Every Wednesday during the club season, VolleyballMag.com will recognize a Dream Team of eight girls volleyball players (15s to 18s age groups) who were standouts the weekend before:
The team, most weeks, consists of the following:
Setter or S/RS
Setter, S/RS or RS
OH
OH
MB
MB
Libero
DS
We include this week’s eight-player Dream Team below, as well as others we considered, based exclusively upon nominations received. This week’s Dream Team will include three outsides in lieu of a right side attacker and two liberos, since we received no DS nominations either..
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.
Having not received any DS nominations this week, we added one more outside to complete the team.
VolleyballMag.com DREAM TEAM for March 1:
S: Logan Jones, 5-9 Sr., MAVS KC 18-1 (KS) – Jones, an Arkansas signee, ran MAVS’ high-powered offense with precision all the way to the title at Music City in New Orleans in the 18 Open division.
OH: Layla Hoying, 5-10 Fr., Mintonette m. 51 (OH) – Hoying, who was awfully impressive denting floors at Triple Crown over President’s Day Weekend, continued her assault on opposing defenses at the Sunshine Classic qualifier in Orlando. Her attacking helped Mintonette sail undefeated through the 15 Open field to be first to qualify in this division for the USA Junior National Championships in Chicago.
OH: Riley McCloskey, 6-0 Soph., NKYVC 16 Tsunami (KY) – Every Tsunami team from 12-18 won the Pioneer Region bid last weekend without a single dropped set. McCloskey brought power and finesse to the floor for the 16s team, which went 4-0 to earn its bid. She finished with 40 kills on .523 hitting, with 10 digs and eight aces.
OH: Natalie Carr, 5-11 Fr., Pittsburgh Elite 16 Elite (PA) – Carr was named 16 Open MVP at the Capitol City Classic in Washington DC. She put up 110 kills over the three day event and hit .406.
MB: Avery Boothe, 6-4 Soph., Club One AZ 16 Platinum (AZ) – Boothe had 15 kills on 40 swings with zero errors, plus 15 digs, five blocks and five aces to help Revolution return to Division 1 in the Arizona Region’s Open Tournament.
MB: Alia Schoonover, 5-11 Fr., Mintonette m. 51 (OH) – Schoonover worked on developing her reputation as one of the finest young middles in her class in leading Mintonette to a 10-0 record in 15 Open at the Sunshine Classic National Qualifier and a bid to the Junior National tournament.
Libero: Kim Quinit, 5-2 Jr., Elite Volleyball Academy (AR) – Playing her first year of high-level volleyball, Quinit has owned the libero jersey from the start and was a catalyst in leading EVA to third place this past weekend in the 17 Liberty division at Music City. Quinit averages an ace per set and a kill per set by setting the ball over on two in out of system situations. She’s a great communicator and unquestionably the MVP of the team, said Brian Gold, who added this: “Quite possibly she is the most valuable defensive prospect in the whole state of Arkansas and nobody knows about her yet.”
Libero: Reagan Anderson, 5-3 Sr., MAVS KC 18-1 (KS) – A Wichita State recruit, Anderson was the starter on offense and stopper on defense as MAV double qualified in 18 Open by winning the Music City Volleyball Championships this past weekend.
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S: Taimane Ainu’u, 5-8 seventh grader, Ka’Ulukoa 16 Natalie (HI) – Ka’Ulukoa won 16 Club at the Las Vegas Classic over President’s Day, sparked by Ainu’u, a setter and outside hitter playing three years up with a ridiculously high ceiling.
S: Emsley Venard, 6-0 Soph., NKYVC 16 Tsunami (KY) — A floor leader who distributed well, Venard was a catalyst in 16 Tsunami’s 4-0 weekend at the Pioneer Region bid tournament. She finished with 77 assists, 10 digs, seven aces and five kills.
***
OH: Avery Stone, 6-2 Soph., Club One AZ 16 Platinum (AZ) – Stone took a majority of the swings, and was a factor front row and back, as 16 Platinum moved back into Division 1 at the Arizona Region’s Open Tournament. She finished with 43 swings, hitting .345, and added 31 digs. She also passed at 1.85 and demonstrated the skills that make her a tremendous leader.
OH: Paloma Smith, 5-8 eighth grader, Dallas Premier 14 Black (TX) – Smith never came off the court for 14 Black in their qualifying run in 14 Liberty at Music City. On the weekend she amassed 41 kills, 46 digs and 10 aces. “Paloma is a well-rounded athlete who poses a threat behind the baseline, in the back row and at the net,” commented coach Adrean Johnson.
OH: Grace Nelson, 6-0 Sr., CITY 18-Gold (CA) – An NYU commit, Nelson played every point of every match for CITY this past weekend at Music City in New Orleans. She passed over a 2.0, had 41 kills, seven aces and seven blocks and brought constant energy to the court even after 18 Gold was knocked from bid contention in 18 USA on Day 2, helping her team go undefeated on the final day to finish 13th overall.
OH: Lilly Gillespie, 5-9 Jr., NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – Gillespie amassed 20 kills, 19 digs and four aces to help 17 Tsunami go 4-0 and capture a National bid at the Pioneer Region bid tournament. “She anchored the serve receive, giving our setters multiple options on every pass,” noted director Jill Hunt.
OH: Ava Siefke, 6-0 Sr., NKYVC 18 Tsunami (KY) – 18 Tsunami went 4-0 in the Pioneer Region bid tournament to earn a National bid this past weekend. The Eastern Michigan signee had 19 kills, 12 aces and four blocks, and also was an anchor in serve-receive.
***
Libero: Elizabeth Tabling, 5-6 Jr., NKYVC 17 Tsunami (KY) – One of the best liberos nationally in her class, Tabeling was on point, as usual, in helping 17 Tsunami go 4-0 to wrap up the National bid at the Pioneer Region bid tournament. She was nearly perfect in serve receive, had 30 digs and a team-high 10 aces. She also added 11 assists.
Libero: Heidi Boudtaroth, 5-1 Fr., Dallas Premier 14 Black (TX) – Four injuries did not prevent 14 Black from earning a 14 Liberty bid to Junior Nationals at Music City. Small but mighty, Boudtaroth led the way, not only as team captain, but by passing, defending and assisting the team’s winning effort. She finished the weekend with 15 assists and 24 digs.
