Girls Dream Team of the Week: Shondell, Glover, Hudson, O’Gorman, Oxenknecht, Resmer, Sands, Yelland
Editor’s note: If you appreciate John Tawa’s coverage, PLEASE JOIN THE TEAM! Keep free volleyball journalism free by becoming a VolleyballMag.com Sustaining Member: https://volleyballmag.com/sustaining-membership/ Or make a contribution through Venmo @VolleyballMag VolleyballMag.com DREAM TEAM for June 22: S: Lexi Shondell, 5-7 Eighth Grader, Boiler Juniors 14 Gold (IN) – Boiler Juniors went undefeated to win 14 Open […]
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Keep free volleyball journalism free by becoming a VolleyballMag.com Sustaining Member: https://volleyballmag.com/sustaining-membership/
Or make a contribution through Venmo @VolleyballMag
VolleyballMag.com DREAM TEAM for June 22:
S: Lexi Shondell, 5-7 Eighth Grader, Boiler Juniors 14 Gold (IN) – Boiler Juniors went undefeated to win 14 Open at AAU Nationals last week. Shondell was a wizard setting the middle in the championship match and is key to everything this team does. Purdue assistant coach John Shondell, who coaches the Boilers, doesn’t like to talk publicly about his daughter, but this much is obvious: the team does not win if she is not on the court.
RS: Noemi Glover, 6-1 Junior, Coast 17-1 (CA) – Glover was named to the All-Tournament team after helping lead Coast 17-1 to the semifinals of the 18 Open division at AAU Nationals. The lefty is a natural athlete with the skills to dominate from the right pin.
OH: Eva Hudson, 6-1 Senior, Munciana 18 Samurai (IN) – Samurai coach Mike Lingenfelter said that Hudson, a Purdue recruit, may have been the best player “in the building” at AAU Nationals this past week. Hudson, who takes all of the big swings, for Munciana, led her squad to the 18 Open title over Sports Performance 18 Elite. Lingenfelter has been coaching Samurai since 2004 and has mentored dozens of All-Americans, says that Hudson is an all-timer for him.
OH: Maradith O’Gorman, 6-2 Senior, FaR Out 18 Black (MI) – O’Gorman was a standout in six rotations for the Michigan club, which captured the 18 Premier division at AAU Nationals.
MB: Kara Oxenknecht, 6-1 Senior, Sports Performance 18 Elite (IL) – A New Hampshire signee, Oxenknecht was instrumental in SPVB’s push to the 18 Open championship match at AAU Nationals. She hit .368 for the tournament and .478 on the tournament’s last day. And she led Sports Performance in blocking with 23 total blocks for the weekend.
MB: Reese Resmer, 5-10 Eighth Grader, Boiler Juniors 14 Gold (IN) – Boiler Juniors went undefeated to win 14 Open at AAU Nationals last week. Resmer had an incredible tournament even before the championship match, then notched 14 kills on 19 swings, with five blocks, in a finals sweep of Game Point 14 Rox to clinch MVP honors.
Libero: Maya Sands, 5-7 Senior, Sports Performance 18 Elite (IL) – An exceptional athlete headed to UNLV, Sands passed at a 2.33 clip this week for SPVB, which finished as runner up in 18 Open at AAU Nationals in Orlando. She also had a team-high 90 digs. Sands was especially strong in the 18 Open final, passing a 2.54.
DS: Brooke Yelland, 5-8 Junior, Coast 17-1 (CA) – Coach Ozhan Bahrambeygui said that Yelland was a back row standout all week for Coast, which tied for third in 18 Open at AAU Nationals this past week.
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S: Bergen Reilly, 6-1 Junior, Kairos Elite 18 Adidas (SD) – A Nebraska recruit considered the top setter in the Class of 2023, Reilly had a great week at AAU Nationals. Coach Mitch Lunning said that she was masterful running the offense all week for Kairos, which came within a breath (18-16 in the third) of upsetting Coast 17-1 to reach the 18 Open semifinals.
S/RS: Ryan Murphy, 6-1 Freshman, JJVA 14 Teal (FL) – Murphy was named MVP of the 14 Premier division at AAUs after leading 14 Teal to the title this week. She set and hit her team to the title and was a solid server. Not only did she find great opportunities for her hitters; she also hit .450 herself on the tournament’s final day.
