The intensity went through the roof as teams chased bids on the final day of the opening weekend of the Mideast Qualifier. With the competition elevated, players were stepping up their games too and putting on incredible displays everywhere we looked. Below, we bring you our Day 3 Show Stoppers featuring the players who caught our attention the most.
DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS
Kristen Simon L/DS Adidas KiVA 16 Red: A 4-star recruit, Simon was a huge part of the defensive play that helped KiVA to the 16 Open championship. She’s an on-point passer out of serve receive and has great range in the back row defending.
Bridget Egan OH Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Egan – a 3-star recruit – was unleashing massive kills at times. She has a whippy arm and when it’s set up in front of her watch out. It’s coming in hot.
Emilee Fuller S Adidas KiVA 16 Red: Fuller – a 3-star recruit – is a back row setter who puts up a nice ball. She was locating and connecting well with her hitters.
Ava Hunter S Circle City 16 Purple: A 3-star recruit, Hunter is a competitive setter who does a fine job of running the offense. She has great hands and locates consistently while putting her hitters in favorable matchups.
Logan Bell OH Circle City 16 Purple: Bell – a 4-star recruit – has a lively arm and jumps well. She was helping power along the Circle City attack on the left by providing a reliable scoring threat.
Avery Freeman L/DS Circle City 16 Purple: Freeman – a 3-star recruit – is unflappable in the back row. She’s a no-nonsense libero with a sound platform and strong first-contact skills.
Reese Dunkle MB Circle City 16 Purple: Dunkle – a 4-star recruit – brings a net presence to the lineup when she checks in. She’s a legit scoring threat who defenses need to track and she’s also one of the team’s best blockers.
Madison Quest OH MKE Sting 16 Gold: Quest – a 5-star recruit – helped MKE Sting earn its bid on Day 3. She’s a real offensive force capable of scoring equally well from the front and back row with her long extension and high contact point.
Alicia Beers RS MKE Sting 16 Gold: Beers was a valuable part of the lineup. With Sting running a 6-2, Beers held down one of the right side spots across the front row. Her blocking and scoring were both impactful pieces of Sting’s success.
Charlotte Glass S Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: A 5-star setter, Glass commands the offense like few in the division. She has a great location and puts up a clean, consistent ball while being able to move the ball around and get her various hitters involved.
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Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Another 5-star recruit, Kinney’s a new addition to the lineup this year and has fit in precisely as hoped. She’s a big-hitting, free-swinging outside who has no problem banging down balls.
Zoey Matias L/DS Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Matias – a 4-star recruit – was part of a strong group of defenders in her age division. She holds down the back row as well as anyone, passing sharply and defending with a fury.
Tekoa Barnes OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Barnes – a 3-star recruit – is instant offense across the front row. She’s a hard-hitting, high-flying outside who bangs balls straight down with electrifying kills.
Addison Gaido RS Austin Skyline 16 Royal: Gaido – a 4-star recruit – is a game-changer with her length and reach. At 6-4, she can shut down outsides with her blocking. Offensively, she’s just as difficult to deal with as she can easily go over blocks and finds holes to exploit.
Lily Dee Davis OH Austin Skyline 16 Royal: A six-rotation outside and 4-star recruit, Davis is a mainstay on the court. She does a bit of everything for her team, including providing a big arm to be relied on plenty offensively.
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 16-1 Adidas: A 5-star recruit, Flynn is an aggressive setter in the front row and even though teams have the scouting report still struggle stopping her from scoring on two. She also puts her hitters in great spots and can help keep the team in system even on off balls with her strong dishing.
Devin Dzienny L/DS Legacy 16-1 Adidas: Dzienny – a 3-star recruit – is a scrappy libero willing to make the hustle plays and lay out doing so.
Izzy Busignani OH Mich Elite 16 Mizuno: Busignani – a 4-star recruit – is the go-to hitter on the left and gets plenty of swings. She has a strong, fluid swing and generates lots of pace while pressuring defenses.
Hailey Campagna OH EliteVBTC 16 Black: Campagna is a physical attacker who doesn’t hold back. She’s a bit undersized but goes right at bigger blockers with aggressive, strong swings.
Mia Stahler L/DS EliteVBTC 16 Black: Stahler was another bright spot as EliteVBTC challenged for an Open bid. She is a sound defender and covers the court well.
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Mattea Casale L/DS No Name 16 Sarah: If you like defense, add Casale to the list of liberos who were defensive standouts. She owns the back row and was making plays all over the place.
