Triple Crown NIT Players to Watch – Absolute 17 Black
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One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Triple Crown NIT because of all of the talent that will be under one roof. It will be held in Kansas City, MO on February…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Triple Crown NIT because of all of the talent that will be under one roof. It will be held in Kansas City, MO on February 18-20th. We have quite a few of our wonderful California teams that will be present to showcase their skills amongst the nations best. We will be previewing some of these teams and telling college scouts which players they should be watching out for. Even though we can write about each and every athlete that contributes to their success, I am only going to cover a few players that are standing out to me in the beginning of the season. Let’s meet a few of them.
Jaden Hendrickson Jaden Hendrickson 6'0" | MB Redwood | 2024 State CA [2024] 6-0 Outside (HS: Redwood/Club: Absolute Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Jaden is currently an unranked prospect in the state according to the 2024 Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on my watch list and should have no problem making the list when I update it in a few weeks. She plays for Redwood High School and plays club for Absolute Volleyball. She is a big jumper who can throttle the ball on the pins for 17 Black. It is safe to say that she has exactly what it takes to be a lethal point scorer for any squad as her hang time allows her to be able to turn on the ball mid-air to paint the line if the defense gives is to her. Her ability to score from both the front row and back row while being a six-rotation outside is something that will make college coaches drool. Her ball control in every aspect of the game is elite to say the least. She shows offensive brilliance when she uses amazing hand contact to move the ball to wherever she wants to place it in order to score for her squad. Her passing average has to be well over a 2.5 from what I can see and this keeps her team in system when she is served to. She is a can’t miss recruit and should showcase very well in Kansas City next weekend.
Alana Villela Alana Villela 6'1" | MB California | 2024 State CA [2024] 6-1 Middle (HS: California/Club: Absolute Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Alana is currently ranked as the 48th best overall prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at California High School and also club for the awesome Absolute Volleyball program. Miss Villlela is someone who we have had our eye on for a while and she continues to progress and get better at her craft. She is a very talented middle who is a member of the famed ten foot club meaning she can approach touch ten feet high in the air, which is a coveted stat for many college programs across the country. She can run every route in the middle route tree with precision and great timing. You can see her timing on the fifty-one set as she contacts the ball out of the setter’s hands before the ball reaches its peak, which showcases super fast timing. Her power is immense and she showcases it when she cuts the ball around the block to the corners. One thing that stands out during her blocking is how she is able to time each hitter perfectly as a swing blocker on the pins. We will be spreading her name to a lot of schools who are still looking for a solid middle for their program.
Ellery Singleton Ellery Singleton 5'11" | S Woodside | 2024 State CA [2024] 5-11 Setter (HS: Woodside/Club: Absolute Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ellery is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Woodside High School and also club for Absolute Volleyball. Miss Singleton has great size for the setter position and plays strong in every aspect that she is asked to. That size allows her team to run her in a 5-1 when she is in the front row saving them a ton of substitutions. Her hands are very reliable as she moves the ball around fro pin-to-pin. I love that she can replicate each location regardless of the tempo over and over. She is not a defensive liability in the back row. Actually she picks up a lot of balls that are near her zone so her team can count on her to keep the rally going if the opponent chooses to try to take them out of system. More importantly I love how her coach and team trusts her to run slides out of defensive transition. Most squads are only running slides out of free balls of set offensive plays out of serve receive. Ellery is capable of getting her feet set and running the slide from many different locations on the court and this will keep her team very aggressive and competitive.
Other notable players for this legit roster are middle Anaya Thrower Anaya Thrower 6'3" | MB Vanden | 2024 State CA who provides a lot of stability for their defense out of the middle. She is long and powerful on the attack at the net with quick sets. Libero Jamie Low Jamie Low 5'5" | DS/L St. Ignatius | 2024 State CA is fast all over the court and does a great job creating and utilizing amazing angles in serve receive. She is a stud in the back row. We will be highlighting these young ladies and others from this team in another article after the tournament that we will watch in person. Stay tuned for more from this beast of a team.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Cali Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!