Liberos Who Are Leaving a Big Impression

I’ll be honest, watching and evaluating a libero takes time. Some coaches can walk by a court in warm ups, see an attacker and automatically put a star next to their name. However, for liberos, there are so many different skills to see and the higher the competition there is, the more you see liberos play a crucial part in everything they can do from serve receive, taking pace off a hard driven ball, and putting up a hittable ball out of system to their attackers. Here are a few liberos who have really left an impression on me this past club season. They may all be a little different in their own way, starting to make a name for themselves. I’m not ranking them by any means, just saying I saw them play live and they definitely left an impression. Alyssa Manitzas - Alamo 15 Elite (TX) (Title Photo) Class of 2023 Her smile lights up the court and so does her game. She’s gritty yet under control. Alamo 15 Elite made it to the finals of Triple Crown behind a very balanced offensive attack and solid ball control where they always seemed to be in system. Manitzas can serve receive and puts herself in the right place at the right time with her high IQ. Her positive energy and enthusiasm is contagious which just leads to a huge ball of momentum for her side of the net. She has the skill, but also has so many intangibles that you can’t necessarily teach. Definitely a showstopper for me at Triple Crown. [player_tooltip player_id="24842" first="Josie" last="Bloom"] - Legacy 16 Adidas (MI) Class of 2022 I’ve been known to make some far out analogies, but Bloom plays the libero position as if she is a world class figure skater - she just glides, so smooth with her movements, and makes something really difficult seem easy. She is a huge key to the success for Legacy 16 Adidas with her ability to get their 6-2 offense in system. They are so balanced and can stress the other side of the net with their ability to score from pin to pin while having middles who are major offensive threats. Bloom does the little things that make a major difference for her team. [player_tooltip player_id="79242" first="Alayna" last="Finucan"] - Club Ignit Select 16 Blue (IA) [caption id="attachment_89157" align="alignright" width="381"] Finucan (black jersey)[/caption] Class of 2022 Club Ignit Select has one of the top outsides in the country from the Class of 2022 in [player_tooltip player_id="17322" first="Hayden" last="Kubik"], but enroute to their Triple Crown title, libero [player_tooltip player_id="79242" first="Alayna" last="Finucan"] was taking away a ton of points from the other side of the net which led to big swings by Kubik and the other Club Ignit attackers. Finucan is quick, she’s everyone, but under control. She has great hands as well which can’t be said about all liberos. She is a major priority for college coaches in the Class of 2022 for liberos in Iowa. [player_tooltip player_id="73495" first="Kate" last="Thibault"] - MN Select 17-1 Class of 2023 She’s been playing varsity libero since she was in middle school (In Minnesota you can play varsity in 7th grade). She’s been on a state gymnastics team as well and is now playing up two age groups alongside her sister [player_tooltip player_id="10109" first="Paige" last="Thibault"] who has committed to Virginia. If Bloom is figure skating, then Thibault is doing a gymnastics floor routine. She is super gritty with her ability to cover a wide range, but also be under control. She also has this fight and competitiveness of no fear while wearing her heart on her sleeve. That’s the player you want on your side of the net. [player_tooltip player_id="81261" first="Madisen" last="Miller"] - FC Elite 17 Navy (WI) Class of 2022 I remember seeing Miller play last year while she was a DS playing up on the FC Elite 16s team. Then I saw her again in the summer playing at the Badger Team Camp and she looked like a totally different player which then progressed into the Fall as the libero for Appleton North, advancing to the state tournament, and this season for FC Elite 17 Navy she has owned the position. She has a thirst for the game and is constantly looking to improve and is excelling at a high level, definitely rising among the elite in the Class of 2022.