The opening week of the high school season didn’t pass without its share of dramatics. Prestonwood Christian TX captured the Battle of the Rock; Dripping Springs TX brought home the trophy at Pearland John Turner Classic; Cy Ranch TX finished first at the KISD/CFISD tournament; and Byron Nelson became the first school from Texas to claim the title at the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. We highlighted those happenings here. Below, we look at a few of last week’s top performing athletes from around the country.

Ashlyn Seay JR OH Byron Nelson TX: A 3-star Rice commit, Seay played an instrumental role in Byron Nelson upsetting national No. 4 Mira Costa CA during Saturday’s pool play at Ann Kang. The junior recorded a team-high 16 kills and added 8 digs in the three-set victory.

Kylie Kleckner JR OH Byron Nelson TX: Kleckner – a 4-star Washington recruit – came up clutch in helping Byron Nelson fend off the upset from Orange Lutheran CA during pool play at Ann Kang. She recorded 15 kills and hit .303 in the three-set victory. Kleckner was also a big part of the team’s victory against Mira Costa, when she posted 11 kills and 11 digs while hitting .409.

Callie Krueger SR L Dripping Springs: Krueger is a new addition to the Tigers’ lineup this fall and the 4-star Texas commit is already paying dividends. She registered 18 digs in three sets against Argyle TX in the final of Pearland. She was just as sharp in the semifinals, when she made 16 saves in a sweep of Harlan TX.

Isabella Perkins SR L Marvin Ridge NC: An Appalachian State commit, Perkins came through to help Marvin Ridge beat Reagan NC in the final of the North-South Invitational. The senior defender recorded a team-high 17 digs.

Elly Randolph SO OH Reagan NC: Randolph – a 3-star recruit – had a strong outing to help Reagan fight off Wando SC in the semifinals of the North-South Invitational. She put up 12 kills and hit .520 in the three-set victory.

Gabby Nichols SR MB Reagan NC: Before Reagan competed in its weekend tournament, the Raiders beat Grimsley NC in four sets. It was Nichols – a 4-star Penn State pledge – doing damage with 16 kills while hitting .345 and adding 3 blocks.

Megan Hodges FR OH San Juan Hills CA: Hodges – a 5-star recruit who helped Tstreet 15 Asics capture the USAV 15 Open gold medal – had a big-time outing in a sweep of Beckman CA. The rookie sent down 15 kills and hit .367.

Hanna McGinest SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: The Trailblazers relied on a pair of sophomores to carry the team to a four-game victory against JSerra CA. McGinest – a 4-star recruit – was one of them. She recorded a team-high 17 kills.

Eva Jeffries SO OH Sierra Canyon CA: Jeffries – a 5-star outside – was the other half who gave Sierra Canyon a boost. She put away 14 kills.

Lauren Lynch SR L Sierra Canyon CA: Lynch – a 4-star San Diego commit – was another standout during Sierra Canyon’s victory over JSerra. She finished with a match-high 24 digs.

Katherine Nowak SO OH JSerra CA: JSerra had its top performers from the match against Sierra Canyon as well. One was Nowak. The 3-star recruit was also part of Tstreet 15 Asics’ gold-medal performance this summer. She had a match-high 19 kills for the Lions.

Maddie Goodrich FR L JSerra CA: Another underclassmen to shine in the match was Goodrich. The freshman totaled 21 digs for JSerra in defeat.

Samantha Destler JR OH Marymount CA: The Sailors were among the schools who started play last week and receive a strong effort from Destler in the team’s sweep of La Costa Canyon CA. The 3-star Washington commit was part of SCVC 16 Roxy’s gold medal in 16 Open at USAV nationals and ended the contest with 14 kills. She hit .462 to go with 9 digs and 4 aces.

Sydney Black SR L Fulshear TX: The Chargers took down Preseason No. 1 Grand Oaks TX in four sets in part behind the contribution of Black. The 3-star Colorado State commit came through with 17 digs.

Taylor Porter SR OH Cy Ranch TX: Porter was unstoppable as Cy Ranch defeated Grand Oaks in five sets in the final of the KISD/CFISD tournament. The 4-star Vanderbilt commit totaled 27 kills and hit .389.

Sade Bello FR OH Cy Ranch TX: A 4-star freshman, Bello also shined in the final for Cy Ranch. She recorded 16 kills and hit an impressive .455.

Taylor Bruce JR RS Green Hope NC: The Falcons were carried by Bruce’s effort as they took down Broughton NC in three straight. The 3-star Georgia commit had a match-high 17 kills while hitting .500.

Chloe Burbage FR S Green Hope NC: Burbage – a 3-star recruit – showed her value as the freshman distributed 40 assists for Green Hope in the victory over Broughton.

Cameron Gerber FR L/DS Middle Creek NC: The Mustangs relied heavily on a pair of freshmen in their five-set victory against Wakefield NC last week. Gerber registered an eye-popping 40 digs in that one.

Finley Brennan FR S Middle Creek: Brennan came through in a big way as well. She dished out 36 assists in the same match.

Sarah Pfiffner SR S/RS Wakeland TX: Pfiffner – a 4-star West Virginia commit – had a strong opening week. Earlier in the week she had 10 kills and 23 assists as Wakeland upset nationally-ranked Lovejoy TX in five sets. She then posted 11 kills (.435), 18 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks and 2 aces as the Wolverines upset nationally-ranked Southlake Carroll TX in five on Saturday at the Battle of the Rock tournament.

*for consideration to be featured as a top performer of the week email chris@vballrecruiter.com