It’s always fun traversing the country and coming across players we have not seen before. Part of the vballrecruiter.com team spent the past weekend in Cleveland at the JVA Rock’N Rumble doing exactly that. You can catch up on Day 1 happenings here and see who took home the trophies here. Below, we highlight the Show Stoppers from the weekend, the players who caught our attention the most over the two days.
DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Maddie Zechman S/RS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Elite tied for fifth after falling to AVC Cle 16 White in the quarterfinals. Zechman was sound all weekend playing a dual role setting and hitting. We never saw her leave the floor and she contributed in big ways.
Kayden McKinney OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: McKinney had her moments, flashing upside as she delivered impressive kills. She’s a wirey outside with a nice arm and she carried her share of the attack.
Eva Dittmar OH EliteVBTC 17 Black: Dittmar is a solid outside with a fluid arm. She’s one of the keys on offense, getting the ball quite a bit and helping keep the offense ticking along.
Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: We mentioned Rothe on Day 1 as well. The 4-star Florida recruit is an amazing talent. At 6-3, her length separates her and combined with her big arm, she’s a for-sure next-level contributor.
Jenna Shedden OH Southwest 16 Ashley: Southwest had a weekend, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champ Pitt Elite 16 Elite. Shedden was a strong contributor throughout the weekend. She stayed aggressive on the outside and was asked to hold it down offensively.
Makenna Quigley RS CVC 16 Black: An undersized right side, Quigley has a lively arm and doesn’t hold back. She was getting after it on the attack and giving CVC a threat on the right side that defenses had to respect.
Reagan Ennist OH LVC 17-1 (2025): The 6-2 Ennist is a 4-star recruit who caught our attention walking by a court with her length and big arm. She was blasting balls consistently as she was going over smaller blocks like nothing.
Chloe Smith RS AVC Cle 16 White: Smith was part of a surprising AVC team that reached the final on Sunday. Smith is an athletic right side who can get off the ground and send it down. Smaller or late blockers paid the price time and time again as she shined in her offensive role.
Thea Beran L/DS AVC Cle 16 White: Beran was a steady, reliable passer. She did well keeping AVC in system and helping AVC have a successful weekend.
Mi-Na Diggs OH AVC Cle 16 White: Both outsides were key for AVC. Diggs is undersized but she jumps well and isn’t deterred challenging bigger blocks. She gets after it and doesn’t hold back.
Fiona Greulich OH AVC Cle 16 White: A lot of the same can be said of Greulich, who gave AVC an inspirational 1-2 punch on the outside. Greulich is also undersized compared to others in the division but she was a firecracker on the left and helped lift AVC.
Cassidy Trahan L/DS Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt Elite pulled off the surprise victory and took home the gold. Trahan was a solid presence in the back row and did well defending her space.
Ella Koziara OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Pitt will rotate their OH2s, with Koziara taking care of business when she was called upon. She’s a hard hitter and brings some power to the attack.
Ella Nicotra OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Nictora is the tallest member of the Pitt attack. Her length helped at times when she could go against smaller blockers.
Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): We wrote about Carr on Day 1. The six-rotation mainstay was back at it on Day 2. While Pitt can rotate lineups, we didn’t see Carr come off the court. She was an all-around contributor and a big part of why Pitt took home gold.
Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite: Hoppe is another Day 1 Show Stopper we highlighted. She’s a stoic setter, hardly ever showing any emotion. She’s really steady and consistent with her location and sets a very hittable ball.
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DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS
Amber Watson OH NOVA 16 Navy: Watson was giving NOVA a steady scoring option as she delivered her share of points. She was also showing up well in serve receive, putting the ball on target consistently.
Julia Angert L/DS Clev Prime 16.1: Angert was holding it down in the back row and doing well extending rallies.
Jordyn Hughes MB Dead Frog 16 Black: At 5-10 and touching 10-0, Hughes has no issues getting off the ground. She’s a quick leaper at that. When Dead Frog was able to connect cleanly with her, watch out. Hughes can get up and send it down in a hurry.
Kaylie McIntosh OH OPVC 16 Robinson: We wrote a bit about McIntosh above. She’s a key offensive piece for OPVC. When she’s able to really extend and connect, it’s fun to watch.
Mariah Gaines OH OPVC 16 Robinson: With Gaines, opponents don’t get a break. She’s a different hitter than McIntosh but she can be equally effective. She sent a couple to the floor that had the fans clapping in appreciation.
Zari Gillispie MB OPVC 16 Robinson: Gillispie is a very active middle. She’s always moving, trying to read to set up the block or get herself positioned to attack.
Natalie Carr OH Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Carr is playing up and is a six-rotation anchor for Pitt Elite. She provides offense both front and back row and helps to steady out serve receive.
Isabelle Hoppe S Pitt Elite 16 Elite (2026): Hoppe is also playing up an age group. She has a soft, consistent touch and locates well.
Isabelle Bardin S/RS Metro 16 Travel: Bardin does a lot for Metro, from her setting to her hitting. She’s able to take off balls and set when she’s front row and she was getting her share of touches at the net.
Madison Smith OH Metro 16 Travel: Smith has a big arm and it was opponents paying the price. She smacked a few balls down with authority. She’s also a six-rotation player who helps out in serve receive quite a bit.
Leni Stanton-Parker OH Metro 16 Travel: Stanton-Parker is an athletic outside who jumps well. If the block is late or the gap is too big, watch out. Stanton-Parker can get up and bury it straight down.
Alec Rothe MB Elite VBTC 17 Black: Rothe – a 4-star Florida commit – and her 6-3 frame were on display. She’s a handful, to say the least. She hits on the left, middle and right as she moves across the front row. With her size and length, she can easily go over blocks and was scoring at will as Elite went 3-0.
Keely Culler OH Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Legacy is playing up and is still in the mix. Culler caught our attention with her play. She was really going for it, taking aggressive swings and getting up nicely.
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Flynn – a 5-star recruit – is a game-changer at the position with her ability to direct the offense and also be an aggressive scoring threat going on 2 when at the net. She does well taking off balls and turning them into quality sets and still giving Legacy looks at it.
Taylor Smith S Five1 17 Black: Smith was doing her best to keep Five1 hanging against tough competition. She has good hands and sets a clean ball with consistency.
Jersey Loyer OH Summit 17 Blue Elite: Loyer was one of the more entertaining players we caught Saturday. She’s 5-11 with a nice jump and lively arm. She let loose on a few balls for impressive kills. She was also steady in serve receive and was passing on point.
Lydia Werling S Summit 17 Blue Elite: Werling was in control of the offense, that was for sure. She showed a nice touch with consistent location and did well riding the hot arm of Loyer.
