FAST Pre Nationals: 17s – Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship less than a month away, preparation tournaments are taking place all over the country and a big one happened in the Houston area last week, the FAST Pre Nationals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hosted by the traditional club [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'], the event reunited 90 teams from the area and beyond for two days of action as clubs finalize their preparations ahead of the trip to Las Vegas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/06/fast-pre-nationals-17s-photos/">FAST Pre Nationals: 17s - Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig was in attendance on Saturday, following the 12 teams that competed in the Power Pools of the 17s division. There was a lot of talent on display and we'll feature some of the players who shone during the day. In today's article, we'll take a look at the liberos:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269795"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e37112816"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopkins was the starting libero for the HJV 16 Elite team that finished second with five wins and two losses. She plays up with them, which means that she was actually competing two age groups up, and still stood out among the best in her position. Hopkins' ball control and quickness on the backcourt continue to be impressive and because of these skills, she made some remarkable digs on the left back position. Her consistency in serve-receive was also very impressive. The libero's game continue to improve and expand and during last week's event, it was nice to see her hand setting with precision and playing more of a leadership role with her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15374643/666fea6e3b6f7d910a8396c2' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e371129d4"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["179901"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e37112a21"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With Baker at libero, [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Adidas ranked fifth in the tournament, with four wins and one loss. The dynamic libero was very active on the backcourt and used her quickness to get to balls and her ball control to keep them in play. Because of her ability to cover ground, had excellent range with her defensive range. The left-handed libero was also very consistent with her passing and also had some nice serving runs, getting opponents out of system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1802103585007972428","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1802103585007972428 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Alexa Donnelly","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Westlake","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Austin Juniors","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e37112ac2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Donnelly was the libero for the AJV 17 Helix team that got a ninth-place finish with two wins and three losses. Her ball control is excellent and allowed her to significantly contribute on serve-receive and defense. Donnelly also plays on the sand and it was easy to see the positive impact it has on her mobility as the libero was flying on the court while she chased the ball. She also stepped up and did a good job setting in transition when needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":551920,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/06/IMG_5607.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-551920" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Stellar 17 Elite vs. AJV 17 Helix</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Addison Lednicky","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Fulshear","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='538544' first='Katy' last='United']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e37112b45"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lednicky's [program_tooltip program_id='538544' first='Katy' last='United'] 17 Adidas team finished ninth with two wins and three losses. She was very active on the backcourt for them and got a lot of touches that helped set up the team's offense. Lednicky was reliable with her passing and used her long frame to cover a large area on defense. The libero was always in her spot to cover her hitters and had some good moments from the service line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":551937,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/06/IMG_5714.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-551937" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas vs. [program_tooltip program_id='538544' first='Katy' last='United'] 17 Adidas</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["500277"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6672e37112b8b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Parish was a bright spot on the [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Molten team that lost all five matches and finished 13th in the division. Her reading of the game on the backcourt was excellent as she seemed to always be around the ball, making plays or covering her teammates. Because of her length, she was also able to cover a lot of ground defensively and she showed great ball control to make good plays. Parish also did a good job setting in transition, putting the ball at nice locations for the hitters to swing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->