Triple Crown NIT: Show Stoppers
There is no tournament quite like the Triple Crown NIT. The only real downside of a tournament of that magnitude is it’s impossible to catch all the star-studded teams and talented players in action. We did our best to get to as many as we could and below we highlight those players who stood out to us with our tournament Show Stoppers. SHOW STOPPERS Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 17 Black: Kleckner – a 4-star Washington commit – is a rock. The six-rotation outside helps anchor serve receive and the attack with crisp passing and a powerful arm. Bellamie Beus OH ID Crush 17 Bower: A 4-star Kentucky recruit, Beus is a strong-armed outside who powers down kills left and right. She’s a featured part of the attack and part of the reason why ID Crush finished in the top 16 in the 17s. Milly McGee S SCVC 17 Roxy: SCVC was short-handed but was still tough to deal with. McGee – a 4-star USC commit – dished the ball around and did well get all her hitters involved. Clara Briley OH A5 17-1 Calvin – A bit undersized on the pin, Briley is a relentless attacker with the ability to beat bigger blocks. The 3-star Cincinnati commit helped A5 finish runner up in the 17s. Ella Florez S Pohaku 17-1: The 5-star Iowa State commit runs a fluid offense. She gets her feet to the ball, has great hands and delivers with accuracy. Lynney Tarnow MB 1st Alliance 17 Gold: Tarnow – a 5-star Wisconsin recruit – is a force in the middle. She’s a legit game changer in the middle as she’s a physical presence on both sides of the ball. Ayanna Watson OH Vegas Aces 17 Ren: Watson – a 5-star Pitt commit – can overwhelm opponents. She has no issues elevating and swinging over the block with ease. Ella Mottola S WPVC 17 Armour Black: A 4-star Arizona State pledge, Mottola had her hands all over WPVC taking home a bronze medal. She’s a smart setter who doesn’t try to overdo and get too fancy. Alana Whitfield OH Illini Elite 17 Cardinal: A 3-star Michigan State commit, Whitfield is tough to deal with on the outside. She’s an explosive attacker who can take over matches in stretches. Siena Ebert L/DS TAV 16 Black: Ebert is a lights-out defender with lots of range. She’s a sharp passer out of serve receive and does well picking off shots coming her way. *** Lauren Forelli OH AZ Rev 16 Premier: Rev had an amazing tournament coming in second place. Forelli is a big-time weapon on the outside. She has a powerful arm and can hammer shots. Sitoafa Tausinga OH Club V 16 Black Kalee: Tausinga showed off her arm plenty. She was delivering big-time, impressive kills on the regular. Charley Moeddel MB Tri-State Elite 16 Blue: Moeddel is someone defenses need to keep track of. Tri-State loves going to her consistently when in system. Tessa Larkin OH AZ Storm 16 Thunder: Larkin – a 4-star outside – has a lively, quick arm. She’s also a smart hitter who simply just gets the job done. Chayse Courtney RS Vision 16 Gold: Vision held its own, with Courtney filling a valuable role on the right side. Her scoring prowess helped open the attack and keep the attack balanced. Ella Olson OH Tstreet 16 Andy: A 4-star outside, Olson put on a show. All her skills were on display, from high-flying kills, to impressive defensive plays to solid passing. Marissa Jones S A5 16-1 Gabe: Jones – a 5-star recruit – impacts the match in so many ways. She has great command of the offense and can also be an offensive threat with the threat of her going over on second contact. Ella Johnson OH Forza1 16 One: Johnson – a 3-star recruit – is a glue piece that helps hold the lineup together. She does so many small things and is also a reliable, consistent scorer who can get it done in a variety of ways. Josalyn Samuels S Kairos 16 Alpha: Samuels – a 5-star recruit – plays up an age group but her skills could have her playing in the 18s division. She moves the ball around effortlessly and has amazing hands and location. McKinley Moser S VCNebraska 16 Elite: A 4-star recruit, Moser is another setter with soft hands and high IQ. She does well putting her hitters in good spots. *** Ali Strange L/DS Elevation 16 Goller: A 3-star defender, Strange doesn’t back down against hard-hitting offenses. She brings lots of poise and tenacity to the back row. Malorie Boesiger S Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Part of a redesigned lineup, Boesiger is a smart disher with all the tools. The 4-star recruit directs the offense at a high level. Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar: A 4-star outside, McGinest can wow at times. She can get up, unleash and send it to the floor in a hurry. Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 16 Goller: Hubbard – a 3-star recruit – is a key part of the roster. She’s a steady setter with good hands. Offensively, she can move the ball around from sideline to sideline. Maia Raleigh S Madfrog 16 Green: Raleigh showed she can deliver consistently. On top of that, she can get her hitters involved with a variety of sets. Rylee Jewell L/DS NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami: Jewell reads and reacts well. She’s relentless to the ball and did well keeping rallies alive. Caitlin Carrizales L/DS TAV 15 Black Jason: Carrizales – a 4-star recruit – held it down defensively in helping TAV to the gold medal. She’s an all-out hustler who works hard and has consistent first-ball contact. Josslyn Jacks OH Tstreet 15 Chandler: Jacks is a solid outside who helps her team more than just on offense. She has a lively arm and with her quick swing generates speed and pace on her shots. Leah Stickney OH A5 15-1 Kelly: A5 earned the
