Each week during the club season, VolleyballMag.com recognizes a Dream Team of eight girls volleyball players (15s to 18s age groups) who were standouts the weekend before.
The team, most weeks, will consist of the following:
Setter or S/RS
Setter, S/RS or RS
OH
OH
MB
MB
Libero
DS
We include our eight-player Dream Team below, as well as others we considered, based exclusively upon nominations received. This week’s Dream Team will include a third outside, to take the place of a DS, as we received no DS nominees.
Note to coaches and directors: while there is no science to how we choose members of our Dream Team, performing on bigger stages will give players an edge, as will nomination forms that describe with specificity how well a player performed the previous weekend.
VolleyballMag.com DREAM TEAM for April 12
S: Genevieve Harris, 5-11 freshman, NC Academy 15 Diamond (NC) – Harris, one of the elite freshman setters in the country, propelled Academy Diamond to an undefeated record and the title in 15 Open at NEQ this past weekend. “She provided great leadership all around and her set tempo/selection caused a lot of disruptions for the opposing team’s defense,” coach Bruce Cao noted.
RS: Jordan Smith, 6-4 sophomore, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) – An elite sophomore recruit nationally, Smith dominated her position this past weekend at Windy City. She took command at the net both offensively and defensively and made certain that Rockwood left Chicago with a 17 Open bid after falling short in previous qualifiers.
OH: Morgan Reeves, 5-10 freshman, EC Power Chesapeake 15 Power DC (DC) – East Coast Power’s 15s team in DC went undefeated to win the 15 American bid at NEQ over a staggering 107 other teams. The win was the first title for ECP’s DC satellite. Reeves was the team standout. She hit .400 on the weekend with 120 kills over 26 sets (almost five kills per set), and added 10 blocks and 15 aces.
OH: Maya Witherspoon, 6-0 sophomore, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) – Rockwood got its bid this weekend at Windy City. Not only was the sophomore Witherspoon a dominant attacker, as usual, but she was outstanding defensively both in the back row and getting blocks and touches at the net.
MB: Jordan Taylor, 6-6 sophomore, Houston Juniors 16 Elite (TX) – Taylor showed off a polished all-around game this weekend at Windy City, where HJV went 6-3, falling one win short of a bid. Taylor led her team in blocks with 27 and added four aces, 14 digs and three assists. She also was second in hitting percentage, hitting .312 over nine matches.
MB: Charlotte Kelly, 6-3 sophomore, NorCal 16 Black (CA) — Kelly has been controlling the net and providing offensive firepower for NorCal’s 16 Black team all season. This past weekend, she led her team to another 5th place qualifier finish at the Salt Lake City Showdown. Kelly racked up 51 kills and hit .512 on the weekend.
Libero: Laila Chadwick, 5-8 eighth grader, Metro 15 Travel (DC) – Chadwick has been phenomenal as a younger player playing up in her first year in the contrasting jersey. “Laila has been a consistent defensive beast over the past two qualifier weekends,” said coach Aubrey Mohler. “She helped guide our team to an Open bid this past weekend at the Northeast Qualifier, where we finished third in 15 Open. She covers tons of ground and makes constant saves that keep us alive in each rally. She has gained so much respect from her opponents and is often told after each match how much they enjoyed watching her play. She has such a competitive drive that it shows in each point. Laila is new to the libero role, but it is a role she has made her own and will be a libero to watch for years to come.”
DS: Samantha Falk, 5-4 junior, 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) – The Loyola of Chicago recruit came off the bench in Game 1 of the semifinal match with MAVS KC 17-1 to serve five aces and make other plays, leading 1st Alliance from eight points behind to win at last weekend’s Windy City qualifier. The team went on to win the whole thing.
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S: Morgan Dumm, 5-8 sophomore, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) – Dumm ran a great offense at Windy City, especially on Day 3, and went on several service runs that pushed points and were essential to Rockwood’s qualifying effort in 17 Open.
S: Lexi Shondell, 5-6 freshman, Boiler Juniors 151E Gold (IN) – One of the best technical setters in the nation in her class, Shondell was at her dish-ingest best again this weekend in Chicago. Her setting choices and accuracy made the Boiler hitters all look good. The team, which qualified in 15 Open at MEQ, finished 7-1 for the weekend at Windy City.
S: Sade Illawole, 5-3 junior, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) – Long Beach handed eventual champion Vision 17 Gold two losses in 17 Open at the SLC Showdown in Utah this past weekend. Illawole was amazing setting the ball and had 30 aces abd eight digs, but Long Beach got stuck in a tough Gold pool and finished in a tie for seventh, just a couple of points shy of a bid.