Izzy Starck S/RS Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Starck – a 5-star Penn State commit – and company captured 17 Open. Starck is a flat-out baller who is as competitive as anyone in the gym. She’s a high-level setter and attacker and brings all her dynamic play to the court.
Paityn Chapman OH Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Chapman – a 4-star Tennessee commit – was a key factor on Day 3. She was providing a scoring punch and taking bigger, more aggressive swings than the first two days. It led to her scoring a bunch of points.
Addie Kanouff RS Co Jrs 17 Shannon: Kanouff – a 3-star Texas Tech commit – was making her presence felt at the net. She’s a very long right side blocker and was getting plenty of touches in slowing down opposing hitters.
Reese Messer S Dynasty 17 Black: Messer – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is as smooth of an operator as there is. She’s so fluid with her delivery and spot on. Dynasty has plenty of weapons and she knows how to get them all going.
Skyler Pierce OH Dynasty 17 Black: The 5-star Nebraska recruit is long and lanky and jumps very well. She’s has no problem elevating and ripping balls over and over.
Abigail Mullen RS Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen – another 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – is such a physical presence with both her blocking and attacking. She’s a game-changer in both regards, as she puts up a very strong ball and backs it up with a powerful arm capable of thudding balls.
Cy Rae Campbell MB Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star Wake Forest commit, Campbell is a menace in the middle. She’s so quick, both moving and off the floor that’s she’s difficult to stay in front of and put up a good block against.
Ryan McAleer L/DS Dynasty 17 Black: McAleer – a 4-star Purdue recruit – was passing dimes out of serve receive and picking up plenty of hard-hit scuds coming her way.
Ava Falduto L/DS 1st Alliance 17 Black: A 4-star Penn State commit, Falduto was another libero who was performing exceptionally well. She’s rarely off target with her passing and she covers lots of space defending.
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Ellie White OH 1st Alliance 17 Black: White – a 4-star Michigan recruit – was part of a 1-2 punch on the outside that helped 1st Alliance to an Open bid. White has a lively arm and does well attacking and tooling blocks.
Grace Nelson OH 1st Alliance 17 Black: Nelson – a 4-star Kansas commit – is the other half of the 1st Alliance outside tandem. She’s a hard, physical attack who hits a heavy ball and just keeps coming at defenses relentlessly.
Emily Bobbitt S Triangle 17 Black: A 4-star Iowa State commit, Bobbitt is a serious competitor and does well running the attack. She moves the ball around well, keeping defenses guessing and off balanced and setting her hitters up nicely to finish.
Ryan Hunter RS Triangle 17 Black: Hunter – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2025 – has elevated an already fierce offensive group with her high-flying antics on the right. She has a big, strong arm and can pound it straight down with authority.
Ashlyn Philpot MB Triangle 17 Black: A 4-star Illinois commit, Philpot was making plays on both sides of the ball. She offered resistance at the net with her big block while providing yet another option defenses needed to be ready to send it down.
Allie Shondell S Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Shondell – a 5-star Purdue commit – was nearly flawless in guiding Boiler Jrs to one of the Open bids in dramatic fashion. She’s a high IQ setter who is hard to read and puts her hitters in great spots.
Riley Whitlock RS Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Whitlock – a 4-star recruit – is a strong blocker and attacker and changes the dynamic of the front row when she checks in.
Sienna Foster OH Boiler Jrs 17 Gold: Foster – a 3-star Purdue commit – is a six-rotation outside who passes and plays solid defense across the back row. She’s a fearless attacker who isn’t afraid of going at bigger blockers over and over.
Ava Spachek OH Pohaku 17-1: Spachek was bringing it on the outside. She was unloading on balls and hitting with lots of pace.
Alexis Alexander MB Pohaku 17-1: A 3-star recruit, Alexander was a force in the middle. She’s a physical blocker and attacker and she was a big part of Pohaku’s effort to bid on Day 3.
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Alea Goolsby OH KC Power 17 Black: Goolsby is more than capable of bringing the heat. She was ripping winners and helping KC Power compete for a bid.
Alaleh Tolliver OH Academy 17 Tsunami: Tolliver – a 4-star recruit – was part of a strong group of outside hitters putting on shows in hopes of qualifying. Tolliver’s explosiveness was on display once more as she elevated and unloaded time and time again.
Leah Richmond S Academy 17 Tsunami: Richmond – a 3-star Western Michigan commit – is a strong setter who moves and gets to the ball well. She has nice hands and locates consistently as well.
