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Before vballrecruiter.com dives heads first into the end-of-the-year national championships the rest of June and into July, we pause for a moment to introduce our inaugural college recruiting class rankings for the Class of 2022. If you are new to vballrecruiter.com we use a player rankings system similar to those used in football and basketball where we rank players as 3, 4 or 5-star recruits. These rankings heavily influenced our Top 25 below. In formulating the Top 25 we took into consideration only domestic players from the Class of 2022. Some programs are bringing in international players as well as adding transfers to their rosters. However, those players were not considered. 1. USC Incoming Class: Jordan Middleton, OH, AZ Storm (5-star) Adonia Faumuina, OH/S, Mizuno Long Beach (5-star) Gala Trubint, L/DS, Coast (5-star) Rylie McGinest, MB, Mizuno Long Beach (4-star) Megan Verbiest, L/DS, Sunshine (4-star) Danielle Thomas-Nathan, OH, Sunshine 3 (star) Madison Pietsch, RS, Rage Westside (3-star) Notes: The Trojans take top honors based on the depth of its incoming class. Texas, Nebraska and Florida were the only other programs to land three, 5-star recruits. That in itself is a haul. Then add the rest of the bunch to what the Trojans are getting and it makes it an unbelievable class. “Jordan has grown immensely from the time we began recruiting her and has shown the ability to dominate a match from anywhere on the court,” USC coach Brad Keller said. “She brings athleticism, intensity, and a winning mentality that is infectious. Jordan also exemplifies the values we put on family. We anticipate and expect Jordan will have an immediate impact for us.” “There are few volleyball players as fluid and athletic as Adonia,” Keller said. “She can do it all and has shown poise and maturity as a leader. Adonia plays the entire game and affects it in many ways. More importantly, the value that we’ve seen Adonia put into her family and relationships are such coveted traits in young athletes today. We expect her to immediately contribute to our program.” “Gala is an extremely polished player that has clearly been around the game for a long time,” Keller said. “She has great touch with her platform and shows impressive instincts in all areas of the game.” It does remain to be seen the immediate impact this class will have however. USC added four transfers in outside Skylar Fields, middles Lindsey Miller and Kalyah Williams and libero Kelli Barry. Of the incoming class, Middleton seems most likely to see the court first. *** 2. Florida Incoming Class: Alexis Stucky, S, Norco Jrs, (5-star) Carly Hendrickson, OH, Elevation (5-star) Amaya Thomas, MB, OTVA (5-star) Emily Canaan, L/DS Skyline, (4-star) Emerson Hoyle, L/DS Xcel, (3-star) Notes: With three, 5-star recruits, Florida definitely deserved a spot in the Top 5. Propelling the Gators to No. 2 is landing the top-rated setter in the class in 6-foot-2 Stucky. She has a very high volleyball IQ and is ultra-competitive. She’s expected to compete for a starting role in the fall. Help making up the class are two more 5-star recruits in Hendrickson at outside and Thomas in the middle. Hendrickson might be able to crack the lineup but the outside position is going to be tough as Florida added three transfers at that spot in AC Fitzpatrick, Rhett Robinson and Marina Markova. As for Thomas, she’ll be competing with three middles already on the roster in junior Nnedi Okammor and sophomores Gabrielle Essix and Bre Kelly. Also, part of Florida’s class are backrow specialists in Canaan and Hoyle. Canaan could see time as a defensive specialist given junior libero Elli McKissock is back. “When we are able to announce the entire class, we will celebrate the collection of elite talent that makes up the Class of ’22. We cannot wait to have them compete for us in the fall,” Florida coach Mary Wise said of the November signing day. *** 3. Nebraska Incoming Class: Bekka Allick, MB, VCNebraska (5-star) Hayden Kubik, OH, Club Ignit (5-star) Maggie Mendelson, MB, Hive (5-star) Maisie Boesiger, S/DS, Premier Neb (3-star) Notes: Like the other teams in the Top 4, Nebraska is bringing in three, 5-star recruits. Two of them are middles Bekka Allick and Maggie Mendelson, who is planning on playing basketball for Nebraska as well. Along with grad transfer Kaitlyn Hord from Penn State it’ll help shore up a position of need for Nebraska. “Being at the top of her position and one of the top recruits overall in this class, Bekka provides us some much-needed depth at the middle blocker position, and we expect her to make a big impact on our team from the day she steps on campus,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “When recruiting opened back up after a year and a half, Maggie’s club tournament in Salt Lake City was the first place I went,” Cook said. “Maggie is a special talent, an elite competitor and a multi-sport athlete, which we love here at Nebraska. Coach Williams and I presented a great plan for her to succeed in both sports, and that’s one of the reasons she decided to come here.” Rounding out the 5-star recruits is outside Hayden Kubik, whose older sister, Madi, is a standout already for the Huskers. The younger Kubik could be challenged to see the court in her first year. She’s competing with her older sister, plus returns Ally Batenhorst and Lindsay Krause. “We’ve recruited Hayden for a very long time, due to the fact that she is Madi’s sister as well as one of the best players in this recruiting class,” Cook said. “Being rated one of the top six-rotation outside hitters in this class, we made her our first phone call back on June 15, 2020 to make sure she knew we wanted her to be a Husker.” Back row specialist Maisie Boesiger completes the incoming class. “Small-town Nebraska girls have always been very important to us, and Maisie embodies that,” Cook said. “She

Number of Teams: 59 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (11): 7. OT 15 Randy 8. Legacy 15-1 Adidas 25. Munciana 15 Lorax 26. Adidas KiVA 15 Red 27. Mich Elite 15 Mizuno 34. ID Crush 15 Bower 36. A5 Mizuno 15 Bob 37. Boiler Jrs 15 Gold 40. Northern Lights 15-1 42. GP 15 Rox 46. OT 15 Meg 49. Top Select 15 Elite vballrecruiter.com 5-star recruits (1): Charlotte Glass, S, Tribe 15 Elite vballrecruiter.com 4-star recruits (7): Mesaiya Bettis, OH/RS, Northern Lights 15-1 Campbell Flynn, S, Legacy 15-1 Adidas Lauren Coyne, RS, SPVB 15 Elite Navea Gauthier, OH, Far Out 15 Black Abbigail Pickard, S, Far Out 15 Black Abigail Li, S, A5 Mizuno 15 Bob Izzy Mogridge, S, OT 15 Randy Outlook: The top four seeds are also the four teams ranked the highest in our national rankings. The difference is Munciana 15 Lorax seeded No. 2 ahead of Legacy 15-1 Adidas, which is the No. 3 seed and ranked 17 spots higher in our rankings. OT 15 Randy earns the top seed, while Adidas KiVA 15 Red checks in at No. 4. The rest of the top eight seeds looks like No. 5 Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1, No. 6 GP 15 Rox, No. 7 OT 15 Meg and No. 8 SPVB 15 Elite. OT Meg did well in reaching the semifinals of 15 Open at the JVA West Coast Cup earlier this month but might be seeded a little high. Mich Elite 15 Mizuno, which is ranked No. 27 in our rankings, begins as the No. 11 overall seed. Like the 17s in 17 Open, ID Crush 15 Bower might be under-seeded in 15 Open, opening as the No. 17 overall seed. The field has plenty of teams capable of making noise and delivering upsets. A5 Mizuno 15 Bob, Boiler Jrs 15 Gold, Team Pineapple 15 Black, Far Out 15 Black, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue and Tribe 15 Elite Dean all fit that bill. Still, OT Randy and Legacy have separated themselves from the rest of the pack with their play throughout the season. Munciana certainly has the ability to compete and beat either, as does KiVA. It’s difficult seeing the national champion coming from outside the top four seeds. But maybe someone can break it up and earn at least a bronze medal? Prediction: We like the scrap and grit of OT Randy. We like the fact Legacy knows how to win. That’s why the pick is for the two to meet up in the final. Legacy squeaks by in three. Munciana and Tri-State Elite bring home the bronzes.

