7 Under-the-Radar Athletes to Watch Heading into March

I have had the opportunity to watch a lot of volleyball virtually in the month of March (and should be back on the courts this weekend!). I have several pages of notes with plenty of new names on my radar, so I wanted to write up a separate article to shout out some of those athletes who really caught my eye in the past few weeks.    Lucy is a middle with a big presence at the net. She is consistent and loves to get in other people's way with her great block touches. Lucy is very athletic and is an impact player on both offense and defense. She pushes herself to close blocks and transitions quickly to offense.     Zara is a middle who is hungry for the ball. In my handwritten notes, I have the word hungry written in all caps and underlined twice. She is aggressive at the net and has a ton of raw athleticism. Her power and court awareness are what initially caught my eye, and she only continued to impress me throughout the matches I got to watch.     Kendall, as a right-side hitter, is so amazing to watch. She is aggressive, and her setter will find her from nearly anywhere on the court. She is a lefty and can find great angles on the court. Kendall is a very skilled player who can consistently find the floor in both in and out-of-system situations.     I had the opportunity to watch Jiada during her team's President's Day tournament, and her block was impenetrable. Jiada was disciplined in her form and timing and was rarely tricked by opposing setters. She got great touches on the ball with her block and numerous stuff blocks as well.     Harper initially caught my eye with her clean passing. She has great angles and is confident in the back row. Harper doesn't hesitate and is reliable on both serve and defense. She is also very consistent in the front row, earning points with her swings and minimizing errors.     When I saw Mikayla play, she was a competitor on the court. She was aggressive and wasn't taking the easy shots. She played to win, and a lot of times, that aggression paid off. Mikayla didn't back down from a tough set or a big block; she continued to attack fearlessly throughout the match.     Adrienne is an athlete who will consistently put up a solid pass. She doesn't hesitate and takes control of the back row. Her leadership and talent in serve receive make her a go-to person for the first contact on the ball. She can be a huge difference-maker on the court and is a name I am excited to continue to watch play.

I have had the opportunity to watch a lot of volleyball virtually in the month of March (and should be back on the courts this weekend!). I have several pages of notes with plenty of new names on my radar, so I wanted to write up a separate article to shout out some of those athletes who really caught my eye in the past few weeks.