We spent three days covering 15-17 Open at the Salt Lake City Showdown. Yes, there was 18 Open too but we focused on the younger age groups because of the 18s qualifier in So Cal this past weekend. Below, we highlight some of the top outsides we saw throughout the course of the weekend. The athletes featured are from what we witnessed with our own eyes and who we thought was performing well at the time we saw them playing.
15 OPEN
Teraya Sigler, Outside, AZ Storm 15 Thunder – There’s no doubt that Sigler is someone Storm looks for to carry a good portion of the offensive load. She has nice size and physicality and is an option whether she’s front or back row. She also a key contributor defensively and passes well out of serve receive.
Cecilia Vance, Outside, ARVC 15N1 Adidas – Vance is another outside teams must key on wherever she’s at on the court. She gets up in the air nicely for sure and takes aggressive swings at the ball when the set allows it.
Neriah Perez, Outside, Club V 15 Ren Adam – Club V came close to upsetting top-seeded Absolute 15 Black in the first match of the weekend with Perez playing a key role. She’s an athletic outside who moves and jumps very well.
Megan Fitch, Outside, Alamo 15 Premier – Opponents don’t want to allow Fitch to get going. With her height at the net and fluid swing, she can be a real weapon for Alamo. She also has the capability to get up and hit over the block.
Halle Jameson, Outside, Excel 15 National Red – Jameson is another outside we witnessed who is a lengthy outside. She possesses a nice jump and swing which makes her a solid attacker and offensive option.
Elena Fisher, Outside, Absolute 15 Black – A bit undersized on the outside, Fisher makes up for it with her springy legs. She gets off the ground quickly. She’ll take aggressive cuts at the ball and she’s the one Absolute looks for when the play breaks down.
16 OPEN
Samantha Blackett, Outside, Club V 16 Ren Wayne – Club V has fun pieces to watch and Blackett is one of them. She’s an energetic outside with good height. She’s not afraid to get after it and really goes for it with some aggressive swings.
Isabella Blackwell, Outside, Aspire 16 Premier – Blackwell has some grit and determination about her. She’s a bit undersized at outside but she gets off the ground well and takes hard swings.
Lauren Harden, Outside, Rev 16-1 Fury – At 6-3, Harden represents problems for defenses. She’s a clear go-to outside with the ability to sway matches to her team’s favor with her wide-range of attacking skills. She’s someone you can just throw a ball up to and let her go to work.
Piper Rama, Outside, AZ Storm 16 Thunder – Rama plays like she loves to compete. Somewhat undersized, she plays hard and does some of everything for Storm from not being afraid of going at blocks to hitting the floor in the back court to keep a rally going.
Jaidyn Jager, Outside, Coast 16-1 – A freshman playing up, Jager carries a lot of the offensive load and is the one Coast turns to when things break down. Coast will use her a lot on the outside but run the X with her as well. Plus, she’s a solid passer and helps hold down serve receive.
Paityn Chapman, Outside, Co Jrs 16-1 Sherri – There a some really good options for Co Jrs and Chapman is one of the team on the left. At 6-3, she’s not even the tallest option for the setters but she helps spread out the attack and put balls down or away.
17 OPEN
Evan Hendrix and Kendal Murphy, Outsides, AZ Rev 17 Premier – Revolution isn’t short on offensive options, with Hendrix, a sophomore, and Murphy certainly in the mix as two of them. She’s a bit undersized compared to the others in the lineup but she jumps very well, can score outright or tool blocks and will take swings out of the back row. Murphy, at 6-3 and committed to Baylor, will also hit out of the back row and can score with the best of them tooling blocks or going over smaller blockers.
Blaire Bayless, Outside, Madfrog 17 Green – This 6-2 outside committed to Pitt was one of the most impressive outsides in the gym. She’s lanky and can get off the ground, which makes her a very difficult attacker to stop as she can blow up blocks, go around them or over them with her big swings.
Ariana Brown, Outside, Asics Willowbrook 17 Gold – Brown brings a lot to the lineup for Willowbrook. She possesses a hammer on offense but she’s also somebody teams shouldn’t serve because she can pass dimes time and time again.
Levani Key-Powell and Jordyn Harvey, Outsides, Club V 17 Ren Reed – This outside tandem is fun to watch and bring excitement to spectators with the way they play. Key-Powell is a sophomore playing up and is an explosive hard hitter who plays taller than her 5-9 height. Meanwhile, Harvey can absolutely fly with her springy legs and is a target wherever she’s at on the court.
