Club Memories and Highlights from the USAV U19 Training Team

USA Volleyball surely has no shortage of talent to work with this summer. In case you haven’t followed the USAV youth national teams, the <a href="https://usavolleyball.org/story/girls-u19-training-team-has-familiar-and-new-faces/">U19 training roster</a> was recently announced. This talented group of 20 athletes is currently practicing in Tulsa, OK, where the U19 Pan Am Cup will be held from July 18-23. Before then, the USA roster will be pared down to 12, and the team will compete in this international competition against some of the world’s top youth volleyball athletes. Of course, this training period comes just after we wrapped up the 2022 club season at USAV Nationals. The players on the training roster gave us plenty of highlight moments since the year began, so this feels like a good time to bring back some old memories. Here are some of my personal highlights from covering the athletes on the U19 National Training Team.   A Whole Lot of Huskers I live in Lincoln, NE, a place that undoubtedly takes volleyball seriously. That applies to the Cornhuskers’ recruiting efforts, as the five-time national champion can claim a whopping seven commits on the 20-player training roster. It has been quite a privilege to see these future Huskers compete during my club travels this year. [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"], our top-ranked player in the 2023 class, added to her championship resume with another title at AAU Nationals. Before that, her Legacy 17-1 Adidas team shined at the Prep Dig Open event I covered in Cleveland. No matter the venue, Murray will always be a standout. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Flying high in the early points of Championship Sunday here at <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/PDTheOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PDTheOpen</a>. That [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"] 2-ball from <a href="https://x.com/LegacyLvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LegacyLvc</a> 17-1 Adidas is always tough to stop. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Huskers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Huskers</a> <a href="https://t.co/7TmcYymrcm">pic.x.com/7TmcYymrcm</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1520738893099847681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Murray is not the only top-ranked Husker commit to appear on the training roster. [player_tooltip player_id="119707" first="Skyler" last="Pierce"], our #1 player in the Class of 2024, also joins the training team after a top-three finish at USAV Nationals with Dynasty 16 Black. Her all-around skills on the left pin ought to translate well to this U19 opportunity in Tulsa. [player_tooltip player_id="109590" first="Olivia" last="Mauch"]’s emergence in the USAV gym has brought a lot of pride to the Nebraska locals. The 2024 libero chose the home state Huskers just after the class’ recruiting cycle began, and her steady presence in the backcourt has garnered her recognition as one of the country’s top defenders. [caption id="attachment_208414" align="alignright" width="400"]<img class="wp-image-208414" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/IMG_8420-crop-3554x2334-1657645822-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="263" /> Reilly sets for Kairos Elite 18 Adidas at the Midwest Power League.[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="195471" first="Bergen" last="Reilly"] is another Nebraska-bound addition to the roster from the Great Plains. This South Dakota setter has been on the Team USA stage before, as Reilly made the final U18 roster last year along with Murray. And the list just goes on and on for the Huskers. [player_tooltip player_id="155117" first="Ayden" last="Ames"], Maggie Mendelson, and [player_tooltip player_id="195499" first="Andi" last="Jackson"] represent three of Nebraska’s middle blocker commits, with Mendelson starting her college career this fall after reclassifying to the Class of 2022. And, like Murray and Reilly, Mendelson has worn the USA uniform before. It’s safe to say this position will be stacked for a while in the Devaney Center.   Out West Try to contain your surprise, but West Coast representation on the training team is strong. [player_tooltip player_id="162772" first="Charlie" last="Fuerbringer"], a Wisconsin pledge, brings her spectacular skills to the setting position after competing with Mizuno Long Beach during the club season. After getting a long look at Fuerbringer at USAV Nationals this month, I certainly won’t dispute her standing as one of the top 2024 setters in the nation. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> So here’s a crucial Pool 6 matchup that’s just getting started: Mizuno Long Beach and Triangle squaring off. Top two seeds in the group. Great feed from [player_tooltip player_id="162772" first="Charlie" last="Fuerbringer"] to Bryn Shankle for <a href="https://x.com/MizunoLongBeach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MizunoLongBeach</a>. