say our National Rankings held up well. We already mentioned that the two top-ranked teams met in the final. Boiler Jrs was the only team from our Top 10 in the field. The two bronze medalists in A5 and Legacy were among the top five teams from our rankings, coming in at No. 24 and No. 30 respectively. Dynasty 14 Black, at No. 19, was the highest-ranked team to miss the gold bracket. Top Select, at No. 34, No. 39 WPVC 14 Armour Black, and unranked Northern Lights and Mauloa 14 Green all made the quarterfinals. Rev 14-1 Fuego, at No. 31, was the next-highest ranked team to miss the quarterfinals. Some of that could be attributed to tough luck. Rev had a crossover match on Day 3 that was scheduled for 8pm. Rev fought off Vaqueras Freddy, rallying in Games 2 and 3 and winning 16-14 in the third. It was late night by that point and Rev had to turn around and play at 8am. Rev lost to Top Select 25-13, 26-24. Rev was up 23-20 in Game 2 but a 6-1 run from Top Select closed the door. Of the teams to reach the Top 10, six will be competing in 14 Open in Indy in Boiler Jrs, GP, A5, Top Select, WPVC and Rev. Legacy is not in 14 Open after getting passed by for an Open bid. The feeling here was Legacy should have earned one considering it has seven victories against the Open field. WPVC did get one of the eight at-larges with a 2-9 mark against the field. Of course, WPVC did beat Legacy head-to-head at the Sunshine Classic and maybe that played a part in WPVC getting one and Legacy not. It just so happened Legacy and WPVC met in the quarterfinals Saturday. Legacy moved on in three, 17-25, 25-22, 15-9, but of course it’s too late for

It’s confession time. Being a media site which is supposed to remain unbiased, neutral and fair at vballrecruiter.com, we were secretly rooting for any team other than Munciana 18 Samurai to bring home the 18 Open gold medal at AAUs in Orlando. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that the newly-crowned 18 Open gold medalist – a title Muncie earned after sweeping rival Sports Performance 18 Elite in the championship match Saturday at the ESPN Zone – made life very difficult on us. Why? In winning the national championship, Munciana opened up a debate and we are the ones who must settle it. See, way back in February Muncie won this tournament. You might have heard of it. It’s called Triple Crown and most all the top teams in the country were there. Muncie won the 18s championship, defeating Sunshine 18 LA in the final. It was Sunshine, of course, which took home the USAV 18s GJNC gold medal in April. When we released our 18s National Rankings in May it was Sunshine taking the No. 1 spot. But we did leave the door open for Muncie to reclaim it should Muncie take home gold here in Orlando. Now that that has happened, let the debate begin! There’s no arguing which of the two clubs played the harder schedule. Sunshine not only took home gold in Phoenix, it won national qualifiers in Chicago and So Cal. The only other team outside of Muncie to defeat Sunshine on a national stage was A5 Mizuno 18 Marc, also at Triple Crown. As for Muncie, it played a very limited schedule. The Indiana club hit up Triple Crown, Bluegrass in Louisville and AAUs. Muncie lost at Bluegrass to SPVB. Muncie also lost to Hou Skyline 18 Royal at Triple Crown. The biggest argument for Muncie is of course owning the head-to-head victory over Sunshine. You have two national championships, two winners, with one winner having beaten the other winner. That’s how the two stack up. We aren’t ready to make any proclamations yet. You’ll have to wait until July when we release our final national rankings. We’ll definitely be weighing both sides of the argument until then. As for the final day of the season for Muncie, it played out exactly like what we have become accustomed to seeing with the 18s from this club. Muncie rarely is going to beat itself. To get over on Muncie, opponents need to bring it and simply outplay Muncie because they won’t be handed anything. No team we saw in the 18s this season plays with as much fire and heart as Muncie does. That’s not necessarily to say Muncie is the best team, simply it’s refreshing to see the pure joy and excitement this group exudes on the court. In defeating SPVB in yesterday’s challenge match for seedings, Muncie took over the top spot and eventually met up with Coast 17-1 again in the semis. Muncie downed Kokoro 18-1 in straight sets in the quarters, while Coast held off Kairos 18 Adidas, 19-25, 25-13, 18-16, in its quarterfinal. Coast snuck past Muncie on Day 2, taking Game 3 in strong fashion, 15-9. No doubt that didn’t sit well with Muncie. After all, this is an 18 Open national championship and losing to a 17s team is going to sting. Coast came out hot in the rematch, taking the first set 25-16 before Muncie fought back and won the next two, 25-21, 15-13, to reach the final. The rematch with SPVB was not on the level of Friday’s contest, which Muncie won, 25-21, 28-30, 15-13. Saturday’s final was a more one-sided affair with Muncie prevailing, 25-23, 25-19. Muncie’s style is on its own level. The team trains and focuses on fast transition from offense to defense. That means playing great defense first, because without a dig there is no offense to transition to. It’s that speed and quickness from defense to offense that opponents have a hard time keeping up with and reacting to. At times, teams think they have a kill only to see the ball picked up and before opponents know it it’s coming right back at them. This is not a big team. Outside Eva Hudson is one of the two tallest players, along with middle Lovie Wallace. Along with Avery Ross, the outsides keep coming at opponents with aggression and putting lots of pressure on defenses. Setter Ella Bostic does well mixing in her middles with Wallace and Breanna Gross to keep teams honest. Then there is libero Ramsey Gary, who is one of the best in the Class of 2023 and a stalwart defensively. In an ideal world, we would get the rematch we all want to see between Sunshine and Munciana instead of having to decide which team deserves our final No. 1 ranking the most.

