Girls club volleyball Dream Team: Reisman, McGalliard, Thigpen, Schara, Tarnow, Forrest, Philpot, Davidson

Most Wednesdays during the club season, VolleyballMag recognizes a Dream Team of eight girls club volleyball players (15s to 18s age groups) who were standouts the weekend before.

Players are selected EXCLUSIVELY from nominations. To nominate, coaches will need to get on our bulk email list (info at bottom).

The team, most weeks, consists of the following:

Setter or S/RS
Setter, S/RS or RS
OH
OH
MB
MB
Libero
DS

We include our eight-player Dream Team below, as well as others we considered, based exclusively upon nominations received. This week, we add a third middle because no DS nominations were received.

Note to coaches and directors: while there is no science to how we choose members of our Dream Team, performing on bigger stages will give players an edge, as will nomination forms that describe with specificity how well a player performed the previous weekend.

VolleyballMag DREAM TEAM for April 17:
S: Penelope Reisman, 5-11 eighth grade, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) – Reisman set Tri-State to a 9-0 record and the 15 Open title at the JVA World Challenge. She had 23 aces and enabled her offense to hit .271 for the weekend. In the championship match versus vaunted Munciana 15 Blue, she delivered 26 assists, five aces, eight digs and two kills and her team hit .338 in the sweep.

S: Riley McGalliard, 5-7 sophomore, East Carolina Juniors 16 National (NC) – McGalliard set ECJVC 16 National to an undefeated record and the 16 Premier title at the JVA World Challenge last weekend. The sophomore finished with 200 assists, 44 digs, 13 aces and nine kills. “She was very aggressive at the net, winning a number of jousts against big attackers,” noted coach Kelley Kraniak. “Riley also hustled all over the court and had a great attitude, focusing on her teammates and how to make them successful. On top of it all, Riley was complimented by a number of refs on her hard work and overall sportsmanship during play and refereeing.”

OH: Asia Thigpen, 5-11 senior, Triangle 18 Black (NC) – Thigpen had the final kill that clinched Triangle’s title at the UA 18U National Championships. She was named tournament MVP and was the team’s heartbeat throughout the three-day event. “She led the team with her dominant play and indomitable spirit,” said coach Logan Barber.

OH: Elle Schara, 6-0 sophomore, 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) – Schara was a critical component in her team’s vanquishing six Open-qualified teams on the way to first place in 16 Open at the Salt Lake City Showdown. “Elle kept our serve receive and defense in rhythm by passing a 2.48 off of 169 attempts as well as 52 digs,” noted coach Trish Samolinski. “Elle’s ability to attack in both the front and back row affords our team the option to always use her as an offensive weapon. In addition to her stellar defensive and serve receive play, Elle finished the weekend with 88 kills, 10 blocks, 15 assists and 5 aces. Elle’s ability to impact the game in both the front and back row was key to our Championship win.”

MB: Lynney Tarnow, 6-5 sophomore, 1st Alliance 16 Gold (IL) – Incredible all season long, Tarnow was at her finest this past weekend, when she led 1st Alliance to the 16 Open title in Salt Lake City. She finished the three-day tournament with 101 kills, while hitting .432; plus 31 blocks and seven aces.

MB: Jillian Forrest, 6-0 freshman, Tri-State Elite 15 Blue (OH) – Forrest had 55 kills on .414 hitting, and added 14 blocks, helping Tri-State go 9-0 to win 15 Open at the JVA World Challenge.

MB: Ashlyn Philpot, 6-2 senior, Triangle 18 Black (NC) – The Illinois signee hit over .850 in the championship match to help Triangle topple Munciana 18 Samurai in the championship match at the UA 18U National Championships.

Libero: Elayna Davidson, 5-5 sophomore, Sports Performance 16 Elite (IL) – SPVB won 16 Open at the World Challenge down two of its best offensive players. That made Davidson’s performance in Louisville – 5.29 digs per set and near perfect passing with just one error on the last day – all that more important and necessary to team success.

Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S: Campbell Flynn, 6-3 junior, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) – The nation’s top junior setter was outstanding in leading her team to a qualifying position at the Sale Lake City Showdown. She had 156 assists, 50 digs, 44 kills and 10 aces and made her hitters look good while calling her number enough to keep opposing defenses guessing.

