With Christmas and New Year’s in the rearview, the first weekend of 2023 meant one thing. Volleyball action! One of the many events taking place was the SCVA Power League Event 1 for the 16 and 18s age groups. That’s where I spent the weekend, splitting time between CLAVA and Momentous. Below, you can find the Show Stoppers from the weekend.
Kayden Croy OH Rancho Valley 18 Premier – Rancho Valley had an uphill climb facing the other top teams in the SCVA 18s Power League this weekend but Croy was a bright spot with her play. She showed off a solid arm, hitting with pace and placement. She also was staying aggressive going against bigger blocks.
AnnaMaria Ramos OH Vegas Aces 18 UA – Ramos, who is headed to Air Force, is a workhorse on the left for Vegas Aces. She’s a six-rotation player and a key contributor. Even against bigger and better teams, she was able to score with consistency. She has a nice arm with a loose swing.
Sarah Wilson OH Temecula 18 Viper – Wilson is fearless on the attack. Temecula doesn’t have the punch of say a Wave or Coast but Wilson doesn’t back down from the challenge. She has a lively arm and isn’t afraid to let it loose and challenge blockers.
Ellie Nichols RS Temecula 18 Viper – At 6-1, Nichols is a presence across the front row. She has a physical aspect to her on both sides of the ball. She can take up space on the right side and can make it tough on attackers to find space. She also hits a heavy ball and is someone who can add to the offense when she’s in.
Tate Drageset OH Actyve 18 Black – We caught Drageset leading Buckley to the CA Div. 3 state runner up this past fall. Suiting up for Actyve, not much has changed except the uniform. Drageset has a slight frame that defies expectations when she goes on the attack. Don’t be fooled, she can rip it. She’s the main offensive weapon for Actyve and she’s a threat both front and back row.
Carly Greskovics L Actyve 18 Black – Greskovics, a Michigan recruit, comes over from Sunshine. She’s used to playing at a high-level in club and she was solid in the back for Actyve when we caught her. Actyve is not a big team by 18s standards and Greskovics adds a ball-control presence to help keep Actyve in system.
Nikki Hughes RS Actyve 18 Black – A 6-0 lefty right side, Hughes joined Actyve after playing for SG Elite last season. She’s committed to UC Riverside and she was showing what she can do at the next level during Saturday’s action. Hughes has a nice arm and she can definitely score in system. She seems to have a good court sense and knack for finding the open space.
Sydney Bold L Coast 18 Ozhan – Coast finished two days of play undefeated, coming out on top of the 18s. One of the big strengths of this team is its physicality but it’s backed by great defensive play, with Bold – a 3-star Princeton recruit – leading the charge. Bold is business-like at the position. She gets the job done with steady, consistent play.
Claire Little OH Coast 18 Ozhan – Little gives Coast its big arm on the left that top 18s teams need. Her play Saturday was representative of what we’ve come to appreciate about her game. The 4-star BYU recruit is a competitor but will show her lighter side on the court at times, releasing a sly smile or laugh. She’s a threat no matter where she is and just being on the court she opens up the dynamic of the Coast attack.
Tanon Rosenthal S/RS Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Rosenthal is a new member of Beach’s roster this season, having come from Texas and playing at Mira Costa for high school. She’s a natural fit on this team with her ability to both set and hit. Rosenthal, who is committed to Arizona for beach, is also a player who doesn’t draw a lot of attention to herself, just going about her play without much fanfare but Beach wouldn’t have had the weekend it did without her.
Mele Corral-Blagojevich OH Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – We’ve been writing this about Blagojevich – a 4-star Oklahoma recruit – for years. Her power always stands out, whether she’s going for a kill or ripping a jump serve. She hits the ball hard! She’s also a heady player who sees the court well and understands the game at a high level.
Olivia Babcock OH/RS Sunshine 18 LA – Babcock was used a lot in serve receive as the Sunshine staff continues to develop Babcock’s all-around game. One thing remains the same though and that’s the 5-star Pitt recruit’s ability to simply score. She’s long and lengthy and she gets up. She’s able to attack at angles that others aren’t and it puts extra stress on the defense to try and cover it all.
Ava-Marie Lange OH Sunshine 18 LA – A 4-star Harvard recruit, we loved the way Lange was playing. There’s no doubt that Babcock and Torrey Stafford carry much of the offense for Sunshine. But Lange – who was part of Sunshine’s 18 Open gold medal roster last spring – is a capable scorer who can help take a load off of those two. She put away a couple of really big swings. She could play a key role filling in on both the left and right.
