Girls club volleyball Dream Team: O’Brien, Green, Hunter, Herian, Davis, Taylor, Sayer, Hager
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.
This week, we have two setters, because we received no DS nominees.
VolleyballMag DREAM TEAM for January 31:
S: Kassie O’Brien, 6-1 Jr., Houston Skyline 17 Royal (TX) – O’Brien, a Kentucky recruit and one of the lite setters nationally in the 2025 class, was in complete control as Houston Skyline won the first 17 Open qualifier of 2024 at Northern Lights in Minneapolis. She executes a dynamic offense with precision and always has her team in position to succeed.
Janelle Green
S: Janelle Green, 5-9 Sr., KC Power 18-1 (KS) – Green led Power, down a key hitter, to another 18 Open qualifier title. The University of Cincinnati signee is very dedicated to her craft and never quits working to improve. “Janelle is very hard to read and is getting better every day about causing havoc to blockers on the other side of the net,” said coach Dave Johnson. “She is a defensive-minded setter who can dig the heat and block the biggest of hitters. Cincinnati hit it out of the park with this one!”
RS: Ryan Hunter, 6-2 Jr., Triangle 18 Black (NC) – The Nebraska recruit dominated on attack from the right side, as Triangle won 18 Open at Florida Fest.
Nora Herian
OH: Nora Herian, 6-1 Fr., Nebraska Elite 151 Revolution (NE) – Herian is a household name in waiting and showed off this weekend in Minneapolis as her club team won 15 Open at the Northern Lights qualifier. The freshman had 83 kills, averaging almost 10 kills per match; and was a stalwart in serve-receive.
OH: Meme Davis, 5-7 Sr., Ocala Power United 17/18 Adidas (FL) – A Mercer recruit, Davis was integral to OPU’s championship run through the 18 American division at Florida Fest. “She’s a fantastic athlete with serious bounce,” said coach Jeff Reavis. “She scores from everywhere with great first contact skills and elite speed.”
Jordan Taylor
MB: Jordan Taylor, 6-5 Jr., Houston Juniors 17 Elite (TX) – Despite Taylor’s best efforts, HJV barely missed out on an Open bid in Minneapolis this past weekend. The University of Minnesota recruit hit .351 for the weekend with 69 kills and a team-high 33 blocks. “She was arguably the best middle blocker in the field,” asserted coach Jeff Ham. “She was dominating at the net.”
MB: Erika Sayer, 6-2 Jr., Colorado Juniors 17Kevin (CO) – One of the nation’s top junior middles, Sayer was on her game this weekend. She led 17Kevin to first place at the region’s Top Flight Tournament. She hit .520 and added 15 blocks and six aces.
Libero: Emma Hager, 5-5 Soph., MAVS KC 15-1 (KS) – MAVS earned a Liberty bid at the NLQ over the weekend. “Emma was a nightmare for opponents all weekend, covering so much space in left and middle back and making it so challenging for left sides to score into the cross court,” noted coach Connor Gregston. “She took a large portion of the court in serve receive and helped poach balls from her pins who were able to focus on swinging. Her out of system setting also kept her attackers in rhythm throughout the weekend.”
Also considered (by position, in order of consideration):
S: Avery Scoggins, 6-0 Sr., Triangle 18 Black (NC) – The Univ. of Arizona signee led Triangle to victory in the 18 Open division at Florida Fest. She pursued every ball with her hands and gave 18 Black a chance to stay competitive at the net, her coach said.
***
OH: Delaney Russell, 5-9 Sr., Colorado Juniors 18Sherri (CO) – Coach Sherri Hawkins said that the presence of Russell, Colorado’s HS POY, in the lineup is a game changer for her team. In her first competition of the club season, the University of Montana signee had 40 kills and passed a 2.4 as 18Sherri competed well at the Top Flight Invitational for the best teams in the RMR. Hawkins added that Russell is an emotional sparkplug for the team as well.
OH: Olivia Stevens, 5-11 Fr., MAVS KC 15-1 (KS) – Stevens was integral to MAVS earning its bid in 15 Liberty at Northern Lights last weekend. She led the team in kills and played all six rotations on championship Sunday. “She was steady in her play, and contributed in all facets of the game,” said coach Connor Gregston. “We don’t earn our bid without her stepping up!”
OH: Hayden Koehler, 5-6 Fr., Southern Elite 15 Crimson (TN) – Koehler was outstanding at the Memphis Challenge this past weekend. Despite being weakened by the effcts of flu, she led her team in kills for the weekend and was a huge factor in helping her team go 3-0 in pool play to advance to the gold bracket. She finished the tournament with 32 kills and 5 aces.
OH: Ireland Sifuentes, 5-5 Fr., Empower of Eastvale 15 Haley (CA) – Sifuentes helped lead her regional team to three wins last weekend during a two-day SCVA tournament. She led her team in aces and finished top three in kills, digs, blocks and passer rating.
OH: Delaney Hayman, 5-11 Sr., JJVA 18 Teal (FL) – Hayman’s hard work to improve in the back court was evident this weekend for JJVA, which competed in 18 USA at Florida Fest. She finished with a team-high 35 digs, added 14 aces and 25 kills and maintained her composure in serve-receive to pass well despite being targeted continually.
***
MB: Olivia Wyma, 6-4 Sr., Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold (WI) – A Hope College recruit, Wyma has taken her game to a new level this year. This past weekend, she helped Sting qualify for 18s Junior Nationals in the 18 Open division at Northern Lights.
MB: Erika Hernandez, 6-2 Jr., Dallas Premier 17 Black (TX) –Hernandez was incredible at Northern Lights this past weekend. She hit .347 with 32 kills, and added four aces, as DP lost only to the top two finishers in 17 USA.
***
Libero: McKenna Yates, 5-7 Sr., Ocala Power United 17/18 Adidas (FL) – A Mississippi State recruit, Yates is a do-everything libero who plays with a chip on her shoulder and loves to do the dirty work. She had a great weekend in Ft. Lauderdale as OPU finished first in the 18 American division at Florida Fest. “Her first contact was on point and kept us in system most of the time,” noted coach Jeff Reavis.
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