Number of Teams: 75 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (14): 3. A5 Mizuno 17 Jing 10. Legacy 17-1 Adidas 13. MN Select 17-1 17. OT 17 John 28. ID Crush 17 Bower 30. Top Select 17 Elite 32. Mich Elite 17 Mizuno 35. AVC Cle Rox 17 Red 37. Aspire 17 Premier 38. NE Elite 17 Vici 41. Academy 17 Diamond 44. Rev Raptors 17-1 48. Northern Lights 17-1 50. No Name 17 Doug vballrecruiter.com 5-star recruits (8): Sydney Schnichels, RS, MN Select 17-1 (Minnesota) Laney Choboy, L, Academy 17 Diamond (Minnesota) Nya Bunton, MB, Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Texas) Jordyn Byrd, OH, No Name 17 Doug (Texas) Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Nebraska) Alex Acevedo, OH, ID Crush 17 Bower (2024) Stella Swenson, S, MN Select 17-1 (2024) Alex Bower, S, ID Crush 17 Bower (2024) vballrecruiter.com 4-star recruits (10): Laurece Abraham, MB, Legacy 17-1 (Yale) Sarah Vellucci, L, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Long Beach State) Arya Jue, L, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing (Yale) Kierstyn Barton, RS, Aspire 17 Premier (Washington) Erin Kline, S, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (Miss State) Sydney Helmers, OH, Adidas KiVA 17 Red (Texas) Kenna Wollard, OH, Illini Elite 17 Cardinal (Purdue) Neomi Beach, OH, Aspire 17 Premier (San Diego) Kaia Caffee, MB, MN Select 17-1 (2024) Olivia Swenson, OH, MN Select 17-1 (2024) Outlook: The favorites are certainly seeded atop the field. Legacy 17-1 Adidas – ranked No. 10 in our national rankings – opens at No. 1 followed by No. 2 A5 Mizuno 17 Jing. Rounding out the Top 8 seeds are No. 3 MN Select 17-1, No. 4 OT 17 John, No. 5 Top Select 17 Elite, No. 6 Adidas KiVA 17 Red, No. 7 Rev 17-1 and No. 8 Academy 17 Diamond. The team that could be under-seeded some is Idaho Crush 17 Bower at No. 20. This group is good enough to finish in the Top 10. NE Elite 17 Vici, seeded No. 23, and A4 Volley 17 Joaco, seeded at No. 24, are two more teams who could finish much higher than their initial seedings. AVC Cle Rox 17 Red is coming off a third-place showing at JVA SummerFest and if it can keep it up can play a spoiler role. Aspire 17 Premier, starting as the No. 12 seed, is a team to keep an eye on. Aspire played a strong schedule and wasn’t far off from qualifying for 17 Open for USAV. The same goes for Mizuno Northern Lights 17-1 at No. 11. Ultimately though, the likely gold medalist is going to emerge from one of the top six seeds unless someone else can spring an upset. Prediction: Legacy and A5 have proven to be the two most consistent teams in the field throughout the year. However, we are not going with either to win it all. The pick is OT John prevailing in a mild surprise, beating MN Select in the final. Legacy and A5 take bronzes.

Number of Teams: 43 vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Clubs (12): No. 8 Boiler Jrs 14 Gold No. 11 GP 14 Rox No. 19 Dynasty 14 Black No. 24 A5 Mizuno 14 Helen No. 30 Legacy 14 Adidas No. 31 Rev 14-1 Fuego No. 34 Top Select 14 Elite No. 38 Kairos 14 Adidas No. 39 WPVC Armour Black No. 40 OT 14 Cristobal No. 49 Adidas KiVA 14 Red No. 50 Munciana 14 Chipmunks Outlook: Six clubs are doubling up by competing in 14 Open at both AAUs and USAV. They are top-seeded Boiler Jrs 14 Gold, GP 14 Rox, Dynasty 14 Black, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen, Rev 14-1 Fuego and WPVC Armour Black. Boiler Jrs is coming off its victory at the JVA SummerFest in Columbus. Legacy 14-1 Adidas, Adidas KiVA 14 Red and Rev also participated in the event. Boiler Jrs and GP are the two highest-ranked teams in the field and the seeding matches up with that, as they open at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. It changes up from there, as No. 38 Kairos 14 Adidas starts as the No. 3 seed overall. The remaining top eight seeds are No. 4 Dynasty, No. 5 Legacy, No. 6 Rev, No. 7 WPVC and No. 8 Top Select 14 Elite. A5, ranked No. 24 nationally, is seeded No. 9 overall. Another team to watch for is No. 11 seeded Madfrog 14 Black. The 2s team has some quality wins this season and is capable of pulling a surprise or two. This age group could be full of surprises as teams deal with the challenge of trying to play four days of consistent volleyball. The only teams eliminated on Day 1 are teams finishing in fourth place in pool. After that, Days 2 and 3 teams must finish in first or second place to move on, with the exception of a couple crossover matches on Day 3 that allows a team finishing third in pool to still advance by winning that match.  Prediction: We are going with the local flavor. The pick to win it all is Game Point, which tops Legacy for the gold. Boiler Jrs and Dynasty take home bronzes.

