Who’s on the Come Up? 2024 Outsides Watch List

With high school season starting to come to a close, I thought it would be a great time to introduce everyone to some of the names that just missed the cut for our 2024 rankings list. These 4 prospects have shown over the end of their club season to now why they are deserving of a spot in our rankings. With the outside hitter position being so competitive in this state, it’s such a hard decision to differentiate between them. These four prospects have shown the ability to play up to if not better than some of the outsides already in our rankings.

Bryanna Sands (WAVE)

Bryanna is the type of outside that any mid-level program would love to have on their roster. She’s an all around player, not just because she plays 6 rotations but she has the necessary skills to excel on both ends of the court. She’s the one person when I would coach against that I would rather aim for their libero than serve it to her. When it comes to her offense she has a dynamic arm swing that allows her all the range she could ever want. She can hit hard line facing away all the way to hitting 4 to 4 while facing the line. She has such flexibility and an understanding of her hitting technique that she’s able to twist and turn through seams to get points for her team. The best part about her game has to be her attitude and determination as an athlete. She’s always pushing herself and her teammates to be better and always fights to win every point. Those are aspects to the game that a lot of kids don’t understand how important that can be.

Emily Schellenberg (OTVA)

Although Emily doesn’t have the “standard” height and size for the position, she definitely has the skills and IQ for the game to excel at the position. She has every shot and type of swing in the book. Whether she wants to tool the block, tip, push, or even hit the ball as hard as she can; she’s always in control of the ball. Her secondary position on her club team is playing as a DS, which shows you the versatility of skills that she possesses and is able to use effectively. She has great spatial awareness to score on her roll shots and the vision to keep the ball away from defenders. She’s the type of hitter that can frustrate and break down a defense just with roll shots and tips around the block. When she does decide to drive her body through the ball she’s able to still keep her contact high and make sure she finishes her contact on the ball as well. It’s impressive to me the level of control this player has not only over her body but over the ball. Most kids her age don’t acquire those skills until they are much older with better coaching and better reps; but you can tell she’s a natural at the sport and definitely for her position.

Emma VanDeusen (DME)

Like Emily, Emma is the type of player that has a range of different shots and swings she uses to take advantage of opposing defenses. She does a great job with her eye work, which is a rare skill that most players don’t take into consideration. She uses her vision to keep her spacing between her arm and the ball consistent so her contact is clean as well as seeing the block in front of her. Her ability to take her eyes off the ball for that brief second to make sure she knows what’s open in front of her isn’t normal in the high school or club game. The one thing that really stands out to me about her game besides her eye work on hitting is her ability to use her length and height consistently no matter the type of swing or shot she’s trying to implement. She consistently forces herself to get her feet to the ball so she can contact the ball high and in front of her hitting shoulder. Once she knows she has the right spacing, she then uses the different shots and swings to take advantage of the block that’s in front of her. Once Emma starts being a little sneakier with her shots and tips she’s going to have so much more success on them. But, for her to open those shots up the one thing I want to see her do more is hitting aggressively over or around the block. Once she’s consistently able to do both at any time, that’s when she will be making defenses stop in their tracks.

Sydney Corbett (Upontop)

When you first look at Sydney, the last thing you’d expect is a player with unbelievable bounciness and quickness. She does a fantastic job using her athleticism and dynamic play to her advantage. She makes sure that she works to get her feet to the ball, but explodes off her last two steps unlike most players I have been able to watch in this class. Once she starts her jump it almost seems like the ball just disappears out of the air with how fast she whips her arm and body through the ball. No matter if this ball is in front of her hitting shoulder or on the opposite side, she’s able to contort her body to still have the ability to swing with speed. It’s one of the most explosive finishes on her swing that I have seen in a very long time. On top of the amazing arm swing, she really does a great job using her IQ to make quick decisions when hitting as well. When you combine the explosive approach and arm swing with the IQ and awareness she has, it’s almost impossible to stop her without a closed double block in front of her. When watching her film, the last thing that really stood out to me about her game is her ability to hit on all 3 sections of the court while running high or quick tempos in each of those areas as well. When you have a hitter with the versatility she has it shows why she deserves to be on the rankings list for her class.

When you take the 2024 class in its entirety, there is an abundance of talent. When it comes to the outside hitter position, there are so many different types and styles of players that it really comes down to the small things to differentiate the position. Looking at these 4 prospects, they bring not only the common things that all coaches look for in a prospect but also the small things that most people won’t think about off the top of their head. For example, all of the hitters on this list show a level of commitment and effort that is consistently put out on the court while keeping a really positive yet competitive attitude. The best prospects that colleges look for are the package deal kids who have the skill and the off-court aspects of the game as well.