The ESPN Volleyball Showcase brought together four of the top volleyball high school squads in the nation. First up was St. James Academy from Kansas who took on Cornerstone Christian out of San Antonio. And that’s not all—following that match was Cathedral Catholic, hailing out of San Diego, California, who went head-to-head with the host school, Prestonwood Christian in Plano, Texas. Friday’s showdowns in the Lone Star state had an unforgettable display of skill, athleticism and pure excitement. AND we hope you witnessed it on ESPN+ and ESPNU!
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Match one: St. James Academy d Cornerstone Christian (25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 25-13)
In Game 1 of the match between St. James Academy and Cornerstone Christian it was clear from the get-go that St. James meant business. Junior Reese Messer took charge with her impeccable finesse, cleverly orchestrating offensive plays to open up her teammates for some explosive kills. However, Cornerstone refused to back down, responding with big swings from Megan Fitch, Grace Carroll and Aniya Hall. St. James, undeterred, unleashed its own firepower, with Leah Robinson launching continuously powerful hits that left the opposition scrambling to defend. Meanwhile, Mya Bolton showcased exceptional defensive prowess, defying gravity with breathtaking digs.
In Game 2, Fitch came out swinging. For Cornerstone the senior trio of libero Maria Avendano and defensive specialists Giselle Ojeda and Grace Alvarez came in clutch in serve receive and defensively. Middle blocker Olivia Parker and right side Amaya Tolentino also provided great defense at the net.
In Game 4, it literally became the Messer show. She did it all. From attacking to defense to dishing she was on fire in all areas which helped her squad really dominate.
Show Stoppers
Reese Messer JR S St. James Academy KS: Messer, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, was a game changer. She can literally do it all. From dishing butter sets to shutting down the opposition defensively to splitting the opposition with ease Messer owned the court.
Leah Robinson SO OH/RS St. James Academy KS: Robinson, a 3-star recruit, was a key component to her squad. She is a six rotation right side who stays on both pins in the front row. Messer also dished a ton of balls to her in the back row in which she cracked on the ball consistently.
Julia Headley SR MB St. James Academy: Headley, a Colgate commit, was a wall at the net. She also had some great swings in the middle throughout the match.
Mya Bolton SR L St. James Academy KS: Bolton, a 3-star recruit committed to Michigan State, was a defensive gem in the backcourt. She reads the offensive attack well.
Heidi Devers SR DS St. James Academy: Dever, a 4-star recruit committed to Kansas, was part of a two part DS tandem that provided great serve reception. Devers also is a scrappy defensive athlete who gets a ton of touches.
Katelynn Blaesing SR DS St. James Academy KS: Blaesing, a Creighton commit, was the other part of a great defensive specialist squad that bolstered the back row both in serve receive and defensively. And like Devers, she was able to get some amazing touches defensively.
Ava Spachek SR OH St. James Academy KS: Spachek, a 3-star recruit, was another huge contributor offensively for SJA. She packed a punch on the pins consistently.
Megan Fitch JR OH Cornerstone Christian: Fitch, a 5-star recruit committed to Texas A&M, is a high-flying scoring machine anywhere on the court. She has a high volleyball IQ which also helps her score at will. PS she is always a ton of fun to watch in all aspects of the game.
Grace Carroll SR RS Cornerstone Christian: Carroll, a 4-star recruit committed to Baylor, is a wall on the pin. And when she connects with the ball she literally hits over the block on the reg.
Maria Avendano SR L Cornerstone Christian: Avendano, a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi commit, was a silent leader on the court who passed nails and provided her squad great defensive tenacity.
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Match two: Prestonwood Christian d Cathedral Catholic (25-23, 25-21, 25-16)
Cathedral Catholic came out on fire. The Dons were led by senior 4-star Michigan commit Jenna Hanes in the middle who was hitting over the block and through the block at will. Also senior right side Tiana Owens was firing through the block at will for Cathedral Catholic. Prestonwood fired back with its arsenal of power led by recent Texas commit and 5-star junior Macaria Spears. And let’s not forget to mention senior 5-star USC commit Jadyn Livings and senior 4-star TCU commit Mikala Young provided big-time kills too.
Game 2, like the opening set, had Cathedral neck-and-neck with Prestonwood thanks to amazing defense from junior libero and 4-star Maryland commit Maya Evens and the freshman on the squad setter Kale’a Lee and outside hitter Jojo Wilson owning the court. And outside hitter 3-star Hawaii beach commit Ayva Moi also provided big-time swings on the pins. But Prestonwood would not be silenced. Middle blockers senior 4-star San Diego commit Kennedy Washington and freshman 5-star recruit Nyla Livings came through with huge blocks. Also junior libero and 5-star Houston commit Gillian Pitts provided so much stability in the back court. She was nails in passing and was great defensively consistently. And side note, can we just say it was fun to see a few sister sister blocks by Jadyn and Nyla Livings in this game.