Before vballrecruiter.com hits the road for the AAU and USAV national championships we spent one last day watching the Premier Volleyball League out of So Cal. The latest weekend brought the 14s championships to the CLAVA facility in Lake Forest. We were on hand Sunday for the final day of action. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers who caught our attention the most. Presley Thompson, L, Wave 14 Brennan – Thompson showed her willingness to leave her feet to keep rallies alive. It was the all-out effort you like to see from defenders. Ruby Partain, MB, Wave 14 Brennan – Partain brings some height to the front row. She carries a solid arm and is a smart hitter who can tool blocks repeatedly. Jaycee Mack, MB, Wave 14 Brennan – A seventh-grader playing up, we love the upside Mack has. She’s definitely one to keep tabs on. She is already hitting a hard ball and she can run the slide effectively. Havani Embry, RS/OH, Wave 14 Brennan – Embry showed off her versatility as a pin hitter by playing outside one match then on the right the next. She’s a bit undersized but is a fearless attacker and a strong defender and passer in the back row. Sara Uebelhoer, OH, Wave 14 Brennan – Another outside who is a bit undersized but effective, Uebelhoer is an aggressive attacker who takes some big, hard swings and jumps well. Finley Krystkowiak, OH, Wave 14 Brennan – The length of Krystkowiak is such a weapon. She can go right over the top of blockers with ease and hits hard enough that defenders have a tough time digging her. Ryah Brock, OH, Forza1 North 14 UA – Brock is part of a strong outside duo for Forza North. She’s another seventh-grader playing up and has a very bright future. She’s spring with a nice swing and gets plenty of opportunities to score points. Westley Matavao, OH, Forza1 North 14 UA – Matavao is also a seventh-grader playing up and she brings lots of physicality to the lineup. She’s a strong, hard hitter who puts plenty of pressure on the defense with her scoring abilities. Jayden Hanson, S/RS, Forza1 North 14 UA – With nice hands and energetic play, Hanson does well as a setter. She’s capable of running a 5-1 or allows Forza to mix it up with her ability to hit in the front row. Emerson Newton, MB, Forza1 North 14 UA – Newton is another powerful hitter Forza can throw at defenses. She has a big, strong arm and can pound it down. Nina Hemsley, MB, Forza1 North 14 UA – Hemsley is a quicker middle who can get off the ground well. She also hits with pace when she connects. Madyson McCarthy, OH, Coast 14-1 – Coast is another team with a dynamic outside duo. McCarthy is a free swinger with a smooth arm who keeps coming at the block. Kylee-Jo Wilson, OH, Coast 14-1 – A seventh-grader playing up, Wilson is relentless with her attacking. She does not hold back and challenges blocks and defenders to make plays. Cataline Alvizuri, MB, Coast 14-1 – Alvizuri brings instant offense to the front row. She’s active and is involved in a lot of plays at the net. Ava McBride, S/RS, Actyve 14 Black – McBride is one of the more entertaining players to watch with her ability to set and hit. She’s strong at both, but seems to really excel when attacking from the right side with a fluid swing with great extension. Grace Jamison, OH, Actyve 14 Black – Jamison was proving to be a reliable option on the left. She too was displaying nice extension on her swings and was generating pace as well. Addison Coady, MB, Tstreet 14 Carson – We feel the upside to Coady is tremendous. She has a great arm with a high contact point and can score with it consistently. Kaia Ciszewski, OH, Tstreet 14 Carson – A bit undersized on the left, Ciszewski comes with it time and time again. She can bring some heat when the set allows for it but she’s also a heady attacker who scores with well-timed and placed tips. Skylar Noble, L, Tstreet 14 Carson – Noble had some nice moments defending. She showed her ability to get low and dig balls up off the floor to extend rallies. Emmerson Champagne, MB, Tstreet 14 Carson – Champagne was displaying some strong hands. She was putting up a wall of a block at times and causing problems for hitters coming at her. Charlotte Nowak, OH, Tstreet 14 Carson – A lanky outside, Nowak is another to keep watch on as she develops. She has nice extension on her attacks and can hit with pace too. Asia Udo-Ema, OH, Pipeline 14 Magic – Udo-Ema is a do-it-all, six-rotation who Pipeline leans on heavily to carry the load. She’s quick, jumps well and has a good arm. Mckenna Giles, L, Pipeline 14 Magic – Giles was showing consistent passing out of serve receive. She was also making some nice defensive plays. Sienna Barry, MB, Wave 14 Nancy – The length of Barry was proving to be a problem for attackers. Barry was touching a lot of balls and helping to slow down the attack so defenders could make plays behind her. Mikenlie Vandborg, MB, DartFrog 14-1 Katie – Vandborg brings some much-needed size to the front row. She was getting her hands of balls as well and showed a nice swing the times she was set. Lauren Oberg, L, DartFrog 14 Katie – A scrappy defender, Oberg is all over the place. She was passing dimes and helping to keep DartFrog in system. Layla Moore, MB, Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar L – We like the potential Moore flashed. She’s long and if she keeps developing she could turn into quite the player down the road. Georgia Anne Camandang, L, Mizuno Long Beach 14 Rockstar L – Another scrappy back row

