Florida Teams Shine at the Molten Pre-Qualifier

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Molten Florida Pre-Qualifier featured over 250 teams playing on 44 courts at two different venues in the Tampa Bay region with the Open and USA divisions competing solely at the Tampa Convention Center and the Club divisions competing at the Florida State Fairgrounds. A majority of the Florida club programs entered this Level 1 event which also included several high caliber teams from out of state. Here are a few of the Florida teams who shined:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='444416' first='Kaylin' last='Johnson'] -- OH/RS - 6'2" - 2024 - Tallahassee Volleyball Academy - Chiles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='444416' first='Kaylin' last='Johnson'] is simply next level. The 2022 Leon County Player of the Year for Lawton Chiles was dominant in helping the Tallahassee Volleyball Academy 17 Open team take home the gold medal. The 17s went 9-0 over three days to capture the gold medal in the 17 Open division, winning each match in dominant fashion while losing just one set. Johnson, who was one of just a few Florida players to rank in the top five in all four statistical categories during the 2022 high school season, finished the 2022 preps season second in kills, fifth in blocks, fourth in aces and second in hitting percentage while helping Chiles win a district title.&nbsp;She showcased her diverse skill set during the weekend for TVA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laney Sparkman -- OH - 5'7" - 2024 - Tallahassee Volleyball Academy - Chiles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter Laney Sparkman helped lead the TVA Club team to a 6-0 record over three days without losing a set. Sparkman showcased the ability to play on the left and right as an attacker, dig to the ball with precision in the middle back and jump serve to different zones.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181249' first='Aubrie' last='Arnold'] -- Libero - 5'5" - 2024 - Tallahassee Volleyball Academy - Liberty County</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simply put, [player_tooltip player_id='181249' first='Aubrie' last='Arnold'] is a highlight reel playing at the back as a libero and defensive specialist. She hustles after everything. I mean, everything. She usually is able to get a touch on it, too. She handles hard driven balls with a solid platform and passes the ball with ease. She gets extremely low on loose balls, often doing rolls, crouches or splits to handle mishits or out of reach balls. Possibly her best attribute is getting into position behind the hitter off of blocks from the other team, where she's able to get under the ball and pass it to the setter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Natalie Gibson -- Setter - 5'7" - 2027 - Tallahassee Volleyball Academy - Chiles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Natalie Gibson can play both the setter and right side position with the same degree of efficiency and effectiveness. She has a nice mini jump set and it gets to the hitters at a decent angle to drive it hard for winners. As a freshman at Chiles, she finished with 683 assists, which was 25th in the state of Florida. Gibson also plays the right side and has an impressive lift on her hits and she can roll the ball over top of blockers. Finally, she has an awesome jump serve which she gets on top of the ball and serves it with pace and power. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sofia Sierra -- OH - 5'6" - 2026 - OTVA - Sunlake </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sofia Sierra's official position is outside hitter but she demonstrated an ability to play several positions during the weekend for the OTVA 14 Laura team. Sierra was instrumental in helping the 14s squad capture the gold in the 16 USA division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Candice Holloway -- OH - 6'1" - 2027 - OTVA - Keswick Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter Candice Holloway used her height to dominate for OTVA 14 Laura. Holloway was almost unstoppable at the net when given a quality set. It's the reason OTVA didn't lose a set over eight matches at the Molten Pre-Qualifiers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='455032' first='Lara' last='Matta'] -- OH - 5'11" - 2025 - Tampa North - Plant</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='455032' first='Lara' last='Matta'], who earned first team All State as a sophomore at Plant (Tampa), was dominant in helping Tampa North win seven of eight matches, including a hard fought 2-1 gold medal victory over OTVA 15 T Liz. The 5-foot-11 hitter showcased an ability to hit with power from the back row as well as driving the ball straight to the ground on sets at the net. Matta is a force to be reckoned with and she's one of the reasons Tampa North U15 Black captured the 2022 USA Girls Junior National Championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marissa Forness -- OH - 5'8" - 2024 - Legacy Volleyball Club - Orangewood Christian </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter Marissa Forness, who was an all-district MVP player for her Orangewood Christian preps team, was huge in helping Legacy Volleyball Club win six of eight games and almost capture the gold medal against Red Storm 17 National before losing a hard fought battle 25-18, 31-29.&nbsp;Forness showcased her unique skill set in being able to play outside hitter as a lefthander. Forness also demonstrated an ability to play the right side. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->