Girls club volleyball Dream Team: Van Deusen, Johnson, Hankerson, Poinsett, Snook, Schoonover, Niesen
Club/HS
John Tawa
March 20, 2024
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.
Players are selected EXCLUSIVELY from nominations. To nominate, coaches will need to get on our bulk email list (info at bottom).
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 our eight-player Dream Team below, as well as others we considered, based exclusively upon nominations received. This week, we add a third outside because no DS nominations were received.
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 DREAM TEAM for March 20:
Ava Hunter
S: Ava Hunter, 5-11 Jr., Circle City 17 Purple (IN) – Hunter was phenomenal in all facets for Circle City, which qualified in 17 Open at MEQ this past weekend. The Loyola of Chicago commit averaged 11.4 assists per set, running Chris Due’s offense to perfection. She also added a block and 2.3 digs per set, was third in aces and, said Due, “just made a lot of intangible plays if it was coverage or just getting a touch on the ball to keep it alive.”
RS: Mollie VanDeusen, 6-0 Fr., JJVA 16 Teal (FL) – A former setter, VanDeusen is emerging as a terminal hitter from the right pin. This weekend at MEQ, playing up an age group and in the Open division, VanDeusen amassed 57 kills while hitting .255, added 52 digs, eight solo blocks and seven aces. “She can do it all,” said JJVA’s CJ Sherman.
OH: Melia Johnson, 6-1 Sr., Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold (WI) – Johnson was unstoppable much of the weekend at MEQ. She amassed 91 kills, hitting .328, totaled 56 digs and passed a 2.2 before going down injured on match point of the semifinals. “The kid is passing nearly lights out right now and her defense has picked up a magnitude,” said coach Scott Blackmon. “Her offense was in a great rhythm all weekend until she went down.” Johnson won “The Frank” this week, voted on by her teammates, and gets to wear a coveted warm up jacket. Here’s what one girl said about Johnson in nominating her: “I am voting for Melia for The Frank. Literally up until the very last point she was close to unstoppable. She helped me with my confidence throughout the weekend and always is a constant reminder to fight hard.”
OH: Ava Poinsett, 6-0 Jr., Coast 17 Rodrigo (CA) – A Yale recruit, Poinsett was an unstoppable force for Coast this past weekend in Indy. She was a beastly attacker on the left and from the back row for a team that finished second in 17 Open to qualify for Junior Nationals. Whenever Coast needed a swing, to change the momentum of a set or to break an opponent’s back, she was there to take the ball and deliver.
Hannah Hankerson
OH: Hannah Hankerson, 5-6 Jr., OT 17 T Aaron (FL) – Coach Aaron Harrison called Hankerson “probably the best 5-6 outside in the country. She is a dynamic 6-rotation outside who sits in almost every serve receive for us and takes big swings for us in both the front and back row. While we were playing some of the biggest teams in the country, that did not slow Hannah down from taking big swings we needed them most all weekend.” Behind Hankerson, OT won the 17 Open division at MEQ against a stacked field.
MB: Tiffany Snook, 6-2 Sr., Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) – Snook, a Memphis recruit, had a breakout tournament at MEQ and helped Samurai win 18 Open in its return to USAV National Qualifier competition after a 16 year absence.
MB: Alia Schoonover, 6-0 Soph., Mintonette m. 61 (OH) – Schoonover stood out when m.61 needed her most, delivering big blocks and key kills at crucial moments to help her team secure its second straight 16 Open qualifier title.
Libero: Kelsey Niesen, 5-9 Sr., Tri-State Elite 18 Blue (OH) – A Xavier recruit, Niesen was a huge reason Tri-State qualified in 18 Open at MEQ. Said coach Matt Long: “She kept us in many games this weekend. She was always in the right spot at the right time! Made some crucial big time digs when we needed it and probably had her best weekend passing in serve receive!”
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration): S: Macy Hinshaw, 5-8 Sr., Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) – The Santa Clara signee with the difference maker for MEQ 18 Open champion Munciana. “This past weekend she truly altered outcomes with her cerebral game,” said coach Mike Lingenfelter. “Tremendous game management and so steady!”
S: Maria Drapp, 5-10 Sr., Tri-State Elite 18 Blue (OH) – A Bradley signee, Drapp was the engine that powered Tri-State to an Open bid in Indianapolis. She doesn’t look the part of game-changing player until first serve, when she takes over a match with her determined play. You can’t take your eyes off of her!
