2024 Washington Standouts: Las Vegas Classic
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Washington State sent many of its best teams to compete in the Las Vegas Classic, and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center was packed with quality play all weekend long. 2024 prospects had their first chance to play in front of…
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Continue ReadingWashington State sent many of its best teams to compete in the Las Vegas Classic, and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center was packed with quality play all weekend long. 2024 prospects had their first chance to play in front of all levels of college coaches, and the effort and intensity did not disappoint! Here are several 2024 players that helped their teams to big finishes in Vegas this weekend.
Dandridge was a key factor in her CPA 18 Nicole team finishing in 2nd place in the Open Division. She is a terrific athlete who can make all the plays you need on the court, and is holding down the middle back spot for CPA defensively. On the attack, Dandridge has a strong arm and a knack for tooling the block. The junior is going to be a difference maker for College Prep this season.
Another 2024 playing on an 18’s squad, Finnegan is part of an RVC 18 Kosty team that finished 9th in the Open. The six rotation outside made acrobatic digs and has terrific reactions defensively. She is a high flyer on either pin and consistently attacks high hands, leaving defenses chasing balls into the stands.
Steady serve receive is a must for any libero and Paul continues to get better and better in the back row for RVC 17 Trent. Converted full-time to the libero spot just last club season, the former outside keyed a 14th-place finish in the 17 Open division. Paul has settled in as a second ball setter, giving her RVC pins an excellent opportunity to terminate out-of-system plays.
Wong has excellent foot speed and size, and she can run down an off-target pass and still get under control to deliver a well-located set. Sudden Impact 17 made a run in the Open Division as well, Wong ran the show to facilitate a 15th-place finish for SIVBC Thunder. Mercer Island has a good one in the 5’9 Wong, she has a nice offensive package when she runs a 5-1, and she is crafty with dumps and attacks in the front row.
Melena Wong Melena Wong 5’8″ | S Mercer Island | 2024 State WA Highlights
Chilton has some big-time monster blocks for her Excel NW 17 Lux team over the weekend and is part of an impressive front line for the squad from Southwest Washington. She is intimidating at the net and can send a block straight down with her good press over the net. Chilton has continued to work extremely hard getting off the net in transition and can use a power tip or a big swing to terminate a point.
The smooth operating outside has an arm swing that creates a high-velocity attack, and she showcased it against the Premier 17 Division this weekend. Offensively she has a power game that she can crank up at any time, and Cervellera is a gritty defender as well. She is a high-energy leader who plays hard and is ready to take the swing with the game on the line. SNVF finds Cervellera early and often all over the court and she can deliver.
Highlights
The CPA Drew 17 team fought hard for a 5th-place finish in Premier, DeAndre was slicing and dicing from the outside hitter spot and covering big chunks of ground in the middle back. She has an excellent service game, she uses location to keep opposing passers on their toes. DeAndre has just about all the shots in her toolbox and brought them all out over the weekend. Once she delivers a kill hard angle and line, she starts to work in some soft tips and chips while staying similar in her approach. Defenses have a tough time reading the Lewis and Clark junior’s next move.
The tall, versatile libero has solidified the back row defensively for an excellent Shockwave 17 team. The rare six-footer to have the libero jersey, she can handle deep balls with her excellent hands and was already a skilled passer when she played outside hitter. Shockwave was down 18-9 to Mizuno M1 17-1 and put together an epic comeback to take set 1 25-22 in their first Gold Bracket game Monday. Tornow showed terrific leadership along with fiery setter Rylie Dolven, helping her team claw their way back and eventually win the match in three sets.
Emry Claeys Emry Claeys 6'1" | OH Meridian | 2024 State WA
Emry Claeys Emry Claeys 6'1" | OH Meridian | 2024 State WA
Claeys is comfortable attacking from either pin, the Meridian junior outside has an outstanding shot selection and the vision to work the ball around the block. Her block is solid, she is strong enough to hold up against attackers with big arms and she does a nice job reading where the hitter wants to go. Claeys is a scorer who put up enormous kill numbers in the school season and was an important part of a SIVA 17-1 North Blue 5th place Premier Division finish.
Emry Claeys Emry Claeys 6’1″ | OH Meridian | 2024 State WA Highlights