One of the best things of any volleyball tournament is getting to highlight some of the best players we witnessed. For vballrecruiter.com, it meant spending three days searching for those who impressed us the most. Below, we introduce our middle blocker Show Stoppers.
14 Open
Emmerson Champagne, Tstreet 14 Carson – Champagne hit the hardest middle attack at the tourney. She has no problem with the block as her athleticism allows her to see and crush it anywhere she wants to.
Kendall Omornyi, Arizona Storm 13 Thunder – A 6-1 middle as a 13-year old is amazing. But what makes her impressive is her athleticism to go with her height. She moves well along the net and penetrates consistently forcing errors. She gets up in transition, allowing easy points due to such a quick attack.
Ruby Partain, Wave 14 Brennan – Partain saw limited time until the semis and finals. Down one set to Tstreet, her coach put her in and she quickly rewarded him with a couple of quick kills and a long serving run that changed the dynamics of the match. During the finals she got to serve and according to her coach when she’s serving amazing things happen for the team.
Nina Hemsley, Forza1 North 14 UA – An imposing presence at the net, Hemsley will make teams pay if the pass or set is too tight as she touches everything. Offensively, she can hit either in front or behind the setter effectively.
15 Open
Kalyssa Blackshear, Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar – A 6-4, four-star recruit, Blackshear changes the dynamic of the team anytime she checks in. Her length across the front creates problems for opponents whether it’s trying to slow Blackshear from scoring or trying to score against the block she puts up.
Kenna Cogill, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – Cogill is another long middle. Standing 6-4, this three-star recruit is someone defenses must be aware of. She can bring the heat and can do so straight over the block.
Bella Ehrlich, Absolute Black 15-1 – A 6-2, three-star recruit, Ehrlich has been mentioned throughout the season. She’s a scoring threat every time she checks in and defenses need to take note of her with her ability to hit to different spots.
Kiana Landers, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – Landers is yet another piece to the puzzle Storm uses to torment defenses. She has nice length with her 6-3 frame. She’s also a heady scorer who sees the court well and attacks accordingly.
Erika Sayer, Co Jrs 15 Shannon – Sayer is difficult to slow down on the slide attack. A three-star recruit, she’s 6-2 and touches well over 10-feet. She’s got a smooth swing and punishes defenses with it.
16 Open
Ava Shankle, Drive Nation 16 Red – Shankle proved unstoppable at times. Drive Nation went to her on the slide and 1s and defenses had few if any answers to keep her from scoring at will.
Jenna Hanes, Wave 16 Brennan – A three-star recruit, Hanes is part of an impactful middle duo for Wave. At 6-2, she’s a reliable scorer who can let loose from sideline to sideline.
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, Drive Nation 16 Red – This 6-3 middle is on another level. A five-star recruit from the Class of 2025, Gillen-Malveaux has a limitless ceiling. She’s a force to be reckoned with when she’s on the attack. She’s long and can hit straight down with ease.
Mackenzie Parsons, Coast 16-1 – A three-star recruit, the 6-2 Parsons is one of the main weapons in the Coast attack. She scores at a high clip with a variety of shots and provides a huge spark in the process.
Skyler Gartin, Arizona Storm 16 Thunder – A 5-11, three-star recruit, Gartin helps open up the offense when she’s front row. She has a nice arm and can generate good pace on her shots.
Anaya Thrower, Absolute Black 16-1 – Thrower is one to keep an eye on as she continues to develop. She’s a long 6-2 and is only going to add more and more power as she fills out. She’s already putting up a good block.
Hayley Ogden, Coast 16-1 – A 6-0 middle, Ogden fills out a strong middle attack for Coast. She just finds ways to score and also comes up with timely blocks.
Camden Bolane, Wave 16 Brennan – Bolane – a four-star recruit – is 6-2 and is the other half to the prolific Wave middle duo. She’ll get fed the ball often because of her reliability and she can score points with her block as well.
17 Open
Reese Robins, Drive Nation 17 Red – This five-star recruit and Louisville commit controls the net. At 6-5, she closes her blocks and presses her hands over the net consistently. She also gets in transition and her setter loves to find her for easy kills.
Leah Ford, Drive Nation 17 Red – Another five-star recruit in the middle for Drive Nation, this USC commit is dangerous when she goes up. She’s lengthy 6-3 with a quick arm and can rip it when she gets a hold of it.
Tori Davis, Legacy Girls 17 Pyramid – Davis is only getting better and better. A 6-2 Baylor commit, she’s a four-star recruit who can elevate and unleash on opponents. She changes the entire dynamic of Legacy’s attack when she’s in.
Eva Rohrbach, Wave 17 Juliana – Rohrbach – a four-star recruit committed to Maryland – is one reason why the offense comes from everywhen with Wave. The 6-2 middle is always a scoring option when in system and she can hit sharp angles cross court running the slide.
Cayla Payne, Wave 17 Juliana – A three-star recruit committed to Colorado, this 6-4 middle is also a big part of the Wave middle attack. Payne also runs an effective slide and puts up a big block to help slow attackers down.
Dior Charles, Sunshine 17 LA – Charles, at 6-0, is springy and quick. She’s a difference maker when in as she really gives the defense another player to worry about covering and trying to stop.
Mia Lee, Club V 17 Ren Reed – Lee, at 5-11, is technically undersized for a middle but she touches an absurd 10-8. It’s that type of explosiveness that makes her a marvel at times. She can just crush it when she really catches one.
Taylor Harvey, Club V 17 Ren Reed – A 6-2 freshman playing up two age divisions, Harvey has a tremendous future ahead of her. She’s a five-star recruit who will be someone we talk about for years. She’s already a weapon with her whippy arm and is only going to add power as she fills out.