Club Players to Watch – Liberos

<p>A new year has arrived and the restart of the calendar also means something really exciting for those who follow volleyball in the state of Washington – the club season is about to really get going in the Evergreen State!</p> <p>Some early tournaments were played in December and they gave us a nice warm-up for what’s ahead but the bulk of the season really starts now and we’re about to start watching the most exciting prospects of the state in nearly a weekly basis.</p> <p>Everyone has their favorite players to follow or watch and this week we’ll try to offer new options during this week, pointing out players who could be poised for a fantastic club season based on what they recently did for their high school teams.</p> <p>In the second article, our topic are the liberos:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97259" first="Sophia" last="Sheppard"] – Club: North Pacific Juniors – HS: Puyallup – 2023</strong></p> <p>A 5’6” defender who had already been a solid player for her high school team Puyallup in previous seasons, [player_tooltip player_id="97259" first="Sophia" last="Sheppard"] took her game to another level over the last few months. She was extremely reliable and led her team’s backcourt efforts with a career-high 492 digs (4.7 per set) and still added 88 kills and 34 aces. As a result, she made it to the Washington Coaches Association All-State team as an honorable mention and to our Prep Dig All-State first team. There’s absolutely no reason to believe she could be just as good for North Pacific Juniors during the club season.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4NLAE15wgm0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97145" first="Taryn" last="Wilson"] – Club: Capital Volleyball Club – HS: Olympia – 2022</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="97145" first="Taryn" last="Wilson"] was an integral part of a solid Olympia team during the last high school season, producing as many as 382 digs (4.2 per set) and 378 passes for the team from the state capital. Her solid play made of her a Washington Coaches Association All-State honorable mention and earned her a second-team spot in our Prep Dig selection. The 5’5” Wilson should be even more of a factor for her Capital Volleyball Club team during the club season and move to the next phase of her career in great style.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Kelli Kaelin – Club: Puyallup Juniors – HS: White River – 2023</strong></p> <p>Few defensive players in the state of Washington produced more than Kelli Kaelin during the last high school season. Playing for White River, the 5’5” libero had massive numbers, ending the season with 669 digs (6.8 per set), 531 passes and 33 aces. She was a second-team selection for the Washington Coaches Association All-State team and was listed as an honorable mention in our picks at Prep Dig. Kaelin should have a talented Puyallup Juniors squad by her side during the club season and her consistent game will be extremely valuable to them.</p>