2024 Rankings Breakdown: 5 of the Top 50 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the high school volleyball season starting up in the sunshine state, another breakdown of the 2024 rankings is upon us. I'm focusing on the top 50; specifically who I think can really shoot their way up the rankings in the upcoming update. To remind everyone of what I look for in my rankings, it really starts with the pure athleticism and volleyball IQ that the athletes are able to show on a consistent basis. These 5 athletes that I am writing about today showed me that they have the necessary tools to push themselves up the rankings and really take a hold of the top positional players in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='444413' first='Amelia' last='Wass de Czege'] (#45): TVA - Middle Blocker</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest standout attribute to Amelia is her height and size at the position. Most girls with her size don't have the same level of athleticism as she does along with the footwork at the position. When playing the middle position one of the things I look for is the ability to close on blocks to the pins as well as transitioning off the net to hit. Amelia does a great job on taking two big explosive steps to close to either pin on her block. Most middles don't do the work to get out to the pin as they will just reach outside of their body, leaving seams open in between them and the hitter or allowing those hitters to sneak under her. The consistency of her getting her feet out to close the block is impressive. Her handwork on her blocking is exceptional as she makes small adjustments to shape around the ball. On offense she uses her height to her advantage by hitting high and deep or pushing the ball to the shallower parts of the court as well. She has the awareness to understand defenses and how she needs to make quick adjustments to put the ball where it needs to go. Amelia could really move up the rankings if she shows a little more consistency with her power swing both down the line and into the angle. Once she can get the defender on her heels, the shots she's able to pull off will only help the court feel wide open with options. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='411392' first='Samantha' last='Bowron'] (#36): Top Select - Outside Hitter</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Samantha is a dynamic hitter with range to die for. The most impressive aspect of her hitting prowess is her approach. She does a fantastic job with spacing and timing to be able to bait blockers and defenders into the hard swing, yet skilled enough to throw a tip or a roll from the same approach speed. Most girls her age don't have the discipline or the control of their body to be able to execute that skill consistently. It really helps her open up the court for both hard swings as well as her shots because it forces the defense to be on their heels and thinking rather than expecting an outcome based on slowing down or dropping her elbow. She approaches the ball so aggressively that defenders are forced to sit, allowing her tips and roll shots to be very effective. Outside of her approach, she does a great job opening and closing on the ball when she does decide to swing fast. She uses her body really well to take pressure off her shoulder and adds another factor that the defense needs to take into consideration. On the defensive side it is clear to me that she uses the IQ she has on offense and uses those same ques to make good plays on the ball. Whether she's blocking or defending in the backrow, it always seems like she knows what is going to happen before it does. This allows her to make good reads to get in better position to block or dig the ball. The biggest thing that Samantha could do to push herself up the rankings is to use her athleticism more and to make even more dynamic plays on the offensive end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='411386' first='Laney' last='Perdue'] (#29): OTVA - Outside/Opposite Hitter</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laney is one of the biggest offensive threats on this list. She has a super dynamic swing from both sides of the court. Her range from both sides of the court is very wide, as she is able to turn down the line and into the angle on the right side. From the left side she is just as dynamic being able to face angle and rotate her arm to swing hard down the line or face the line and drop her shoulder and swing into the angle. Not only is it rare for someone to have the flexibility and control of their swing from both sides, but she does a great job using her body to swing through the ball when she wants to put a lot of power onto it. What allows her swing to be so dynamic is the spacing and explosiveness she gets through her approach. She has the same timing and consistency with her footwork to close her feet to the ball. It's really fun to watch her not only hit around the block but her IQ on where to hit outside of the block is what might be even more impressive. Being mainly a front row right side for her club team doesn't allow her defensive capability to be on display, but you can tell just from how she's able to cover so much court on offense that it should be an easy transition into the defensive side. I can't wait to see her game grow this year and hopefully will be given more opportunity to show off her blocking and her backrow digging during this upcoming varsity and club seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='411382' first='Alexis' last='Weinburg'] (#25): BVA - Outside/Opposite Hitter</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alexis is what most college programs dream of being able to develop. She's a tall yet athletic pin who can hit on both sides of the court and really takes advantage of her height and length. Offensively Alexis does a stellar job keeping her distancing consistent to keep the ball in front. Off of her last two steps is when she really takes advantage of her length, hitting high over the net while still getting good control with her hand on the ball. She has a very quick swing, which helps her use all of the length to hit over blockers as well as being able to make last second adjustments to force the ball into spots. The most impressive part of Alexis's game is her fast swing because most players with her profile wouldn't have the balance, control, or discipline to use it to their advantage as consistently as she does. What's enticing for me when I watch her is the potential she has to play at a very high level at the next part of her volleyball career. When it comes to the defensive side of the ball, her block touch allows her to not only reach high against big hitters, but the discipline to grab the ball over the net when it is tight or a hitter who likes to swing low. One thing that I really want to see more from Alexis is her passing in serve receive as well as her digging in the backrow. When she gets the opportunity to pass you can see that she has the technique to get it done. Now it's getting more opportunities to show off those skills both during her upcoming high school and club seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='444411' first='Taylor' last='Teaman'] (#43): JAX Skyline - Libero/DS</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor is an impressive libero as her stats and play on the court speaks for itself. The discipline she has on the court in her positioning and her movements on defense are elite. She makes great reads from her base position to be able to get stopped and make good moves to the ball. The control and discipline she has over her body to not only be stopped but to be in a ready position is one of the hardest skills to teach liberos. Her eye work on the defensive end only helps in her reads to get into position on defense. Once the ball is hit at her, no matter the position, she's able to diagnose and create a platform that is going to put the ball in a good position for her team to run her offense. You can tell on film that she understands situations and gives different types of passes based on said situation. For example, if the pin hitter is showing a tip, she will crash for the tip and put the pass high on top of the setter to be able to run all 3 options in the front row. In that same context, if the ball is hit hard at her she understands to dig the ball high and off the net so her setter can get her feet under the ball. In serve receive she's very calm with her posture and is able to create angles early. She gets her platform behind the ball early so she's able to control the pass and make small adjustments if needed. One of the things I am looking forward to seeing from Taylor is her ability to take up more court and expand her range on both serve receive and defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest factor for me when it comes to moving up the rankings, especially during the high school season, is to see how much these athletes can impact their school teams. No matter the position they play in club or in high school ball, the consistency and the different levels of athleticism in comparison to their peers really helps convince me that they will be able to have a similar impact at the next level. Looking at these 5 athletes, they have shown a willingness not only to improve their own game but to make an impact on the players and the team around them. Look out for these 5 stars having a great chance of moving up in the rankings this upcoming update. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->