The last day of competition at USAV nationals was a fitting conclusion to the club season. You can read about Dynasty 14 Black rising up and winning another gold medal in 14 Open here. You can also catch up on Tstreet 15 Asics’ run to the 15 Open championship here. Below, we highlight the individuals who stood out the most to us on Thursday with our Day 4 Show Stoppers.
DAY 4 SHOW STOPPERS
Jensen Kubik OH Dynasty 14 Black: A 3-star recruit, Kubik helps make up an attack that can come from anywhere. She’s a smart hitter who does well going off hands or hitting to the gaps in the defense.
Molly McGovern RS Dynasty 14 Black: McGovern – a 3-star recruit – had a big match in the finals against Hou Skyline. Her ability to score consistently on the right side kept the defense honest and gave Dynasty a big boost offensively.
Haedyn Lynnes L/DS Dynasty 14 Black: Lynnes – a 3-star recruit – is a sparkplug defensively. She’s high-energy and flies around the court covering and making plays.
Sophia Sturdy S/RS Dynasty 14 Black: Sturdy plays a vital role with her ability to set across the back and hit across the front. She knows how to get all her hitters involved as well as find ways to score.
Addison Musgrove S Hou Skyline 14 Royal: A 3-star setter, Musgrove has nice hands and locates well. She spreads the ball around and runs a balanced offense.
Jada Skinner OH Hou Skyline 14 Royal: Skinner was part of the reason Hou Skyline advanced to the final. She’s a wirey attacker with a solid arm and was someone her side could count on coming through when needed.
Taylor Moore MB Hou Skyline 14 Royal: Moore was making plays in the middle. She has a strong arm and was connecting when the opportunity presented itself.
Sarah Albers RS HPSTL 14 Royal: Albers – a 5-star recruit – has a big-time arm and is a six-rotation presence. She can swing over blocks and crush shots down.
Carina Buttrum L/DS HPSTL 14 Royal: A 3-star recruit, Buttrum is a scrappy defender who gets after it. She was hustling around and extending rallies.
Ashlyn Pelon L/DS Legacy 14-1 Adidas: Pelon – a 3-star recruit – was another back row standout who showed she could command the defense. She was defending well and making strong first-ball touches.
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Maya Ogbogu OH Madfrog 14 Green: A 5-star recruit, Ogbogu is a massive force on offense. She’s a high-flyer who gets way, way up and unleashes over blocks in a flurry.
Adelyn Lopez OH SG Elite 14 Rosh: Lopez played a key role in SG’s success. She’s a steady passer out of serve receive. She’s also a heady attacker who knows how to find ways to produce points.
Ella Olson OH Tstreet 15 Asics: A 4-star recruit, there was no one better among the players we saw on the final day than Olson. She simply owned all three opponents Tstreet faced. Her ability to hit hard, sharp angles as well as tool and swipe blocks made her nearly indefensible.
Megan Hodges Tstreet 15 Asics: Hodges – a 5-star recruit from the Class of 2028 – was on another level. Her size and length proved to be a real difference maker. She puts up a wall of a block. In addition, she’s an extremely tough cover on offense with her ability to get out and run the slide while swinging over blocks.
Katherine Nowak MB Tstreet 15 Asics: A 3-star recruit, Nowak’s contributions were as vital as anyone’s. Her move to the middle in midseason brought stability to the lineup. As an outside making the switch, she was able to stay in across the back row and give Tstreet another way to score points.
Royal Banducci S Tstreet 15 Asics: Banducci did a fine job of directing the offense. She puts up a hittable ball and knew when to ride a hot hand and when to switch it up.
Tessa Larkin OH Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: A 4-star outside, Larkin has a really fast arm and can bring the heat on the pin. She’s the go-to on the outside and proved she can deliver in the clutch and when her team needs her the most.
Kamille Scott RS Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: Scott had a big day. The lefty right side scored consistently when called upon. She has a whippy arm and was slinging it cross court.
Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 15 Thunder: A 6-4, 5-star middle, Omoruyi changes the dynamic of the match when she’s in. She can dominate the net on both sides. She puts up a massive block. She’s also a legit offensive weapon with her ability to swing right over blocks and send shots straight down.
Piper Chylinski S City 15 Gold: A 4-star setter, Chylinski closed out her impressive tournament with another strong day guiding the attack. She has good hands and a nice touch. She can also vary her sets.
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Eva Jeffries RS City 15 Gold: Jeffries – a 3-star outside – was the tournament’s breakout player. As a six-rotation right side, she remains a threat across the back row and can hit with the same effectiveness as when she’s across the front.
Ansley Shafer L/DS TAV 15 Black: A 4-star defender, Shafer stays strong in the back row. Facing big hitters, she held her ground and didn’t give in inch in trying to keep her team in the rally.
