Being a two-day event, the JVA SummerFest happens fast. Sunday brought bracket action to the Columbus Convention Center and vballrecruiter.com was on hand for it all. We have a recap of the Open divisions below if you keep on scrolling down but first we want to introduce our Day 2 Show Stoppers. These are 20 players who lit it up in the 12-17 Open divisions.
vballrecruiter.com DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Harper Murray, OH, Legacy 17-1 Adidas – A five-star recruit committed to Nebraska, it’s easy to go on and on about Murray’s play. The way she gets in the air she plays taller than her 6-2 frame. She extends well, gets on top of the ball and can rip it to any part of the court consistently.
Sydney Helmers, OH, Adidas KiVA 17 Red – Helmers – a four-star recruit committed to Texas – is such a threat and commands all sorts of attention. She’s long at 6-4 and can generate plenty of pace to keep defenders on their toes.
Laney Klika, L, AVC Cle Rox 17 Red – AVC Cle had a good run reaching the semis and part of it was due to the performance of Klika. A three-star recruit committed to Wofford, she helped steady out the defense and was making some nice digs against some big-time attackers she faced.
Brooke Bultema, MB, Elevation 17 Goller – The last thing you want to see as a defense is Elevation in system and Bultema running the slide. She’s a lengthy 6-3 and this four-star recruit who is committed to Kentucky delivers time and time again on the play.
Erin Debiec, S, Metro 16 Travel – With the hitters at her disposal, it has to be fun to be this 6-1 setter. Debiec is a three-star recruit who can be part of a 6-2 setting in the back or running a 5-1.
Maria Drapp, S, Tri-State Elite 16 Blue – Drapp – a three-star recruit – runs a good offense. She gets everybody involved, has good connections with her middles and is consistent with her locations.
Lameen Mambu, OH, Paramount VBC 16 – A 5-11, three-star recruit, Mambu is a freshman playing up. She is a fun one to watch. She’s a leaper with a great vertical and fluid swing. She attacks from all over and is a big-time weapon.
Campbell Flynn, S, Legacy 15-1 Adidas – A four-star recruit, Flynn is certainly one to keep watch on. She’s 6-1 with good hands and accurate location. She can run tempo sets at times as well and can help slow down attackers with her block.
Larsen Terrill, S, Mintonette m.51 – Terrill was a key part of Mintonette’s second-place showing in 15 Open. A three-star recruit, Terrill does well directing the offense. Her sets are effortless and she rarely is off the mark.
Abbigail Pickard, S, Far Out 15 Black – A smooth setter with a great touch, Pickard – a four-star recruit – sets a clean ball consistently. She’s able to push sets far across the court and deliver them on the money.
Makenna Kirlin, S, Elevation 14 Molly – There’s no doubt Kirlin makes the offense tick. She has strong hands and push her sets from farther away than most. She also goes behind her very well and with accuracy.
Reese Resmer, MB, Boiler Jrs 14 Gold – Defenses cannot lose track of Resmer. She’s 5-11 and Boiler Jrs looks to get her the ball as much as possible. She’s quick to the ball with a great arm and knows how to finish plays off.
Kayla Nwabueze, MB, Legacy 14-1 Adidas – Nwabueze is a name you’ll be hearing plenty about in the coming years. She’s a tremendous prospect. She’s a strong 6-0 with a good arm. She’ll take swings on the left as well.
Grace Portwood, OH, NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami – A bit undersized at 5-7, Portwood makes up for it with her aggressive attacking. She really brings it and isn’t afraid to challenge bigger blocks and proved to be one of NKYVC’s most reliable offensive options.
Cynthia Ockerman, MB, Legacy 13-1 Adidas – Ockerman garners attention when she checks in. She puts up a huge block and is also a constant offensive threat.
Francesca Hansel, L, Tri-State Elite 13 Blue – Hansel was able to get her platform on a ton of balls. She was the clear defensive leader and showed plenty of scrappiness.
Lola Waleskowski, OH, NKYVC 13-1 – There’s no backing down with Waleskowski. She kept swinging and challenging defenses. She’s a smart and crafty hitter too.
Olivia Lewis, S, Adidas KiVA 12 Red – Setting a 5-1, Lewis was on point and steady with her play. She was running the offense very well.
Abigail Cisler, L, Mintonettte m.21 – A stalwart in the backcourt, Cisler is the defensive leader. She was getting her hands on a lot of balls and helping keep rallies alive.
Jazlyn Langenkamp, MB, Elevation 12 Bergheger – Langenkamp brings a presence to the front row. Defenses need to be aware of her explosiveness, which leads to some impressive blocks and kills.
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Let’s begin in 14 Open. Why? Because there was the largest set score I’ve seen yet this season. It happened in the semifinals as national No. 8 Boiler Jrs 14 Gold outlasted No. 6 Mintonette Sports m.41 in Game 1, 40-38!! That’s not a typo. The score kept on building and building and building. Finally, right side Caroline Ward ended the madness with a big kill down the line. Boiler Jrs closed out the match by winning the second set, 25-20, then earned redemption in the final by sweeping No. 9 Elevation 14 Molly, 25-21, 25-21.
Elevation handed Boiler Jrs its only loss on the weekend. It came on Day 1 in power pool play and prevented Boiler Jrs from finishing the day 3-0. Saturday, Boiler Jrs topped both No. 10 NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami and No. 33 AVC Cle Rox 14 Red. Boiler Jrs downed another Top-50 opponent in No. 31 Rev 14-1 Fuego in Sunday’s quarterfinals.
