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VolleyballMag.com DREAM TEAM for May 4:
S/RS: Audrey Armbrewster, 6-0 Junior, Elevation 17 Goller (OH) — Armbrewster had a great OVR Regional tournament and led Elevation to first place in the 17 National division. “Audrey ran a 5-1 at times, a 6-2 at times, and also played at the OH1,” coach Adam Goller explained. “Audrey was second in assists and near the top in kills, all while passing extremely well all day.”
RS: Ella Folse, 6-1 Junior, Houston Skyline 17 Royal (TX) — Constantly improving, Folse came off the bench at Far Westerns and hit .330 for the weekend, which helped Houston Skyline place second in 17 Open.
OH: Ellie Rink, 5-10 Freshman, Illini Elite 15 Cardinal (IL) — Rink shined this weekend for 15 Cardinal, leading her team to a fourth-place finish at Champion’s Cup hosted by the Great Lakes Center. Playing six rotations on the outside, Rink hit .458, passed at almost a 70 percent good rate and added blocks and aces to impact every phase of the game.
OH: Simone Roslin, 5-10 Eighth Grade, Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar C (CA) — An eighth grader playing up on one of the top 15s teams in the country, Roslin helped Long Beach place second in 15 Open at Far Westerns last weekend. She led the team in passing, averaging a 2.36 (out of 3) over nine matches. Roslin also hit over .300 from the outside for the entire tournament.
MB: Amelia Knott, 6-2 Junior, Elevation 17 Goller (OH) — Knott had a dominant performance at the Ohio Valley Regional regional tournament over the weekend. She hit well over .400 in multiple matches while recording her second best blocking performance of the season.
MB: Shelby Burriss, 6-1 Freshman, Dallas Skyline 16 Royal (TX) — Burriss hit .425 with 39 kills over 19 sets and just eight errors at the Far Western National Qualifier over the weekend. She also accounted for 20 of the team’s 35 blocks for a Skyline team that went 5-3 in 16 Open.
Libero: Tehani Ulufatu, 5-5 Junior, Absolute 17 Black (CA) — Absolute went to a two-person serve-receive this past weekend at Far Western with Ulufatu, a Baylor recruit, passing more than half the court. “Her range and skill allowed us to run our offense more effectively,” noted coach Jake Spain. “In addition to her skill, Tehani’s leadership skills and competitive spirit propelled our team forward throughout the weekend.” Absolute ended up qualifying in Open in the final qualifier of the season.
DS: Makena Ondreyka, 5-4 Sophomore, Dallas Summit 16 Nike Blue (TX) — In the final regional bid tournament for the North Texas Region over the weekend, Ondreyka was fantastic as both a DS and a libero. She finished the weekend with a 74% knockout rate from the service line and an 86% dig rate that led all defenders with 55 digs.
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S/RS: Harper Griffin, 5-7 Sophomore, Infinity 16 Ren (MS) — Griffin ran a fast offense for Infinity at the Gulf Coast Craze. She even stepped in to hit on the right side when needed, as her team finished third in the 16s division.
S: Harlee Johnson, 5-8 Sophomore, Infinity 16 Ren (MS) — Part of a 6-2 offense, Johnson ran a consistent and balanced offense to help Infinity take third at the Gulf Coast Craze in Biloxi. She also played the best defense she’s played all year.
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RS: Campbell Robinson, 6-2 Junior, Elevation 17 Goller (OH) — Robinson was a difference maker for Elevation during the weekend OVR Girls Junior Championships. She produced a few great off-blocker digs while leading the team in first ball side-out kills.
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OH: Layli Ostovar, 5-10 Eighth Grade, Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar C (CA) — An eighth grader playing up on one of the top 15s teams in the country, Ostovar helped Long Beach place second in 15 Open at Far Westerns last weekend. The 13-year-old hit over .350 for the tournament. “Her versatility and efficiency from both the right and left side of the net make her a real problem for all teams,” noted head coach Carols Briceno. “Layli is a very competitive player who thrives in pressure situations.”
OH: Mallie Thomas, 5-10 Sophomore, Infinity 16 Ren (MS) — Thomas was a 6-rotation OH at the Gulf Coast Craze this weekend. She helped to lead her team to a third place finish in the 16s division. “She was the leading scorer and almost always terminated the ball,” Melissa Denson said. “She was a threat out of the front and back row.”
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Libero: Halle Reiter, 5-3 Sophomore, OJVA 16 Gold (OR) — Reiter was instrumental to Oregon Juniors’ qualifying effort at Far Western in Reno last weekend. “She is a great service receive passer, but she also is phenomenal nominal on defense and has great vision,” noted coach Terri Jo Schlatter. “Her ability to read is next level! We have a system that she operates within but I allow her a lot of freedom to read and she’s phenomenal at it! She is the reason that we stay with teams that may have bigger, stronger hitters because she uncannily places herself in the right spot to dig them. She is up there with the best!”
Libero: Lexi Smith, 5-3 Junior, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) — Subbing for starting libero Sarah Vellucci (ankle sprain), Smith wore the contrasting jersey and led Legacy to the 17 Open championship at the Prep Dig Open. She finished with 72 digs (14 sets), and added 11 aces. She also passed a respectable 2.05.
Libero: Lauren Lynch, 5-6 Freshman, San Gabriel Elite 15 RoShamBo (CA) — Lynch extended rallies and allowed her team to be in system consistently as SGE qualified in Open at Far Westerns. She was a big part of her team’s success, noted coach Hannah Tedrow.
Libero: Annika Ojert, 5-5 Eighth Grade, TK 15-Indigo (GA) — TK 15-Indigo played at the highest level for the first time this past weekend at the Southern Region Championships. Ojert was outstanding in the traditional pass/dig roles of a libero and also came up clutch from the service line. Needing a win to make the Gold bracket and down 24-22 in the second set, Ojert served two aces in a row to get the second set tied. Another tough serve resulted in an error and gave TK match point. Ojert finished off the comeback with yet another ace for the win!
Libero: Kaylee Lowther, 5-5 Sophomore, Infinity 16 Ren (MS) — An amazing defender, Lowther has the ability to get a touch on almost every ball, no matter where it’s headed. She did this in abundance last weekend at the Gulf Coast Craze, where her team placed third in the 16s division.
Libero: McKenna Brand, 5-6 Sophomore, Dallas Skyline 16 Royal (TX) — Brand passed at a 2.33 clip and averaged nearly three digs per set for a Skyline team that went 5-3 and placed ninth overall in 16 Open at Far Westerns. “She is such a stable anchor for our team,” noted coach Jon Rye.
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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 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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