This past weekend vballrecruiter.com was in Santa Monica catching the action on the beach at the GNBV National Recruiting Showcase. There were 22, 18u teams and 49, 16u teams vying not only for the attention of college coaches in attendance but also for the automatic bids to the BVNE East Coast and West Coast Championships happening in late June and July. Pool play consisted of two sets to 21 with the winner moving on to the gold bracket and for the playoffs it was one set to 21. The 16s pool play consisted of 12 pools with each pool winner advancing to the gold bracket. Chaos ensued as only five No. 1 seeds advanced as the play was scrappy and exciting. The underdogs were out in full force with four No. 3 seeds advancing to gold. If you wanted drama the 18s division was there to keep you on edge. Out of the five pools there was only one undefeated team. Three pools had two teams with identical records and Pool 2 had three teams with the same records. It was finally determined after a long break that score differentials determined who made gold bracket and who just missed out. The playoffs for 18u was heavily influenced by the blockers and splits who patrolled the net. They continually got blocks but also forced easy roll shots for the defenders and hitting errors giving them easy points. The finals pitted 13th seed Ava Berard and Langley Griffin against Makayla Dimond and Alexandra Leal. Utah-bound Griffin was a big factor at the net and helped her team secure a 21-18 victory. The 16s playoffs had so many ‘wow’ moments as the defenders really shined. Players were diving everywhere and long rallies seemed to be happening on every court. Teams that had good communication won those rallies but it was the players with stamina that kept that momentum for the entire match. The finals saw third seed Sara Moynihan and Annie Xu against 38th seed Haylee Lafontaine and Danielle Sparks. The power of Moynihan and Lafontaine at the net was present as they traded big kills and blocks. In the end it was Sparks making great reads and converting with her well placed swings along the sideline and endlines that gave her team the 21-19 victory. Below are the defenders and split/blockers who caught our eye in each age group. 18s Defenders Ava Berard – Berard has great chemistry. Her first time playing with her partner and all they do is win it all. Ellaina Skale – Skale showed great passing touch with quick feet in the sand. Jordan Brown – Brown covers the court with eyes and body as she dives for anything within reach. Alexandra Leal – Leal reads the play and opponent very well. She seems to be in the right spots most often. Olivia Silacci-Jensen – The Cal State Bakersfield commit plays with good energy and enthusiasm. Splits/Blockers Noelle Niederman – Niederman is a good force at the net as she touches many balls. Langley Griffin – The Utah-bound Griffin has a great arm swing. Any overpass was soundly thumped. Sofia Alkire – Alkire sees the game well. She has the ability to drop, dig, and then convert. Tori Clement – The Stetson-bound blocker was rarely served because of her arm and moved well along the sand to pick up shots. Makayla Dimond – Dimond does a good job of dropping when necessary and digging overhand. 16s Defenders Danielle Sparks – Sparks ability to read the player and opponent is so clean she makes it look too easy. Not too many balls drop with her back there. Annie Xu – Xu showed great footwork tracking down loose balls and shot to sidelines, then converting the sets to scores. Adelina Okazaki – We got tired just watching this defender consistently dive and chase balls all over. Okazaki has such good energy! Carly Hixson – Hixson is powerful and can dive for a ball then get up and put it away with conviction. Isabella Wiklund – Wiklund is energetic and communicates well. She has positive talk on every play during and after that’s great to hear! Splits/Blockers… Haylee Lafontaine – Lafontaine showed her power and finesse. She hits with authority but can also drop and defend with the best. Kenzie Miller – Miller is an athletic blocker who moves like she’s not on the sand. She’s blessed with quick feet and a good arm swing. Sara Moynihan – Moynihan is a lefty split who hits well on both sides, confusing defenders not ready for the unique look. Lucci Alexander – Alexander displayed strong hands and good timing. We saw her block three straight attacks in a rally, then terminate for the point. Kiara Edwards – Edwards is powerful at the net, will eat up anything tight.