Show Me Qualifier 16 Open Standouts
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The Show Me Qualifier was held in Kansas City Missouri this past weekend which showcased some of the top teams for the 16’s age group. Each of these players that I’m writing about were not only massive impacts for their…
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Continue ReadingThe Show Me Qualifier was held in Kansas City Missouri this past weekend which showcased some of the top teams for the 16’s age group. Each of these players that I’m writing about were not only massive impacts for their own teams but should be looked at for the upcoming rankings drop. The skill set and athletic profile for each prospect is vastly different based on their position and what their team asks of them. The four prospects have all of the potential to be fantastic college prospects in the near future.
Sophia Stallworth Sophia Stallworth 6'0" | OH William R Boone | 2026 FL (OH) – OT 16 O Roberto
Sophia has the wingspan and the athleticism to be one of the top outsides in the class. When you watch her play the first thing you’ll see is her impact on her teams offense. She’s a dynamic hitter who’s able to use her length and vertical to take advantage of the opposing block. She has the ability to hit around, over, or through the block to score. Sophia isn’t the biggest player but when she uses her body to drive the ball she’s almost unstoppable. When the block is closed and pressed over, she has enough awareness and skill to execute an off speed shot. The other skill that really stuck out to me was her serve receive. She does a great job of staying simple and keeping her posture throughout her pass. Sophia is a fantastic prospect who has an enormous ceiling yet high floor.
Milan Sayles Milan Sayles 6'4" | MB Tampa Catholic | 2026 FL (MB) – No Name 16 Kevin
Milan has elite size and length at the position. She stands above most of the competition and has the vertical leap to make her a high value prospect out of the middle. I’ve been able to watch Milan play for a few years while I was coaching club in Tampa and she was the type of athlete that coaches want to get their hands on. With the potential she had purely off of her size all she needed was hard work and good coaching to be a dominant middle. It’s incredible to see the growth that she’s shown and the impact she’s able to make for her team. When you break down her skill set the first thing you notice is her blocking. Her block might be one of the biggest in the class and she’s able to take up a ton of net space away from opposing hitters. Milan has all of the potential and ability to grow into a top middle prospect in the class of 2026.
Taylor Fonseca (L) – DME Elite 16-1
Taylor may not stand out for flashy highlight plays, but she is one of the most consistent players in the class. She makes everything look so easy. It’s because of her ability to read situations and her high level passing skill set. In serve receive she keeps her posture consistently which allows her to create angles. Taylor gets her platform behind the ball with her angle so early that she rarely has to make adjustments on contact. When you take a look at her defense, the first thing that stands out is her ability to read the opposing setter and hitters. Being able to understand what the setter and hitters are trying to execute gives her the opportunity to take away that space. When the ball comes to her whether it’s aggressive swings or off speed shots she gets the ball up. Taylor is one of the most underrated players in the class and impressed me a ton with her play and IQ at the position.
Avery Stephens Avery Stephens 5'7" | DS/L Oviedo | 2026 FL (L) – OT 16 O Roberto
No matter the situation in the game, it seems like Avery is in the right place at the right time. The amount of court and responsibility that is asked of Avery on defense is more than you usually will see at this age group. It doesn’t matter who is hitting the ball or where they’re hitting it to it seems like Avery is always where the ball is. The IQ she plays with and her ability to execute on her reads is top tier. Although her defense is fantastic she makes a huge impact on the teams serve receive. She keeps her platform away from her body to allow herself to create angles and stay simple with her finish. When she loses space or creates too much space on her platform she’s able to finish her pass whether she needs to push the ball to the net or lift the ball to give her setter and hitters time to execute their job. Avery is a great libero prospect not only in the class but for all of Florida.
The class of 2026 is showing to be another strong recruiting class for Florida. These four prospects have all of the skill, athletic ability, and IQ to be impact players at the next level. Each prospect showed their ability to be game changing options for their teams. College coaches are going to be intrigued with the potential and high floor that each of these players have. I can’t wait to see how these players stack up for the rankings and their continued growth at their respective positions.