VolleyballMag.com is pleased to introduce the 2023 Girls Fab 50 list, the longest-running national awards platform that honors the top 50 senior-age players in the country.
This is the first time in a long while that this prestigious list has had my byline and I have been invited by the publishers of VolleyballMag.com to shape it as I see fit. Accordingly, it is part recruiting list and part achievement list. If you are a top recruit and your state’s high school Player of the Year, for instance, you’re part of the Fab 50. If you declined to play your senior year of high school, or were injured, then passed on club ball to enroll early at the university you signed with, you are not part of the Fab 50.
Everyone in between? Well, hard choices had to be made.
Everyone in the Fab 50 is a top 100 recruit, but not everyone in the top 50 is Fab 50. The Fab 50 includes 25 pin hitters, 12 middles, eight setters and five liberos. California and Texas lead the way with eight selections apiece, followed by Ohio with four and Missouri with three. Five other states — Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Nebraska — had two apiece. Traditional Midwest power states Illinois and Indiana each had just one. Georgia, which has been a breeding ground for top talent the past decade, did not have any.
WAVE, Coast and Alamo tied for the most Fab 50 picks with three each. Undefeated national champions Cathedral Catholic of San Diego had two Fab 50 selections, as did No. 2 Cornerstone Christian of San Diego.
Which college scored recruiting coups in this class? Nebraska inked five, including four in the top 10. They will be the cornerstone of Nebraska’s future. 2020 national champion Kentucky as second with four, while last ear’s national champion Texas is one of four schools, along with Oregon, Pitt and Purdue, to sign three apiece.
The top player in the class came down to outsides Harper Murray and Chloe Chicoine, and setter Bergen Reilly, a South Dakotan. Those three, plus four more, all were in the discussion for the No. 1 spot. Murray, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, got the nod because of her all-around game, athleticism and love of the game. But it was SUPER CLOSE!
Finally, at the very bottom, I have included 10 exciting players in each of the ensuing three class years that will likely be Fab 50 when they are seniors. If you don’t know them now, trust me, you will eventually.
2023 VolleyballMag.com Fab 50
Alex Acevedo, 6-2 OH, Skyview (Nampa, Idaho), NPJ, Oregon
Taylor Anderson, 6-0 S, Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio, Texas), Alamo, Purdue
Olivia Babcock, 6-5 RS, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California), Sunshine, Pittsburgh
Blaire Bayless, 6-2 OH, Plano West (Plano, Texas), Madfrog, Pittsburgh
Julia Blyashov, 6-3 OH, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, California), WAVE, Stanford
Eloise Brandewie, 6-3 MB, Bishop Hartley (Columbus, Ohio), Mintonette, Ohio State
Brooklyn Briscoe, 6-4 MB, Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach, California), Coast, UCLA
Brooke Bultema, 6-3 MB, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio), Elevation, Kentucky
Nya Bunton, 6-3 MB, DuPont Manual (Louisville, Kentucky), KiVA, Texas
Jordyn Byrd, 6-5 OH, Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Florida), No Name, Texas
Chloe Chicoine, 5-9 OH, McCutcheon (Lafayette, Indiana), Circle City, Purdue
Laney Choboy, 5-4 libero, Leesville Road (Raleigh, North Carolina), NC Academy Diamond, Nebraska