Any time teams are playing to make a gold bracket is a big deal. When it’s at a national championship, it’s an even bigger one. That’s what Day 3 for the 14s and 18s at AAUs in Orlando had in store for us. You can read about the day’s developments below if you keep scrolling. First, we want to showcase our Day 3 Show Stoppers. These are the players who stood out to us the most while going from court to court. Ruby McDermott, L, A5 Mizuno 14-1 Helen – McDermott showed her ability to get low and pick balls up off the floor. She was passing on target out of serve receive and was holding down the back row with confidence. Jordin Southall, OH, GP 14 Rox – A high-flying outside, Southall is someone to keep tabs on as she moves up in age groups. She can unleash on balls at times and is a definite scoring threat when she checks in front row. Jenness Orcutt, RS, GP 14 Rox – Orcutt brings her much-needed height to the front row. She has a good extension on her attacks and gave GP a reliable option on the right side. She was also touching balls and helping slow down attacks. Emma Adkins, OH, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – A six-rotation outside, Adkins is a key cog in the Tri-State lineup. She doesn’t back down, swinging well and keeps it coming at blockers. Arielle Hepler, L, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Boiler is one of the better passing and ball control teams in the field. Hepler contributes to that with her play at libero. She plays with lots of energy and is sound out of serve receive and does well chasing down balls. Lexi Shondell, S, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Shondell is someone we could talk about every time we see her play. She’s that talented. She already shows great command of the offense as she gets all her hitters involved. She’s also a plus defender. Madeline Dettling, OH, Mich Elite 14 Mizuno – A lanky outside, Dettling is one of the better offensive options for Mich Elite. She was showing nice extension on most of her swings. Ella Askin, OH, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Asking brings a bit of physicality to the lineup. She’s a strong hitter who can unleash big kills at times. Riley Taylor, MB, Triangle 14 Black – Taylor displayed her upside and it makes her someone to keep watch on in the years to come. She’s tall and that’s always an advantage at this age group. She also has the capability to send down loud kills when she gets a hold of one. Lexi Kedvesh, L, Rev 14-1 – Kedvesh does a solid job patrolling the back row. She can pass overhead and she can move side to side in serve receive and still deliver on target. Isabelle Masten, OH, Rev 14-1 – A bit undersized, Masten passes well and is a fearless attacker who can hit from the back row as well. Jaycee Jones, MB, Rev 14-1 – Also a bit undersized, Jones is an athletic middle who moves well. She has a quick leap and nice arm that makes her a scoring threat on in-system passes. Meredith Martin, L, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – Martin is one of the best liberos in the field. She’s smooth and consistent and rarely makes mistakes or misses on plays. She also can pass half the court in a two-person serve receive along with Jadyn Kennedy. Zoe Ross, L, Wildfire 14 Albert – Wildfire is one of the better digging and scrambling teams in the tournament. Ross is part of the reason why with her ability to make hustle plays and passing well when served at. Josie Noble, MB, Far Out 14 Black – Noble brings a level of physicality to the front row. She was scoring from sideline to sideline, going cross body and wrist away with equal effectiveness. Charlotte Segard, OH, MVA 14 National Black – Segard helps keep the offense ticking across the front row. She’s also a strong contributor in the back row where she was making nice digs and covers to keep rallies alive. Madison Hewitson, RS, Ocala Power 14 Adidas – A lanky lefty right side, Hewitson was making an impact on both sides of the ball. She was get her hands on attacks then turning around and scoring with nice shots to the deep cross court corner. Violet Poole, L, MVP 14 Gold – Poole was performing well and working hard to hold down the defensive side. She was laying out to keep balls alive, stepping taking them overhead and passing steady out of serve receive. Jenna Baller, L, Elevation 14 Peak – Baller was another defensive presence. She was sound in serve receive and putting passes on digs right on target consistently. Kennedy Boatman, S, Tx Tornados 14 Adidas – Boatman was consistently setting clean balls. She showed a soft touch and was hitting her spots regularly. Gabriella Brodner, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Brodner flashed her upside. She’s