The 17s age group took to the courts this past weekend for the SCVA Event 1. The top division featured nationally-ranked clubs in No. 8 Surfside 17 Legends, No. 25 Coast 17 Rodrigo, No. 28 Wave 17 Juliana, No. 30 Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar and No. 44 Forza1 North 17 One. True to form, Surfside powered through the weekend and finished first with a 6-0 mark. Surfside swept Wave – which was coming off its appearance last weekend at the Tour of Texas – in the final. Long Beach went 5-1, with its only loss coming to Surfside in pool play, to finish third. vballrecruiter.com spent Day 2 witnessing the competition and below we highlight the players who caught our attention the most with our Show Stoppers.
SHOW STOPPERS
Olivia Foye L/DS Surfside 17 Legends: Part of Surfside’s dominance included Foye handling the defensive side. She’s a skillful passer and defender who reads and reacts well and frustrates opponents with her ability to scoop up would-be kills.
Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 17 Legends: Demaria is a disruptive force on the outside. Her size and power makes her difficult to slow down, especially when she’s able to fully extend and not hold back.
Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 17 Legends: Blackshear length in the middle was another bright spot for Surfside. She can make space disappear in a hurry as she turns back attackers. She’s also a must-cover on offense as she can hit from high up and create tough to cover angles.
Addy Benefield RS Surfside 17 Legends: A new addition to the roster, Benefield adds athleticism and an improved scoring punch on the right side. She’s a quick jumper with a fast arm who can send balls straight down.
Olivia Durr MB Wave 17 Juliana: Defenses needed to be aware of Durr when she checked in. She provided a sound scoring boost to the attack with her variety of ways to earn points for her side.
Alexis Richards S Wave 17 Juliana: Richards was a fun setter to watch dish the rock. She does well getting to the ball and delivering accurate sets and connecting with all her hitters.
Quinn Loper OH Wave 17 Juliana: Loper presents problems for opponents when she has it going. She can hit over or through blocks with the way she extends and connects.
Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: Ostovar – a Class of 2026 recruit – can bring it on the attack. She has a lively arm and she was ripping loud kills straight down to end rallies.
Brianna Brewer OH Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar: Brewer is a newcomer to the lineup this season and she helps deepen the attack for Beach. She can hit front and back row and she also can rise up.
Brooklyn Drumwright OH A4 17 Tyler: Drumwright has the biggest arm among the A4 attackers. She carries her share of the offense and gets set plenty because of it.
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Reese Weinert MB A4 17 Tyler: Weinert did well making herself available and scoring when called upon. She showed she could find multiple ways to score from well-placed tips to swinging to the open space.
Ava Poinsett OH Coast 17 Rodrigo: Another outside who was an integral part of the offense was Poinsett. She’s a physical hitter with a strong arm who can tool blocks or power right through them.
Savannah Simpson MB Coast 17 Rodrigo: Simpson is a lanky middle with the ability to get out and run the slide. Coast likes to get her the ball when in system to keep defenses honest.
Lauren Farris OH Tstreet 17 Predney: Farris has a solid arm and was swinging equally well on the left or right.
Sarah Shaw MB Sports Academy 17-1: Shaw is part of a tough 1-2 punch in the middle. She’s long and makes an impact on both sides of the ball. She has a loose arm and can deliver on a consistent basis.
Manaia Ogbechie MB Sports Academy 17-1: Ogbechie is problematic in the middle. She’s a physical presence with both her blocking and attacking. She can fly and hammer balls down in impressive fashion.
Maya Banks RS Forza1 North 17 One: Banks is an athletic right side with a springy jump and fast arm. She comes at defenders in a hurry and proved tough to slow down.
Keonaahi’ilani Solaita OH Forza1 North 17 One: Solaita is a bit undersized but packs a serious punch. She’s fearless and stays aggressive. It leads to big-time kills that fires up her teammates.
Hannah Brady L/DS Sunshine 17 Pacific: Brady was among the better defenders taking care of the back row. She’s solid in both serve receive and defending and making ups.
Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 17 One: Thunstrom is a lanky outside who can extend and rip balls on the left.
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Olivia Ip RS City 17 Gold: Ip is a solid right side attacker who defenses need to keep in mind. When in system City will utilize her and get her involved as much as possible.
Ashby Zubchevich OH City 17 Gold: Zubchevich showed up as one of the top outsides. She is the featured part of the attack and for good reason. She was unloaded time and time again and scoring from sideline to sideline.
