Indiana Teams to Watch This Season: Munciana 16 Open Mustangs

One thing I am starting to learn after watching Munciana players both during club and high school season is that they are going to be hard working, hustling, never give up type of young women. I absolutely love that, and I find myself looking forward to watching their teams play. Their 16 Open squad, the Mustangs, are no different. Where some would say they are undersized, I would say they are just right - they can use their hard work, great fundamentals and athleticism to wear you down and beat you. We shall see how their chemistry develops and helps them over the course of the next few months, but in the meantime let's meet some of the young ladies that should lead this competitive team to achieve great things.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Munciana 16 Open Mustangs Roster</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='484140' first='Emily' last='Blevins']   [player_tooltip player_id='403249' first='Lyndsey' last='Robinson']   [player_tooltip player_id='482721' first='Paige' last='Rudolph']   [player_tooltip player_id='435869' first='Vivian' last='Stevenson']   Kate Brinkruff   Lilyana Mayberry   [player_tooltip player_id='710310' first='Auden' last='Hummel']   [player_tooltip player_id='494521' first='Shania' last='Rhamy']   [player_tooltip player_id='489598' first='London' last='Evans']   Ja'Maria Jackson   [player_tooltip player_id='586747' first='Vanessa' last='Mancini']   [player_tooltip player_id='480809' first='Shandon' last='Garrett']   Head Coach: Kent Hughes    Ms. Jackson spent her last high school season playing in every set for Burris HS as just a sophomore. She ended up finishing second in hitting percentage (a scorching .359🔥) and total aces (51) and was FIRST on the team in total blocks with 88 (37 more than the next player!). When I saw Ja'Maria's stats from high school season, I was so excited to watch her play for the first time, and she did not disappoint - her blocking is phenomenal. She does two things at the net very well...getting over and covering a lot of space quickly laterally. She closed almost every block WITH EASE and when her pin teammates set the block in the right place, she almost always roofed it. In terms of attacking, if her setters can work on getting the ball to her faster and higher, they are going to have an absolute go-to scorer on offense. Sky's the limit with Ja'Maria!     There's no way I could cover this team without mentioning this young lady. She is hands down one of my favorite players to watch right now. It's like Shania has a chip on her shoulder and she is out to prove something to EVERYONE. I love her kind of play - fearless, relentless, high energy, a great teammate and an absolute beast when attacking. Right now, she has a great cross court shot, but I am excited to see if she can develop it even more this club season and work on hitting it even sharper inside the block (a la Sarah Franklin and Jess Mruzik). Another aspect I am looking forward to her developing more is her line and cut back shots. Right now, she is so effective on the four ball and two ball hitting that power shot, but she will elevate her game quickly if she can start to mix in the other direction. She is a true middle back defender who can read well and react quickly, using both her platform and hands, plus she is always ready to hit. Lastly, when she is in serve receive, the Mustangs usually pass with two and I can see why - Shania passes nails and is one of the more confident passers (hard to rattle) that I have seen at this age.     London is the epitome of the setter-right side hitter combo. She brings the height and athleticism needed to play front row and the fundamentals and skill to set and play defense through the back row. She should be pretty comfortable in this role seeing as she played it this past varsity season at Carmel HS and is doing the same now for the 16 Mustangs. For Carmel she was all over the statistical leaderboard as just a sophomore, coming in second in digs, aces and assists, and finishing third in total blocks. While watching her I love the confidence she plays with, as well as the energy she brings on a big block or when one of her hitters terminates. One thing I look for her to improve on this club season is her setup of the block on the right side, especially when the ball is set inside. Evans puts up such a solid, big block that you hate to see it too far outside the opposing hitter, allowing them to hit sharp cross court. Her defense is really good due to her great reading ability - you can tell she has been playing for a while and coached well - which will make her a great prospect at the next level.     