lanky with nice extension and is part of a solid outside duo for Jupiter. Olivia Peterson, OH, Jupiter Elite 14 – Peterson is the other half of a standout outside duo for Jupiter. She was showcasing strong passing skills and though she’s a bit undersized she was aggressive with her swings. Shaniya Harris, MB, HJV 14 Premier – A middle who is a bit undersized, Harris helps make up for with her bounce. She’s quick off the ground with a nice arm and delivered a few impressive kills. Adriana Jeanpierre, OH, JJVA 14 Teal – Jeanpierre gets in the air well with her strong jump. She gives JJVA a scoring option front or back row as she’s not afraid to let it rip. Avery MacMeccan, L, Upward Stars 14 Taylor – Taylor communicates well, encouraging teammates and letting hitters know where to swing. She was also consistently picking up swings

Day 2 in 13 Open from AAUs in Orlando was all business for most of the top seeds as four out of the six went undefeated in matches and sets. The only upset was in Pool 6 where GP 13 Rox upset the No. 1 team in Tribe 13 Elite. Tomorrow will consist of three pools of four, with the top three in each pool advancing to gold bracket. There should be plenty of great volleyball on Day 3. Now, let’s take a look at our Day 2 Show Stoppers, featuring the players that stood out to us the most. 13s SETTERS Marissa Jones, A5 MIzuno 13 Karen – Jones dominated the net with her size. She was putting up block after block while throwing down some powerful one-handed dumps. Addison Traina, GP 13 Rox – In GP’s upset of Tribe, she handled the setting duties efficiently, seemingly making all the right sets at the right time. Avery Thompson-Stepp, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Thompson-Stepp has strong hands with high contact. She set a good slide with pace and got results. Kenna Robinson, Asics Munciana 13 Stingrays – Robinson showed her creativity with a slew of combination plays and confusing the blocks. Addison Hurley, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Hurley made all the right sets as she rallied her team back from a 18-14 deficit late in the game for a great win. LIBERO Abril Fernandez, GP 13 Rox – Fernandez plays with excitement and energy that is contagious. She also uses her hands for overhead digs with ease. Dannah Kerberg, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Kerberg showed great hustle chasing balls down all over. She was also consistent in serve receive. McKenzie Willkie, A5 Mizuno 13 Karen – Willkie makes good reads on plays, constantly placing herself where the ball ends up. Lyndsey Robinson, Asics Munciana 12 Stingrays – Robinson delivered key serves when her team was down and needed it. She seems like a coach on the court coming out of a timeout talking and high fiving everyone on the court. MIDDLES Emily Poteraj, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Poteraj’s blocks changed a lot of decisions by hitters. She also had hard hits to both sidelines in her resume. Sofia Tausinga, Club V 13 AR – Tausinga’s quick hops are a nightmare for anyone’s timing trying to block her. Brooklyn Sippio, GP 13 Rox – Sippio was very athletic around the net moving sideline to sideline well and also transitioning and hitting tight sets. Cynthia Ockerman, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Ockerman has good size for blocking bur her slide attack is her bread and butter that lands many kills for her team. RIGHT SIDES Mia Diouf, GP 13 Rox – This lefty set the tone in her team’s upset match. Her big blocks and powerful swings caused confusion and hesitation with the other team. Kaitlyn Wohl, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Wohl was very reliable with her attacks, getting key kills but rarely making any mistakes. Ava Gould, Asics Munciana 13 Stingrays – Gould does a good job of saving balls that are set in trouble and keeping those hits in play. OUTSIDES Brooke Codey, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Codey had five kills in a row late in a match for her team’s comeback victory. Nafanua Alofipo, Club V 13AR Jess – Alofipo is a solid six-rotation player with great passing skills. Offensively, she is very quick and a definite plus in transition. Paige Rudolph, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Rudolph has a good arm and hits with pace. Her hits were beating defenders to the spot. Kaylee Forman, Tribe 13 Elite Hector – Forman had good swings down the line with pace and rarely made any errors. 