S: Zoe Rachow, 5-10 Junior, Coast 17-1 (CA) – Rachow ran Coast’s offense to perfection at AAU Nationals this week, helping lead the team to a T-3 in 18 Open. She integrated all five attackers and demonstrated the uncanny ability to set the right side from anywhere on the court, which drew praise from opposing coaches.
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OH: Ella Wrobel, 6-4 Senior, Sports Performance 18 Elite (IL) – A Wisconsin signee considered the premier attacker in the Class of 2022, Wrobel shined brightly as SPVB made the 18 Open championship match. She finished with a team-high 119 kills over 25 sets and 15 aces. Coach Troy Gilb said that Wrobel came up big during the biggest moments of the tournament.
OH: Claire Little, 6-2 Junior, Coast 17-1 (CA) – Little is an elite attacker committed to BYU. She showed off all her skills this past week at AAU Nationals in leading Coast to the 18 Open semifinals. Little was named to the All-Tournament Team.
OH: Samiyah Abdur-Rahim, 6-2 Junior, USANY Fortitude (NY) – Abdur-Rahim, a TCU recruit, showed off her high-flying style last week at AAU Nationals. The junior, a daughter of a former NBA star, electrified the crowds in 18 Open at USANY went 6-3 to tie for fifth place.
OH: Sarahbelle Jameson, 6-0 Freshman, JJVA 14 Teal (FL) – Jameson was a beast when her team needed it most. On the final day of the 14 Premier division at AAU Nationals, Jameson was an attacking and blocking machine. In the finals alone, she had six kills, two key blocks, six aces and four essential digs that turned into transition points for her team. “As the team advanced further into the tournament, Jameson really hit her stride,” said coach Meghan Magnusson. “By championship day, the freshman outside hitter was playing with confidence and power en route to the club’s first-ever AAU National Championship. Jameson was lethal from the service line, and came up big on the net with great block touches as well as off-blocker defense to keep our team rallying.” “Sarahbelle played with poise, confidence and skill,” added JJVA’s CJ Sherman. She has taken a lesson every Wednesday this entire club season to work on her skills, fitness and court presence. Sarahbelle was a favorite of everyone in the finals!”
OH: Alyssa Aguayo, 5-11 Freshman, Aspire 15 Premier (AZ) – A dominant force all year for Aspire, Aguayo was unstoppable in the region championships and helped Aspire hand Arizona Storm Elite 15 Thunder its first region loss to a 15s team all year.
OH: Sydney Houchens, 5-11 Junior, USANY Fortitude (NY) – The New York club made it to the semifinals of 18 Open at AAU Nationals behind two terrific left sides, including Houchens, a former middle who, according to coach Robert Crispi, has been “a revelation as a six-rotation outside.”
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Libero: Brynn Kirsch, 5-8 Senior, Kairos 18 Elite Adidas (SD) – A Kansas recruit, Kirsch showed off her ability to make unreal saves at AAU Nationals, where she led her team to a T-5 in the 18 Open division.
Libero: Sydney Bold, 5-7 Junior, Coast 17-1 (CA) – Bold, a Princeton recruit, is described by coach Ozhan Bahramebygui as an “all week, every week” type of performer. She gave a little extra this past week at AAU Nationals. “Syd inspired big wins for us in the 18 Open at AAU,” Bahrambeygui said. “Syd was a human backboard against the quick attack of the best Midwest offenses.”
Libero: Ellie Hepler, 5-5 Eighth Grader, Boiler Juniors 14 Gold (IN) – Head coach John Shondell said that flawless ball control was responsible for the Boilers repeating as AAU National Champions this past weekend. That starts with Hepler, a back row constant and one of the best young defenders in the nation.
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Every 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 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, as well as others we considered, based exclusively upon nominations received. (Are you a coach/director who may want to nominate someone next week or in future weeks? Just complete this handy-dandy form: https://volleyballmag.wufoo.com/forms/r7ybeg30hedscp/)
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.
Coaches and club directors can get on our email list by opting in at these links:
Club coaches — http://eepurl.com/hn9qgr
Club directors and administrators — http://eepurl.com/hn9kab
Parents: If you’re not seeing your club represented ask your director/coaches to consider nominating deserving candidates.
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The post Girls Dream Team of the Week: Shondell, Glover, Hudson, O’Gorman, Oxenknecht, Resmer, Sands, Yelland appeared first on Volleyballmag.com.