Mintonette and NKYVC tied for the bronze, while No. 30 Legacy 14-1 Adidas, Rev, No. 44 Team Pineapple 14 Black and Tri-State Elite 14 Blue tied for fifth in a solid 14 Open field. Boiler Jrs, Elevation, Mintonette, NKYVC, Rev and AVC Cle are all Open-qualified teams competing in Indianapolis later this month.
The highest nationally-ranked squad in 17 Open was No. 10 Legacy 17-1 Adidas. The Michigan club lost its first match on Day 1 as it fell to No. 30 Top Select 17 Elite in power pool play. Legacy didn’t lose again, including beating Adidas KiVA 17 Red twice along the way. One came in the power pool and the second was in the championship match, which Legacy swept, 25-15, 25-18. It came on the heels of Legacy downing AVC Cle Rox 17 Red in the semis. KiVA took care of No. 47 NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami in the other semi.
Academy 17 Tsunami, No. 46 Elevation 17 Goller, No. 23 Mintonette Sports m.71 and Tri-State Elite 17 Blue all tied for fifth.
The 17 Open field contained six teams set to compete in 17 Open at the USAV Girls National Championships. Legacy was the top-rated team, followed by Mintonette, No. 25 Metro 17 Travel, Top Select, No. 32 Mich Elite 17 Mizuno and No. 33 Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite. Metro, Mich Elite and Metro all tied for ninth. Top Select finished in 13th after falling to NKYVC in the Round of 16.
It was a great performance from national No. 13 Metro 16 Travel. Metro topped national No. 2 NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami in three sets, 16-25, 25-16, 15-8, to claim the 16 Open title. It completed a perfect run for Metro, which picked up a victory over No. 14 Triangle 16 Black during Day 1 power pools. Metro topped No. 30 Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite in three sets in the semis. NKYVC swept past No. 10 Tri-State Elite 16 Blue in the semis. Tri-State picked up a three-set victory over Triangle in the quarters.
Elevation 16 Butcher – ranked No. 40 nationally – Mintonette Sports m.61, Paramount VBC 16 and Triangle tied for fifth. Metro, NKYVC, Rockwood Thunder and Triangle were the only USAV Open-qualified teams in the field.
As in 17 Open, Legacy 15-1 Adidas was the highest nationally-ranked team in 15 Open. Legacy, ranked No. 8 in the country, swept past No. 39 Mintonette Sports m.51, 25-22, 25-20, in the final. Similar to the 17s, Legacy 15s lost its first match of the weekend when unranked Far Out 15 Black snuck past Legacy in three. And just like the 17s, Legacy 15s didn’t lose again, including downing No. 48 NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami to close out Day 1 action. On Day 2, Legacy defeated No. 37 Boiler Jrs 15 Gold in the quarters and No. 26 Adidas KiVA 15 Red in the semis.
Unranked ECJ 15-1 had a strong weekend, tying for third place and the bronze medal with KiVA. Boiler Jrs, EliteVBTC 15 Black, Far Out and No. 27 Mich Elite 15 Mizuno tied for fifth. Legacy was the only team in the field ranked in the Top 25 nationally. Legacy, Mich Elite and NKYVC were the only three teams with Open bids in Indy competing.
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While I was watching the older age groups at SummerFest, Vbalrecruiter.com had another set of eyes on 12 and 13 Open. Below is a rundown of bracket action in those two divisions.
It was Legacy 13-1 Adidas downing Elevation 13 Lippert in three sets, 25-8, 20-25, 15-7, to take home the 13 Open crown. In the semis, Legacy beat Tri-State Elite 13 Blue, 25-21, 25-17. Led by libero Francesca Hansel, Tri-State showed its scrappiness and was also helped along by the play of outside Makenna Meibers. However, Legacy prevailed behind the performances of outside Kate Kalczynski and Calli LeFevre and middle Cynthia Ockerman.
In the other semi, Elevation fought off Adidas KiVA 13 Red in three, 25-19, 23-25, 15-13. KIVA rallied behind middles Emily Poteraj and Ava Mineer. Also, setter Addison Hurley was another factor for KiVA. Elevation was paced by S/OH Kendall Hubbard along with outside Savanna Stacey and MB/OH Morgan Meiring.
In 12 Open, HPSTL 12 Royal swept past NKYVC 12-1 Tsunami, 25-12, 25-18. Middle Violet Main and right side Teegan Becker put up some huge blocks for NKYVC along with some great swings by S/OH Dara Jackson. HPSTL was able to hold NYKVC off with some big-time swings and blocks from middle Sarah Albers. Libero Carina Buttrum played well in the backcourt and S/RS Nadia Bray also performed well in both positions.
HPSTL overcame Mintonette Sports m.21, 25-17, 25-15, in one semifinal. Outside Madison Smith helped carry the offensive load while libero Abigail Cisler was strong defensively for Mintonette. Once more, Albers was a key factor for Elevation, which received strong attacking from outside Adelyn Buttrum. In the other semifinal, NKYVC clipped Elevation 12 Bergheger, 26-24, 25-27, 15-11. Setter Kelsey Green and middle Jazlyn Lagenkamp turned in great efforts for Elevation, while Ella Groff showed her all-around game. Jackson was again clutch for NKYVC swinging and dishing well. Main was also a factor again in the middle.
