Girls Dream Team of the Week: Rodriguez, Bruce, LaRocco, Vassek, Lionberger, Fagan, Martin, Ondreyka

OH: Kate LaRocco, 5-10 Senior, TK 18 Legends (GA) — LaRocco, an Emery recruit, was an absolute anchor for TK, which qualified in 18 USA at the Southeast Qualifier in Atlanta. “She would take a nasty swing on a ball when others began to doubt themselves and/or the situation,” coach Suzanne Fitzgerald said. “She would then, with her courage and fearlessness, inspire others to do the same. She was incredible in all aspects of the game: serving, passing, defending, attacking but most of all, being a selfless and encouraging teammate.”

OH: Adrianna Vassek, 5-9 Senior, Adversity 18 adidas (IL) — Due to injury, Vassek stepped into the starting lineup this past weekend at the Windy City Power League and helped 18 adidas go 6-0 (12-0), including a dominating win over 1^st Alliance 17 Gold. Vassek finished with 30 kills and hit .328 on the weekend.

MB: Emerson Lionberger, 6-0 Sophomore, VCNebraska 16 Elite (NE) — Lionberger led 16 Elite to an undefeated record this past weekend playing in the 17s division at the Midwest Power League. She hit .571 and added four blocks.

MB: Madison Fagan, 5-11 Senior, JJVA 18 Teal (FL) — Fagan, a St. Catherine University recruit, hit a blistering .593 with eight blocks on Day 2 of the Southeast Qualifier. She finished the weekend hitting a team-high .333 and was second in total kills with 37.

Libero: Anna Grace Martin, 5-4 Junior, Lake Murray 17 Elite Sue (SC) — Martin was amazing at the Southeast Qualifier last weekend. Over five matches, she had 33 digs, seven aces and five assists. “She kept us in so many rallies with her amazing defense and out of system setting,” noted coach Sue Dillon. “Anna Grace has incredible defensive instincts and they were on point this weekend. We made it to Gold on Sunday but lost in the first round but it wasn’t due to her play! She is the heart and soul of our defense and has a very bright future in this sport!”

DS: Makena Ondreyka, 5-4 Sophomore, Dallas Summit 16 Nike Blue (TX) — Contributing hugely to the teams most impressive finish and wins yet this season in the North Texas Invitational, Ondreyka stepped into a DS role and was excellent. Her energy and hustle helped the team win a crucial third set to play into the Gold bracket. On the weekend, she contributed 7 aces and led the defense with an 83% dig rating and a 2.1 serve-receive rating.

Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):

S: Abby Pickard, 5-9 Freshman, FaR Out 15 Black (MI) — FaR Out went 5-0 in the MEPL last weekend with Pickard running a 5-1 the entire time. “Abby continuously bettered the ball for 15 Black to put them in position to score against their opponents while calling her own number as well,” said coach Megan Steenhuysen. “Abby also led the team with her intangibles in order to leading them to another undefeated weekend!”

S: Riley Holiday, 5-6 Freshman, Top Notch 16U Elite (IL) — After an ankle injury six weeks ago, Holiday has struggled mentally, as the team’s setter, watching her team get beaten during her time off the court. Holiday was determined to get back in time for the President’s Day Tournament in St. Louis. After being released, she was in the gym nearly every night trying to get back. “I tried to tell her that a 3-day tournament was too much for her first one back but she was determined!” said coach Jennifer Holiday. “They were up in the Premier Division and played amazing competition! She worked her tail off and ran that court like a champion! For 3 days, she competed all day and iced at night! She made it through 3 days and by the end the team was running on all cylinders! She was back! I was so proud of her and we are excited for the MEQ!”

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OH: Corrie Anderson, 6-1 Sophomore, Colorado Juniors 16Elsa (CO) — Anderson had a phenomenal tournament in the Rocky Mountain Region SOS Power Tournament. Now jump touching 10.5, Anderson had 32 kills on 74 swings with only 8 errors on the entire day. She also passed a 2.0. “Corrie is a force to be reckoned with at the net and has continually put up impressive numbers taking the amount of swings she does!” noted coach Elsa Krieg.

OH: Myia McCoy, 5-9 Sophomore, Ozark Juniors 16 Elite (AR) — McCoy was incredible at the Natalie Jones Memorial this past weekend. She paced the team offensively and was breathtaking defensively, all the while demonstrating incredible leadership on the court. Behind McCoy’s scintillating performance, 16 Elite won the Silver division playing two age groups up.

OH: Kelsie Tucker, 5-5 Senior, Adidas Dynasty 18 Blue (KS) — A small but mighty and explosive outside hitter and primary passer, Tucker shined in critical moments at the Southeast Qualifier this past weekend. She was targeted multiple times during serve-receive and did not buckle under the pressure. She also was an offensive force during third sets. On the second day of competition against Cobb Atlanta 18 Elite, Tucker was the go-to hitter for her team and the top scorer. On the third set alone she amassed 5 kills out of 7 swings, hitting 0.714. “This win gave us the opportunity to play in the Gold Bracket Challenge Match later that day,” coach Marshall Goenawan said. “She was the only player with double digit kills in the match! Overall, Kelsie either led, tied, or was close second in getting kills for our team in every match and was the ultimate team player for our team. Kelsie will be going to Pittsburg State University (Kansas) and is receiving their Presidential Scholar Award in their Honors College Program.”

OH: Megan Waters, 5-10 Sophomore, VCNebraska 16 Elite (NE) — A player who typically displays outstanding defensive and passing ability, Waters’ improved offense was on display this past weekend at the Midwest Power League. Waters hit .423, by far his best hitting percentage since the beginning of the season, as 16 Elite went undefeated in the 17s division.

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Libero: Carlie Piercefield, 5-6 Sophomore, FaR Out 16 Black (MI) — Piercefield averaged 5.5 digs per set over five matches and passed above 60 percent perfect last weekend at MEPL. “Carley always takes up a large area for us in serve receive and defense but this weekend she increased the area she takes up even more so, in order to allow our 6 rotation outside hitters to focus more on their offensive responsibilities,” coach Val Lurye said. “Without Carley’s ability to increase her role and still perform at a high level, our weekend would not have ended on a positive note with two good wins on Sunday.”

Libero: Chloe Solheid, 5-4 Junior, Mizuno M1 17-2 (MN) — Solheid was solid on defense and serve-recive this past weekend at the Molten Power League Series. “She stayed patient and read the hitters when they decided to tip/roll,” noted coach Alex Haggstrom. “Chloe gave 100% effort to every ball she could get to. She led the team and they trusted her to get the hard hits and hard shots.”