With the stakes elevated on the final day of the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City, the play certainly followed suit. There were plenty of impressive standout efforts as athletes laid it all on the line. Below, is Part 1 of the players who stood out to us the most on Day 3 with our Show Stoppers.
DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS (Part 1)
Danielle Whitmire S/RS TAV 15 Black: Whitmire – a 5-star recruit – was part of a perfect weekend as TAV ended 9-0 in winning 15 Open. The long setter/right side performs both roles at a high level. She has a smooth release and locates well setting. She’s also an above-average hitter on the right side who earns her team points scoring.
Kylie Kleckner OH TAV 15 Black: A 4-star recruit, opponents struggled to slow Kleckner and her powerful arm. Her strength was too much, as she powered through blocks or crushed balls around them as a key piece in the attack.
Kinsley Young MB TAV 15 Black: Young – a 5-star recruit – was dominant in the middle. Her physicality showed on both sides of the ball as she delivered resounding stuff blocks or slammed down big swings.
Julianna Hernandez L/DS TAV 15 Black: Hernandez – a 3-star recruit – brings a lot of energy to the defensive side. She was passing and defending very well.
Keoni Williams MB Skyline 15 Royal: A 5-star recruit, Williams is going to get the ball as much as Skyline can feed her. She’s a force at the net with her length and reach. She can easily go over blocks and score from angles that are tough to defend and cover.
Kiley Brooks L/DS Skyline 15 Royal: Brooks was strong in the back row, giving Skyline a defensive edge with her passing and covering.
Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 15 Royal: Clarke – a 4-star recruit – is capable of taking matches over with her scoring ability. She can get up and hit hard cross-court angles or turn it up the line and tool blocks, making a very difficult attacker to stop.
Skylar Jackson OH Skyline 15 Royal: Jackson – a 3-star recruit – held it down as a six-rotation outside passing and swinging away. She was a key piece of Skyline’s second-place finish as she helped carry the offense in stretches.
Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 15-1: A 4-star recruit, Weninger and Pohaku had a strong weekend, finishing third and earning an Open bid. She’s a big part of the offensive and becomes the go-to hitter when she checks in across the front row with her strong arm.
Grace Martin OH Pohaku 15-1: Martin was an integral part of the lineup with her passing and attacking. She was going for it with her swings, staying aggressive and challenging the defense to stop her.
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Addison West OH Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: West – a 3-star recruit – and her Premier Nebraska teammates earned the other 15 Open bid. West is a go-to attacker with nice length and extension. Combined with a nice swing, she’s a capable scorer.
Kami Dyrstad L/DS Premier Nebraska 15 Gold: Dyrstad was another libero who stood out with her defensive presence. She’s a scrappy libero who was making plenty of hustle plays.
McKenna Garr L/DS Northern Lights 16-1: Garr – a 3-star recruit – and her Northern Lights teammates took home the gold in 16 Open with an impressive performance. Garr took care of the back row, passing sharply and defending with reckless abandon.
Reese Axness S Northern Lights 16-1: Axness and her hitters were clicking on Day 3. She did well getting them all going and keeping defenses on guard.
Mesaiya Bettis OH Northern Lights 16-1: Bettis – a 4-star recruit – brought the punch to the lineup with her ability to get up and send it down. She gets off the ground well and extends nicely, which leads to impressive kills at times.
Keira Schmidt MB Northern Lights 16-1: Schmidt – a 3-star recruit – was a presence at the net with her blocking and hitting. She was frustrating opponents who had trouble getting around her big block. The same opponents also struggled slowing her down as she was able to exploit open spaces in the defense.
Olivia Cohee RS TAV 16 Black: A 3-star recruit, Cohee had a great day on the right side. She provided valuable offense and helped open the attack by scoring consistently anytime she was front row.
Sydnee Peterson OH TAV 16 Black: Peterson – a 4-star recruit – helped TAV reach the championship match and qualify for Open. She carries a powerful arm and was attacking defenses with hard swings.
Sarah Pfiffner S TAV 16 Black: Pfiffner – a 4-star recruit – was running the show effectively. She was getting all her hitters involved and showed a nice, consistent touch locating.
Lauryn Mack OH TAV 16 Black: Mack – a 4-star recruit – was yet another piece defenses needed to be worried about. She can bring it at times with booming kills and bouncing balls down.
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Sophia Armstrong L/DS TAV 16 Black: Armstrong is a gamer who did well on Day 3. She was passing well and making plays in helping TAV finish second overall.
Logan Parks S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Parks – a 5-star recruit – and her MAVS teammates earned one of the three 16 Open bids with a great day of volleyball. Parks is an athletic two-way player. She’s a strong setter who moves and gets to the ball well. When hitting, she flies and unloads with more than enough pace to punish defenses.
Maddie Mitchell S/RS MAVS KC 16-1: Mitchell was a key piece in MAVS’ success as well. She was also playing a dual role setting and hitting. She did well keeping the offense churning when dishing and was also able to provide her share of scoring to help boost the offense.
Ashlyn Blazer OH MAVS KC 16-1: Blazer brings height to the front row and changes the dynamic of the attack. She has a good arm and was a reliable scoring option.
Anna Jelinek OH Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Jelinek – a 3-star recruit – was a valuable six-rotation outside who held it down in serve receive. A bit undersized, Jelinek is a crafty attacker who can score in a variety of ways.
Natalie Wardlow MB Nebraska One 16 Synergy: Wardlow – a 5-star recruit – is more than a handful in the middle. She’s a strong blocker who can slow down attackers and also torch defenses with her size when swinging away.