12s The underdog to root for on Day 2 was fourth-seed GVA 12 Jayson from Puerto Rico, which beat everyone in its pool and starts tomorrow as the No. 2 overall seed. Friday’s gold pools feature two pools of four. Before that action takes place however, let’s get to our Day 2 Show Stoppers highlighting the players who stood out. SETTERS Paislee Terry, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Terry did a good job distributing the ball as the defense had a tough time getting in position for either quick sets or sets to the pin. Amanda Martinez, GVA 12 Jayson – Martinez has a good setter’s mentality. She was hustling for balls and kept good composure when her serve receive was in trouble. Kaelyn Easton, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Easton has really good footwork and it showed when passes were tight and she was able to get there and jump set a nice ball. Chelsea Torrence, A5 Mizuno 12 Jing – Torrance has a good touch and gets the ball to the same spot consistently, whether she is setting conventionally or running and bump setting. Marlan Rolon, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Rolon really shined in the back row with her tough serves and sound defense. LIBERO Danica Waterman, OT 12 T Kesha – Waterman is a strong server with not only pace but accuracy. She was also able to locate a weak area and keep the pressure on. Rebekah Tigertail, Tribe 12 Elite Altone – Tigertail is a strong defender who not only will dive and chase down ball, but she also digs overhand confidently. Arianys Salgado, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Salgado is a very active defender, will cover all hitters, chase down loose balls, and set all out of system balls without hesitation. Brooke Neale, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Neale is very good in serve receive with her technique and her communication to her teammates. She also plays strong middle back defense. MIDDLES Lexi Coleman, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Coleman is really good in transition. She showed good footwork with a quick arm swing. Kennedy Davis, A5 Mizuno 12 Jing – Davis has good timing and technique on her blocks, consistently getting touches. Hailli Winkle, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Winkle is strong and dynamic. She gets a

You know what time it is. It’s time to get to the happenings of Day 2 from the 14s and 18s from AAUs in Orlando. Keep scrolling down to see recap with news and notes from the second round of pool play. Before getting to that though, we present our Day 2 Show Stoppers from the aforementioned age groups. Elle Mottola, S/RS, WPVC 14 Armour Black – Mottola showed what she can bring to a lineup with her setting and hitting abilities. She was delivering with consistent location when setting. Kampbell Niepagen, RS, Illini Elite 14 Cardinal – A lanky right side, Niepagen was showing nice extension on her swings and generating pace that had shots going deep cross court. Alana Whitfield, OH, Illini Elite 14 Cardinal – Whitfield is the go-to hitter and a valuable six-rotation outside. She was showing great skill in the back row passing and running down balls to extend rallies. Isabella Taveras Seda, L, JJVA 14 Teal – Seda is a fiery libero with lots of spirit. She’s also quick and able to cover a lot of court. Mollie Vandeusen, S/RS, JJVA 14 Teal – Vandeusen has nice size and is part of a 6-2 package, setting in the back and hitting across the front. She does well at both, with accurate sets and solid swing. Ryan Murphy, S/RS, JJVA 14 Teal – Murphy is also a big piece of the lineup, as she can also play in part of a 6-2. She also has nice height and sets a good ball with the ability to give the team a boost offensively as well with her hitting. Reagan Hare, RS, CJV 14 Kim – A lefty, Hare is a vital piece. She has a good arm and sees the court well, varying between strong contacts and roll shots to the open court. She was also hitting out of the back row on D balls. Riley Nagamine, L, 808 14 Sheri – Nagamine showed a sound platform and was passing nails in serve receive. She also showed her grit and determination chasing down errant balls. Amira Bailey, MB, TPV 14 Legacy – It’s fun identifying future prospects and Bailey is definitely one to keep tabs on. We don’t know her exact height but she’s the tallest player in the division. Her upside is tremendous, as she already gets her hands way above the net when blocking. Maggie Szlachcic, OH, Far Out 14 Black – Szlachcic was providing key offense for Far Out. She was showing a solid swing and wasn’t holding back at times in challenging the defense to make a play. Kam’Bre Jones, MB, OT 14 Laura – Even if defenses know the ball is going to Jones, she can be tough to slow. She has a quick jump and fluid swing and can seemingly score at will. Laila Ornick, L, Roots 14 Green – Ornick is a quick libero who makes up ground in a hurry. She was showing her hustle by running down balls all over the court and also doing