It’s time for the vballrecruiter.com Junior Player of the Year Finalists. You can view the Senior Player of the Finalists here. We have trimmed the Junior Finalists list down to 18. It’s a limited list, one that was difficult to narrow down given the criteria we were looking for.
It’s nearly impossible to be considered as a finalist if a player didn’t lead their team in a statistical category, with a few rare exceptions. It’s one way of gauging a player’s impact for the season. Another determining factor was overall team success. Given the number of juniors listed as candidates, to be chosen as a finalist their respective team needed to win a state championship or the equivalent of given some programs can be independent. It’s a tough standard, one that eliminated plenty of talented players who are headed to top Division 1 programs. It’s a team sport, however, and winning a state championship is one way of honoring it.
We’ll select the eventual Junior Player of the Year winner from the list of finalists below, listed in alphabetical order.
Abigail Li S Alpharetta GA: Li – a 4-star SMU commit – was an integral part of Alpharetta taking home the Georgia 6A state title. She dished out 1,153 assists, averaging 10.5 per set. She also led the roster in aces, was third in digs and fourth in blocks. She twice put up a season-high 51 assists, including once in a three-game sweep over Pope in September. She had another six outings of at least 40 assists or more.
Addy Horner S/RS St. Francis/Wheaton IL: Horner was the most impactful player on the Spartans, who earned the Illinois 3A state championship. The 5-star Wisconsin commit led the team in kills with 342. She averaged 3.2 per set and hit .342. She was also second in assists with 258, and second in aces with 50. On top of that, she finished third in blocks and fourth in digs. She saved her best for last, when she registered 13 kills, a season-best 23 assists and season-high 17 digs in the state final victory over Lincoln.
Asia Harvey OH Sandy Creek GA: With Harvey powering the offense, the Patriots claimed the Georgia 3A state championship. The 5-star recruit put away 471 kills, averaging 4.2 per set and hitting .370. She was also a factor on defense, leading the way with 312 digs. She had a season-best 22 kills in a five-set setback against Westminster in early October. She also had 21 kills and hit .405 in a sweep of Hebron Christian in late October.
Ava Durgan MB Mead WA: Durgan starred on both sides of the ball in lifting Mead to the Washington 3A state title. The 6-2 middle paced the offense with 295 kills. She averaged 3.1 per set and hit an impressive .401. She also made her presence felt at the net by delivering 118 blocks, averaging 1.2 per set. Four times she matched her season-best 16 kills, including in the state semifinals victory over Lynnwood, when she also had seven blocks.
Ava Jo Berry S Wenatchee WA: It was a championship season for the Panthers, who captured the Washington 4A state title. Berry was a crucial piece in it all. A strong beach player as well, Berry directed the attack and eventually helped Wenatchee top North Creek in five sets in the state final. She was named the CBBN 4A Player of the Year.
Cari Spears OH Prestonwood Christian TX: Spears was our Sophomore Player of the Year a season ago. She missed a bit of time this fall, playing in 72 of the team’s 98 total sets. Still, the 5-star Texas commit led the offense with 284 kills. She averaged 3.9 kills a set and hit .360 as Prestonwood Christian claimed the TAPPS 6A state title for the second consecutive year.
Chloe Elarton S Valor Christian CO: It was a terrific year for Elarton, a 3-star Georgia commit. Her contributions helped the Eagles to the Colorado 6A state championship and a perfect 29-0 record. She registered 975 assists, averaging 11.2 per set. She was also first in aces with 48, second in blocks and fourth in digs. On top of that, Elarton turned in her best performances on the biggest stage. Three times she reached 50 assists or more, with two of them coming in the state semifinals and finals. It included her season-high 57 dimes in a five-set victory over Fossil Ridge in the state championship match, as well as 50 assists in the semifinals victory over Legend.
Devyn Wiest OH O’Connor AZ: The Eagles proved themselves as the best in Arizona this fall, going 34-1 and earning the 6A state championship. Wiest – a 4-star Utah commit – was on a mission. She charged the attack with a team-leading 349 kills, averaging 3.9 per set and hitting .314. She was also second in both digs and aces. She actually set her season high of 21 kills in the team’s only loss, a five-set defeat to Sunnyslope. Her best outing was arguably when she sent down 19 kills and hit .613 in a three-game sweep of Boulder Creek in late October.
Lauren Hurst OH Cleveland TN: Hurst – a 4-star recruit – was an integral part of the Raiders ending the season with the Tennessee Division 1-3A state championship. She had a remarkable campaign, racking up 766 assists and averaging 5.6 per set. She also hit .313 and was third in aces. Hurst had 11 outings of 20 kills or more. It included a season-high 29 in a five-set loss to East Hamilton in mid-September.
