AAU Nationals: Liberos That Landed On My Radar In Florida

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/"><strong>This article was shared with 150+ college coaches.</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Join PrepDig with 30% off using code:&nbsp;<em><strong>digdakotas30</strong></em></strong></a></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigdakotas/?hl=en">Follow on Instagram@prepdigdakotas</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I knew the 14s division would be talented, but the libero play still caught my attention. The more matches I watched, the more I found myself paying attention to what was happening in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What stood out was how calm these athletes looked. They weren't making crazy movements or putting themselves out of position. They stayed low, trusted their reads, and made difficult defensive plays look routine. For this age group, that's impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of these liberos are already showing traits you don't always see this young. They understand angles, read hitters well, and find ways to keep rallies alive. More than anything, they compete. They don't give up on plays, and they continue to give their teams opportunities to stay in the game for points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are a few liberos who kept showing up in my notes as I worked through matches at AAU Nationals and earned a spot on my radar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Deena Amanatides","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'3u0022","_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":"Stamford","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Greenwich Volleyball CLub","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6a386a7400702"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Deena Amanatides was one of those liberos who seemed to be around the ball all match long. What I noticed was how well she maintained her balance before contact. She wasn't overcommitting or guessing. Deena trusted what she saw and consistently put herself in position to make the play. Her platform stayed quiet, and she did a nice job keeping first contact under control, even when hitters were trying to put pressure on her. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ella Duffy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Lady Blue knights","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6a386a74007d2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ella Duffy caught my attention because of how she managed the pace of the game. Some defenders start to rush when the ball starts flying around. Ella never really seemed to do that. She stayed low, took good angles, and worked hard to keep balls off the floor. What I valued the most was how often she turned difficult defensive touches into playable balls for her teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["912907"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","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-6a386a740083b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One thing that was apparent about [player_tooltip player_id='912907' first='Alessia' last='Johnson'] was her ability to read hitters. On several points, she appeared to be in motion before the attack crossed the net. That's reading tendencies and believing what you see. Alessia was good at keeping her discipline in the back row and gave her team opportunities to keep rallies going throughout. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["997335"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","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-6a386a7400894"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I kept noticing this defender, Elena Lin, because she didn't waste movement. Everything seemed efficient. She went to her spots, kept herself under control, and made plays without putting herself in tough spots. That's what I always value when watching liberos. It looked easy the way Elena did it, which is often an indication that a player is doing many things well. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Brylee Garry","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_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":"West Central","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Kairos","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6a386a7400936"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brylee Garry brought a lot of energy to the back row. You could see her working before every contact, getting herself into position and staying engaged throughout rallies. What stood out was her willingness to go after balls and extend plays. Brylee didn't seem interested in letting rallies end easily, and that mindset helped her make several quality defensive plays. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Lia Brady","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Sanford Sport","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6a386a7400a35"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another libero who appeared frequently in my notes was Lia Brady. I liked that she always looked so steady in matches. "Whether serving, receiving, or defending, Lia remained calm and stuck to her game plan. She wasn't trying to do too much. She focused on getting quality touches and keeping her team in system. Those little things add up over the course of a match, and Lia always delivered them. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thank you to all my readers for making this journey possible. My goal has always been simple: to shine a light on athletes at every level, from Division I to NAIA, and give them a platform to keep chasing their love for the game. 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