Although Shandon plays high school volleyball in Ohio, we are certainly going to take our chance to claim her here in Indiana since she plays for Munciana 🙌🏼. Garrett was an all-around standout and leader for her team at Eaton HS, leading the in multiple categories including kills per set (4.7!) and total kills (406), plus she also finished second on the team in total digs, total blocks and hitting percentage. What really struck me while watching Garrett for the first time was how well she sets up the block on the right side; whether the set is inside or outside she doesn't just go to one spot and block, she adjusts so her middle blocker can close accordingly. The result is a good number of stuffs for both her and Jackson and Mayberry. In terms of attacking, Shandon is efficient, not making a ton of errors, but keeping the ball in play with pace. I look forward to her being more terminal as the season rolls on and she gets in sync with her two setters, and I also want to see her be more aggressive and ready when she is playing off blocker defense.     In the match I watched, Lyndsey was donning the libero jersey and she was certainly doing it justice. I saw her innate ability to dig a hard driven ball to the middle of the court WITHOUT going to the floor, which I consider an elite skill because way too many defensive players hit the floor without needing to. She often was in serve receive with just one other passer (usually Rhamy) and again was a rock in the back row - the two of them look very comfortable together for it being this early in the club season. The last quality that I loved in Robinson was her setting skills. I saw her use her hands when she could and she put up absolute dimes for her hitters, especially the RS attackers. When Lyndsey had to use her platform, it was never erratic or spastic, but instead she always put it high and just a little inside the court so her hitters could swing away. Robinson led her Burris HS team in both total digs and dig per set as just a sophomore and I know we will see that same trend in the next couple of years to come - she is the real deal Munciana defender we have all come to know and love!     Munciana 16 Mustangs have quite the 1-2 punch in Rudolph and Rhamy on the outside. While Shania brings the gutsy, relentless, chip on her shoulder play to the team, Paige brings a plethora of tools that she can use at any time. When I watched her play, I saw her hit EVERY shot in the OH book - she hit roll shots to the middle of the court, she hit line, she tooled the block, she swung hard/sharp cross court and also hit roll shots to both deep corners. It is incredible to me to have such a developed set of shots at such a young age! On top of her attacking skills, she is a great blocker being very disciplined and not reaching or trying to do too much. Rudolph looks to me to be poised to be a solid front row OH after high school, especially if she continues to work on her defense and out of system swings. I didn't know Paige before MEPL #1, but you can bet I know her now (and you should too)!     Lilyana is a player that is also completely new to me and I am so glad I got the chance to watch her play! Like her MB counterpart in Jackson, she is an absolute stud when it comes to blocking. Munciana is teaching these girls right and using their speed laterally to their advantage. She is able to close the block quite easily from side to side and really fights to press even if she is late; I certainly never saw her give up on a block, which is an amazing attribute for a young middle blocker. Just like Ja'Maria, if Mayberry's setters can get her the ball fast enough and high enough for her athleticism, she is downright lethal on offense. She is up quick and ready and if the ball is there, she is going to beat the block the majority of the time. Lastly, I love her off speed to the middle of the court on the 31 set that she mixes in every now and again. When combined with her harder attacks, the defense does not stand a chance to read it and pick it up. This Winchester HS standout has nowhere near reached her potential and it's going to be so exciting to follow and watch happen!    16 Open Mustangs have their next competition February 1st and 2nd at the Mideast Power League in Indianapolis, IN. See their roster and full schedule here: <a href="https://munciana.com/team/16-open-mustangs/">https://munciana.com/team/16-open-mustangs/</a>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">If you loved this article, please follow our Instagram page, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/abovethenetvolleyball">Prep Dig IN | Above The Net Volleyball</a> for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes action.</h3>   After following our page, take the next step and subscribe to PrepDig! By subscribing, you'll not only stay connected to the latest coverage of your favorite events, but you'll also be helping to shine a spotlight on rising volleyball talent.   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One thing I am starting to learn after watching Munciana players both during club and high school season is that they are going to be hard working, hustling, never give up type of young women. I absolutely love that, and I find myself looking forward to watching their teams play. Their 16 Open squad, the Mustangs, are no different. Where some would say they are undersized, I would say they are just right - they can use their hard work, great fundamentals and athleticism to wear you down and beat you. We shall see how their chemistry develops and helps them over the course of the next few months, but in the meantime let's meet some of the young ladies that should lead this competitive team to achieve great things.