a good job covering touches. Ella Meador, L, FCA Upstate 141 – Meador is a gamer with a steady demeanor. She was passing dimes out of serve receive the times teams dared come at her. Nalanie Neal, RS, RVJ 14 Caleb – Neal has a high ceiling and could be a future prospect. She’s wirey with a good arm. RVJ definitelys looks to get her involved as much as possible, so defenses must be ready for her attacks. Cali Foster, OH, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – An all-around contributor, Foster is a lights-out passer and defender. She’s also a smart hitter who can tool blocks and consistently put pressure on defenses with her ability to go down the line. Avery Stephens, L, OT 14 Cristobal – Stephens has the ability to make dazzling saves, like when she dove to her left and made a one-arm dig near the sideline to extend a rally. Gabby Semona, MB, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – A 6-1 middle, Semona brings size to the front row. She’ll line up and hit on the right as well as Tri-State moves her around to get her more involved. Mckenna Morton, OH, Madfrog 14 Black – Madfrog 14 Green is the top 14s team in the nation, so you know the Black squad has seen high-level volleyball this whole season. While undersized at every position, there’s so much heart and passion. Morton is part of the group, attacking front and back row without fear. Bradi Weidman, S/RS, Madfrog 14 Black – Weidman is a big piece to what Madfrog does. She sets and hit and she’s also a strong defender who makes hustle plays. Kayla Nwabueze, MB, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – We wrote about Nwabueze at the JVA SummerFest. This 6-0 middle is a freaky prospect. She hits from all over – on the left, on the right, on 1s and on 3s. When she gets full extension she almost never gets dug. Reese Resmer, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – We also watched Resmer at SummerFest, where she was one of the best middles in the age group. She was owning the second set against Legacy with her quick jump and swing that generates plenty of pace. Emily Keiran, L, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Keiran passes a lot of court in serve receive. She was also making well-timed saves while showing her scrappiness. Kathryn O’Toole, DS, Adidas KiVA 14 Red – Admittingly, we should write about more DS’s like O’Toole. She was part of a two-person serve receive and was covering and passing well during her time in the back row. Dasia Johnson, OH, Wildfire 14 Albert – An undersized outside, Johnson proves plenty of punch to the attack. She jumps well and hits a heavy ball with lots of topspin due to a nice wrist snap. Alayna Vaeth, S, Dynasty 14 Black – Vaeth is steady, not getting too high or low. She has a strong

AAUs in Orlando features stiff competition in the 13 Open division. Day 1 showcased 27 teams. All the top seeds proved dominant in pool play. It has all the makings for exciting pool play moving forward as the cream is rising to the top. Plenty of individuals stood out as well. Here are our Show Stoppers from the first day of action. 13s SETTERS Addison Hurley, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Hurley has a solid serve which resulted in long serving runs. Additionally, the location of her sets were consistent. Marissa Jones, A5 Mizuno 13 Karen – Jones’ hands are strong and the release is smooth. She was able to set a “3” going backwards showing her athleticism. Zamari Christensen, Club V 13 AR Jess – Christensen’s trust in her middles in evident in the fact that she sets them frequently and they reward her with kills. Kenna Robinson, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Robinson was very effective running combination plays with two quick attacks or two players crossing, giving her hitters no blockers. Caitlin Crino, Tribe 13 Elite Hector – Crino was very good at getting her feet to the ball with a nice release making her sets consistent. LIBERO Lyndsey Robinson, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Robinson has a consistent and strong serve. Peyton Beatty, Lexington United 13 Adidas – Beatty displayed good touches in serve receive and is confident in her out of system setting. Addison Traina, GP 13 Rox – Traina is an energetic and active libero who also moves well and covers the backrow. Paige Lee, Top Select 13 Elite – Lee likes to move the serve around. She also flashed strong serve receive and played good middle back defense. MIDDLES Cynthia Ockerman, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Ockerman was the only middle who ran a slide and it was effective. Milana Mays, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Mays runs a very quick “1” attack in serve receive and in