Freshman Showcase 2024: Liberos to Watch for in High School Pt 2

<p>You would be hard pressed to find many defensive specialists, who come in as freshman, ready to rock the different colored jersey right off the bat. But the class of 2028 has quite of few of them who could be poised to come in and see playing time right away. These are the players who competed hard, brought the hustle, and had the skills to match, at the Indiana Freshman Showcase this year. This is Part 2 of 3 in this series of DS/L's to watch for this year at the high school level.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hensley Voellinger, Castle H.S.</h2>   <p>Hensley started the showcase off strong by going up and taking efficient and confident swings out of the back row in 4v4 play. Any time you have a DS/L who can swing hard and keep the ball in play you add another layer to your offense that many high school programs don't have. Voellinger passed well in the seams on serve receive and was confident enough to take those balls and not let them drop. When defending in left back, she had a knack for digging hard driven balls down the line. Lastly, Hensley had FUN! She was always cheering, especially when she was on the sidelines, making her standout during 6v6 drills.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='552703' first='Lydia' last='Weaver'], McCutcheon H.S.</h2>   <p>Lydia was another DS I saw take multiple swings from the back row and actually hit shots. She wasn't just swinging to swing, but rather worked on hitting corners and roll shots during 4v4 play. Her strength was serve receive passing, especially when she was in zone 5 (left back). Weaver consistently passed 2s and 3s from that position, even when the defensive specialists were absolutely ripping serves at each other. Her passing game is looking pretty solid for an incoming freshman; as she works on reading more in her defensive game, Lydia will be a solid DS/L for this perennial volleyball powerhouse.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Natalia Myers, Brebeuf Jesuit Prep</h2>   <p>Every team needs a great defender in middle back to run every block touch and corner shot down and Natalia is well on her way to being that player. She is stopped on contact and is able to read and react really effectively from the middle back position. What makes her even more exciting in that position is that she is a bonafide hustler - this young lady is not going to let a ball hit the floor without herself being there too. Myers has a great float serve that drops suddenly and forced multiple bad passes. Lastly, she covered her hitters every time in game play, so you know she has been trained well and doesn't slack when the ball is away from her.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lily Martinez, Zionsville H.S.</h2>   <p>Lily was easily one of my favorite DS's from the showcase primarily because of her positive energy/fun factor and because of how springy and quick she was. Not once did I ever see her not looking like she was loving playing the game - that is a quality all high school players need to have around them in the gym! Martinez brings length and speed to the back row, allowing her to pick up a wide range of balls. As she develops her fundamentals, she has the potential to be a standout at Zionsville. Between her joy on the court and her calm demeanor in serve receive, Lily is one of those players that every other player is going to want to play next to.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Marlowe Weaver, Leo H.S.</h2>   <p>When it comes to passers at the showcase, Marlowe was one of the best I observed. She consistently put up 2 and 3 passes in serve receive, and rarely got aced - exactly what you look for in a high school DS/L. In addition to her stand-out passing skills, she was a hustler and competitor in every drill, whether individual work or team play. If she continues to work on her defensive fundamentals (reading, reacting, controlling hard driven balls), her combination of great serve receive and never give up attitude on defense will be a huge addition to the Leo squad.</p>

You would be hard pressed to find many defensive specialists, who come in as freshman, ready to rock the different colored jersey right off the bat. But the class of 2028 has quite of few of them who could be poised to come in and see playing time right away. These are the players who competed hard, brought the hustle, and had the skills to match, at the Indiana Freshman Showcase this year. This is Part 2 of 3 in this series of DS/L's to watch for this year at the high school level.