Summer NIT Standouts (16's and 17's)

Summer NIT standouts episode 2 is upon us. If you missed the previous article from yesterday we took a deep dive into the 14-15's division. Today however our next round of standouts come from the older age groups! We are going to dive into the 16 and 17's age group and the standouts from that age groups. We saw a number of standouts from this age group as well, and like the 14-15's article we wanted to make sure they got their proper exposure from Summer NIT as well.   Without further ado here is our first batch of standouts:    Macy really had a great tournament and has really stepped into the 6 rotation role as an outside hitter. Offensively Macy has always been a great player but is really developing into that 6 rotational pin that coaches love to see. On offense she can hit down the line, hard cross, tool the block, and now as a 6 rotational player has implemented some back row attacks as well. She scored a lot over the weekend with her game and used whatever the defense gave her, whether she used her off speed or her power game.   Besides her offense Macy really did a great job playing great defense and contributed with her serve receive as well. You can tell she was really focused on her technique and form and did really well with her touches to keep her team in system throughout the weekend. It was a great performance by Macy all the way around and she was the leader on her court in most matches. Watching her play made it an easy pick to be one of our NIT standouts!     Zoey is a high level pin hitter who looked real good at Summer NIT. Her offensive game is already well know across the board with all of us scouts. She has a great arm swing that is extremely fast and powerful. Her technique is good enough that if she gets an out of system set she can still get a great swing on the ball based on her approach/technique. She is a high volume scorer for her team and is able to get a ton of points from the outside which is what she did all weekend.   Zoey also contributes in other defensive areas as well. She is ever improving as a defender but did a good job with her off block defense and her blocking at the net. She is a high jumper who can take away a ton of angles from a right side hitter. Most teams won't even attempt to come after her block as she gets a lot of stuffs and block touches for her team. She was someone who contributed in a number of areas as pin hitter with her offense, blocking, and serve receive touches. She was a clear standout on her court throughout the 3 days and an easy choice to be a standout!     One of the top liberos I was able to see during NIT, Aubrey was electric as a libero could be with her overall game play. She was all over the place with her defense and was getting touches on some top tier talent that other liberos were not. She seems to see the game at a different pace and will anticipate very well to get to the correct spot more times then not. She moves with great footwork and seems to get from transition to base to defense with such ease. Her footwork also helps in serve receive as it allows her to cover a ton of space there as well.   Her passing in serve receive and defense is also elite. She seems to get her arms on the ball in the correct angle almost every play to help keep her team in system. She is also relentless with her hustle and ability to get quality touches on balls that most liberos wouldn't be able to. She was a one of the top liberos in her division and at the tournament, she was a big time standout with her play at Summer NIT.     Another top libero from NIT weakened, Carsen did a great job with her play as the defensive leader for her team. She was great in serve receive, continuously passing 2's and 3's as a passer to get her team in rhythm and in system throughout the tournament. In serve receive she did a good job always communicating who was taking what ball, and always jumping into lanes to take any 50-50 balls in serve receive. She is super reliable with her passing in this regard and can pass hard driven serves and read the short ones as well.   Not to be out done with her defense, she was hard working in this area as well. She dug a ton of balls, and hard driven ones as well. She was also able to see some off speed shots and had the speed and footwork to get good touches on tips or setter dumps when needed. She moves super well and has great technique when it comes to passing in both defense and serve receive as she always great good angles and good contact points. It was easy to tell by watching her play that she was one of the standouts from Summer NIT.     If you haven't got to watch Annabelle play, you really are missing out on a top end player who is one of the best in AZ and in the nation at the middle position for her class. During the tournament she had a ton of moments where she was unstoppable with her offense, even against the best middles from other states. She runs a very quick tempo ball out of the middle and you even hesitate for a second, it is game over. She is quick with her movement and is able to get to all spots a middle needs to for a set. She is always ready and available to swing in serve receive and in long rallies, she is never not an option and works hard to be available.   On the defensive side, she was able to win a lot of 1 on 1 throughout the tournament against other top level middles, she is able to do this as she has a high vertical and is able to meet the ball at the highest point to take up a lot space. She is also smart and agile enough to see when the ball is going to the pin to help close that block and not sit on the middle. She doesn't get beat on the block a lot and her footwork and technique looks great during the long rallies. Overall, her offensive game alone might just make her a standout but she also chips in well on defense to make her the complete middle. An easy choice as a standout during Summer NIT.     