In the final set Prestonwood took no prisoners and came out swinging. Junior right side 4-star recruit Taylor Clarke has impressive kills, while both setters senior 5-star Michigan commit Camille Edwards and junior 4-star Kansas commit Taylor Cook dished with authority. Cathedral did a lineup change with Mae Kordas, who started the match in the middle and ended up finishing the match on the outside with some good swings.
Show Stoppers
Macaria Spears JR OH Prestonwood Christian: Spears, a 5-star recruit recently committed to Texas, is next-level talent everywhere. She hits at such a high contact with a ton of power consistently. And she scores everywhere on the court when she is given the opportunity. Her jump serve is a weapon when she connects.
Jadyn Livings SR OH Prestonwood Christian: Livings, a 5-star recruit committed to USC, came out firing away on the pins. And defensively was picking up some big ups and blocks at the net. She also serves incredibly tough coincidentally which adds that first layer of offense.
Mikala Young SR OH Prestonwood Christian: Young, a 4-star recruit committed to TCU, is another pin who can either power through/around blocks or tool at will. In serve receive she adds another level of calmness and consistency.
Kennedy Washington SR MB Prestonwood Christian: Washington, a 4-star recruit, was a wall at the net for Prestonwood. And when you let her connect on the slide WATCH OUT. She hammers those balls with very little error.
Gillian Pitts JR L Prestonwood Christian: Pitts, a 5-star recruit committed to Houston, is the gel on her squad both in service reception and defensively. She makes her appearance known by keeping her squad calm, collected, and focused. She takes ownership of serve receive on her side every point.
Nyla Livings FR MB Prestonwood Christian: Livings, a 5-star recruit, is a freshman making big waves in the middle. She tracks the ball defensively well everywhere on the net. Also she eats over passes up.
Jenna Hanes SR MB Cathedral Catholic: Hanes, a 4-star recruit committed to Michigan, was impressive in the middle. She led her team offensively as she either hit over the block or through the block. And defensively she shut down attacks consistently.
Maya Evens JR L Cathedral Catholic: Evens, a 4-star recruit committed to Maryland, is a scrapper. She is able to get her arm on balls defensively that most people can’t even react to in time.
Amanda Saeger SR S Cathedral Catholic: Saeger, a 4-star recruit committed to DePaul, did a good job delivering the ball to her hitters. And she has a great touch on the ball when dishing.
Tiana Owens SR RS Cathedral Catholic: Owens, a Colgate commit, was a factor on the right side. When left unchecked she can hammer and she definitely delivered.
Kale’a Lee FR S Cathedral Catholic: Lee plays well above her age. She is physically strong and has one of the most consistent one-handed sets in the game. She is one to watch in the future continue to grow.
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Both matches showcased an exceptional level of volleyball that truly made it an unforgettable experience to witness live and in person. Some of my favorite performances overall included Reese Messer from St. James Academy, with her undeniable dominance, completely owning the court for her squad. On the opposing side, Cornerstone Christian Megan Fitch commanded attention with her incredible skills and delivered some impressive kills the entire match. In the second match, Cathedral Christian middle blocker Jenna Hanes proved to be a force to be reckoned with for Cathedral, displaying immense skill and power. Meanwhile, Prestonwood Christian finally demonstrated its capabilities to dominate the court with so many incredible athletes. And let’s not forget the remarkable contribution of the freshmen athletes in the second match, with two from Cathedral (Kale’a Lee and Jojo Wilson) and one from Prestonwood (Nyla Livings), who stepped up and played exceptionally well.
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College commits in the gym
Michigan: Camille Edwards SR S Prestonwood Christian, Jenna Hanes SR MB Cathedral Catholic
Colgate: Julia Headley SR MB St. James Academy, Tiana Owens SR RS Cathedral Catholic
USC: Jadyn Livings SR OH Prestonwood Christian, Reese Messer JR S St. James Academy
Kansas: Heidi Devers SR DS St. James Academy, Taylor Cook JR S Prestonwood Christian
TCU: Mikala Young SR OH Prestonwood Christian
DePaul: Amanda Saeger SR S Cathedral Catholic
Florida International: Dakota Conway SR DS Cathedral Catholic
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Maria Avendano SR L Cornerstone Christian
Creighton: Katelynn Blaesing SR DS St. James Academy
Michigan State: Mya Bolton SR L St. James Academy
Washington Beach: Niki Egan SR DS Cathedral Catholic
Hawaii Beach: Ayva Moi SR OH Cathedral Catholic
UNLV: Kaia Thiele JR S Cornerstone Christian, Sloan Cleveland JR DS Prestonwood Christian
Baylor: Grace Carroll SR RS Cornerstone Christian
Texas: Macaria Spears JR OH Prestonwood Christian
Houston: Gillian Pitts JR L Prestonwood Christian
Texas A&M: Megan Fitch JR OH Cornerstone Christian
Maryland: Maya Evens JR L Cathedral Catholic
