Team Spotlight: Sunshine 18 LA

<p>With the 18s national qualifying season winding down in the month of March we take a look at one team from the Southern California region that has already qualified in Sunshine 18 LA. The team coached by Ali Nejad Fathali qualified back in January by winning the Girls Winter Volleyball Championships held in Chicago. Sunshine 18 LA competed two weekends ago at the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City, where Sunshine finished second in the 18s division after falling to Munciana 18 Samurai in the final. Below, we spotlight members of Sunshine 18 LA helping making it such a special and talented group.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159518" first="Elia" last="Rubin"], OH</strong> – The Stanford commit is at the center of just about everything Sunshine does. The Stanford commit fits in perfectly with her well-balanced game. Her passing in serve receive and ball control skills are top notch for an outside and you can really see it shining in action with Sunshine’s brilliant transition game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159519" first="Kerry" last="Keefe"], RS</strong> – One of the reason Sunshine’s been on another level from the rest of the 18s division is the emergence of Keefe, who is signed with Duke, which started last year. She’s turned into a bona fide force on the right side that’s really opened up the attack, especially adding in the back row attacking she’s become adept at. She’s added lots of power to her attacking and at her height it makes her very difficult to stop.</p> <p><strong>Dani Thomas-Nathan, OH</strong> – When Thomas-Nathan joined the roster three seasons ago she helped change the dynamic of the team by adding another viable option on the left to compliment what Sunshine already had going on. The USC signee gave Sunshine more physicality in the offensive attack and another high-level scorer that left Sunshine with a go-to hitter in the front row no matter the rotation.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159525" first="Megan" last="Verbiest"], L/DS</strong> – Sunshine is a top-notch defensive and ball control team and a big part of that stems from having Verbiest at libero. The USC signee is a next-level talent at the position and legitimate game changer that most every team craves. She makes plays that average liberos cannot and keeps rallies going that should’ve ended right there.</p> <p><strong>Elle Goeghegan, L/DS</strong> – On her way to San Diego State in the fall, Goeghegan is also reason why the defensive make up of Sunshine is so elevated. She’s very steady in both serve receive and back row defense as she part of the libero duo.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159522" first="Kelly" last="Belardi"], S</strong> – A standout beach player for many years, Belardi is headed to Stanford to play on the sand. Still, when she joined the Sunshine roster a couple of seasons ago she really helped the team become elite with her setting abilities.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="162752" first="Lucia" last="Scalamandre"], MB</strong> – A very capable player in the middle, Scalamandre as much as anything is the sparkplug who provides tons of energy when she’s on the court. She’s heading to Princeton for college and is the top offensive option at the position, so teams must be aware of her when she’s checked in. She can score on a variety of sets and her movement makes her an effective blocker as well.</p> <p><strong>Shannon Knight, MB</strong> – A Lafayette signee, Knight plays a valuable role for Sunshine helping to hold it down in the middle. While she’s not quite as offensive a player as Scalamandre she’s certainly capable of scoring given the amount of options Sunshine has on the floor and that helps keep the offense dangerous and balanced.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="163271" first="Kennedy" last="Hill"], MB</strong> – Hill is part of a middle trio and helps round out the depth of the roster. Hill, who is signed with Northwestern, can’t be overlooked as she’s also able to score when called upon.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161468" first="Skylar" last="Gerhardt"], OH</strong> – On her way to Villanova in the fall, Gerhardt is yet another member of the team who adds valuable depth on the outside. She’s always been a scoring threat who plays and attacks with physicality. She’s also an option on either pin as she’s a former right side hitter.</p> <p><strong>Ava-Marie Lange, OH</strong> – A junior playing up and a future Harvard attendee, Lange is more depth at the outside position. She’s tall and is a good scorer who also can play defense in the back row. </p>