CZ 16 Open Showstoppers – 2024s (And Some 2025s)

16 Open was deep this weekend.  It was anyone's tournament and if this big weekend was any indication of what is to come we are in for a real treat this season.  These 16s will have the chance to get into a somewhat normal recruiting cycle with college coaches of ALL levels being able to be out recruiting come Presidents Day weekend.  College coaches will be so excited for this class.  Plenty of athletes who can change a game in multiple ways.  This group here are ones I was able to notice pretty quickly on the court.  Some I had seen play live before and they had a big time performance and others it was my first time seeing live.  The showstoppers, where some of these athletes are 2025's who will be fun to keep tabs on the next few years. 

Abby Yoder - NKYVC 16 Tsunami
The common denominator for the 2022 Central Zone Champions is Abby Yoder. This team plays so clean, they are consistently in system, and Yoder just runs the show. Watching Yoder play is refreshing, her footwork is on point, and keeps everything simple. However, to get to that point as a setter where you can put the ball on the money with every hitter with multiple tempos is extremely difficult. This is a fun team with little weakness that is going to be a force all season. They know how to win by playing extremely clean and efficient, just wearing teams down.

This middle/right side combo for @a5volleyball really tough to go head to head against. Molly Kate Patten 6’6 and Mia Hood 6’7#centralzone pic.x.com/bcZR3NNN5k

— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) January 29, 2022

Mia Hood and Molly Kate "MK" Patten - A5 16 Gabe

This is a lineup very few colleges can duplicate (besides Wisconsin) where you have a middle and right side who are 6'7.  Hood and Patten team up in the front row together to form a really strong block.  Being able to reach high is obviously important in blocking, but these athletes don't get tooled.  They are well trained, disciplined, and fundamentally know how to position, time, and get their hands on the ball.  They are also available in transition and make themselves available to score points as well. 

Alaleh Tolliver - Academy 16 Yeti
I saw Tolliver last season and knew she could jump, but this year she can fly and has expanded her game to find a variety of ways to score points. She can score by hitting hard, but now she’s using the block going off the outside hand to wipe it off the block and right into the antennae. This can be so frustrating for the opposing team. This Yeti squad is dangerous, lot of dynamic athletes.

Huge set by Melia Johnson, scoring points, tough serving, but really solid backrow play (she was a middle last year) @stingvb1988 @sting_gold takes set one over A5 pic.x.com/4h0ejq5Bc0

— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) January 30, 2022

Melia Johnson - MKE Sting 16 Gold
Johnson was a middle blocker last year for Sting 15 Gold and at the end of the season started making the transition to play on the pin. On Sunday against A5 in the match to head to the final four, she showed what she could do offensively from the outside, but also out of middle back. She has a big arm where there was no fear going against the big block or A5. This Sting team will definitely be in the mix when they head to Triple Crown in just over two weeks.

Lauren Harden - Rev 16 Fury
There is something a little extra about Lauren Harden. Her pure athleticism is something special. At 6’3, Harden moves extremely well where she can serve receive, pass, and get well above the net. The foundation and all the pieces are there. She makes a great combo with Uber quick setter Kamryn Utley who gets her hands on the ball and will find Harden when their team needs it the most.

Ava Utterback - Circle City 16 Purple
Utterback is so springy. She just bounces off the floor to sky high and swing. Her all around game has really improved where she is now an option out of middle back. This Circle City 16 Purple squad is really scrappy. They just find a way to keep the ball alive and will wear teams down. And when you have someone like Utterback, there’s always a chance to score points.

Maya Witherspoon - Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite (2025)
Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite is a really interesting team to watch. Their attackers play multiple front row positions and everyone can serve receive. This is probably one of the reasons why their club is always in the mix at top tournaments and consistently qualifying USAV open with their elite teams. This is another well balanced squad, but I keep coming back to Maya Witherspoon. She is a 2025 who can swing anywhere. Her hand contact and pop on the ball is just different, she is a really tough matchup.

Madison Quest - MKE Sting 16 Gold (2025)
Another 2025 prospect, Quest is the top freshman out of Wisconsin playing up on the Sting 16 Gold squad. She continues to improve each time she steps on the court and is so consistent. She can pass, defend, and score points. Quest is always looking through the net. When the defender cheats a step to their right, Quest is hitting to their left, her IQ is so mature for a 15 year old athlete. Quest along with middle, Gabrielle Pitcel were part of a final four finish for Sting 14 Gold last season and are now a key part to 16 Gold who showed they will be a tough squad to compete against in 2022.

Hannah Benjamin - A5 16 Gabe
Benjamin is big time. A 6’1 outside, Benjamin is one of the few six rotation players A5 used all the way around. She was able to come up with some big kills when her team really needed it and can handle a heavy volume in serve receive. On the pin she can hit the split or the cross where the defense has a hard time keeping it in play. There is a huge ceiling to her game where she is going to be able to build plenty of momentum this season where college coaches will have her on the radar.

Annabelle Groomes - AVC CLE 16 Rox (2025)
This AVC team is a lot of fun, they play with a spark, have a lot of smiles, and they just seem to love to be on the court together. Groomes is a 2025 playing up an age group and rightfully so. A left handed setter/right side combo, I saw jump to set and then turn on the ball, it was more than enough to take note of. She is a really physical front row player; the defense has to respect her each time she jumps. AVC is going to win a lot of big games this season and are going to be contender in every tournament they play.

Allie Shondell - Boiler Juniors 16 Gold
Shondell makes it look so easy (which setting is not), but there is a strong connection between Shondell and her attackers. Their offensive tempo is extremely quick, where the attackers are taking it out of her hands. On a free ball, they are running a lot of advanced combos where the defense is scrambling on which attacker to focus on. This is a really strong core of athletes who have been together for a while on this team, their connections will continue to click throughout the season and will have “Gold” on their mind in 2022.

Reese Wuebker - Tri-State Elite 15 Blue
Tri-State didn’t drop a match until their final Sunday gold pool match against NKYVC to get into the final four. This is another team who has really solid passing and a variety of attackers who can put the ball away. Wuebker is a flat out scorer from the outside. She knows how to find the deep open spot or can turn and thump it down the line. An outside hitter who can take what the defense gives her will definitely score a lot of points and be tough to stop against any team.