transition. Sitoafa Tausinga, Club V 13 AR Jess – Tausinga’s “3” attack is hard to dig because it is so quick. Emily Poteraj, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Poteraj’s presence at the net was felt during tight balls as she had quite a few stuff blocks. Ava Mineer, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Mineer possesses a heavy arm swing resulting in many big kills. RIGHT SIDES Kaitlyn Wohl, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Wohl has a lot of range on her swing including the sharp cross court. Ava Gould, Asics Muncian Stingrays – Gould is a lefty with a sound swing. She does get kills in row 1 on the outside. Jenny Glushakov, Top Select 13 Elite – Glushakov has a good, high contact that allows her to hit line consistently. Bradee Boyd, Tribe 13 Elite Hector – Boyd was engaging with her teammates, bringing smiles from everyone. OUTSIDES Brooke Codey, Adidas KIVA 13 Red – Codey has a high wrist snap on her swing giving it a lot of topspin. Darby Felts, K2 13 Adidas – Felts is a fearless hitter who swings hard with or without a block. Abbie Stewart, Asics Munciana Stingrays – Stewart has good court sense as she moves the ball around and tips to open spots for points. Jada Cripe, Boiler Juniors 13 Gold – Cripe not only can move the ball around but also put some monster blocks on tight sets and passes. 12s The 12 Open division at AAU is not as big as others with 19 total teams. The top seeds mostly dominated with four out of the five pool winners not dropping a set. We present our Day 1  Show Stoppers featuring the standouts who caught our attention the most. SETTERS Mila Zujovic, OT 12 T Kesha – Zujovic has nice, strong hands and very consistent location. Kaelyn Easton, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Easton is very athletic as she will jump set consistently. Paislee Terry, Asics Muncian Peppers – Terry has a great touch and shows confidence in setting slides regularly. Marian Rolon, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Rolon has a hard serve that is also accurate. LIBERO Danica Waterman, OT 12 T Kesha – Waterman has a consistently accurate serve that frustrates passers. Stella Smith, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Smith is an energetic and talkative teammate. She’s very quick on hustle plays. Brooke Neale, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Neale was solid in serve receive and such a good passer she plays defense in middle back. Arianys Salgado, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Salgado is very quick and can set out of system wherever the setter passes the ball. MIDDLES Adriana Hernandez, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Hernandez hits a hard quick attack that defenders don’t expect to come so fast. Haili Winkle, Asics Munciana 12 Peppers – Winkle was the only middle to run a slide attack in her age group, showing her athleticism. Lexi Coleman, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Coleman can hit a variety of hard shots, including quick attacks as well as a “2” out of transition. McKenzie Andrews, Legacy 12-1 Adidas – Andrews is a tall and very athletic middle. She will run “3s” consistently. RIGHT SIDES Mikaella Fontanez, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Fontanez is a strong attacker constantly tooling the block and will hit a quick set out of serve receive. Arya Ozel, OT 12 T Kesha – Ozel was very good at the net blocking many outside attackers. Isabel Penrose, OT 12 T Kesha – Penrose is very dynamic. She can hit on the right side and out of serve receive. She will hit a middle set effectively too. OUTSIDES Anabella Valentin, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Valentin is her team’s lifeline as at any signs of trouble she will get set for a big swing. Itzamar Martinez, Borinquen 12-1 Juan – Martinez is physical on offense with her hard swings and at the net with her blocking. Sofia Rivera, GVA 12 Jayson – Rivera has such a quick swing. Line diggers have a tough time reacting to how fast it comes. Lia Ray, Tribe