S: Emma Wang, 6-0 junior, Dallas Premier 17 Black (TX) – Wang set Premier to an 8-1 record and bid position in the 17 USA division at the Salt Lake City Showdown. Running a 5-1 offense for the first time this season, Wang mastered the position to the tune of 192 assists, 42 digs, 13 kills, 13 aces and seven blocks. “The team quite literally could not and would not be where it is without Emma’s play and leadership,” noted Allison Camp.

S: Bailey Rafferty, 5-6 junior, Rise 17.1 (WV) – Raferty had 140 assists over three days to help Rise to fifth place at the OVR Bid Tournament last weekend. She smartly isolated her hitters and, despite being just 5-6, had 15 kills of her own and six blocks. She also led the team in ace serves.

***

RS: Sadie Williamson, 5-8 sophomore, Infinity 16 Ren (MS) — Williamson helped IVBA place third in the 16 Club division at the Lone Star Classic in Dallas. She was a consistent scorer, an ace-serving machine and blocked well also. “She is a go getter and will step up in any situation, even when her coach asks her to play back row in the semifinals,” said coach Taylor Mraz. “Her hustle, drive, and determination to grow as a player and to be the best she can be for her team are simply amazing.”

***

OH: Ana Vetter, 6-1 senior, Adversity 18 Adidas (IL) – Adversity crashed the party at the Under Armour 18U National Championships, placing in a fifth-place tie among the nation’s elite teams. Vetter was a catalyst in that effort. She passed a 2.1 on the weekend and had 82 kills, 11 aces and eight blocks. “Ana is a 6 rotation lefty outside who handles so much responsibility for 18 adidas,” said coach Kyle Masterson. “We have used her all along the net and backrow, in system and out of system. It’s been remarkable to see her improvement over the several years she’s been with our club. She is committed to Wake Forest and I cannot wait to see her impact their program the way she has Adversity over the 5 years she’s been with us.”

OH: Westley Matavao, 6-0 freshman, Forza1 North 16 ONE (CA) – After missing time with walking pneumonia, Matavao returned to the floor last weekend at Far Westerns and was a key reason that Forza1 prevailed in 16 Open.

OH: AJ Zeno, 5-9 junior, Dallas Premier 17 Black (TX) — Zeno was a difference maker this weekend for Premier, which went 8-1 and qualified third in 17 USA at the SLC Showdown. Playing only in her first season on the left, she was instrumental to her team’s success, hitting .262 with a team-high 54 kills. Zeno added 39 digs, 10 aces, and six blocks. “Her growth in the position and the game culminated this weekend in the team’s bid and would not have been possible without her consistency!” noted coach Allison Camp.

***

MB: Kate Williams, 5-10 junior, Rise 171 (WV) — Williams was integral part of the Rise 17.1 success in taking 5th at the Ohio Valley Region Bid Qualifier last weekend. She was terminal both in front and behind the setter and boasted an overall hitting percentage of .449 over the three-day tournament. “Kate’s biggest impact was her ability to gain a first ball kill out of serve receive nearly 40% of the time,” said coach Heidi Lee. “This led the team to see minimal serving runs against them and keep their quick pace running.”

MB: Reese Roundtree, 6-0 sophomore, Infinity 16 Open (MS) – Roundtree was outstanding at an event in Alabama this past weekend. She hit .450 and averaged two blocks per set. “Her attitude was electric and the team really rallied to support her,” said coach Kelsey Taylor.

MB: Sydney Davis, 6-0 junior, Dallas Premier 17 Black (TX) – Davis mastered the game this past weekend in the 17 USA division of the Salt Lake City Showdown. Offensively she contributed from the middle and the right side, hitting .340 with 22 kills. From the service line she delivered 7 aces, and defensively she tallied 14 digs and 6 blocks. Premier went 8-1 and finished third to secure a bid. Said Allison Camp: “To get the bid, tied 23-23, we subbed her in to serve, knowing that her tough serve and lights out defense would make a difference. We were right and she contributed two big serves to get them out of system, a huge dig that saved a point, and a hustle ball to secure it.”

***

Libero: Devin Dzienny, 5-9 junior, Legacy 17-1 Adidas (MI) – The Florida commit had 88 digs, 26 assists and five aces to help Legacy qualify in 17 Open after several previous near misses. “Her elevated level of communication and being the eyes for our hitters was super impactful as well,” said coach Kacy Byron.

Libero: Ava Johnson, 5-8 sophomore, Colorado Juniors 16Kaleena (CO) – Johnson had 75 digs, almost one-third of the team’s total; and passed a 2.2 for a team that qualified 16 Open in Salt Lake City.

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