A Few Hitters and Defenders To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are five athletes to watch from a recent CIF Southern Section match:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ave Garcia</strong> | 2024 | DS | Westmont High School<br>The controlled play of Ave Garcia starts with what seems to be a focus of contacting each attack or serve in her midline. Keeping the ball in between her shoulders gives her a very compact space to work with that is effective for her three rotations. She patrols the backcourt and plays relaxed. When she plays the ball outside her body, Garcia commits to performing the skill early. She appears to have great communication with her teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marina Halbert</strong> | 6'2" | 2024 | MB | Westmont High School <br>Marina Halbert is a safe and careful player. When playing middle, that is important in the battle for net supremacy. Her arm swing starts from a relatively low spot and rounds out at the top. This is difficult to defend. Specifically, it is easy for her to either hit the ball deep or tip it short. Halbert definitely finds the open court. When blocking she reaches a height of the first white on the antenna. Additionally, she gets where she needs to go to get many great block touches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Audrey Jones</strong> | 5'9" | L | Westmont High School<br>Assertive and smart are two attributes to describe the game of Audrey Jones. It appears she has so much respect from her teammates that they become expectant of her to make any play in her vicinity. This is excellent for a libero to command such attention on defense. Technically, she shuffles effectively to the ball and has firm shoulders. If the Warriors decided to speed the overall pace of play, Jones would lead that charge. Her posture and technique create a great potential for a fast paced, low height offensive system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brianna Dalzochio </strong>| '" | 2024 | OH | Branham High School<br>Having a big window, like Brianna Dalzochio, is both tough for defenders and nice for the setter setting this middle hitter. The setter very likely feels she can place the ball anywhere for her. Additionally, Dalzochio likely feels she can hit many ways whether that is straight ahead or in either direction. She is reactive on the net and stays involved when the play is disrupted by the opponent's block. When blocking, she touches a height of the first white on the antenna. She is also amazingly up before the attacker so nothing will be falling between her and the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='538056' first='Giselle' last='Paedon'] </strong>| 6'2" | 2025 | OH/OPP | Branham High School<br>Arm use is something that generates a lot for [player_tooltip player_id='538056' first='Giselle' last='Paedon']. Specifically, she brings her arms way back and up before attacking. This momentum helps her with an ability to hit nearly every inch of the 900 square feet with a hard driven attack. She is open to battle with the opponent in that she often faces where she hits. As an enthusiastic teammate, Paedon can often be found given emphatic double high fives. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->