Twenty-four of the class of 2009’s top prep volleyball players from around the country participated in the second annual Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match & Skills Competition last December in Tampa, Fla. As part of the premier high school volleyball All-America match in the country, the athletes were treated to the opportunity to play in the St. Pete Times Forum, competing on the same fl oor that hosted the epic NCAA championship match the previous night.

The contest, broadcast on ESPNU, also gave its participants an opportunity for their fi rst national television exposure.

Under Armour’s event capped off fi ve days of volleyball festivities, highlighted also by the NCAA matches and AVCA Annual Convention. These events together truly have become “The Show” for all of volleyball in the country, the place to be each year for all volleyball enthusiasts.

These events already showcase the leading collegiate and Olympic coaches and athletes in the country, and now 24 players of the next generation have the opportunity to be part of The Show, the biggest volleyball weekend of the year.

The girls arrived in Tampa on Friday afternoon, December 18, to accommodations at the Westin Harbour Island Hotel, which sits alongside the channel that runs through downtown. After just enough time to get adjusted to their new surroundings, the girls were whisked away to the Tampa Convention Center, site of the 2009 AVCA Convention.

Friday night at the AVCA Convention means it’s time to celebrate the best collegiate players from around the country, as everyone comes together in one place to commemorate the year in women’s college volleyball. AVCA All-Americans From Division I, as well as the Nfi nity/AVCA Players of the Year from all collegiate divisions, receive their honors for an outstanding season, in an elegant, exciting atmosphere that is unparalleled to any awards presentation of its kind.

Not only did these high school seniors get to share the room with the best collegiate players in the country, they also got to hear from an executive at CBS College Sports, and sit several feet away from volleyball legends Karch Kiraly and Sinjin Smith, as well as U.S. Women’s National Team and Olympic gold medal winning coach Hugh McCutcheon.

Morgan Odale, a senior at Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho, who will play collegiately for Utah, called the banquet an “eye opener.” Saturday morning it was off to Tampa Prep High School, and time for the girls, and their coaches, to get to know one another on the court. After two hours of practice and a short break for lunch, the athletes tried their hand at six skills competitions, as preliminary rounds were held in such challenges as hardest hitter, best defender and best setter, among others.

Nobody could have anticipated the spectacle the girls would get to witness that evening at the Forum, as Penn State put their 101-match win streak on the line against Texas, the Nittany Lions in search of their third consecutive national championship, and second consecutive undefeated season. The instant classic that unfolded concluded with a 3-2 Penn State win, a remarkable fi nish to a historic season.

“Watching those athletes compete on Saturday night was so exciting, and made me want to be out there on the court,” said Kelly Reeves from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, Calif., and a future UCLA Bruin.

“Hopefully someday I will be out there playing for an NCAA Championship!” Finally it was Sunday, and now that the lights had dimmed on this year’s college volleyball season, it was time for the stars of tomorrow to step onto the championship fl oor and put their abilities on display.

After each team administered a light practice, as well as a run-through and some quick recordings for television, the fi rst two skills competitions were decided, best passer and best server.

The girls got one more unexpected surprise, as Olympian Nicole Branagh showed up for a pep talk and to hit around with the girls before the match. Branagh stayed for the duration of the match, taking in the action and cheering on the players. (See an interview with Nicole Branagh on page 24.)

Once the crowd fi led in and the match was underway, both teams played hard and battled back-and-forth for three sets. However, for the second consecutive season, Team Red won the match, this time in a three-set sweep, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20. Team White put forth a gallant effort, as they were short two players who were unable to compete due to injury, in addition to one who was playing with a bandaged wrist.

Maddie Martin, a Penn State signee and a local product of Plant High School in Tampa, earned Most Undeniable Player honors for Team Red hitting at a .357 clip for the match with seven kills on 14 attempts and only two errors. She added a block assist and three digs.

Northwestern University signee Stephanie Holthus from Burlington Central High School in Burlington, Ill., was named Most Undeniable Player for Team White. Holthus had four kills, two errors on 11 attempts and added fi ve digs defensively.

(Get to know the 2009 Most Undeniable Players on pages 18-19.)

In between sets, the fi nalists competed in the four remaining skills competitions: hardest hitter for outsides and middles, best setter and best defender. (For a complete list of skills competition winners, see the box on the right.)

Once the trophies were awarded, photos taken and good-byes said, just like that it was over; a whirlwind weekend where these 24 high school seniors had the opportunity to not only be part of a nationally televised match in a prominent arena, but also getting to meet people and experience other events that they will remember forever.

Reeves, the UCLA signee, put it like this: “I can’t thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to play with the top 24 girls in the nation. I enjoyed every second, from getting up to 4:30 a.m. on Friday to get to the airport, until Sunday afternoon when I got on the plane to come back home. I will always treasure this weekend.”