Madison Quest OH Divine Savior Holy Angels WI: Quest is the rare finalist who didn’t lead her team in a statistical category but her impact was undeniable. DSHA captured back-to-back Wisconsin Division 1 state championship with Quest totaling 557 kills. That was within 30 of the team lead, as she averaged 4.6 per set and finished second in digs and blocks and third in aces. Quest saved her best for last, dropping a season-best 24 kills in a five-set victory against Oconomowoc in the state championship match. It was one of two times she recorded 20 kills or more.
Maegan Mills OH Seaman KS: Mills was flat-out spectacular this fall as she helped lead the Vikings to the Kansas 5A state championship. A Tulsa commit, Mills’ contributions came from just about everywhere. She led the team in kills with 418, averaging 4.2 per set. She was also first in aces with 51, as well as second in both digs and blocks.
Maggie Dostic OH Plant FL: The Panthers finished the season 25-3 and claimed the Florida 7A state title. Dostic – a 3-star Tennessee commit – made her mark. She sent down a team-high 366 kills, averaging 4.6 per set. She was also second in aces and fourth in digs. Her best outing featured a season-best 28 kills and hitting .385 in a five-set victory against Trinity Catholic in September. She also had 21 kills in a four-set triumph over Calvary Christian in October. Those were the two times she surpassed 20 kills.
Maya Witherspoon OH Lafayette MO: The Lancers brought home the Missouri Class 5 state championship for the second year in a row as they finished 36-2. A 4-star Vanderbilt commit, Witherspoon is among the leading candidates with the campaign she turned in. She tallied 435 kills, averaging 4.4 per set and hitting .324. She was also second with 61 aces. Five times she had 20 kills or more, including a season-high 27 in a five-set victory against Marquette in late October. Another time was when she put away 21 kills in the state championship-clinching victory over Howell.
Megan Fitch OH Cornerstone Christian TX: The Warriors are a rare program that does not participate in any state playoffs. Still, they played one of the toughest schedules in the country and finished the year 34-7. It included taking second place at both the Ann Kang Invitational and Nike TOC Southwest tournaments, as well as winning the Nike TOC Southeast event. Fitch – a 5-star Texas AM commit – racked up 459 kills. She averaged 4.5 per set while also leading the team in aces and finishing second in digs. Three times she recorded 20 kills or more, including a season-best 26 and hitting .344 in a four-set loss to St. James Academy KS in early October.
Samara Coleman OH Grand Oaks TX: A 5-star Pitt commit, Coleman is another finalist who didn’t lead her team in kills but her impact was undeniable nonetheless. She played in four less sets than the team’s kill leader, finishing 24 off the lead. She still managed to pound out 499 kills, tying for team lead in average at 4.1 per set. She also hit an impressive .351 as the Grizzlies went 50-1 and captured the Texas 6A state title. Coleman was also second in digs (309) and aces (49).
Shelby Burris MB Lovejoy TX: Burris is one of three middles in the running for Player of the Year and for good reason. She was a huge factor on both sides of the ball as Lovejoy claimed the Texas 5A state championship. A 4-star Princeton commit, Burris ended second in kills with 394. She averaged 2.9 per set while leading the team in hitting percentage at .405. She also led the way blocking with 129, averaging 1.0 per set. Among her best performances was a season-high 22 kills and hitting .545 in a four-set victory over Whitehouse in early November.
Tara Greenbury MB Incarnate Word MO: A 3-star Houston commit, Greenbury lifted the Red Knights to the Missouri Class 4 state championship. She was sensational on both offense and defense. She was out front with 513 kills, averaging 4.7 per set and hitting .417. She also registered 108 blocks, averaging 1.0 per set. Greenbury had four outings of at least 20 kills, including a season-best 29 while hitting .619 in a five-set victory against Nerinx Hall in early September.
Teraya Sigler OH Horizon AZ: Count Sigler among the favorites for the Player of the Year award. The 5-star Nebraska commit was at the center of the Huskies’ success this season, which featured winning the Arizona 5A state championship. Her 614 kills were 400 more than the next closest leader. She averaged 5.2 per set and hit .337. She also finished as the dig leader, making 358 saves and averaging 3.0 per set. Furthermore, she was second in blocks and fourth in aces. If that wasn’t enough, she turned in her two best efforts of the year when it was needed most. She posted a season-best 33 kills in the state semifinals victory over Casteel and then followed that with 30 winners in the state finals against Millennium. Those were the only two times she reached 30 or more kills, though she did have seven other outings of at least 20 kills or more.