S: Campbell Flynn, 6-3 Jr., Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) – Flynn is considered the No. 1 setter in the ’25 class nationally, but there is evidence that she may deserve even stronger accolades. The Nebraska recruit is always on her game, always leading Legacy, with perhaps not as much elite talent as opposing teams, into contention at major events. Flynn led Legacy to a 7-1 record at MEQ over the weekend, amassing 174 assists, 44 kills, 69 digs, 17 blocks and six aces for her team. “Campbell is continuously putting us in incredible situations to qualify,” said coach Kacy Byron. “This is the second qualifier in a row that we have lost to the eventual winner in open (Arizona Storm being the winner of Sunshine).”
S: KK Dumpit, 5-5 Sr. S, Fusion 18 Apex (IL) – Running mostly a 5:1 offense, Dumpit sparked Fusion to a qualifying position in the USA division for the first time ever for this team. She finished the weekend with 140 assists and eight blocks, with many more block touches that the defense then dug up. “She is a captain for us, and despite not having our only Division I-committed six-rotation outside (and also a captain) hitting for most of the tournament, KK helped lead the team to its first ever USA bid (3rd out of 63 teams),” said coach Henry Graack.
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OH: Clara Briley, 5-11 Soph., A5 16-1 Gabe (GA) – The centerpiece and key component of this A5 team, which qualified in 16 Open at MEQ, Briley was a critical passer, often taking half the court, and took many critical swings to help lead A5’s surge to a bid this weekend.
OH: Alex Bardouniotis, 5-10 Sr., Fusion 18 Apex (IL) – Fusion played 18 USA without its go-to outside. Bardouniotis assumed the role and led her team to a third-place finish, the best showing ever for this Fusion team in USA. The senior finished the three-day event with 71 kills, 54 digs, 13 aces and 12 blocks. She was targeted the most in serve-receive and passed over a 2.0. “Alex played her best when it mattered most,” said coach Henry Graack. “During our three matches on Sunday in Gold, Alex had an insane 37 kills (42.5% kill percentage), 8 aces, passed a 2.14, 15 digs, and had 5 blocks on that day alone. Alex is a captain for us, and stepped up when we needed her most. She had great court energy all tournament long, too. She was a major reason this team played so well on the final day of the tournament. Despite basically never coming off the court, she looked extremely explosive on Day 3.”
OH: Logan Bell, 5-10 Jr., Circle City 17 Purple (IN) – Bell, an Oregon commit for indoor and beach, stepped up as a point scorer and leader for Circle this past weekend, helping the host club qualify in 17 Open at MEQ. She led the team in kills with 96, averaging 4.57 per set while hitting .303. She also averaged 2.3 digs per set, led the team in aces with 11, and passed at a 2.2.
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MB: Olivia Grenadier, 5-11 Jr., Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) – Legacy was 7-1 in 17 Open at MEQ with Grenadier not only leading the team in kills with 67, but also hitting .432 with just four errors. Legacy’s only loss came versus eventual champion OT. “We are continuously in the mix with the top qualifying teams,” said coach Kacy Byron.
MB: Audrey Dyas, 6-0 Soph., NKYVC 16 Tsunami (KY) — Dyas was tough on both sides of the ball this past weekend. The athletic middle helped her team to a top five finish in 16 Open at MEQ. “She was a go to hitter when the team needed a termination and was a big factor on defense with her block,” said club director Jill Hunt. She ended the weekend with 44 kills on .288 hitting, with 13 blocks and 10 aces.
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Libero: Sam Falk, 5-6 Sr., 1st Alliance 18 Gold (IL) – Falk was stellar this past weekend in the 18 Open division at MEQ. Falk, a key cog in Mother McAuley’s back-to-back state titles, helped her squad go 8-1 and finish third in Indianapolis. The Loyola of Chicago recruit averaged five digs per set over the weekend and, in a marathon match versus champion Munciana Samurai, that ended with 1st Alliance on the wrong end of a 17-15 score in the third, Falk contributed 19 digs, two aces and a kill!
Libero: Catherine D’Orazio, 5-7 Sr., Fusion 18 Apex (IL) – D’Orazio was a beastly back row player for Fusion in the 18 USA division last weekend at MEQ. She had 64 digs, passed a 2.35 and added 10 aces and 15 assists as Fusion went 7-2 and qualified third out of 63 teams. “Despite teams trying to avoid her, Catherine was everywhere on the court for us,” said coach Henry Graack, “whether it was passing well in serve-receive, making great defensive saves, or putting up a great second ball. We could not have placed third without her.”
Libero: Emma Frietch, 5-7 Soph., NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami (KY) – Frietch was an anchor in serve-receive and her stellar defense helped propel 16 Tsunami to a T-5 in 16 Open at MEQ. “She is a court leader and scored points on her aggressive serve as well,” noted club director Jill Hunt. Frietch finished the weekend with 82 digs, 23 assists, 8 aces and a 2.27 passer rating.
