Last week we released our Sophomore Player of the Candidates. This week, we present our Sophomore Player of the Year Finalists. The award winner is set to be announced the following week. We began with roughly 70 candidates and it should make sense that field gets much more defined as we narrowed it down to roughly about 15 finalists.

Here’s what we are looking for in selecting our finalists and ultimately Player of the Year award. It contains three parts that are subjective by nature. One part measures the overall talent of a player. The next part takes into consideration the player’s overall impact on their team. The third part centers around the team’s overall success.

In terms of Player of the Year finalists, it’s not impossible to make the list unless the player’s team won a state championship but it certainly helps. It’s a big country with lots of talented players and at the same time we wanted to introduce a factor that includes the team element. Winning a state title is prestigious accomplishment that is the pinnacle of every program around the country.

A player’s impact on their team can be subjective. A player leading their team in their respective category – i.e. assists for setters, kills for setters or blocks for middles – is one type of impact and/or a key role they filled is another.

Lastly, when it comes to a player’s overall talent, while it’s subjective as well, most can agree on who the top players are. Add all three together and these are what we are looking for. For example, Campbell Flynn of Mercy is an incredible 5-star recruit who had a tremendous impact on her team but Mercy didn’t advance far enough in our estimation for her to make the cut as a finalist.

At last, we present our Sophomore Player of the Year Finalists.

Cari Spears SO OH Prestonwood Christian TX: The Lions (40-1) – who only lost to Cornerstone Christian in the final of Volleypalooza and captured the TAPPS 5A state championship – without doubt proved they were one of the top teams in the country this fall. The addition of Spears – who moved back to Texas from Virginia – helped elevate Prestonwood to an elite level. The 6-3, 5-star recruit is a dynamic attacker, an instant game-changing pin with scary next-level potential and ability. On a team not lacking offense, she was the bonafide go-to hitter. She racked up a team-high 544 kills, averaging 4.9 per set while hitting a mind-blowing .477. On top of that, she was second in both blocks and aces and fourth in digs. Put it all together and Spears is among the leading finalists for POY.

Charlotte Vinson SO OH Yorktown IN: What a season it was for Yorktown (34-3) and Vinson. The Tigers finished runner up in Indiana’s Class 4A state final, falling to Hamilton Southeastern in the championship. Vinson was a key piece this fall. The 6-1, 4-star recruit totaled a team-leading 466 kills. She averaged 4.3 per set, also tops on the team. She also made an impact from the service line, leading the roster with 64 aces. Given Vinson’s contributions and Yorktown’s overall season, Vinson is certainly a well-deserved finalist.

Chloe Elarton SO S Valor Christian CO: The Eagles (29-0) went undefeated this fall and claimed Colorado’s 5A state championship. Elarton ran a well-balanced offense as four players finished between 253 and 165 kills. Elarton averaged 9.3 assists per set and finished the year with 784. She also chipped in with 59 aces – second on the team – and 205 digs, which was third.

Ella Craggs SO S Northville MI: Though the Mustangs (47-4) finished runner up to Marian in Michigan’s Division 1 state final it was still an impressive fall. Northville was the only team to defeat Marian during the year and showed they were one of the top two teams in the state. Guiding the attack was Craggs, who tallied 1,180 assists and averaged 8.9 per set. She also averaged 2.2 digs. Though it would be somewhat of an upset for Craggs to win our POY award, she’s certainly deserving of being among the finalists and in the conversation as she had an amazing year.

Izzy Busignani SO OH Marian MI: Busignani is another sophomore from Michigan in the mix for POY. She put together a great case for winning the award with a tremendous season. Marian (49-1) captured the Division 1 state title and Busignani played a key role in it. She led the team with 531 kills, averaging 4.4 per set and hitting .303. She also had 331 digs, averaging 2.7 per set.

Lauren Hurst SO OH Cleveland TN: Given the year produced by Hurst, she has to be considered among the leading finalists for the award. The Blue Raiders (49-5) were the best in the state this fall, capturing Tennessee’s Division 1 3A state championship. Hurst had as big an impact as anyone. The 6-1, 4-star outside finished with a team-leading 649 kills. She averaged 4.4 per set. She was also second in digs with 354, averaging 2.4 per set. Moreover, she led the team in blocks with 61 and was second in both aces (94) and assists (73).

Logan Parks SO S/RS Blue Valley North KS: Parks faces an uphill climb in the race as a finalist. She’s a rare finalist whose team didn’t make the state final. Blue Valley North finished third in the Kansas 6A state playoffs. Still, the 5-star recruit’s contributions couldn’t be overlooked as she contributed in a variety of ways. She was the go-to attacker, leading the way with 409 kills and averaging 4.8 per set. She also had 274 assists, averaging 3.2 per set. She also tied for the team lead in aces with 37 and was fourth in both digs (184) and blocks (47).

Madison Quest SO OH DSHA WI: Quest – a 6-3, 4-star recruit – absolutely played her way into being a leading finalist. She had a remarkable season for Divine Savior Holy Angels, which upset Oconomowoc to capture Wisconsin’s Division 1 state championship. She was a force, piling up a team-best 514 kills. She averaged 4.2 per set and hit .320. She also ended with 303 digs, averaging 2.5 per set.

Maya Witherspoon SO OH Lafayette MO: The Lancers (32-6) – who captured Missouri’s Class 5 state title – played a challenging schedule. They traveled to the Nike TOC Southeast in Tampa Bay. They played eventual Nebraska Class B state champ Skutt Catholic and eventual Kansas 5A state champ Aquinas, as well as Kansas 5A state runner-up St. James Academy. That combined with Witherspoon’s contributions helped her make the cut as a finalist. She recorded a team-high 339 kills, averaging 3.2 kills per set. She was also second in aces with 36.

Megan Fitch SO OH Cornerstone Christian TX: Much has been said about Cornerstone Christian’s season. The Warriors (55-2) won the tournament titles at Volleypalooza and Nike TOC Southwest while taking second at Nike TOC Southeast. Fitch had a giant season as she finished with 495 kills. She averaged 3.9 per set while hitting .321. She was also third in blocks (64) and digs (299). Add it all up and Fitch certainly has presented one of the better arguments for winning POY.

Reese Messer SO S St. James Academy KS: Messer – a 5-star recruit – is considered the top setter in the class and at the very least among the top at her position. Combined with the year St. James had, she also must be considered among the front runners for the award. One would be hard-pressed to find a team running as balanced an attack as the one directed by Messer. Four hitters took between 478-604 swings. She totaled 824 assists, averaging 9.0 per set.

Suli Davis SO OH Colleyville Heritage TX: With Davis being such an integral part of Colleyville Heritage capturing the Texas 5A state championship, she’s more than a worthy contender as a POY finalist. She was dominating as the 5-star recruit supercharged the offense with 506 kills. She averaged 4.0 per set. She was also second in digs with 369, averaging 3.0 per set, as well as third in blocks with 63.

Teraya Sigler SO OH Horizon AZ: The case for Sigler as POY differs from the rest above. The 5-star recruit had to sit out a portion of the season after transferring. Even though didn’t play in as many contests as other finalists, her impact was evident. Horizon went 0-2 against Millennium without Sigler and 3-2 against the same opponent with her, including beating Millennium to capture Arizona’s 5A state championship. Despite playing in 73 of the team’s 125 sets, Sigler still finished second in total kills with 326. Her 4.5 per set average was tops on the team. She also hit .370 and led the team in digs per set at 3.5, finishing second overall with 258 total digs.