While the club season has completed for most indoor girls volleyball players, Piedmont is seeing seven of its own continuing with post-season practices to prepare for the prestigious USA Volleyball Junior Nationals. These seven Piedmont High School and Piedmont Middle School players from two volleyball clubs — San Rafael’s Absolute and Walnut Creek’s Red Rock — have been invited to compete at the highest level of girls volleyball, playing against other top players across the country, at Nationals.
At the 15s level:
PHS sophomore Allyson Huynh will join her team, Absolute 15 Black, in Indianapolis where they will compete in the Liberty division at USAV Nationals. Absolute 15 Black competed in the 2026 Northern California Volleyball Association Regional Finals with a second place finish on May 10 out of 136 teams in the age group. The team also competed at the Northeast Qualifier tournament in Philadelphia, winning the tournament on April 5 and qualifying the team to play in the Liberty division at Nationals. This will be Huynh’s second appearance at Nationals. Huynh plays defensive specialist/libero for Absolute and is a setter and right-side hitter (opposite side or “Oppo”) for PHS.
PHS freshmen Hazel Schaffer and Carina Vora from Red Rock 15 earned a bid to Nationals after a dramatic finish at NCVA Regional Finals. The team entered the final weekend ranked No. 16 following strong showings in qualifier tournaments in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, narrowly missing earlier bid opportunities. Needing to climb into the top 15 to secure a bid, they faced immediate pressure from Huynh’s team, perennial powerhouse Absolute 15 Black. After a hard-fought loss, the path became clear: win three straight matches to earn an invitation, or else the season ends. Behind elite setting, steady leadership, and high level defensive play, team co-captain and libero Schaffer and setter Vora helped guide the team through a clutch three-match run. Their performance propelled the team to an 11th place finish on May 10, earning the team a Freedom bid to Nationals. Schaffer is a libero/defensive specialist and outside hitter for PHS, and Vora is a setter for PHS.
At the 14s level:
Piedmont Middle School eighth grader Campbell Miller will head to Nationals in Indianapolis with an Open bid. Her team Absolute 14 Black dominated the Northern California and Nevada competition, finishing the season No. 1 out of 143 teams in her age group in NCVA. Absolute 14 Black played in three national qualifier tournaments in the highest Open division, just narrowly missing a bid each time. In recognition of their play caliber, the team was awarded an At-Large Open bid by USAV at the close of the regular season. Miller plays middle blocker for Absolute and the PMS eighth grade team.
Also from the same volleyball club, PMS eighth grader Sarina Hill will be at Nationals competing in the USA division for the third consecutive year. Her team Absolute 14 Pink earned a No. 6 ranking to close the 2026 season, a rare feat where two teams from the same club finish in gold. Their finish also gave the team the distinction of double-bidding for Nationals when they earned a USA division bid based on their season-close results. Earlier in the season, Absolute 14 Pink competed in the Pacific Northwest Qualifier tournament in Spokane, Wash., which they won commandingly. Not a single set was dropped on their road to victory at that tournament, and the team received its first bid, in the Liberty division, to Nationals on April 5. Hill is a libero/defensive specialist for Absolute, and she plays several roles, including setter and libero, for the PMS eighth grade team.
At the 13s level:
Sofie Bechtel, a PMS eighth grader, competes on Absolute 13 Black. The team started the season ranked No. 7 out of 105 teams in their age group from Northern California and Nevada and remained in the NCVA gold bracket throughout the season. The team capped off the season with a fifth place finish at Regional Finals on May 10, securing the team a Liberty bid to Nationals. USAV Nationals for this age group will be played in Minnesota, and this will be Bechtel’s second appearance playing at this elite level. Bechtel is a libero/defensive specialist for Absolute and an outside hitter for the PMS eighth grade team.
PMS seventh grader Liva Olsen will be seeing Bechtel in Minnesota in June. Olsen is a leftie playing oppo for Absolute 13 Pink. The team earned its bid to Nationals at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier tournament in Spokane, where on the final day Absolute 13 Pink ironically faced its local nemesis, a team from Sacramento, while both teams were 1,000 miles away from home. Absolute 13 Pink battled hard, winning the tie-break third set to finish the tournament in third place and earning a bid to Nationals in the Liberty division. Olsen is an oppo for Absolute and an outside hitter for the PMS seventh grade team.