Serve Receive Superstars
Serve receive is an extremely mental part of volleyball. It tends to be one aspect of the game teams struggle with across the board. So having athletes on a team that are serve receive superstars can be extremely valuable. Liberos…
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Continue ReadingServe receive is an extremely mental part of volleyball. It tends to be one aspect of the game teams struggle with across the board. So having athletes on a team that are serve receive superstars can be extremely valuable. Liberos and defensive specialists tend to lead the charge on serve receive; however, there are a fair number of outsides who really excel at it as well.
Here are some athletes I have had the pleasure of watching so far this season who truly excel at serve receive.
Maleah Howe (Milwaukee Sting 15 Gold, Prep Dig Rank #2)
Maleah is one of the most talented six rotation outsides in her class. She is diligent on her form, sees the court extremely well, and is talented at anticipating her opponents and where the ball will go. She meshes well with her teammates and is a great leader. On serve receive she is calm and collected. All of her movements are very deliberate and controlled which is exactly the type of athlete you want defending against the serve.
Abby Fregien (Midwest Penguins 16 Black, Prep Dig Rank #44)
Another six-rotation outside who is exceptional at serve receive. Her defensive control is just insane and every time she touches the ball you know it will likely be a near perfect pass. Abby is so consistent across the board as a player. This consistency is key when she is on serve receive. Her ability to read the ball seems like a natural talent. This is an athlete you want in your backcourt.
Saige Damrow (FC Elite 16 Navy, Class of 2023)
Saige is only in 8th grade yet plays with the maturity of an athlete much older than she is. She learns on every single play and clearly is quite analytical with her passes. She is very diligent about her form and consistency, especially on serve receive. Rarely does Saige let a ball drop.
Tahya Pozorski (Motion 17 Blue, Prep Dig Rank #17)
Tahya is the perfect mix of scrappy and controlled. She does extremely well in scramble plays and always betters the ball; however, she is able to switch gears on serve receive. Tayha is great at anticipating where the ball will go on serve receive and works well with her teammates to make sure that it is a good pass. She has great form and reads the ball extremely well.
Adriana Studer (Milwaukee Sting 15 Gold, Prep Dig Rank #7)
Adriana is an extremely mentally tough athlete. If an opponent gets an ace or kill on her, she bounces back immediately and will not let the same ball drop twice. When she plays, especially in tight matches, you can see her fierce talent in the back row come out. Despite being an extremely fast athlete, she has control in serve receive.
Lauren Borchardt (One Wisconsin 17-1)
Lauren excels on serve receive. She hustles, gets around the ball well, and puts up a nice, controlled pass. She is a fun athlete to watch play. Lauren’s skill on serve receive is definitely top notch and this is a skill that will take her far in volleyball.
Abby Gardner (Midwest Penguins 16 Black, Prep Dig Rank #28)
Abby is extremely fast. She flies around the court, not letting anything drop. Yet, on serve receive, she is the master of control. She is a huge asset to every team she plays on and her serve receive abilities set her team up for success.
Katherine Walch (FC Elite 17 Navy, Prep Dig Rank #24)
Katherine is an all-around great athlete. She is talented across the board and it will be exciting to see where she ends up in college. Her serve receive is on point and she is extremely mentally tough. Katharine controls the backcourt extremely well and is very collected and confident on serve receive.
Serve receive is a huge indicator of the success of athletes. It is so mentally challenging and it can be difficult to master. These athletes are great examples of tough passers who can dig down deep and perform well for their teammates.