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
Alexandra Richter, Outside, Skyline 15 Royal – A tall, lanky outside, Richter is the go-to option for Skyline. That’s because she’s an effective scorer. Set her high and let her go up and get it, as she’s capable of hitting over blocks.
Bellamie Beus, Outside, ID Crush 15 Bower – Beus can bring some power and pop to the Crush attack. When the sets there and she’s able to go after, she’s capable of really connecting.
Alyssa Aguayo, Outside, Aspire 15 Premier – A six-rotation option for Aspire, Aguayo gets her share of swings in helping carrying the offensive load. She definitely had some moments taking some nice solid swings.
Lily Davis, Outside, Austin Skyline 15 Royal – Davis is a key part of the attack as the go-to on the left. She’s a consistent scorer who can take aggressive swings and will get the ball in the back row as well.
Simone Roslon and Kiana Greer, Outsides, Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar – These two outsides for Beach play a similar style. Neither are the biggest, hardest hitters at their position but they are critical to what Beach does. That’s because both are strong passers out of serve receive and smart, heady hitters who don’t try to overdo it.
16 OPEN
Denasia Maxey, Outside, Excel 16 National Red – Wherever Maxey is on the court defenses need to be aware. She’s a high-flyer who can put a ball down from anywhere.
Maya Witherspoon, Outside, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – It was a tough Day 1 for Rockwood, which lost a pair of tight three-set results and didn’t break pool. However, Witherspoon flashed her talent and arm swing and has ton of potential.
Brooklyn Tealer, Outside, Gainesville Jrs 16 Black – If you like attackers who get up in the air and let it loose, you’ll love Tealer. She flies, has a big arm and gets set all over making her a definite weapon for Gainesville.
Abby McClain, Outside, SIVBC 16 Black – McClain is an instrumental part of the offense for Sudden Impact. She’s tall and a physical hitter who’s more than capable of putting down balls and carrying the load offensively.
Brianna Watson, Outside, Madfrog 16 Green – Long and lanky, Watson soars on the attack. She’s still learning and developing obviously but one thing is for sure. You can’t set her high enough and that can make her difficult to defend.
Lainee Pyles, Outside, Madfrog 16 Green – Listed as a middle on the roster, Pyles was pushed to the outside because of an injury on the roster. It might be difficult putting her back in the middle as she could stay at outside or even switch to right side. She’s long and posed a legitimate threat on the outside with her ability to score.
17 OPEN
Nayeli Gonzalez, Outside, Alamo 17 Premier – The Iowa State commit played a large and important role in helping Alamo qualify over the weekend. Gonzalez seems to play bigger than her listed height of 6-0. She’s a physical attacker who hits with power and defenses don’t have much luck slowing her down.
Alexandra Acevedo, Outside, ID Crush 17 Bower – Acevedo plays a big role as a six-rotation outside in Crush’s plan. She’s lengthy and really good offensive player who can score in multiple ways.
Torrey Stafford and Drew Wright, Outsides, Sunshine 17 LA – When Stafford is on, watch out. The Pitt commit can soar and hit over blocks with ease, making her a major offensive force for Sunshine. Meanwhile, Sunshine was dealing with some injuries and Wright really stepped up and played solid role, especially with her strong passing skills out of serve receive.
Sydney Dunning and Daniela Cranford, Outsides, Co Jrs 17 Kevin – Both outsides proved to be reliable options for Co Jrs throughout the weekend. Dunning, who is committed to Cal State Bakersfield, will get her share of sets and can scoring consistently. Cranford knows how to score off the block well and seems to excel at swinging down the line.