Kalista really showed up and played super well during Summer NIT. I was impressed with her ability to play at a high level especially with her offensive game. She runs a very quick ball to the outside and seems to always connect and power through the block or beat the block with how explosive and fast her game is. She does very well taking what the defense gives her though and just will see the openings as they are developing, she doesn't need power all the time but can win with her court IQ and taking what is open.   Another great thing about her game is just how quick she is in her movement. She can pass a ball in defense or serve receive and has the speed to always get deep in a load to get a quality swing on the ball. She might be the fastest outside in terms of overall speed I have seen with her ability to move in that regard. That speed and footwork also helps in defense and serve receive as she is always getting to a good position to pass the ball and create the best angle for a pass. Her offense game alone puts her in a class of standouts, but her all around game made her an easy pick at Summer NIT for a standout.    Now a few out of state players I had the chance to see live while waiting for AZ teams during NIT. These girls were either on or near courts and really stood out to the point I had to stop and take notice of their all around game play.    Ellie is a great setter who really stood out in the match I was watching her play in. She moves effortlessly around the court and is really deceptive with where she is going with the ball. Doesn't matter where she was on the floor, she was able to run her whole offense regardless of the pass. She is quick and agile which helps her get her hands on the ball throughout a match even when the pass isn't there.   Ellie showed great court awareness and her volleyball IQ stood out to me. During her matches she made smart decisions both in system and out-of-system situations and adjusted well to the flow of the match. She moves with purpose to the ball, maintains good balance when setting, and displays strong hands with consistent location. She knew which hitters to set and which had advantages to use when they were in system. For sure someone who is going to gain major traction in the coming months as a recruit and an easy pick as a standout from Summer NIT.     It is really easy to see why Maggie is ranked 2nd in her class in Illinois. She is a top level pin hitter who has an absolute arm on her but also can play all 6 rotations to a high level as well. Her offensive game is second to none, and she can score from a lot of different angles with her swing. Watching her play at NIT was amazing to see how effortlessly she moves for a 6'1 pin hitter, always getting her feet to the ball and terminating at will. Didn't matter if the block was there or not, everyone knew where the ball was going and she was still able to score. I would dare say she would be one of the best offensive players in AZ if she was ranked in our class.   She was also a full 6 rotational player, who was passing well, playing top level defense, and a force with her block. She was the full package when it came to her game as she not only contributed with her kills, she also was passing well and getting block touches or taking up space. She was the game changing pins coaches would love to have on their team. A easy pick from someone who played well at NIT and should be a standout.     Saylor is another top level outside hitter who moves really well for her size and can really change a game with her offensive ability. She demonstrates excellent arm speed, a high contact point, and the ability to score from multiple areas of the court. Being able to contact the ball at that high of a point (she is easily 6'2) gives you a ton of options as a pin hitter as to where to hit the ball and gives you a lot of angles to hit as well. She showed great footwork as well to be able to get off the net and loaded each play, and was always an option to score regardless of the set she got. She was a high volume scorer in her matches and someone who the ball was going to a ton.   In serve receive, she remains composed and provided a reliable passing presence, allowing her team to stay in system when she passes the ball. She created great angles to pass the ball, even with her long frame and with being as athletic she is got to a ton of balls and touches some other outsides wouldn't be able to get. She wasn't challenged a lot at the net, but when she did she took up a lot of space and seem to press well over the net to create problems for the opposing teams. Her overall game play as a 6 rotational pin was on display all tournament and someone who is easily one of the standouts from the Summer NIT.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   We have a lot more content coming from this incredible event! If you missed this one, be sure to tag us in your schedules for NIT, Nationals, and Festival! If you want more exposure, be sure to attend one of the Prep Dig AZ showcases in August! Use code MarissaMorah10 or AnthonyJones10 for a discount.   <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"> <a href="https://prepdig.com/all-events/">All Events</a> </blockquote>

Summer NIT standouts episode 2 is upon us. If you missed the previous article from yesterday we took a deep dive into the 14-15's division. Today however our next round of standouts come from the older age groups! We are going to dive into the 16 and 17's age group and the standouts from that age groups. We saw a number of standouts from this age group as well, and like the 14-15's article we wanted to make sure they got their proper exposure from Summer NIT as well.