The Sunshine Classic wrapped up with plenty of drama and unexpected results. With the gold pools playing out and remaining teams in the hunt competing for Open bids, the final day produced big-time efforts and performances. Below, we highlight those players who stood out to us the most with our Day 3 Show Stoppers.
DAY 3 SHOW STOPPERS
Teraya Sigler OH Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: Sigler – a 5-star Nebraska commit – anchored Storm’s run to the 17 Open championship. She’s a do-it-all type, high-IQ outside who is solid out of serve receive and can hurt opponents with a wide array of shot selections.
Makena Rumple MB Arizona Storm 17 Thunder: A 3-star Iowa commit, Rumple was very effective in the middle. She scored at a high rate when called upon and delivered timely blocks to aid in Storm’s dominant day.
Georgi Stein OH AZ Sky 17 Gold: Stein – a 3-star Northern Arizona commit – was a key piece as Sky worked its way to a second-place finish and one of the three bids. The six-rotation contributor takes her share of swings on the outside and knows how to beat opponents in different ways.
Addison France RS AZ Sky 17 Gold: A 3-star recruit, France is a physical right side. She can drop the hammer at times and power down kills with authority.
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux MB Skyline 17 Royal: A 5-star Duke commit, Gillen-Malveaux is a dynamic middle who is a handful offensively. She runs an effective slide attack and with the way she can get up and extends, it’s very tough to slow down.
Maddy Smotherman L/DS Skyline 17 Royal: Smotherman – a 3-star recruit – was solid in the back row and showed up well on that side of the ball. She did well extending rallies and making hustle plays.
Alex Richter OH TAV 17 Black: A 4-star Georgia commit, Richter played at a high level and scored at a high clip. She’s long and can hit at high contact points which helps create sharp angles for defenders to cover.
Campbell Flynn S Legacy 17-1 Adidas: Flynn – a 5-star Nebraska commit – helped Legacy position itself to qualify on the final day but came up short of making the semis. There’s plenty of superlatives one can use to describe her. Effortless and smooth are among them, as she shows total command of the offense.
Marie Laurio OH Legacy 17-1 Adidas: A 3-star Syracuse commit, Laurio is a wirey outside with a lively arm. She can unleash at times and rip impressive winners.
Izzy Mogridge S OT 17 Aaron: A 4-star Oregon commit, Mogridge is a fun setter to watch get after it. She’s quick and does well getting her feet to the ball. She also connects well with all of her hitters.
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Charlotte Glass S Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: Glass – a 5-star Duke commit – is another setter who is in complete control of the offense. She locates consistently and puts her hitters in favorable matchups.
Kelly Kinney OH Tribe 17 Elite Cardinal: A 5-star Minnesota commit, Kinney can get up and crush it. She has a big-time arm and is a featured part of Tribe’s attack.
Jordan Taylor MB HJV 17 Elite: Another 5-star Minnesota commit, Taylor is so long in the middle and takes up a ton of space. She can close the gap on the block in a hurry, as well as hit over blockers on the regular.
Layla Hoying OH Mintonette Sports m.61: Hoying – a 4-star recruit – is part of a strong 1-2 punch on the outside for Mintonette. She has a powerful arm but can keep defenses guessing with her ability to deliver a well-timed off-speed shot.
Sara Snowbarger OH Mintonette Sports m.61: Another 4-star recruit, Snowbarger completes the outside duo that helped Mintonette to the 16 Open title. She’s a lanky hitter who extends and can hit straight down when the opportunity is right.
Alia Schoonover MB Mintonette Sports m.61: Schoonover – a 3-star recruit – is a play-maker in the middle. She’s quick and knows how to finish and always seems to come up with a clutch play at a key moment.
Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.61: A 5-star recruit, Cugino is a lights-out defender. She has the ability to change the course of a set or match with the way she can make saves or keep her team in a point.
Catherine Palmi OH GP 16 Rox: Palmi – a 3-star recruit – helped hold it down as GP took home a surprise bid after finishing runner-up to Mintonette. She has a booming arm and hits a heavy, heavy ball that eats defenders up.
Aylani Correra L/DS GP 16 Rox: Correra played a key role in GP’s success. She’s quick, scrappy defender who shows a lot of hustle and desire to keep the ball alive.
Brooke Harwood MB Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Harwood – a 5-star recruit – is virtually unstoppable on the slide attack. When in system, it is a high-percentage play that Storm turns to time and time again.
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Madisyn Crnjac OH Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: Crnjac – a 3-star recruit – is a six-rotation outside with a knack for scoring. She has a strong arm and isn’t afraid to challenge the block in front of her.
Kalli Lipo L/DS Arizona Storm 16 Thunder: A 3-star recruit, Lipo brings a defensive edge to the lineup. She covers really well and shows nice reactions in the back row.
Alexis Anderson RS Skyline 16 Royal: Anderson was an unsung hero at times. Skyline its share of options but it was Anderson making timely contributions on both sides of the ball with her attacking and blocking.
Taylor Clarke RS Skyline 16 Royal: A 4-star recruit, Clarke is a menace on the right side. Skyline likes to feed her the ball and with the way she explodes and lets it go, she’s a reliable option.
Riley Bethea MB A5 16-1 Gabe: Bethea – a 3-star recruit – takes up a lot of space at the net with her length. She has no issues going over the top of blocks and sending balls straight down.
Sofia Guerrero-Wilson RS A5 16-1 Gabe: A 4-star recruit, Guerrero-Wilson is a tough cover on the right side. She too is long and can get up and go over blocks with ease.
Gigi Artiles OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Artiles – a 5-star recruit – is tough to slow down when she has it going. She hits from way up and can rocket shots from sideline to sideline.
Mia Gold OH Tribe 16 Elite Cardinal: Gold – a 4-star recruit – has a wide array of shots she can toss at opponents. She has a solid arm and doesn’t back down.
Paige Lehman OH WPVC 16 Armour Black: Lehman is a bit undersized but a fearless attacker who takes big swings and delivers impressive kills at times.
Vivian Hickman S AZ Sky 16 Gold: Hickman – a 3-star setter – had AZ Sky in contention on the final day. She’s a smooth disher who sees the court well and knows how and when to mix up her sets.
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Sarah Hickman RS HJV 16 Elite: A 4-star recruit, Hickman’s height is a huge advantage on the right side. HJV likes to go to her as much as possible as she can hit tough-angled shots.
Gemma Hopkins L/DS HJV 16 Elite: Hopkins is another scrappy defender who played well. She was making plays all over the court and giving her side another chance at winning the point.
