Girls club volleyball Dream Team: Morris, Mortensen, Ocampo, Varela, Hanes, Williams, Brooks, Planeta
Every Wednesday during the club season, VolleyballMag recognizes a Dream Team of eight girls volleyball players (15s to 18s age groups) who were standouts the weekend before. The team, most weeks, consisted 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.
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 February 14
Thea Morris
S: Thea Morris, 5-9 Sr., SCVC 18 Roxy (CA) – Morris was SCVC sole setter and quiet leader and dished up a balanced offense and handled critical moments with poise, as the reigning 17 Open national champions qualified in 18 Open at the SLC Showdown. The St. Edwards University also led Campbell Hall to a California state title in the fall.
OH: Elli Mortensen, 6-2 Sr., Club V 18 Ren Reed (UT) – Mortensen took big swings in big moments and delivered for Club V, which qualified in 18 Open its hometown at the SLC Showdown. She also carried the serve receive load and stayed super consistent.
OH: Isabella Ocampo, 5-11 Jr., Dallas Skyline 17 Royal (TX) – Ocampo led Dallas Skyline, which finished second in 17 Invitational at the Houston tour stop, in kills (53) and aces (13) over the weekend. She is a consistent all-around player and a powerful hitter with range.
RS: Danielle Varela, 5-10 Sr., TX Performance 18s Black (TX) – An explosive middle typically, Varela moved to the right after an injury to a teammate and began excelling as a six-rotation player. This past weekend at the SLC Showdown, Varela showed off her versatility by dominating on the back row attack, going on big point-scoring runs from the service line and coming up with big blocks in the middle of the net for the 18 USA champions. “She is just a super versatile scoring machine,” said coach Al Rosen.
MB: Jenna Hanes, 6-2 Sr., WAVE 18 Brennan (CA) – All of WAVE’s middles were terrific, but Hanes, a Michigan signee, was particularly potent in WAVE’s run to the 18 Open title at the SLC Showdown National Qualifier.
MB: Keoni Williams, 6-4 Soph., Dallas Skyline 16 Royal (TX) – Williams hit .350 and led Skyline in blocks on its way to the title at the Houston stop of the Tour of Texas.
Libero: Kiley Brooks, 5-7 Soph., Dallas Skyline 16 Royal (TX) – Brooks ruled the backcourt for the Tour of Texas Houston 16 Invitational champs. She led her team with 71 digs and passed a 2.2.
DS: Daniela Planeta, 5-7 Sr., Vegas Aces 18 UnderArmour (NV) – Planeta was incredible this past weekend for the Aces. Her serve-receive and defense were “unstoppable” her coach said and she helped her team qualify in the 18 USA division at the SLC Showdown National Qualifier.
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration)
S: Brynn Stephens, 6-2 Fr., TAV 15 Black – Stephens usually hits and sets for her team, but an injury to setter Sophee Peterson thrust her into setting a 5-1 offense at the Tour of Texas Houston stop. Stephens performed brilliantly in that role and helped the defending age group Open national champions prevail at the Tour in the 15 Invitational Division.
S: Hannah Pemberton, 5-7 Sr., Vegas Aces 18 UnderArmour (NV) – Pemberton battled through a banged up knee to lead Vegas Aces to a bid at the SLC Showdown. “Her ability to lead and be very vocal on and off the court helped push our team when they needed it the most,” said coach Charles Park.
***
OH: Kate Martin, 5-10 Sr., Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar (CA) – Though Long Beach came up one win shy of qualifying in 18 Open at Salt Lake City, those who watched them knew what a stud Martin was all weekend. The UC Santa Barbara recruit hit .260 for the event and played unbelievable defense. “She is a leader on the court that builds confidence in all her teammates, is positive and brings the energy,” said director Joy Fuerbringer.
OH: Isa Lopez, 5-11 Soph., JJVA 16 Teal (FL) – Lopez averaged more than four kills per set this past weekend at the Florida Gold Series (top 18 teams in FL Region in each age group). Lopez also recorded five aces and 25 digs (2.08) per set and passed a solid 2.23 for the weekend in an event in which every match was a battle.
***
MB: Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, 6-3 Jr., Dallas Skyline 17 Royal (TX) – Gillen-Malveaux led her team in blocks and hit over .300 for a Dallas Skyline team that placed second in 17 Invitational last weekend at the Tour of Texas.
***
Libero: Caleigh Ponn, 5-6 Jr., NC Academy 17 Diamond (NC) – One of the best all-around players in Virginia high school ball, Ponn plays libero for her club. The Kansas State recruit had a big weekend at Beast of the Southeast, piling up 39 digs, 14 assists, eight aces and passing a 2.2 for a team that went 5-1 in the Gold Open division.
Libero: Shelby Clark, 5-5 Fr., Southern Elite 15 Crimson (TN) — Clark dazzled this weekend in the 2024 Cape Girardeau Classic. She was a rock in both serve-receive and on defense, keeping her team in tough matches! After a 1-3 start on Saturday, Clark led her team to a 3-0 record on Sunday and the Silver bracket title. She led her team in aces and relentlessly pursued impossible to reach passes throughout the weekend. “Shelby is an incredible teammate willing to fill any role asked of her in order to help her team succeed,” said coach Heather Williams.
Libero” Bella Taveras-Seda, 5-6 Fr., JJVA 16 Teal (FL) — Tavares-Seda made a big impact this past weekend at the Florida Gold Series in Orlando. She passed a solid 2.32 in the 16 Open and had 43 digs (3.58 per set). She also added 8 assists and 5 aces.
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