ON THE RADAR
A quick look at the rising stars in the USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline
Jaylen Jasper Arnold, Maryland
Jaylen Jasper, a 6-7 opposite with An- napolis Volleyball Club who touches half an inch shy of 12 feet, helped the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team win silver at the 2016 NORCECA Men’s U19 Continental Champion- ship in Cuba and qualify for the 2017 FIVB Men’s U19 World Championship. He finished eighth in scoring at NORCECA with 68 points, tops on Team USA, with a 41.5 kill percent for fifth in the tournament. Jasper also ranked fourth in blocks with 0.63 blocks per set. He
was selected to the USA Boys’ Select A1 in both 2014 and 2015 and participated in the 2015 USAV Boys’ Holiday Training Program.
Logan Eggleston Franklin, Tennessee
Logan Eggleston, a 6-2 outside hitter with Alliance Volleyball Club, was a key contributor on the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team that finished with silver at the 2016 NORCE- CA Women’s U18 Continen- tal Champion- ship. In her international debut, she was Team USA’s second-leading scorer with 59 points, includ- ing 38 kills, 16
aces and six blocks in five matches. Eggleston also passed over a third of the Americans’ receptions, passing at better than 70 percent in system. Last fall as a high school freshman, she helped Brentwood High School to the Tennessee state championship title and was named all-region.
Lexi Sun Encinitas, California
Lexi Sun was named Best Outside Hitter at the 2016 NORCECA Women’s U18 Continental Championship as she led the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team to the silver medal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Last year she was a member of the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team that captured silver at the 2015 FIVB Women’s U18 World Championship in Peru. At age 15, Sun made her first appearance in the USAV
High Performance Pipeline in 2013 as part of the U.S. Women’s U23 National Team that competed in the FIVB Women’s U23 World Championship and finishing in fourth place.
Reese Devilbiss Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania
Outside hitter Reese Devilbiss helped the U.S. Men’s Junior Na- tional Team to the 2016 NORCECA Men’s U21 Con- tinental Champi- onship title, thus qualifying the U.S. for the 2017 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship. He ranked eighth in serving during NORCECA with a 0.38 ace average to go with 17 points. Devilbiss, who begins his collegiate career at Ohio State this spring, was part of the U.S. Boy’s Youth Team to a seventh-place finish at the 2015 FIVB Men’s U19 World Championship. He sparked the Keystone Region to the 2014 USAV High Performance Championship Inter- national Youth Division title.
Mima Mirkovic Irvine, California
Clay Messenger St. Augustine, Florida
Clay Messenger competed in the 2016 FIVB Men’s U19 Beach World Championships with partner Rob Mullahey, placing 17th in his first international competition. He qualified for the World Championship by finishing second at the USAV Beach High Performance U19 Trials. Last year Messenger won silver at the USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Champi- onships U17 Open Division, partnering with Adam Wienckowski as Team Florida. He won the 2015 King of the Beach competition in the USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Camp’s U19 Division. As a libero in the indoor game, Messenger helped Ocean Bay VBC place fifth at the 2016 USAV Boys’ Junior National Championships 18 Open Division.
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Mima Mirkovic is a member of USA Vol- leyball’s A1 U19 Beach Volleyball Team. She captured the bronze medal at the FIVB Women’s U19 World Champion- ship this summer with partner Kathryn Plummer. Mirkovic won the inaugural USAV Queen of the Beach in the high school division this summer. She also placed second at the USAV Beach U19 Trials Tournament and third at the USAV Beach High Performance Champion- ships Women’s U19 with Plummer. Mirkovic has committed to play for University of California-Berkeley in both indoor and beach volleyball.
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: JASPER FAMILY, USAV, USAV, FIVB, CLAY MESSENGER, USAV
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