Bigs & Littles: Top Performing MBs and Liberos at the Expo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you talk about the pure workhorses in the game of volleyball, oftentimes you will be talking about the middle blockers and defensive specialists. Like the offensive and defensive lineman in football, these are the unsung heroes of the game. They never stop moving; one is always in the air and the other is always on the ground. One sometimes doesn't get to touch the ball much, while the other is making sure the ball is never touching the ground. These players must be focused on making the team better because they don't usually get the glory of a high flying kill or a perfectly placed dump. So, it was my complete honor to get to focus on these two positions this year at the Indiana Top 250 Expo. Here are the six young ladies who really stood out above the rest (for different reasons) and were named my Top Performers of the Expo...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["435869"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":729331,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-6755adc1178a3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Stevenson stood out to me right away simply because of her confidence on the floor. She wasn't being shy or backing away from anything and she was taking control of the defense from the start. I would have never guessed she was just a sophomore! Now that I know she is a Yorktown HS player and a member of the Munciana16-1 squad, I am not surprised in her exceptional ability to read and react to opposing hitters, as well as having great fundamentals in serve receive. The last part of Vivian's game that made her stand out from the other DS's for me was her ability to take aggressive swings from the back row and hit smart shots - she sees the floor really well, which is a sign of a great defender who understands defensive schemes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["261041"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":729329,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-6755adc117979"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Morgan is a defensive player who catches your eye right away; she has the "IT" quality of an excellent libero - the rare combination of confidence, communication, natural intuition and competitiveness. This young lady is not ok with a ball hitting the floor <em>ANYWHERE</em>, whether she is diving for a tip right over the block or chasing down a shanked pass, Morgan is a beast of a DS. During the expo there was no one better than her at picking up tips, which for me is a skill that even high level, college liberos can struggle with. I am really excited to watch her play with her Academy 17-1s team this club season - they are going to have a lot of long rallies with Osborn in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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":729330,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='730164' first='Ashlyn' last='Alexander']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'5u0022","_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":"Covington Community","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431520' first='The' last='Academy Boiler Jrs']","_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-6755adc117aec"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ashlyn was an awesome surprise at the Expo this year and definitely one of my favorite defensive players to watch. She was one of the best encouragers all day - a skill that every DS needs to be great at, whether it comes naturally or not. Alexander has clearly learned that the game is not all about her but is about making her team better and allowing them to be successful. I never saw her walking or not communicating over the full 2.5 hours, nor did I ever see her take a rep off during play. Of course, her passing and defensive skills were fantastic, but what she added over some of the other DS's was a great serve and out of system setting ability. I don't know if she has setting experience in her past, but she was one of the best DS's with her hands by far. Plus, her serve was a hard, solid float where the bottom would just flat drop out. Boiler Jrs has a dynamo in Alexander this club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["529468"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":729332,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-6755b0a7f130c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The first thing that you'll notice when Brooklyn starts to play (especially when warming up), is her sheer athletic ability. You could never call her undersized for a middle because her jumping ability allows her to play above everybody else, even the 6'3 players. Touching 10'2" she brings exceptional blocking ability to the court compared to the rest of the field and has a great knack for hitting around the block (she even scored around a triple block a couple of times). Add to that impressive vertical the ability to move laterally very quickly, and you have all the makings of a high-level middle blocker, especially being just a sophomore. Academy 16-1s has a hard working, super athletic, confident middle coming their way this year and I am excited to see how Brooklyn shines this club season and where her recruiting journey takes her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["569786"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":729333,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-6755b0a7f1362"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">For me, Paityn was the most physical of all the middles we had at the Expo. She is a true M2 who can put a 1 and 31 ball away with authority; she even got some kills playing outside. The last time I saw her play was at the Freshman Showcase and it appears her vertical has increased in the past four months, allowing her to hit more effectively around the block. Pair her improving jumping ability and quickness with her already quick arm swing and Lauck is a force to be reckoned with as only a freshman. Lastly, one of the things I really love about this young player is her ability to step on the court with anyone and be a great teammate and encourager. By the end of the Expo, I had seen her chatting with multiple other players and was cheering them on. All are clear signs of not just a good player, but a great teammate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["523245"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":729334,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-6755b0a7f13b3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Smith has clearly gotten stronger since the last time we saw her at the Freshman Showcase in August. She is jumping higher and putting tons of pace on the ball. While Finley may not be the tallest middle or the highest flying, she makes up for it with her whip of an arm, heavy swing and hard work. I never saw a play where she wasn't driving hard to the setter in transition or covering for her teammates at the net. All coaches love a middle who is always up, talking, drawing the block away from the pins and opening up the offense on every play. The biggest reason I included Smith in my Top Performers is her ability to swing <em>BEHIND</em> the setter and be a solid M1. Out of all the middles at the Expo, she ran slides the best and with the most confidence - a skill that most freshman middles have not added to their toolbox yet. This should prove to be an asset to her Circle City 15-1 team this club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><em>If you loved this article, please follow our Instagram page,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/abovethenetvolleyball">Prep Dig IN | Above The Net Volleyball</a>&nbsp;for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes action.</em></strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After following our page, take the next step and&nbsp;<strong>subscribe to PrepDig</strong>! 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