Every Wednesday 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 weekâs 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 March 29
S:Â Malorie Boesiger, 5-10 eighth grade, Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy (NE) â Boesiger plays two years up, but you wouldnât sense it by her play. A coachâs kid, Boesiger impacted in every phase in leading her club to second place ion 16 Open at Northern Lights and a berth in the Junior National Championships. Over 19 sets, Boesiger produced 187 assists and 17 aces in a tour de four performance.
RS: Erin Curtis, 6-1 Jr., Vision 17 Gold (CA) â Curtis was the best right side in Spokane, said coach Katy Ripp. With Curtis bothering opposing lefts and hitting with efficiency, Vision was able to capture the 17 Open division.
OH: Abby Vander Wal, 6-3 Soph., 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) â Vander Wal showed this weekend just how dominant she can be. Over 20 sets, she recorded 112 kills, while hitting .497, to lead 1st Alliance to the 16 Open championship at Northern Lights. The six-rotation outside also passed a 2.2 with 46 digs, eight blocks and seven aces. âAbby plays with a ton of maturity, composure and physicality and did not waver throughout the 3-day tournament,â said coach Trish Samolinski. âAbby is available to attack any shot from anywhere on the court and her serve receive keeps our team in system whenever she is involved. Her energy and leadership are vital to our team’s success.â
OH:Â Gabby DiVita, 6-2 Fr., Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) â DiVita is a six-rotation superstar whose play propelled Legacy to the 15 Open title at Northern Lights this past weekend. DiVita had 16 kills and hit .412 in the championship match. She led the team in kills for the weekend, excelled as a primary passer and take over matches with her athleticism and high volleyball I.Q.
OH: Sophie Gregoire-Salagean, 6-2 Sr. OJVA 18-1 Gold (OR) â After OJVA lost its other outside on Day 2 to a concussion, Gregoire-Salagean, an Oregon signee, stepped up and absolutely dominated, said coach Kalani Efstathiou.
MB: Kayla Nwabueze, 6-2 Fr., Legacy 15-1 Adidas (MI) â My personal favorite middle in the â26 class, Nwabueze dominated the net to help Legacy win 15 Open at Northern Lights. She hit .615 FOR THE TOURNAMENT. Not on a few swing; she was second on the team with 52 kills and led the team with 23 blocks. âKayla is such an imposing physical threat that it opens up our entire offense,â said coach Jennifer Cottrill. âHer confidence is contagious. She provided so many big momentum points. In the semifinal vs Tribe, she scored nine straight points for us (7 kills & 2 blocks) and ended up with 16 points in the match hitting 0.817. Truly so impressive to watch!!â
MB: Francesca Villain, 6-1 Sr., Surfside 18 PV Legends (CA) â Villain was a force at the net both attacking and on the block for Surfside, which finished third in 18 USA at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier to clinch a bid. Villain had 10 blocks alone in the third place match versus Rise 18 Christine, which avenged an earlier pool-play loss.
Libero:Â Jillian Massenat, 5-8 Sr., Rage Westside 18 Michelle (CA) â Rage qualified for 18 Open last weekend at PNQ in Spokane, thanks in large part to Massenat, an Emory University recruit. âShe held down the back row with her disciplined yet fearless defense.â
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S:Â Maya Baker, 5-10 Soph., Vision 17 Gold (CA) â Baker proved once again that she is among a select few elite NorCal setters with the skills to lead a team to national glory. Behind her sweet sets, Vision was able to go 9-1 in Spokane and win the 17 Open division at PNQ.
S/RS: Addy Horner, 6-2 Soph., 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) â A unique athlete with the capability to run an offense and tear down a defense, Horner was a menace to opponents all weekend as 1st Alliance defeated a strong field to capture the 16 Open title at Northern Lights on Sunday. Horner was among the offensive leaders with 47 kills while hitting .384. She also had 121 assists and chipped in seven blocks and 17 aces as well. âAddy makes an impatct from anywhere on the court and her personality and energy keep everyone loose and playing fun,â said coach Trish Samolinski
S:Â Sophia Randall, 5-11 Soph., Kairos 18 Alpha (SD) â Randall looks at home playing two years up. She was on her game this past weekend in the 18 Elite [non-bid] division at Northern Lights. She ran the teamâs offense expertly, made defensive plays all over the court and was one of the teamâs best servers in the third-place finish.
S: Madi Collins, 5-6 Jr., Surfside 18 PV Legends (CA) â Collins, a UCSB commit, directed the offense and was on fire with her serve as Surfside swept Rise 18 Christine, avenging an earlier pool play loss, to capture third place in 18 USA at PNQ and a bid to Junior Nationals.
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OH: Jayden Herl, 5-8 Soph., MAVS 816 16-2 (MO) â Herl raised her level of play to help MAVS go 8-1 at the Northern Lights Qualifier and earn a bid in 16 Liberty. Limited recently by an ankle injury, Herl was her teamâs OH1 and contributed in all facets of the game. She tooled bigger blocks all weekend and was a stalwart defender in middle back. âHer energy was contagious,â said coach Connor Gregston, âand helped fuel our teamâs mindset of refusing to lose until we had our bid.â
OH:Â Taylor Williams, 6-2 Jr, Vision 17 Gold (CA) â One of the best outsides in the nation in her age group, Williams showed just how dominant she can be in leading Vision to the 17 Open title at PNQ in Spokane this past weekend.
OH:Â Emma Donley, 6-5 Sr., Rage Westside 18 Michelle (CA) â Donley, whose future is in beach volleyball, made her last indoor qualifier her best. She helped Rage earn a bid to Junior Nationals by impacting the game in myriad ways, from hitting with power and precision, to playing great defense, to putting pressure on the defense with her tough serve.
OH:Â Erin Liddle, 6-0 Sr., Rage Westside 18 Michelle (CA) â A fiery player and great leader, Liddleâs all-around excellence propelled Rage to second place in 18 Open at PNQ and a bid to Junior Nationals.
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MB:Â Olivia Maulding, 6-3 Sr., OJVA 18-1 Gold (OR) â Maulding had a terrific weekend patrolling the net for OJs, which captured the third and final 18 Open bid at PNQ in Spokane.
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Libero:Â Keri Leimbach, 5-5 Soph., Nebraska ONE 16 Synergy (NE) â In the running for nationâs best sophomore libero, Leimbach showed off her defensive chops to the tune of 93 digs in leading ONE to second place in the 16 Open division at the Northern Lights Qualifier.
Libero:Â Whitney Wallace, 5-8 Jr., Vision 17 Gold (CA) â An instinctive defender and determined passer. Wallace showed off her entire skill set at PNQ last weekend, where her first contact skills helped Vision overcome a Day 2 loss in pool play to capture the 17 Open title.
