Five Players From the Top Court at Camp
Below are five athletes to highlight from a recent camp in Los Angeles: Julianna Lopez | 5’9″ | 2024 | OH/OP | United Volleyball Club When watching Julianna Lopez, most of what is noticed is her attacking. The more subtle…
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Continue ReadingBelow are five athletes to highlight from a recent camp in Los Angeles:
Julianna Lopez | 5’9″ | 2024 | OH/OP | United Volleyball Club
When watching Julianna Lopez, most of what is noticed is her attacking. The more subtle aspect of her game is her blocking. Specifically, she sets up a good block. Whether or not there is a touch, her defense should have little question where to line up behind her and the closing middle. When hitting, Lopez uses torque generated by her hips and also hits a variety of shots. Most of the time she hits the middle part of the ball. Additionally, she has great body control and situational awareness.
Morgan Long | 5’11” | 2024 | MB/OP |
Morgan Long gets ready to approach with a split step and then charges in quickly to hit a quick set. When she gets to the setter, she is very open to her. This creates a nice big hitting window for a setter to see. One challenge that sometimes creates is an ability to hit a variety of shots on the court. Fortunately for Long, she takes care of that with a great whip like motion at the top of her armswing. Additionally, she makes many small adjustment steps during a volley. She touches a height of the first red on the antenna.
Makayla Flores | 2025 | OH/OP |
A subtle but once recognized easy to see part of the game of Makayla Flores is her approach. Specifically, she does good work to get off the net to employ her graceful and long approach. When she gets to the apex of her jump. she, like all right handed hitters, leads with her left shoulder. For Flores, she holds that left shoulder leading posture just a little bit longer. During a volley, she is aware. Aware to the point that she is always ready to send an emergency ball over and will cover herself on a blocked attack. She is also a quiet, unassuming player amongst her teammates.
Samantha Schellenberg | 5’10” | 2025 | S |
There is a movement pattern Samantha Schellenberg makes that is not as often seen within her peers. She pikes well when blocking. When setting, there are three functions she does very well. Those are a quick first step to the ball, a consistent contact point, and moving the ball around to many hitters. Although her first step is quick, she continues to hustle to get to as many passes/digs as possible. Her contact point is between close to her forehead and about halfway to full arm extension. Once she makes contact, she does not seem to want to let go. Specifically, she holds on to the ball just slightly longer than a usual release.
Sophie Rohr | 5’7″ | 2025 | OP/DS | 805 Elite
As a left handed hitter, Sophie Rohr has appeared to learn a lot about the angles to hit on the court. Specifically, she is really excellent at hitting a sharp angle from the left side to the opponents left side. To do this, she maintains an extended posture as the set crosses over her right shoulder. Rohr will often be found saving an unexpected set location and still managing to score a point. More often than not though, she will make the safe play and continue a volley.