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GJNC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GJNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/IkDBNV9Rnj">pic.x.com/IkDBNV9Rnj</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1543254224775028737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   How about the Sunshine duo? [player_tooltip player_id="160313" first="Olivia" last="Babcock"] and [player_tooltip player_id="159523" first="Torrey" last="Stafford"] join forces on the training roster after forming a formidable tandem with Sunshine 17 LA this year. I immediately recall their dominance at Triple Crown NIT in February when Babcock and Stafford led the team to some major upsets in Kansas City. [player_tooltip player_id="161445" first="Julia" last="Blyashov"] is another top California performer who dazzled us at NIT. She is the kind of go-to left-side hitter who will gladly shoulder a ton of responsibilities to help her team succeed. Her prior USAV training experience also gives her an edge leading up to the final roster announcement. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="161445" first="Julia" last="Blyashov"] teeing off for WAVE — always a fun thing to watch. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/TCVolleyballNIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TCVolleyballNIT</a> <a href="https://t.co/M673FtZNQp">pic.x.com/M673FtZNQp</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1495233207737929728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   More Memories We’ve still got more big names to bring up here. [player_tooltip player_id="119394" first="Kennedy" last="Martin"] is a player that has impressed me in a lot of different settings. Last fall, her Appleton North team came down to Omaha for a high school tournament with top-tier squads from around the region. The Florida commit’s physicality is good enough to compete with anyone, and Martin proved that again with FC Elite 18 Elite in the 2022 club season. There are a couple of players on this roster that can fill a variety of roles and still succeed. [player_tooltip player_id="139280" first="Alec" last="Rothe"] is one of those athletes, as she has made her presence felt at every frontcourt position this year. Don’t forget about [player_tooltip player_id="201010" first="Isabella" last="Starck"], either, as the Penn State-bound setter showed at GJNC that she can take over a match as a right-side attacker. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Though she was recruited to <a href="https://x.com/PennStateVBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PennStateVBALL</a> as a setter, Izzy Starck has been so impactful as a frontcourt opposite this weekend. Colorado Juniors takes a tight opening set against 1st Alliance. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GJNC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GJNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/sspB0vGKgw">pic.x.com/sspB0vGKgw</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1543572987567300611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Let’s give a shoutout to the very exclusive group of 2025s who made this training roster. [player_tooltip player_id="181296" first="Macaria" last="Spears"] of Metro and [player_tooltip player_id="153930" first="Abigail" last="Mullen"] of Dynasty are the sole representatives of the 2025 class after both shined in 16s competition this year. If you’re going to choose any players from this class to train with Team USA, these are two brilliant selections. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Here’s a 2025 outside hitter that has already captured a lot of attention. [player_tooltip player_id="181296" first="Macaria" last="Spears"] helped lead Metro 16 Travel to a 3-0 record yesterday and looks dialed in already this morning. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GJNC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GJNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/c4gvJOLbXx">pic.x.com/c4gvJOLbXx</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1543220365199085569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Spears’ Metro teammate, [player_tooltip player_id="180288" first="Emerson" last="Sellman"], also put together a phenomenal year that warranted her inclusion on the training team. She has a case for being one of the country’s biggest stock risers in the wake of this year’s club campaign. [caption id="attachment_208411" align="alignright" width="400"]<img class="wp-image-208411" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/IMG_7486-crop-4800x3152-1657645675-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="263" /> Bunton competes with KIVA 17 Red at Triple Crown NIT.[/caption] The Midwest is poised to have a big influence on the final roster with players like [player_tooltip player_id="195936" first="Kira" last="Hutson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="106665" first="Nya" last="Bunton"] training with the team. And, while we’re talking about regional representation, [player_tooltip player_id="195469" first="Laney" last="Choboy"] is one of the best East Coast representatives you could find to represent Team USA. She was the U18 libero last year and has only gotten better with another year of competition with NC Academy.