Saige Damrow, 5-9 libero, Howards Grove (Wisconsin), FC Elite, Wisconsin
Brooklyn DeLeye, 6-2 OH, Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kansas), Topeka Impact, Kentucky
Kyleene Filimaua, 6-1 OH, North Creek (Bothell, Washington), NPJ, Florida State
Noemie Glover, 6-1 RS, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, California), Coast, Oregon
Nayeli Gonzalez, 6-2 OH, Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio, Texas), Alamo, Iowa State
Jordyn Harvey, 6-1 OH, Bountiful (Utah), Club V, Stanford
Grace Heaney, 6-2 OH, Elkhorn North (Elkhorn, Nebraska), Premier Nebraska, Purdue
Andi Jackson, 6-3 MB, Brighton (Colorado), The Diff, Nebraska
Caroline Jurevicius, 6-2 RS, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (Chardon, Ohio), AVC Cleveland, Nebraska
Becca Kelley, 6-3 OH, Rockwall Heath (Rockwall, Texas), Dallas Skyline, Oregon
Brielle Kemavor, 6-5 MB, Charles J. Colgan (Manassas, Virginia), Metro, BYU
Harley Kreck, 6-0 S, Rains (Emory, Texas), Dallas Skyline, Baylor
Lakin Laurendine, 6-2 OH, Jackson Academy (Jackson, Mississippi), Infinity, Auburn
Claire Little, 6-3 OH, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, California), Coast, BYU
Kennedy Martin, 6-7 OH, Nation Ford (Fort Mills, South Carolina), CJV, Florida
Calissa Minatee, 6-1 MB, North Kansas City (Missouri), Dynasty, Minnesota
Ashley Mullen, 5-10 S, Liberty (Missouri), Dynasty, UCLA
Kendal Murphy, 6-3 OH, Horizon (Scottsdale, Arizona), AZ Revolution, Baylor
Harper Murray, 6-2 OH, Skyline (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Legacy, Nebraska
Gigi Navarette, 5-6 libero, Mother McAuley (Chicago, Illinois), 1st Alliance, Northwestern
Destiny Ndam-Simpson, 6-1 OH, Omaha Westside (Omaha, Nebraska), Premier Nebraska, Creighton
Cayla Payne, 6-3 MB, Carlsbad (California), WAVE, Colorado
Kennedy Phelan, 5-8 S, Fayetteville (Arkansas), Ozark Juniors, Florida State
Bergen Reilly, 6-1 S, O’Gorman (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Kairos Elite, Nebraska
Reese Robins, 6-5 MB, Timberview (Arlington, Texas), Drive Nation, Louisville
Jurnee Robinson, 6-0 OH, Mauldin (South Carolina), A5, Louisiana State
Eva Rohrbach, 6-3 MB, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, California), WAVE, Maryland
Ava Sarafa, 6-0 S, Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan), Michigan Elite, Kentucky
Sydney Schnichels, 6-4 OH, Willmar (Minnesota), MN Select, Minnesota
Kamden Schrand, 5-6 libero, Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Kentucky), Tri-State, Louisville
Torrey Stafford, 6-3 OH, Marymount (Los Angeles, California), Sunshine, Pittsburgh
Ella Swindle, 6-3 S, Rock Bridge (Columbia, Missouri), KC Power, Texas
Ava Testrake, 6-3 OH, Olathe West (Olathe, Kansas), KC Power, Creighton
Mia Tuman, 6-0 S, North Allegheny (Wexford, Pennsylvania), Pittsburgh Elite, Ohio State
Molly Tuozzo, 5-7 libero, The Woodlands (Texas), Houston Skyline, Kentucky
Zeta Washington, 6-2 MB, Ponte Vedra (Florida), OTVA Jacksonville, Cincinnati
Hannah Whittingstall, 6-2 MB, Alamo Heights (San Antonio, Texas), Alamo, SMU
Karis Willow, 6-4 OH, Liberty-Benton (Findlay, Ohio), Elite, Penn State
Top 5 Players in the Class of 2023
1. Harper Murray (Legacy, Michigan)
2. Bergen Reilly, (Kairos Elite, South Dakota)
3. Chloe Chicoine, (Circle City, Indiana)
4. Andi Jackson, (The Diff, Colorado)
5. Torrey Stafford, (Sunshine, California)
Zoe Humphrey 2024 MB HJV UCLA Commit
Zoë is, at present, a top100 talent in the Class of 2024 and has a chance to be a Fab 50 pick next year