Players to Watch - Class of 2026

Colorado's local Odd Power tournaments kicked off last weekend, marking the start of an exciting club volleyball season for 13's through 17's. For many teams, this was their first opportunity to compete after months of preparation and training. There were plenty of players who made an impact over the weekend, among them were several standout athletes from the Class of 2026, showcasing their skill, athleticism, and potential to make a big impact this season. Here are some of the rising stars who made their mark in Divison 2.    As a middle who would traditionally be considered undersized, Bulik makes up for it with her speed and athleticism. She uses those qualities to her advantage, running different attacks from different areas on the net to keep the opposing defense guessing. She hits a dynamic slide and has a fast arm swing to put good speed on the ball. She also has a dependable serve and to no surprise, plays impressive defense and is very scrappy, a quality you don't typically see in middles who are put in the back row.     Lunn is a very dynamic pin, who would do especially well at the next level as a DS. She reads well in the back row and makes quick movements. She also has a tool belt of moves to help her, performing knee drives quickly and fluidly. Her serve receive is very strong, she remains calm and relaxed, allowing her to pass tough floats with ease. Her attitude also helps her stand out on the court. As a six-rotation outside, she consistently smiles and gives her teammates high-fives.     Schmitt is a very quick middle, even after jumping with the setter, she was still able to close the block to the pins on the same plays. With that said, it's no surprise she does a great job getting the block closed and makes lots of touches, helping her back-row defense make plays easier. She does a good job coming in for fast offensive plays from different areas on the court, making it harder on the opposing block to keep up with her.     Fischer was so much fun to watch. She owns the libero position, providing strong leadership from the back row, and was consistently the loudest and most uplifting player on her team. Her skills are also strong, she has a solid serve-receive platform, is an aggressive defender, and is not afraid to hit the floor to keep the ball in play even though she is quick enough to stay on her feet most of the time. She's also not afraid to step in front of other passers when it's a ball she knows she can better, a quality I love to see in liberos.     Johnson is a right side who has a big block and a powerful swing. As an offensive player, she does a great job reading blocks and swinging around or through them. She also loads her arm well to help her put a lot of speed and power into the ball. She also does well working with out-of-system sets, trying to find a way to score for her team.     The Lobos team that Bearcomesout plays for is a small but very scrappy team. Because of this quality, Bearcomesout is a less traditional middle in a great way. She swings from different positions on the court (middle, outside, and right side) and has learned to play solid defense when she isn't blocking. She is incredibly athletic and uses her speed to stay available in transition. She also puts up a big block and is typically solo blocking which has forced her to learn how to read well.

Colorado's local Odd Power tournaments kicked off last weekend, marking the start of an exciting club volleyball season for 13's through 17's. For many teams, this was their first opportunity to compete after months of preparation and training. There were plenty of players who made an impact over the weekend, among them were several standout athletes from the Class of 2026, showcasing their skill, athleticism, and potential to make a big impact this season. Here are some of the rising stars who made their mark in Divison 2.