***
RS: Claire Morrissey, 5-11 junior, Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite (MO) – Capable of attacking from either pin with an arm that produces a heavy ball, Morrissey was on fire this weekend and helped her team qualify in 17 Open at Windy City.
RS: Nora Williams, 6-1 junior, Mizuno Long Beach 17 Rockstar (CA) – Long Beach lost, 19-17 in the third, in the match to qualify but that result did not diminish the strong play from Williams, who posted 14 blocks and hit .220 for the weekend. Williams has not been an indoor player for long, but will be a player to watch down the road given her rapid development.
***
OH: Grace Nelson, 6-1 junior, 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) – The top all-around player for 1st Alliance at the very competitive Windy City qualifier, Nelson contributed in all phases for the 17 Open champs. She accumulated 19 aces, 68 kills, 8 blocks and 7 assists on the weekend, leading the team in earned points (91/28%). Nelson also contributed greatly with her back row play, earning 67 digs and averaging a 2.3 passer percentage. “Grace’s fierce approach to competition helped keep the team aggressive all weekend when it was needed the most,” said coach Danielle Mikos.
OH: Sydney Barrett, 6-0 junior, NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – Barrett contributed on both sides of the ball for national No. 1 NKYVC, which finished T-3 in Windy City’s 17 Open division. The Kentucky team, which went 8-1 for the weekend, was a showcase for the strong-armed attacker, who finished with 63 kills and 15 aces and made her presence felt digging and blocking as well.
OH: Caydeence Doolan, 5-9 freshman, Metro 15 Travel (DC) – Metro’s strongest six-rotation outside, Doolan led her team in kills and hitting percentage this past weekend at the Northeast Qualifier in Philly. Metro was able to place third and take home a 15 Open bid.
OH: Alivia Skidmore, 5-10 junior, NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – The rifle-armed Skidmore led NKYVC to a T-3 finish at Windy City, amassing a team-high 70 kills in 17 Open while hitting .320.
OH: Tatum Hooton, 5-10 sophomore, Invasion 15-Black (MO) – Hooton played six rotations for the first time this season at Show Me last weekend and rose to the occasion in a big way. She had 52 kills and hit .348 while adding 30 digs in eight matches in the 15 Liberty division. Invasion went 5-3 for the weekend and narrowly missed out on the Gold Bracket after losing to the eventual champion, 16-14 in the third set. “Tatum has worked tremendously hard this season and has made huge improvements from her first matches to now,” said coach Travis Dalton. “She became an instrumental piece in us qualifying for nationals through our region, and we look forward to another big weekend from her in Dallas this weekend.”
OH: Kendra Pruitt, 5-10 junior, Florida Gulfside 17 Prime – Pruitt was the go-to attacker for Gulfside, which secured second place and a bid to the USA division at the Windy City qualifier. She hit .279 for the weekend and had the bid-clinching kill versus Mintonette m. 72 in the semifinal bid match.
***
MB: Julia Hunt, 6-2 junior, NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – Another big tournament, another great weekend for one of the nation’s most exciting middles. The Washington commit brought a heavy arm and smart shots to the courts in 17 Open at Windy City, and finished with 67 kills and a team-high 23 blocks, while hitting .376.
***
Libero: Ava Falduto, 5-6 junior, 1st Alliance 17 Gold (IL) – Not only did Falduto put up big numbers – 312 digs, 12 aces, passed a 2.5 – in 1st Alliance’s 17 Open win at Windy City, she displayed “fierce leadership and defensive effort,” said coach Danielle Mikos, which kept the team in every match..
Libero: Elizabeth Tabeling, 5-6 junior, NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – Tabeling was SO GOOD this weekend for 17 Tsunami at Windy City, where her team went 8-1 in 17 Open. She was an unbelievable defender who averaged 11.4 digs per match and she passed dimes all weekend, rarely delivering anything but a ball to target. She’s a vocal game changer in the back row for the nation’s No. 1 17s team.
Libero: Arielle Hepler, 5-6 freshman, Boiler Juniors 151E Gold (IN) – The Boilers were 7-1 in 15 Open at Windy City last weekend, thanks to the good work of Hepler, who leads the team on defense and in serve-receive. Hepler is a strong communicator who is always hustling. And a long-practiced platform makes her a precision passer.
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Girls Dream Team of the Week: Harris, Smith, Reeves, Witherspoon, Taylor, Kelly, Chadwick, Falk Volleyballmag.com.
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