Salt Lake Showdown National Qualifier – 16 Open – UPVBC 16 Open
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This brand new USA National Qualifier that is held in Salt Lake City, Utah is very well attended with teams from all over the United States to earn a bid for Nationals. There are teams from Alaska to Texas and…
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Continue ReadingThis brand new USA National Qualifier that is held in Salt Lake City, Utah is very well attended with teams from all over the United States to earn a bid for Nationals. There are teams from Alaska to Texas and everything in between competing to prove just how great they are. This series of articles will be to highlight those special teams and players that stood out during the tourney. We were able to watch some amazing action over the course of the weekend and will be writing a few articles on some teams and players that showcased their skills. This next article will be on the 16 Open Division and Ultimate Performance’s 16 Open team.
Some of these players are currently ranked and some have been on our watch list for this past high school and club season. As far as the tourney is concerned, UPVBC 16 Open came in ranked as the nineteenth seed overall in the Open division out of 32 teams entered. Day one they finished second in their opening pool with two wins and one loss. Day two they looked extremely tough and won two matches and only losing one again. They barely missed out of the day three Gold Pools by mere tenths of points in a tie-breaking situation. We are extremely proud of their showing at a national qualifier and the following players were phenomenal when we watched.
Maren Johnson Maren Johnson 6'0" | OH Jenks | 2024 State OK [2024] Outside (HS: Jenks/Club: UPVBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Maren is now ranked as the 7th best player in the entire state of Oklahoma. Miss Johnson plays at Jenks High School. This young lady was the same show-stopping pin that we are accustomed to seeing. She just showed the nation just how good she is. This is something that we have known for a while. Any time that UPVBC needed a kill, they knew exactly who to turn to. Volleyball is a team sport and it takes all of the players to win matches, but Maren is special and she deserves all of the recognition that she will get. We love how she is able to score from every location on the court. There are very few weaknesses in her game and she is getting better every time we watch her play. It is scary to think that she still has a few years to reach her peak. She will be a name out of my mouth when college coaches ask me about pins from this grad class. Stay tuned for more on Miss Johnson.
Kiya Colvin [2024] 5-11 Middle/Right Side (HS: Owasso/Club: Ultimate Performance Volleyball Club/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Kiya is someone who we have had on our watch list already at Prep Dig Oklahoma. She should have no problem being listed in the State Rankings when we update them in a few months. She is a solid middle who plays at Owasso high school and also club for the up and coming Ultimate Performance Volleyball Club. We wrote about her on Thursday from what we saw in the showcase and here is a little from the article, “This stud has immense power in her upper body and unleashes it any chance she gets. Sometimes I feel sorry for the ball as she makes contact with the power she possesses. The common volleyball observer will notice her awesome power and great vertical but true volleyball aficionados will love her blocking skill-set. She presses so well over the net to limit her opponents ability to attack efficiently. If she doesn’t get the block, she for sure forces her attacker to try to hit around her and funnel the attack directly to her back row teammate. College coaches should for sure take a look at this young lady this weekend with what we saw from her last night.” We were excited to watch Kiya during the tourney to see if she could keep wowing us and she sure did. Her power was on fully display the entire weekend in front of the nation. This young lady is a great player and UPVBC uses her very well on the right side. I can’t wait for our next update so I can add her to the State Rankings.
Avery Jones Avery Jones 5'4" | DS/L Broken Arrow | 2024 State OK [2024] 5-6 Libero (HS: Broken Arrow/Club: Ultimate Performance Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Avery is currently ranked as the 8th overall prospect and also the 2nd best libero prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is a solid defensive stopper for Broken Arrow High School. Avery was exceptional all weekend helping keep UPVBC in system and running a fantastic offense. She was all over the court digging balls against some of the best hitters in the nation with ease. I loved how she was able to use great angles with her platform to deliver some fantastic balls to her setter. Miss Jones played a phenomenal tournament and deserves tons of kudos for what she does for this team. College coaches should give this young lady a look or two based on what we saw this past weekend.
Carley Butler Carley Butler 6'1" | MB Owasso | 2024 State OK [2024] 6-1 Middle (HS: Owasso/Club: UPVBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Carley is currently ranked as the 24th best overall prospect according to the 2024 Prep Dig State Rankings list. She is a phenomenal middle at Owasso high school. I watched Carley obliterate some volleyballs out of the middle. She rose up time and time again to hit some quicks from her setter. My favorite is when she comes out of serve receive in rotation four. She slides over and unloads on a ball to zone one. It is almost unstoppable. Miss Butler definitely deserves a few looks from colleges and I will keep saying her name to the schools that ask me about middles from this class. She can for sure help a college roster based on how she played this weekend. Stay tuned for more on Carley as she is destined to rise up our State Rankings when I update them in a few months.
Other notable players who I thought had a fantastic tourney were setter Kate Schneeberg Kate Schneeberg 6'1" | S Bishop Kelley | 2024 State OK who ran a 5-1 offense all the way around. She was dishing some absolute dimes when I watched. Outside hitter Madeline Fenner was scoring very well opposite of Maren. She is a huge reason why they were so competitive in the Open division against some amazing teams from all over the United States. We are very proud of UPVBC for stepping up to the plate in the best division and going toe to toe with everyone. This is exactly how we should be making a name for teams and players from the Sooner State. Keep up the great work Ladies!
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Oklahoma Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!