USA Wins Gold after Perfect Run at U19 Pan American Cup

<p>Twelve of America's top prep volleyball athletes put together five sweeps to capture Pan American gold. It doesn't get much better than that.</p>   <p>It was an incredible honor to be in Tulsa to cover this incredible run to the podium for Team USA. The U19 roster is packed with athletes that have entertained us in a variety of club venues, and I went into more detail on that in our <a href="https://prepdig.com/2022/07/club-memories-and-highlights-from-the-usav-u19-training-team/">event preview</a>.</p>   <p>There's a new level of excitement in watching these prep stars join forces and don the USA colors in an international event. It's even better when you factor in just how dominant this team was in Tulsa.</p>   <p>So, let's take a step back and relive some of those Pan Am Cup memories. I know I'll remember this one for a long time.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1551010466171846657?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>Award-Winning Trio</strong></p>   <p>Three Team USA players were recognized with individual awards after helping the team win gold with a 3-0 sweep of Brazil last Saturday.</p>   <p>First, we recognize the MVP. [player_tooltip player_id='195471' first='Bergen' last='Reilly'], a future Nebraska Cornhusker and current club setter for South Dakota's Kairos Elite, took home honors as both the best setter and the tournament's most valuable player. Her connection with Team USA's hitters was a treat to watch, and it probably helps that Reilly competed with many of these players on the U18 team last year. Split-block opportunities were a frequent occurrence for the USA attackers thanks to Reilly's deceptive setting and uncanny ability to mix tempos.</p>   <p>We might as well talk about one of those USA attackers here, because the team also claims the best spiker of the tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='66319' first='Harper' last='Murray'], another Nebraska commit, added yet another award to her extensive resume after a brilliant week in Tulsa. Her dominance at the prep level has been nothing short of legendary, and she brought that same dominance against international competition. Murray can hit the high ball to the outside or a fast "go" set, making her the ideal L1 to score in just about any situation.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1550631526307692545?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>Of course, you can't get the most out of your hitters without a strong backcourt handling first contact. Luckily for Team USA, Minnesota-bound libero [player_tooltip player_id='195469' first='Laney' last='Choboy'] locked down the passing formation well enough to earn the best receiver award. Choboy is incredibly comfortable with receiving serve outside her midline and does a great job stabilizing her platform to deliver the ball on target. It's fitting that this trio of USA award winners covers almost every important skill required to form a winning volleyball team.</p>   <p></p>   <p><strong>Twelve Strong</strong></p>   <p>Perhaps the biggest storyline coming out of Team USA's championship run was the major contributions coming from every athlete on the 12-player roster. This is especially notable given the fewer substitutions permitted in international rules compared to club and NCAA volleyball.</p>   <p>The USA coaching staff frequently varied the team's lineup between sets, allowing personnel changes to happen without using any subs. This is exciting for me because I can now talk about the highlight moments from every individual listed on the USA roster.</p>   <p>It's hard to know where to begin. 2023 Stanford recruit [player_tooltip player_id='161445' first='Julia' last='Blyashov'] might be a good choice. This dominant outside hitter brought all the ball skills and smart shots you hope to see from an L2. With USA's backcourt offense coming primarily from the pipe, Blyashov also made her attacking presence felt regardless of rotation.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1550991471448391681?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>Florida commit [player_tooltip player_id='195936' first='Kira' last='Hutson'] also had moments of brilliance on the outside. We already knew about Hutson's ability to play on either pin, but she really took a step forward in the ball control phase with Team USA. Middle-back defense was a big strength for Hutson, and you probably wouldn't want to take her out of that spot even if you had more substitutions.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1551007134145445894?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>2025 athlete [player_tooltip player_id='181296' first='Macaria' last='Spears'] also turned heads when she made the final cut after training with a large field of older players. She quickly proved her value on this team with some heavy left-side swings throughout the week. I have to constantly remind myself that a tremendous athlete like Spears hasn't even reached recruitment age.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1549905664310476801?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>On the topic of 2025s, the Pan American Cup was a huge moment in the international spotlight for [player_tooltip player_id='153930' first='Abigail' last='Mullen']. Her finest performance of the tournament came in the championship match, as Mullen put up a persistent block and carved around the Brazil block all match. It's a testament to her maturity and poise--two traits that are always notable for a player who still has so much of their prep career left.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1551000898331090949?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>Amid all this talk of pin hitters, [player_tooltip player_id='159523' first='Torrey' last='Stafford'] got a chance to show off her skills at both the left side and opposite for Team USA. She eventually became part of the setter-opposite double sub with [player_tooltip player_id='201010' first='Isabella' last='Starck'], the Penn State commit whose aggressive setting garnered her plenty of starting opportunities in Tulsa.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1551003197430501377?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>Okay, so now you're waiting for some middle blockers. I've got you covered. [player_tooltip player_id='174879' first='Maggie' last='Mendelson'] earned recognition as team captain on the final USA roster, and she backed that up with her floor-denting attacks on the quick. This middle blocker also has the distinction of being the only U19 player participating in college ball this fall, as she'll join Nebraska this year after reclassifying to 2022.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1550995840130596865?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='106665' first='Nya' last='Bunton'] joins this stacked position group. Like Mendelson, this Texas commit's best moments came in front of the setter, especially in transition. Bunton can crack down on USA's "shoot" sets with great efficiency, and the team deserves huge props for establishing that connection during such a short training period.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1549186772592197632?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>   <p>Finally, [player_tooltip player_id='195499' first='Andi' last='Jackson'] evolved as a bit of a fan favorite in Tulsa. Perhaps it was her incredible feats of athleticism that made the rounds in the volleyball community last week. Her contact point is truly something to behold, and she supplemented that with the refined technique required to play at the international level. The Cornhuskers are familiar with middles who are dangerous off of one foot, and Jackson is another one for the Nebraska pipeline.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1549535671173390345?s=20&t=vomBDGt1_K9Vz1Rhu2UGQA </div></figure>

Twelve of America's top prep volleyball athletes put together five sweeps to capture Pan American gold. It doesn't get much better than that.