2029 Standouts

What a day yesterday at the PrepDigAZ exposure tour event! I was able to see 80 of the best AZ had to offer at the event and there was no shortage of talent on display. I have the privilege to write about some of the 2029 who really caught my attention at the event. I can't wait to write about all the girls who really stood out but here are 8 standouts form the class of 2029 that really came to play yesterday!   Make sure to tag us in your highlights or photos from yesterday! It was great to get to meet a lot of you yesterday and hopefully you all had a great time! Without further ado, here are some standouts.    Lainey is a future star coming out of the middle. She is dynamic in a number of areas and is able to do multiple things out of the middle at a high level.   First Lainey has some exceptional lateral movement that lets her close the block on the pin hitters. Not only is she able to get to the pin for a closed block but she is also able to get active hands over the net which leads to multiple blocks and multiple good block touches.   She is also a threat on the offensive end and she demonstrates a high IQ by being able to find open space by not only swinging but also tipping as well. She was able to be a threat for her team not only when they were in system but also when in transition. She has some quick feet and is able to get loaded and attack whether it is a free ball, or a transition play. Having a middle who is a threat no matter the circumstances is always a plus for all teams.   Lainey stands alone with how dynamic she is with her all around game. She is able to be a offensive and defensive threat for her team, and can be utilized in a number of ways.     Rainey was a a fun hitter to watch throughout the event. She was someone who not only stood out in individual drills, but really came to play during 6 on 6.   Overall Rainey is a athletic fast hitter who can hit from all spots on the floor. She was able to demonstrate the ability to hit and terminate from all locations on the floor and during individual drills was able to connect with all setters throughout the drill. One of my favorite parts about watching her play is how technically sound Rainey is as a freshman. Any athlete who has top level technique has so much growth potential and Rainey has some of the best technique in the gym.   As a blocker Rainey is a disciplined blocker and doesn't fall for any tricks a setter or fast tempo offense might throw at her. Her hand position and timing is elite and she is able to be a force on the block regardless on who is on the other side of the net.   Overall, Rainey projects as a high level player as she goes through her high school seasons. She has a nice combination of size, speed, and technical skill that will set her apart from her peers in the years to come. She is someone to be on the lookout for in the years to come.     Kylie was a real standout at the event in terms of separating herself from other setters with her all around game play. She demonstrated a high level of volleyball play and high IQ when it came to running an offense.   Kylie is a lengthy setter who has exceptional speed to the ball, her length is an added benefit as it allows her to play all 6 rotations, whether as a setter running a 5-1, or as a hitter on the right side. For her setting she showed a great ability to have a connection with her middles and running them throughout game play with perfect sets. She also has good tempo to the pin hitters and delivers the ball with ease even while out of system. She can run a fast offense from any location on the floor and is able to get the ball where she wants with ease.   She also has some all around attributes as well with her game play. She has a great serve and is able to keep the other team out of system by attacking the serve receive spot she is aiming for. She also plays good defense and has a solid platform for a setter. She could probably serve receive in a pinch based on how well she gets her arms to the ball.   Overall, Kylie came to play at the exposure tour and really put on quite the show. She is an extremely talented setter who should see a big jump in our next rankings!     Joelle ready stood out as someone who can be a game changing offensive middle as she progress forward in her volleyball career. One could make an argument she was one of the two best middles in the gym regardless of class.   Overall what sets her above her peers is her heavy arm swing that she has. The block could be in the right spot but she has so much power behind her swing that she is able to go through the block (or around as well). The sound the ball makes when she connects as well is also fun to hear. When she was in hitting lines you could have your back to the court but you would know when Joelle was swinging based on the sound the ball made when she hit it.   During game play she was a fast attacker on the offensive end and when she was in system and connected with the setter to terminated the ball with ease. She can run multiple options on the offensive end and has the high end ability with her speed to get to the ball behind the setter as she gets older.   Joelle has the offensive game alone to be a top level player in the class of 2029, however she brings a physical presence of both sides of the net that set her apart from the other middles in not only her class, but all classes throughout the state of Arizona.     Ella was one of my favorite players to watch at the event! Every coach loves a loud and energetic libero and Ella was that for all the drills, game play, and throughout the whole day. To stand out communication wise at one of these events is hard to do but Ella was able to stand out with her ability to communicate and be loud.   