Back in the gym for a national tournament for the first time since qualifying season ended, it was exciting to see teams preparing for their year-end events. vballrecruiter.com was on hand at the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach all three days. We took notes on players who impressed us the most. We start with our right side Show Stoppers from 14-17 Open.

14 Open

Sophia Johnson, Wave 14 Brennan – Johnson is 5-3 with a 9-4 approach touch that is pretty impressive. She glides through the air on her approach that makes it impossible to time. She has a quick arm as well.

Reagan Wallraff, Arizona Storm 13 Thunder – Blessed with long arms and athleticism is what makes Wallraff tough to defend. She’s dynamic enough to hit with a traditional approach as well as going off one foot.

Sara Moyniham, S/RS, Tstreet 14 Carson – A hybrid right side who sets in the back row and hits in the front row, this lefty can stretch the defense and hits both deep angle and line effectively.

Camellia Ding, SG Elite 14 Rosh – At 5-10 with a high, strong contact is what makes Ding effective. Add in her court vision and power and she can be unstoppable.

Avery Junk, Surfside 14 Legends Jess – A strong lefty with a powerful swing, Junk has no problem hitting through blocks that aren’t ready for her.

Caroline Tadder, Coast 14-1 – Tadder has a quick approach that allows her to get to the sets consistently. She can hammer down the line consistently.

15 Open

Izzy Romero, Vision 15 Gold – Defenses were having trouble slowing down Romero, who was a key part of the attack for Vision. She was scoring from the left and right side, using her power and aggression to consistently beat defenders.

Cadence McDonald, Drive Nation 15 Red – A three-star recruit, McDonald was a valuable piece of the offense. She changed the dynamic of the attack anytime she went across the front row, as Drive Nation looked to get her involved as much as possible with her power and placement.

Raegan Richardson, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – Richardson – who is a three-star recruit – has shown improvement from season’s start. She carries a big arm and can unleash some eye-popping kills at time. She’s definitely one to keep watch on as she continues to develop.

Ashlee Chavez, Dynasty 15 Black – A bit undersized at 5-9, this lefty right side was taking some powerful swings. She was blowing up a few blocks and showing some physicality.

Keila Gabriel, Wave 15 Scott – A 6-3 lefty, Gabriel has tremendous upside. She’s tall enough to go over blocks. Defenses give her attention anytime she’s front row and she’s a key piece in the Wave attack.

Stella Dillon, Coast 15-1 – Dillon was brought up from the 2s team to help fill a need on the right side. At 6-0, she adds some much-needed size to the lineup and flashed her potential with some nice kills.

16 Open

Kennedy Osunsanmi, Legacy Girls 16 Elite – Osunsanmi is a name everyone will know before long. She’s 6-2 and still figuring the game out to a degree but she has potential oozing out of her and should shine on the next level one day.

Halie McGinest, Mizuno Long Beach 16 Rockstar – McGinest – who stands at 5-11 – had moments where she was ripping the ball and providing key production from the right side.

Cymarah Gordon, Momentous 16 Dan – At 6-0 and touching over 10-feet, Gordon is an impact player across the front row. A three-star recruit, she puts up a giant block and can overpower defenders with her physicality when on the attack.

Cleo Hardin, Vision 16 Gold – We’ve mentioned Hardin a couple times this season and are doing so once more because this 6-3 pin hitter is an integral part of the offense. A three-star recruit, she has a high ceiling because of her length and ability to score.

Addison Collum, Seal Beach 16 Black – Another three-star recruit, Collum is one of those players who gets up and puts it down. She’s a tough cover who swings well and forces defenses to take notice of her.

Julia Kakkis, S/RS, Momentous 16 Dan – Kakkis plays a pivotal role as both a setter and hitter. When she catches a ball with her full strength, watch out! At times she can hit as hard as just about anyone in the age group.

17 Open

Olivia Babcock, Sunshine 17 LA – A five-star recruit committed to Pitt, Babcock commands attention. She’s 6-2 with a quick arm swing to hit any set. She also possesses excellent footwork and timing as a blocker that would give any outside hitter fits.

Ryleigh Patterson, RS/MB, Wave 17 Juliana – At 6-1 and touching over 10-feet, Patterson gets off the floor well and has a great arm to boot. A Harvard commit, she’s a versatile player who can fill in at either middle or right side with the same effectiveness.

Ireland McNees, Club V 17 Ren Reed – McNees is undersized at 5-9 but makes up for it as she can touch 10 feet. She’s a strong attacker and also has great timing on her blocks.

Olivia Ruy, Club V 17 Ren Reed – A three-star recruit committed to Arkansas, Ruy is a 6-0 right side with a good arm. She can score consistently and helps keep the Club V attack from being too predictable.

Noemie Glover, Coast 17-1 – A four-star recruit committed to Oregon, Glover has huge potential to star at the next level. The way she gets up she can hit some incredible shots and angles that keep defenses guessing as to what she’s going to do next.

Alexandra Farquhar, Absolute Black 17-1 – A 6-3 lefty right side, Farquhar can cause problems for opposing attackers with her length. She also has a high contact point allowing her to go over blocks and score when she’s attacking.