15s Ready To Deliver Over Presidents Day Weekend in St. Louis

<p>This will be our first "extended" opportunity to cover the 15s this club season. This winter we introduced our first edition of the Class of 2024 rankings. We were transparent in stating how we came to rank this first group. In reflection, we would have been best served in utilizing our "watch list" format. However, that ship has sailed and we received e-mail after e-mail asking why this girl is ranked over this girl, they are on the same team, this isn't fair, and so on. There were messages about kids in the top 10 being ranked "too low". I want to reiterate; rankings are subjective and if your child gets the opportunity to compete at the next level, it won't be due to their ranking. There are some young players we will talk about more than others based on previous knowledge, making All-District and All-State teams, or being members of USAV High-Performance rosters. With that said, there are some athletes we received video and notes on we look forward to checking out this weekend in St. Louis. </p> <p><strong>Grace Killion / 5-10 / OH-RS / HPSTL 15 Royal / Cor Jesu Academy</strong></p> <p>We received numerous highlight videos of Killion to check out and walked away impressed with her skillset. She was able to contribute in key moments for a strong Cor Jesu program over the course of the high school season. She is one of those young players who will get better as she gets older and stronger. She is a smart hitter who understands her strengths and uses those in her shot selections. When a big block is up, she tools or tips; when she's wide open, she finds the floor. We look forward to seeing her defense and back row play this weekend as a six rotation pin. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124225" first="Sammi" last="Bergjans"] / 5-9 / S /HPSTL 15 Royal / Incarnate Word Academy</strong></p> <p>We introduced Bergjans in our top 25 rankings this winter and look forward to seeing her in action this weekend. She is steady in the setter position and love her movement on the court. She works hard to get a good set up regardless of the pass. Her hands are solid and her ball placement is on point. Bergjans' defensive skills are worthy to be discussed also. She contributed in the dig department at high levels during the high school season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124224" first="Anna" last="Moore"] / 5-10 / OH / HPSTL 15 Royal / Cor Jesu Academy</strong></p> <p>One thing that stood out when watching previous videos of Moore was her poise playing six rotations. Her platform was solid and she moved well along the back row. We are interested in keeping an eye on her this weekend to see her development offensively. As a pin, she is able to score but now a year later is she stronger and hitting the ball harder?</p> <p><strong>Aaliyah Eliott / 5-9 / MB-RS / Rockwood Thunder 15 Navy / John Burroughs</strong></p> <p>15 Navy is going to battle it out in the open division this weekend and we look forward to checking out some players. One of those is Eliott. She has the athleticism alone to stand out in a competitive weekend. At only 5-9, she has shown a quick explosion off the floor and a fast arm swing. She moves very well laterally, which makes a difference in the block department with blocks and touches. She plays some on the right side but would eventually make a solid pin due to her size and jumping ability. </p> <p><strong>Madison Swehla / 5-10 / OH-RS / Rockwood Thunder 15 Navy / St. Joseph Academy</strong></p> <p>Davis is going to be a very good player. Her technique is really good for her age in the passing department. She holds a solid platform and passes to target in much of the video we've seen. She has good size and length and uses it to her advantage. On the pin, she can score in and out of system consistently. We like the fact she can be productive from either side at this point in her young career. </p> <p><strong>Lilliana Vonderheid / 5-4 / L / Rockwood Thunder 15 Navy / Cor Jesu Academy</strong></p> <p>After watching a few videos I may start calling Vonderheid, "Nails". It doesn't matter the type of serve, her passes are on target at a high rate, which of course gives her setter numerous options. She is cool and collect. We didn't have much information on her previously but we look forward to checking her out this weekend. </p> <p><strong>Abbie DeLong / 5-6 / S / Rockwood Thunder 15 Navy / Incarnate Word</strong></p> <p>The southpaw DeLong stood out on some of the videos we watched of her teammates. She has the ability to run a quick offense and pushes the ball out well to the pins and her middles on 3 balls. She is athletic and reacts quickly to get her feet in position to make quality sets. </p> <p><strong>Catie Woolf / 5-11 / OH / [program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] 15 Navy / Holt </strong></p> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] has a couple of players with similar games we look forward to seeing in action this weekend. The first is Catie Woolf, a 5-10 six rotation hitter. In the limited video we checked out, we love her aggressiveness on the court. She brings the same level of intensity swinging from both the front and back rows. Her passing is really good and also produces a difficult topspin serve. Her footwork in transition will continue to improve along with her jumping ability with work. </p> <p><strong>Kylie Surratt / 5-11 / OH / [program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] 15 Navy / Pattonville</strong></p> <p>Surratt was a contributor from the middle position during the high school season but is a natural pin in our opinion. She has good size and a forceful arm swing. In a shortened freshman season she was still able to earn All-District honors as a freshman. Her ball control is immaculate, as she also plays some outdoor volleyball. </p>