Defensive Specialists Shine at Illinois Top 250 Expo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the first drill began the defensive specialist stood out immediately. They were the small, but mighty crew as far as in numbers compared to hitters and setters.  They had great platforms and were quick on their feet and frustrating opponents with their defensive prowess. Here is a look at a couple of top-notch defensive specialists/liberos. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class of 2025 5'0” Defensive Specialist/Libero [player_tooltip player_id='260968' first='Rylie' last='Almoradie']</strong> plays high school for South Elgin High School and club for [program_tooltip program_id='430059' first='Top' last='Flight Volleyball Club']. Every court Rylie was on she was electric on the floor. She hustled and was quick to the ball every time. Almoradie has an amazing platform to target every single time. She frustrated opposing servers by passing extremely well and opposing hitters by digging them. Rylie was extremely effective in reading hitters well and was in the right spot at the right time. Keep her on your radar! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class of 2025 5'6” Defensive Specialist/Libero [player_tooltip player_id='204781' first='Bailey' last='Wallace']</strong> plays high school for Loyola Academy and club for [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='[program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last='']' last=''] Volleyball Club. Wallace was a machine in the back row. She has great feet and every pass she has a platform to target. Like Almoradie, Wallace also could read hitters well. Take notes as club season approaches! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class of 2025 5'7” Defensive Specialist/Libero [player_tooltip player_id='260914' first='Brianna' last='Gritzman']</strong> plays high school for Burlington Central and clubs for Top Flight. Gritsman had multiple double-digit dig games this past fall for the Rockets. She runs through balls well and is able to get under difficult balls. Gritzman also does a great job of ensuring that balls outside her midline are still dug to the middle of the floor to continue running the offense effectively. The libero also has a great serve that just dies over the net making it hard to pass. Gritzman's ceiling is high!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive specialists and liberos are selfless warriors on the floor. They are not always the flashy players or get all the recognition but they are a huge part to a team's success!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->