We are about halfway through the 2024 college volleyball season and I’ve had fun putting together my own all-star teams. I formed two teams, an East team and a West team, with the dividing line running along the easternmost borders of Texas and Nebraska.

That puts teams like Purdue, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Louisville and Penn State in the East, while teams like Washington, Texas, Stanford, Nebraska, SMU and Arizona State represent the West.

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These are my tips; let’s do it.

East All-Star Team

Outside hitter: Jess Mruzik
Outside hitter: Sarah Franklin
Opposite: Olivia Babcock
Middle blocker: Sophie Fischer
Middle blocker: Raven Colvin
Setter: Rachel Fairbanks
Libero: Elena Scott

For the East I chose Rachel Fairbanks as the delivery person. She runs one of the most efficient offenses in the country, she’s so dynamic – Pitt leads the nation in scoring. This was an easy decision for me.

For Libero, I’m going with Elena Scott from Louisville, another easy choice for me. She is one of the best to ever do it and her numbers are insane.

For my two underdogs, I choose Sarah Franklin of Wisconsin, the reigning national player of the year. Her vision of the field, her shot selection and a great passer. She is joined by Penn State’s Jess Mruzik, who averages 4.55 kills per set, brings a cannon of an arm and another great passer.

There are a lot of great opponents on this side of the country, including players like Emily Londot and Kennedy Martin, but I’m going with Olivia Babcock at Pitt. She is nearly unstoppable on offense and as a bonus, she is a deadly server.

3. Nationwide by points per set? Not bad, Liv 😏 pic.twitter.com/M2SHWamMoZ

— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) October 15, 2024

For my two midranges, I choose Raven Colvin from Purdue and Sophie Fischer from Georgia. Colvin is thriving this year, averaging nearly 4 points per set, hitting over .400 and ranking second nationally in blocks per set at 1.7. And Fischer is an attacking middle and a great server, averaging nearly 4.5 points per set and 1.4 blocks per set.

Now we turn our focus to the West.

West All-Star Team

Outside hitter: Melanie Parra
Outside hitter: Madi Skinner
Opposite: Naya Shime
Middle blocker: Andy Jackson
Middle blocker: Claire Jeter
Setter: Kami Miner
Libero: Lexi Rodríguez

I had a hard time deciding between Stanford’s Kami Miner and Creighton’s Kendra. Wait for my setter. I don’t think you can go wrong with either option, but I’m choosing Miner here. She runs a nice offensive.

Kami takes care of business 😎

💻 » https://t.co/VusvkwVPA1#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/bPbpmc8Qir

— Stanford Women’s Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) October 12, 2024

My two favorites at libero are Lexi Rodriguez from Nebraska and Mary Shroll from Arizona State. Shroll has flashier dig numbers, but I’m picking Rodriguez again, one of the best for this. She has less criticism because she is immediately avoided on the field and is one of the best passers in the game.

As for my two underdogs, it’s hard to pass up TCU’s Melanie Parra, the NCAA’s leading scorer. She leads the country in both points and kills per set and can take over any game.

And while the stats are great, I vote for Madi Skinner all day, every day. A three-time national champion and one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen. Elia Rubin was also a strong contender for this spot.

I’ll take Naya Shime from SMU as my counterpart. She can control the flow of a game and excel at blocking and passing against some of the best teams in the country.

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Finally, I’m taking Nebraska’s Andi Jackson as my starting centerfielder. She is simply an electric player from the middle, hitting .471 this season.

ANDI JACKSON IS SHE. BIG RED FRONT. TIME OUT, PURDUE. #GBR pic.twitter.com/PxIKaKXmKX

— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 12, 2024

For the second time, I was torn between Texas’ Mariana Singletary and Arizona State’s Claire Jeter. I’m taking Jeter because of her experience and strong offensive numbers. She has scored over 3 points per set and is batting over .455 this season. She has a great volleyball IQ and is difficult to defend.