Sunshine Qualifier: 17 Liberty Finals Standouts
With two Florida teams battling it out in the gold finals of the 17 liberty division, both teams will be getting a bid after this matchup. I thought it would be a great time to highlight some of the big…
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Continue ReadingWith two Florida teams battling it out in the gold finals of the 17 liberty division, both teams will be getting a bid after this matchup. I thought it would be a great time to highlight some of the big names to watch out for in the next rankings update. The matchup was between GJ 17 Erin who fell to the ultimate winning team PVC U17-1. The final score went in favor of PVC in two sets 25-15 and 28-26.
Mary Massias: 2025 Outside Hitter (GJ 17 Erin)
I had the pleasure of coaching Mary a while back at Florida camp, and she’s really grown both literally and of course as a volleyball player. She used to play middle hitter back then, but really grew as an athlete and moved to the outside position. This change really forced her to grow her game not just by using her athleticism but by having skill to execute even in bad situations. You can tell that her setter would not only go to her early and often, but especially in out of system situations. That’s when you know the setter can trust you to not make a mistake while still having the ability to put the ball away. Mary has done a fantastic job growing her game both offensively and especially on the passing and defending aspects of the game.
Alicia Barbarito: 2025 Setter (PVC U17-1)
Alicia is a tenacious player who doesn’t let a ball drop. The best part about that trait is that she stays fundamentally sound to better her contact even if the contact before doesn’t help. When she does get a good pass she keeps her arms slightly bent but high above her forehead so she doesn’t give away her sets to her opponents. I thought her setting was strong enough to push the ball from pin to pin while still keeping her contact fast out of her hands. You can tell that she has put a ton of work into her craft and it has definitely paid off. She made great setting decisions in my opinion which helped lead her team from a deficit late in the second set to come out with the victory.
Emilia Carpenedo: 2025 Outside Hitter (PVC U17-1)
Emilia jumps off of the screen, literally. Her vertical along with the skills she has is a deadly threat for her team. She’s a 6 rotation hitter who is heavily relied on in almost every phase of the game for this team other than setting. She is one of their main hitting options on the team while being an aggressive backrow defender. One of the things that surprised me was her ability to almost pause in the air to see the blockers and defenders on the opposing team and make her decision in the air. It’s something that very few hitters are able to understand let alone implement into their game. She was able to score in every way in this game whether it was tooling, tips, rolls, and big swings around the block.
Natasha Kidd: 202 Outside Hitter (GJ 17 Erin)
I was impressed with Natasha after the first set she got to swing at, now she didn’t score but you could see the athleticism. Her favorite swing and even shot to go for is a thumb up finish which is deadly against a lot of defenses at this level. The difference with her line swing is that she utilizes both swings where she can bring her body through the ball and finish straight or face angle and bring her arm up and across her body. She has the range to still hit outside of the block into the hard angle as well as find holes in the block. She has a lot of athleticism to go off of and the more consistent she plays the more deadly she’s going to be for this team going to USAV Nationals.
Congratulations to both of these teams competing their hearts out throughout the tournament. This game was a great example of two teams who really had to play the right way and rely on all 6 players on the court to execute. There are so many great finishes for Florida in this tournament and I’ll be covering other top finishers and standouts.