2024 Durango Fall Classic Sophomore Standouts Part 1

I had the pleasure of attending the annual DFC held in Las Vegas, NV to look for some Class of 2027 risers, and there was no shortage in the gyms I was present at. There are some talented players making waves and I will highlight some of them here. There are certainly more players out there also deserving of recognition, but these individuals were ones I was able to personally watch.    Jaycee hits a heavy ball that allows her to power through a well formed block. When there are open seams or a solo block, she generally found the floor with ease. The power she put on the ball made it difficult to control for her opponents on defense, resulting in the opponent scrambling to keep the ball in play. Jaycee was very smooth in the back row, keeping hips low and under the ball to control the opposing attacks, and then transitioning right into a back row attack. Defensively, she stayed disciplined at the net as well, setting up blocks and getting off of the net when the ball went to the opposite pin.     Kale'a was smooth and clean in her delivery, distributing the ball well, but wise to stay with a hot attacker when necessary. Running a 6-2 for the most part, she still found opportunities to be aggressive and dump the ball from the back row, taking advantage of her size. She worked hard to use her hands on nearly every setting opportunity despite the location of the pass and had a good rapport with her hitters, varying tempos to the hitters strengths. The times I watched I didn't see it run, but I believe with her size and control, Lee could operate in a 5-1 system seamlessly.     I really enjoyed watching Nya on the court. She brought an energy to the team and was instrumental in the third set in an upset win over the pool's top seed Huntington Beach. Nya uses a high contact point to drive the ball through the holes in the block and consistently delivered big swings when needed. Nya was also comfortable swinging from both pins and attacked out of the back row with controlled aggression. She was also active in running some combination sets and her approach kept her behind the ball to maximize weight transfer through the ball. I observed her during another match where she was on the bench and she was the player leading the cheers. She re-entered the match while they were down, and made an immediate impact stabilizing serve/receive and converting her attempts into kills.     Blake's versatility is what caught my eye when watching her on the court. She was adept at both her right side pin and taking some swings out of the back row and I saw her step in at serve/receive and pass well also. Her team was not hesitant about setting her in clutch moments of a match and the lefty was able to maneuver over, around, and through the block.     I always enjoy seeing her growth each time she steps on the court. Her sophomore campaign has seen her take a much more vocal role on the court and she does a great job utilizing her team's strengths. Very consistent with location and tempo to allow hitters to have a good rhythm. For this tournament, she continued to work the middle well and has a knack for coming up with a big defensive play to spark a rally. There is a noticeable energy when she is on the floor for her team and the other players respond to her well.     Bryli really impressed me the first day in pool play when I got to observe her. Her team faced some difficult opponents, and in the face of adversity she never stopped competing and continued to stay vocal and keep her team engaged. Allen operates in a modified 6/2 where she sets in the back row and plays RS when in the front row. She has the athleticism to generate a solid block and I really liked how she could turn and rip some swings down the line on the right side. Her defense was very scrappy while in the back row and always found herself in a position to make a play on the ball. Bryli trains in the sand and that helps her in reading and reacting with her back row defense.

I had the pleasure of attending the annual DFC held in Las Vegas, NV to look for some Class of 2027 risers, and there was no shortage in the gyms I was present at. There are some talented players making waves and I will highlight some of them here. There are certainly more players out there also deserving of recognition, but these individuals were ones I was able to personally watch.