Red Rock Rave NQ Top Performers Vol 2
Tons of talent gathered together in Las Vegas over the weekend for the Red Rock Rave Week Two National Qualifier. This is one of the toughest Qualifiers to play in since it garners attention from two of the most talented…
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Continue ReadingTons of talent gathered together in Las Vegas over the weekend for the Red Rock Rave Week Two National Qualifier. This is one of the toughest Qualifiers to play in since it garners attention from two of the most talented states for indoor volleyball in Texas and California. Both states have dominated club volleyball for quite a while and this weekend was a testament to that. Let’s take a look at the players who stood out to me for a variety of reasons.
Sarah Mendoza Sarah Mendoza 5'7" | DS/L Colleyville Heritage | 2025 State TX [2025] 5-7 Libero (HS: Southlake Carroll/Club: Drive Nation/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Sarah is currently ranked as the 82nd best overall prospect according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays at Southlake Carroll High School and also for the nationally recognized Drive Nation program. I have watched this young lady for the past couple of years and she is just getting better and better each time that she steps on the court. The way she plays the game can be classified as fearless. Her body is very physically strong and she was built to be a back row floor general. I love how serious she is on the court and stays focused on the task at hand…win! She seems to see the play happening before it does and that comes from the focus at reading the hitter and being ready with amazing reaction time. That reaction time was seen many times whens he was able to pull her hands up fast and dig overhead balls with ease. Not many liberos are able to use their hands to dig, but this is what makes Sarah so dangerous. This extends her range well beyond the average player her size and helps her team’s ball control. She was masterful all weekend and especially during the gold bracket matches helping her team secure a bid to USA Volleyball’s Junior Nationals this summer.
Yuri Park Yuri Park 5'3" | DS/L Rancho Bernardo | 2025 State #61 Nation CA [2025] 5-3 Libero (HS: Rancho Bernardo/Club: Wave/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Yuri is currently an unranked prospect according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet. She should have no trouble being listed once I update them in a few weeks. She plays at Rancho Bernardo High School and also for the nationally recognized Wave Volleyball program. I have watched this young lady since last summer at nationals and I am very impressed with her entire skill set in the libero position. I always talk about how calm she is on the court because it is a gift that she possesses. No matter what the score is, this young lady doesn’t let anything affect her play. This kind of mental consistency is key to creating a championship environment. What stood out to me the most about her physical play was how fast she was able to extend her range laterally for balls well outside of her zone. This push-off with her outside foot allows her to lunge out and tough that ball that is in the seam of the defense. I am not sure there is a faster libero in the state of Cali that can challenge Yuri’s foot-speed. Very rarely will you see her heels touch the ground and this keeps her very bouncy so that her feet do not stick to the ground while moving to the ball. Some people were born to play the position and that is exactly what I see when I watch Miss Park play.
Sophia Meyer [2023] 5-7 Libero (HS: Point Loma/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Sophia is currently an unranked prospect according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on our watch list and will for sure be listed when we update them next. She plays at Point Loma High School and also plays club for the nationally recognized Coast volleyball program. She might be the best libero in the state of Cali with what I saw at this tournament. In the championship match, she repeatedly took the best shots from one of the most high-powered offensive teams in the nation and just smiled and said, “Is that all you got?” what was super impressive about her play was not just the softening of the hard driven balls, but how she used her whole body to collapse and absorb the contact. This kept the ball on her team’s side and allowed them to keep the pressure on their opponent. Not only that, her defense was frustrating the would-be scorers to the point that they had to constantly try to mix up their shots in order to try to score. This young lady plays the position the way it should be and it is very fun to watch. If you have not seen her play, I suggest you give her a watch.
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