Sophee Peterson S TAV 15 Black: Peterson, a 4-star setter, is quick to the ball and does well squaring up. Even when out-of-system, she still does a nice job of getting the ball to her hitter and giving her team a good look.
Brynn Stephens OH TAV 15 Black: Stephens, a 5-star recruit, is lanky and can really deliver on the outside. She can score from sideline to sideline as well as swing off blocks.
Ava Burgess OH Club V 15 Ren Reed: A 4-star outside, Burgess helped Club V push Tstreet to three games and put Club V on the verge of reaching the semifinals. She carries a strong arm and does well hitting from a high contact point.
Tinsley Welker-Brown S Hou Skyline 15 Royal: Welker-Brown – 4-star setter – has strong hands and can push the ball accurately from pin to pin.
Lucky Fasavalu S Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: A 3-star setter, Fasavalu is quick on her feet and works to get her feet to the ball. She has soft hands, locates well and can dish it from pin to pin.
Hanna McGinest OH Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: McGinest – a 4-star outside – continued her strong tournament with another impressive day. She was clutch against Arizona Storm in the quarterfinals, helping Beach extend the match to three before falling. She gets up in a hurry and can crush it.
Cedra Talaga L/DS Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar: A 4-star defender, Talaga brought a tenacity to the defensive side. She reads and reacts well and her never-give-up hustle went a long way in keeping rallies alive.
Emery Gonzales S Wave 15 Brennan: A 3-star recruit, Gonzales is a solid setter with good hands. She puts up a clean, consistent ball.
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Ireland Real OH Wave 15 Brennan: Real – a 4-star outside – brings length to the outside. She can really extend and does a great job of getting on top of the ball and taking aggressive swings.
Faith Bahun L/DS Athletes Only VBC: Bahun helped lead her team to victory against Norco 14 Black with her incredible ball control and hustle on the court. She displayed exceptional footwork, seamlessly stepping in to set for her setter and aiding her offensive players. Her excellent platform on serve receive consistently set the team up for success.
Sydney Rincon S/RS City VBC: Rincon continues to demonstrate leadership on the court on day 4 in the gold bracket. She excels at getting her feet to the ball and accurately judging passes. Her strong communication skills have helped her build solid relationships with her teammates. When setting, She has the ability to consistently square up to her target and skillfully exploits Elevation 14 Courtney weaknesses, effectively utilizing her attackers and showcasing her versatility.
Ella Hasner DS A5 14-2 Earl: Hasner entered the game with confidence, delivering tough jump float serves. She displayed trust in her platform and her ability to contribute to her team’s success. Her serve receive was precise, passing dimes consistently, and she covered the court exceptionally well. She made stunning digs to keep the play going, stretching out to secure them against OMNI 14 National.
Cora Seabold S Sunshine 15 Pacific: Seabold remained consistent with her hands during a pressure-filled match for the gold in the American 15 division. She ended the game with a beautiful set to her middle hitter, showcasing their strong connection. Playing with confidence, she ultimately led her team to victory by effectively switching up the offense.
Charlotte Hall OPP Seal Beach 15 – Black: Hall actively shut down H Skyline’s aggressive and powerful outside hitter with her big block on the pin. As a dynamic player in the gold division for 15 American, she elevates her game with a strong approach, doing an excellent job of getting on top of the ball and finding openings to score offensively.
Kailey Phillips L/DS Wave 15 Taylor: In the second set against Pohaku 15-1, Phillips unleashed a powerful jump float serve, bringing positive energy to the court in the gold liberty division. She has a keen eye on defense, consistently positioning herself effectively to maximize her efforts in making digs for her team.
Kendall Hubbard S/RS Elevation 15 Tony: Hubbard is a mentally tough competitor, helping her teammates shine on the court. She ran a beautiful offensive strategy on day 4 against Absolute 15 Black. Her coverage in position 1 was outstanding, and her setting was on point. Her incredible footwork helps her manage this fast-paced, high-pressure game. She absolutely led her team to victory; she was the backbone.
Ali Strange L Elevation 15 Tony: Strange started day 4 in the Gold bracket national division with a stellar performance. Right out of the gate, she made a difficult pass on serve receive against a fast jump spin serve. Immediately after, she made a HUGE dig against Absolute 15 Black’s middle, which was definitely a showstopper. She has come here to win.
Kendyl Yanagi L Tstreet 15 Chad: Yanagi showcases exceptional court coverage with relentless hustle, adeptly maneuvering to create various angles with her platform. In the match against TW Skyline 15 Royal, she opened the game with two beautiful passes out of position 6. The setter had no issue judging her passes because they were consistent and right where they needed to be.
