18s Under The Radar Players From PVL Tourney 2 (Part 1)

Chris Tobolski

February 15, 2022 @ 09:37 PM

The Premier Volleyball League continued on two weekends ago out of the CLAVA facility in Lake Forest. The two-day tournament was the second of the season for the 18s, which features 12 of the top teams in So Cal. Sunshine 18 LA fended off Coast 18-1 in Sunday’s final to finish on top of the second tournament. Below, we write about seven players who fly under the radar but without doubt contribute to their teams in positive ways. Katie Rapp, OH, Rancho Valley 18 Premier – The go-to hitter for Rancho Valley, Rapp carries a big load, especially offensively. She’s a springboard who gets off the ground quick and gets up in the air well so it’s easy to see why Rancho rides her. Defenses need to keep an eye on her as she’ll be used on the attack both front and back row. [player_tooltip player_id="163269" first="Brooke" last="Pattschull"], MB, A4 Volley 18 Joaco – A tall presence in the middle for A4, Pattschull can bring a different element to the offense when checked in across the front row. With her height, she can be set high and is able to attack over the block. Also, she’s solid from the service line with a ball that comes from a high angle and can cause problems for passers. Livi Narancich, OH, So Cal 18 Iona – So Cal relies plenty on Narancich. She has a smart knack for scoring and her number gets called often whether front or back row. She also plays a key role in serve receive for So Cal. Emma Blackford, L/DS, So Cal 18 Iona – Blackford helps to set the tone defensively for So Cal. She has nice range and is a capable digger and can even make some tough saves like she did with some one-arm ups. She also has a tough serve. Julie St. Pierre, S, Surfside 18 Legends – It’s more important to be a consistent setter than a flashy one and that’s St. Pierre. She delivers hittable balls time and time again as she has good hands. She’s also able to move the ball around well with good placement on her back sets. [player_tooltip player_id="162791" first="Fatima" last="Sheriff"], MB, Coast 18-1 – Coast has weapons, enough so that Sheriff can get overlooked in the middle. She has a good length which comes in handy as she moves well for her height. Coast will get her involved offensively too, as she can score on the quick and from the right side as well. [player_tooltip player_id="159521" first="Rhiann" last="Sheffie"], MB, Mizuno Long Beach 18 Rockstar – Sheffie is similar to Sheriff in that Long Beach has pieces everywhere it can go to so Sheffie can get lost in the mix. Beach struggles passing at times which really hurts the middle being able to get involved. But Sheffie is quick, sets up well for the attack and knows how to score when her number is called.