However, she was also very skillful throughout game play and during drills. She has a solid platform that made it easy to not only pass in serve receive but also to pass in defense. She has so much control with the ball it didn't matter where she was on the floor, as long as she got a touch on it the ball always seemed to be on target.   Her range was second to none and she stood apart from her peers with how much ground she was able to cover and her ability to read the hitters and get to balls early enough to make the easy pass. From the service line she was also consistent to her location without losing any power. She continually could hit her spot with ease and power each time she went back to the service line.   Ella is a high level libero due to her leadership, reliability, and advanced understanding of the game. She has a high ceiling based on how well she plays the game and we look forward to seeing her continued development throughout her high school career.     Jayden was one of the better hitters for the class of 2029 at the event with her ability to not only terminate in system balls, but was also to terminate out of system balls and provided some big time blocking presence as well.   Jayden show a strong cross-court swing and the ability to score down the line when the block was taking away the angle. Her shot selection was also elite, and she was effective using roll shots and tips to exploit defensive gaps when she needed to. She has an all around game with her offensive game play that set her apart from her peers.   From the service line, Jayden uses an aggressive serve that applies consistent pressure to other girls in serve receive. She is capable of scoring aces or forcing out-of-system passes when she gets back on the line. Being able to keep another team out of system only enhances her ability as she is able to take those out of system swings from the other team and turn them into in system plays for her own team.   Jayden demonstrated a good all around game from her offense, to her defense, to her serving. We were impressed with ability to do multiple things at a high level and being able to be elite in more then one area. Mica Mountain has a good one in Jayden and she will develop into one of the top pins from southern AZ.     Gisela is a 6 rotational pin hitter who showed some of the most versatile ability throughout the showcase. You can't really pin down Gisela to one position as she is able to perform at a high level in multiple areas for any team she is on.   Gisela is a 6 rotational outside hitter who can carry the load not only on offense but also in serve receive and defense as well. She also has the ability to score in system and out of system as well which is one of the top traits we love to see out of our pin hitters. She could hit to all spots on the floor and even would throw in a tip if she needed. She could read the defense and take whatever was given to her.   Gisela also was a great passer in serve receive as she had solid ball control when targeted and was able to get her setters the ball in great locations to keep them in system. She was able to read the serve early and get to the ball with a solid platform throughout game play. Her reading ability also showed up in defense as she routinely was able to read the hitter and get some touches on the ball to help keep the ball alive.   Overall you will get a lot out of Gisela if she is on your team. She is able to play at a high level and do it in multiple ways. She has a very high IQ and can lead her team to victory if she is called upon. She has a lot of potential and we can't wait to see her continued development throughout the season.     The class of 2029 is not short on top end level setters. Ahvah is another setter in this class who has the potential to be a big time player.   What made Ahvah stand out the most at the event was her strong hands and consistent release while being able to distribute the ball to whoever she needed to based on what the defense was giving her. Once she got her hands on the ball it seemed to always be placed in an ideal location for her hitters each rep/each play at the event. She really stood out with her decision making during game play as her hitters had a lot of kills throughout the game play portion.   Ahvah also showed strong leadership and was super communicative to her teammates throughout game play. Someone who can lead other top level players with her consistent energy, communication, and high IQ makes Ahvah someone you want on your team leading them into battle.   Not only did Ahvah show us some elite hands at the event she also demonstrated the ability to be a setter who can run a 5-1 as she has the athletic ability to block and be an offensive threat when called upon. In order to be a top level setter you have to be able to do more then just set, and in Ahvah you have someone who can set, play defense, and be a offensive threat. She is someone to keep an eye on in this class, and will continue to leave strong impressions on whoever sees her play.

What a day yesterday at the PrepDigAZ exposure tour event! I was able to see 80 of the best AZ had to offer at the event and there was no shortage of talent on display. I have the privilege to write about some of the 2029 who really caught my attention at the event. I can't wait to write about all the girls who really stood out but here are 8 standouts form the class of 2029 that really came to play yesterday!