If you like reading about talented and impressive volleyball players then you’ll be glued to vballrecruiter.com for the next couple of weeks as we go on our journey through the two end of the year national championships. Wednesday brought us Day 1 of the 14s and 18s divisions at AAUs in Orlando. We’ll get to some of the day’s action further down if you keep scrolling. But first, we want to highlight the Show Stoppers from Day 1. These are the players who made us take notice while we were roaming from court to court. Kalyssa Taggart, S, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen – Taggart hits her spots well. She has an easy, seamless delivery and can go behind her well too. Sophia Stallworth, MB, WPVC 14 Armour Black – Stallworth is a smooth attacker with an easy swing. Defenders need to be on their toes because Stallworth can connect and hit with pact. Elle Mottola, S, WPVC 14 Armour Black – Mottola has a nice touch and delivers consistently hittable balls. Amelia Mancino, OH, WPVC 14 Armour Black – A bit undersized, Mancino isn’t afraid to challenge blockers. She was showing ability to tool blocks with aggressive swings. Alivia Morgan, RS, Rev 14-1 Fuego – Morgan was a viable threat on the right side. She’s lanky with a nice swing who is capable of catching a few and ripping them for winners. Ella Jenkins, OH, Rev 14-1 Fuego – We recently saw Jenkins at the JVA SummerFest and she was back doing her thing. She’s the go-to outside who gets off the ground well and pressures defenses to try and slow her down. Ashlyn Cobb, OH, Tribe 14 Elite – The outsides for Tribe are tough to slow down. Cobb takes big swings and isn’t afraid to get after it, whether front or back row. Vitoria Belfort, OH, Tribe 14 Elite – Belfort is quick off the ground, which makes her harder to time blocking. She also showed a nice knack for making some defensive plays in the back row. Reagan Turk, L, Team Indiana 14.1 – Turk was nails. She wasn’t getting a lot of action in serve receive but when the ball did find her she was on target to the setter. Lydia Stahley, OH, Team Indiana 14.1 – Team Indiana moves Stahley around to throw different looks at the defense. Stahley is a force with her fluid swing and ability to carry the offense. Sydni Lafasciano, OH, Dynasty 14 Black – Lafasciano is a dangerous weapon for Dynasty. She explodes off the ground and has a quick swing. She was putting down impressive kills on the regular. Elizabeth Scanlon, OH, Dynasty 14 Black – One match Scanlon was playing across the front. The next she was in for six rows. She has a big arm and can really connect when the set allows for it. Madeline Kraft, L, Northern Lights 14-1 – Kraft was a steadying presence defensively. She’s also a reliable passer out of serve receive. Teaming with DS Sidney Burley, they made up a two-person serve receive formation at times. Rayna Christianson, S/RS, Northern Lights 14-1 – What a talent Christianson is! At 6-2, she’s long and is good enough setting and hitting it’s hard to say which she is better at. She has great hands running the offense and is a total mismatch when attacking with her height. Caroline Banks, S, Northern Lights 14-1 – The backrow setter in a 6-2, Banks moves well and hits her spots on the regular. Kenlee Barnard, S, Metro VBC 14 Rasche – This is likely a name you’ll be hearing more of in the future. Barnard oozes potential. She’s tall at 6-1 with good hands. The future is bright for her. Siri Fullop, L, Metro VBC 14 Rasche – Fullop is scrappy and confident, darting in and picking off balls. Her passing was on point as she rarely missed keeping Metro in system. Geiliany Del Valle, S, Top Select 14 Elite – Del Valle was smooth and effective. She displayed nice hands and was able to get her various hitters involved when in system. Isabella Umpierre, RS, Top Select 14 Elite – A springy lefty, Umpierre is quick on the attack. She has a fluid swing and can find the hole in the block to exploit it. Allie Davison, S, Mich Elite 14 Mizuno – Davison sets a nice ball. She didn’t miss her spots very much and was putting her hitters in good positions to score. Graceyn Shepard, L, Triangle 14 Black – Shepard was passing well out of serve receive when the ball did come her way. She was routinely picking up cross court shots at left back and was covering touches well to keep the play alive. Maya McConnell, OH, Munciana 14 Chipmunks – McConnell went on the best serving running we saw all day. She has a strong jump serve with lots of topspin. She was also able to make a few nice digs in the back row to help her own cause and stay serving. Andrea Rodriguez, S/RS, OT 14 Cristobal – Rodriguez plays an important role by setting and attacking. She has a good touch and was dishing to her spots with consistent accuracy. Isabel Taylor, OH, Club V 14 Ren Silver – Taylor was not holding back. She was attacking with aggression and was a threat to hit from different spots on the court, including out of the middle. Grace Jones, L, Tri-State Elite 14 Blue – Jones was displaying a tough serve, one with lots of movement and deep near the end line. Sienna Fry, OH, Summit 14 Elite – When Fry is front row she gets set as often as possible. For good reason, she’s long with a good swing and can go right over the top of smaller blockers. Sarah Ojeda, OH, Wildfire Albert 14 – Ojeda is a bit undersized but she stood out for her tremendous defense and passing ability. She has a sound