It was a fun time in Phoenix witnessing all the seniors wrapping up their club careers at the USAV 18s Girls Junior National Championships. vballrecruiter.com attempted to get to as many teams and players as we could in order to highlight the standouts. Here are the top middle blockers we watched.
Mari Singletary, A5 Mizuno 18 Marc – Singletary is an undeniable presence in the front row who can impact matches on both sides of the ball. A 6-5 Texas commit, she touches an unbelievable 10-7. Combined with her agility, she takes up a lot of space at the net and is nearly unstoppable at times.
Oluwalademi Ogunlana, HJV 18 Elite – At 5-11, Ogunlana is not the biggest middle of the bunch. Yet, she’s quick and moves well. It makes her a good option on the slide attack, which HJV likes to use her in. She’s headed to Rice.
Olivia Harrison, Rage 18 Westside – A 6-2 middle committed to George Washington, Harrison brings an added dimension to the Rage attack. She gets up quickly and can attack with a vengeance. Her big winners always pump up her teammates.
Lucia Scalamandre, Sunshine 18 LA – An Ivy Leaguer who is on her way to Princeton, Scalamandre is an energetic, upbeat 6-2 middle who can often be seen smiling on the court. She touches 10-2, runs an effective slide and makes good reads at the net blocking.
Kennedy Hill, Sunshine 18 LA – Northwestern landed a good one in Hill. She’s 6-0 and is very quick both laterally and jumping. Her swing is fast and she can produce some loud and impressive winners with her scoring ability.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Madfrog 18 Green – A 6-2 middle committed to Texas AM, Cos-Okpalla is a physical presence whether attacking or defending. She’s strong and can deliver resounding blocks to match her booming kills.
Hannah Sherman, Metro 18 Travel – Sherman – a Louisville commit – gets off the ground quickly and has the arm to match. At 6-2, it makes her a difficult cover and defenses often pay the price for being up late against her.
Rylie McGinest, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – McGinest is 6-1 but plays even longer than that. She has a high contact point and few middles put it down around the 10-foot line as often as this USC commit does.
Rhiann Sheffie, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Another 6-1 middle for Beach, Sheffie can be fiery at times, especially after delivering an eye-popping kill. She’s on her way to Long Beach State.
Amaya Thomas, OT 18 Felix – A 6-3 Florida commit, Thomas is a game-changer in the middle. She’s long and can put up a big block to slow down attackers with. She can also hit high, which creates difficult angles for defenders to cover.
Carter Mogridge, OT 18 Chad – This 6-4 middle is committed to North Carolina. She has a commanding presence in the middle and provides physicality on both sides of the ball.
Vanessa Polk, Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite – The more Polk – a 6-2 middle committed to Pepperdine – gets involved the better the results go for Rockwood. Polk was a massive factor in the team’s upset of Coast to reach the top eight. She has a big arm and also a knack for delivering timely blocks.
Grace Wuischpard, Absolute Black 18-1 – It’s a different game for Absolute when this 6-3 UC Santa Barbara commit checks in front row. She’s long and touches lots of attacks to help the back row. She’s also effective running the slide which helps open up the offense.
Alex Dvorak, PVA 18 Elite – The thing about Dvorak is she just knows how to score. She’s not flashy but she doesn’t need to be with her smarts and ability to read defenses and counter.
Serena Nyambio, Legacy 18-1 Adidas – A 6-2 middle committed to Michigan, Nyambio is one of the better middles in class with her ability to play both sides of the ball. She’s physical with a strong arm who can also present a big block.
