Florida Outsides: The Best in 2025

<p>The next position I want to breakdown for the 2025 rankings would be the outside hitter position. Like my last article highlighting setters, I will be excluding the top outside [player_tooltip player_id='201887' first='Kelly' last='Kinney']. The athletes I am going to talk about bring their own style to the game as well as being 6 rotation options for their teams. The outside position is the one position that asks that prospect to be proficient in all aspects of the game. Blocking, hitting, digging, passing, and even setting are all skills that these five athletes have shown both in person and on film. When ranking outsides I really look for athletes who have top tier athleticism but have the skills to execute no matter what the situation is. The players who really stick out from the others is their dynamic play on both sides of the court. For example, on offense the outside hitters who use their body effectively while having range of speeds and locations are the hardest to find. The five athletes I am going to be writing about exhibit the traits that any college coach would love to have in their program. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455001' first='Tekoa' last='Barnes'] - Tribe (#4)</h2>   <p>Tekoa is one of the most dynamic outsides I have seen in some time. From her athleticism and bounce to her IQ and understanding of the game, she's a special prospect. The thing that catches your eye when you first watch her is how easy she makes everything look. Everything she does it looks easy to the untrained eye, but from my perspective it's the one thing that is so impressive about her game. She's so efficient with her footwork that she's able to close distance to the ball when passing or hitting with ease. The same idea goes with her arm swing; it's compact enough to be quick but explosive and dynamic enough to be able to put balls away. Although she's not the biggest player on this list, she uses everything she has to be an effective outside. She's such a force on the offensive end that it's easy to forget about the great things she does in the other aspects of the game. Her passing and digging technique is up there with a lot of libero prospects in the sense of technique and simplicity to be able to repeat those techniques time and time again. Not only is she this dynamic force on offense but brings a huge boost to her team defensively as a blocker and as a defender in the backrow. When blocking she uses her hands and footwork to position herself in front of the ball. She may not get stuff blocks the whole time but at minimum she gets a great touch for her team to play off of. Tekoa may not be the traditional top level recruit, with all the skill and IQ she does have for the game I won't be surprised when she's playing at the highest levels in her future. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455015' first='Amina' last='N'diaye'] - OTVA (#9)</h2>   <p>Amina is an absolute problem for teams dealing with her in the front row. Not only is she able to swing high and over blockers, she's also able to block the ball straight down with good technique. For her club team on offense, she's able to swing and score from all parts of the court whether it be from the outside, right side, or even a 2 ball in the middle. She does such a great job with keeping the ball in front and using her height and length to her advantage. Just watching her highlights it makes you gasp and worry about the defenders on the other side with how powerful and fast her swings are. Amina uses her whole body and yet is smart enough to use different arm angles to get past blockers. The whip she uses not only with her arm but with her body driving through the ball is scary to say the least. She's just as intimidating an option on the defensive side as a blocker. She understands positioning and eye work to be able to not only be in good position with her feet but to be able to press hard over the net to shut down the opposing hitters. She's such a dynamic athlete and front row option that it really understates how good of an all around volleyball player she really is. When she does go to the backrow, she has the grit and determination to get balls up and place those digs in positions for their offense to still work. It's very rare to see a player with her size and ability in the front row to have the willingness and the skill to also be an asset to her team in the backrow. I can't wait to see what Amina brings to both her club and high school teams this season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455016' first='Samantha' last='Soderlund'] - Gulfside (#10)</h2>   <p>Samantha is probably not only one of the tallest outsides in the state but also one of the longest. The best part about that is she knows how to use all of that height and size to her advantage. Most girls at her size are a little uncoordinated and don't have the balance or strength to be able to execute at the highest levels; Samantha is not only very coordinated but has the balance and understanding of her body to take advantage of all that length. Watching her in person it's so impressive to see a player at her size have the skill she does. She's not just a long and lanky outside who hits hard all the time, but has the IQ and repertoire as a volleyball player to execute the necessary swing, tip, or roll to get her team the point. She creates such havoc for opposing defenses because if they leave a hole in the block she can bounce the ball straight down, but yet if they do a good job of closing she has the ability to tool, roll over, swing over, and swing outside of the block with speed. Defensively in the front row she does a great job positioning herself to funnel the opposing offense to her best defenders and will take advantage of tight sets by blocking the ball as well. Samantha is an intriguing prospect to watch as she is so smooth with her passing as well. She has great technique when passing in serve receive and digging on defense that it allows her range to grow every time I get to watch a game. She's the typical recruit that college coaches want on their programs not just because of her skill and size but the total package she brings as a volleyball player. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455028' first='Amaria' last='King'] - JAX Skyline (#14)</h2>   <p>My favorite part of watching Amaria is her rhythm and timing of her hitting approach. It's a beauty to watch and an underestimated part of being a great hitter. She does an incredible job with keeping the ball in front of her hitting shoulder and being on time. Once she's in the air, she uses her entire body to whip through the ball. It really is a sight to see her hit the ball with such ease yet with such force at the same time. It's a deadly combination of being able to be relaxed and flow through your footwork then being able to rip through the ball like she's a major league pitcher. She hits the ball with such pace that it rarely ever gets dug, and even when it does it usually isn't in a great position for that defense to transition into their offense. Because of how good her footwork and timing is, she allows herself to use her eyes and IQ to see the court and make quick decisions. She's not only a fantastic hitter but makes passing and defending look just as easy. She has great form and understands how to get around the ball with her feet and shoulders together. Amaria really makes the game look so easy to her and it really forces the other team to go away from her on the serving line and on offense. She's the true definition of a hitter who has all of the skills and would be able to play almost any position on the court for her team if the need for it was there. I can't wait to see what the next level has in store for her. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455029' first='Elena' last='Maynulet'] - Game Point (#15)</h2>   <p>Elena has hitting range that most hitters only dream of having. She has the ability to power straight through the ball, drop her shoulder and hit hard cross, and even come across her body and hit line. There's not many outside hitters who have the flexibility and the technique to be able to do that but to be able to execute those skills at a high level. She's a bouncy athlete who uses her time in the air to force blockers and defenders to play the whole court. Because of how much range of motion she has with her body and her arm swing, it's hard for blockers and defenders to make adjustments. When hitters like Elena have the range and the IQ to be able to execute different arm angles, it gives her more options on the offensive end to be able to disguise tips and rolls even better. Defensively Elena has a good understanding of the game to make good adjustments and has the technique to be able to execute. It always impresses me when girls at Elena size has the skill and the mindset to be able to position themselves on defense to make the game slow down and to set up her offense. What's underrated about her game is her understanding of situations as a whole. You can see in person and on film the small adjustments and plays she will make not only to score points now but to set up other teams for future points. Elena is a great athlete with a ton of skill that any program would benefit from having on their roster. </p>   <p>Not only is the outside position super demanding, but those who can excel at the position put themselves in a great space to be recruited by some of the top college programs in the nation. Throughout the years of watching volleyball the trend has always been that whoever has the stronger outside hitters put themselves in a great position to win a lot of games. The same goes for these 5 athletes, who not only push their club teams to win but mainly being such a force for their high school programs to really push the team over the top. The workload that these prospects endure is impressive to say the least, and I can't wait to see how all that hard work pays off. </p>

The next position I want to breakdown for the 2025 rankings would be the outside hitter position. Like my last article highlighting setters, I will be excluding the top outside Kelly Kinney Kelly Kinney 6'2" | OH The King’s Academy | 2025 State #10 Nation FL . The athletes I am going to talk about bring their own style to the game as well as being 6 rotation options for their teams. The outside position is the one position that asks that prospect to be proficient in all aspects of the game. Blocking, hitting, digging, passing, and even setting are all skills that these five athletes have shown both in person and on film. When ranking outsides I really look for athletes who have top tier athleticism but have the skills to execute no matter what the situation is. The players who really stick out from the others is their dynamic play on both sides of the court. For example, on offense the outside hitters who use their body effectively while having range of speeds and locations are the hardest to find. The five athletes I am going to be writing about exhibit the traits that any college coach would love to have in their program.