Cayla Payne MB Wave 18 Juliana – Payne was a force at the net. The 4-star Colorado recruit was very active across the front row. Her blocking was disruptive as she covered pin-to-pin. She also made spectators take note offensively. One thing Wave does well is run the slide and Payne can certainly connect on it.
Eva Rohrbach MB Wave 18 Juliana – Rohrbach is arguably the second-best offensive player on Wave behind Julia Blyashov. The 4-star Maryland recruit has a great arm that gets unleashed in a moment’s notice. She had a couple big, flashy kills in which she hammered the ball down quickly and loudly.
Julia Blyashov OH Wave 18 Juliana – Blyashov – a 5-star Stanford recruit – is such a dangerous attacker on the outside. She has tons of length and reach and all the shots to boot. She’s such a tough cover. She can blast balls angled cross court or deep corner or down the line or through or around blocks. She’s difficult to slow down.
Madison Maxwell S/RS Legacy 18 Elite – Legacy had a solid showing, taking fifth in the 18s. Maxwell, a 4-star Long Beach State recruit from the Class of 2024, played a critical role last season as Legacy won the 17 Premier at AAUs. She’s a versatile player with a calm demeanor.
Kaci Demaria OH Surfside 16 PV Legends – Demaria – a 4-star recruit – keeps coming at opponents. Her height is certainly advantage as she can go over smaller blockers with ease. She’s a free-swinger who hits with a lot of pace. She’s a the focal point of the offense and she gets fed both front and back row.
Kalyssa Blackshear MB Surfside 16 PV Legends – Blackshear – a 4-star recruit who joined Surfside this season – is a difference-maker in the middle. At 6-4, her length is both imposing and impactful. She’s a tough cover for most other middles because she can attack over the block and straight down. She’s also someone who have to be aware of on the other side with her blocking.
Nia Thompson OH Wave 16 Kevin – From what we saw, Thompson was having a terrific time. The 3-star, six-rotation outside was making contributions all over. She was solid attacking, tooling blocks or finding space cross court. She was steady in serve receive and she even provided a big block at one point.
Keila Gabriel RS Wave 16 Kevin – Gabriel was another making her mark with standout play. She was a huge factor at the net. At 6-4, she’s an imposing blocker who had her share of blocks and touches to be sure. The lefty was also getting set and asked to provide offense as well, which she was doing equally well.
Layli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar – A 5-star Class of 2026 outside, Ostovar is offensively gifted. She has a great arm. Watch out when she lets one fly. She’s to the go-to on the left this year for Beach and when she has it going she’s hard to slow down.
Morgan Graves OH Rancho Valley 16 Premier – Rancho Valley tied for third in the 16s Power League, with Graves part of that equation. Graves is athletic and gets the ball a lot for a Rancho team that depends on her to help carry the offense.
Brooke Hansen S/RS Forza1 North 16 UA – Forza North could be a borderline Open team this year in 16s. There are some pieces, including Hansen. Forza was using a variety of lineups, including Hansen playing six rotations, setting in the back and hitting in front. Or she just set in the back row. She performed well no matter. She can help out offensively with her strong arm and she’s a consistent setter with her location.
Maya Banks RS Forza1 North 16 UA – Banks definitely has her share of upside. She’s slight of frame but is springy with a nice arm. Forza North also looked to her to deliver on the right when in system.
Jolyna Salas S Coast 16 Luis – Coast was playing shorthanded and that led to Coast finishing sixth overall. Salas was doing her thing though when we were observing. She plays with lots of energy and did well trying to get Coast’s offense to click.
Paulina Baillie L Coast 16 Luis – Baillie took over the libero position late last year and has started the season there this go around. She played well, doing a good job reading and picking up shots in her vicinity. She’s a gamer who doesn’t mind hitting the floor.
Miley Thunstrom OH Forza1 16 UA – Thunstrom was the most consistent scorer for Forza. She let a couple go that were unexpected in the pace they were hit with.
Eliana Urzua OH Oaks 16 Gold – At 6-2 and equipped with beach skills, Urzua has a bright future ahead of her. She’s still developing but she’s someone to keep tabs on. She was playing all the way around for Oaks.
Manaia Ogbechie MB Oaks 16 Gold – Ogbechie was someone we caught last year when we saw Oaks a few times. At 6-2 and touching 10-4, she has a strong arm and a tall ceiling. There are also times she plays across the back row as well.
Lauren Farris OH Tstreet 16 Naseri – As a six-rotation outside, Farris plays an integral role for Tstreet. She’s a smart hitter and provides plenty of offense.
Memphis Burnett OH Tstreet 16 Naseri – Burnett is a freshman playing up an age group. She gets off the ground well and is a hard hitter. She certainly provides part of the offensive punch for Tstreet.
