FL Top 100 in 2024: Guess Who's Moving Up?

<p>Before I make another update to the 2024 rankings, I wanted to give a shout out to some of the athletes in the bottom half of the top 100 who have made big strides since I first uploaded them. Whether it be them signing to the next level or just made a statement at the end of the club season and into the start of the school season; these 5 athletes I am going to showcase proved to me why they should be moved up in the next rankings update. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='444428' first='Stevie' last='Henderson']: Opposite - OVA (57)</h2>   <p>Stevie is a natural opposite hitter, which is rare from a right-handed hitter. She's an exceptional athlete when having to make last minute adjustments with her feet, body, or arm swing. Depending on the type of set, she does what's optimal based on the situation and the defense she's playing against. She uses different arm angles to be able to use all parts of the court whether it be hard cross, in the seam, or down the line. She's a very technical player when it comes to her hitting and her blocking footwork and body control. No matter if the set is perfect or the hitter on the other side is just as dynamic as she is, Stevie finds a way to get her feet to the ball and set herself up for success. She uses all of her height and athleticism when at the net, which shows a ton of discipline and skill that most opposites at her age don't fully grasp until they are in the college game. On blocking her eye work going from the setter to her hitter impeccable; the results from it show on her highlight films consistently. Throughout the school season this year I am intrigued to see her grow her game from the backrow defensively. Once she masters that like she has the offensive side of her game, she's going to be nearly unstoppable. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"> [player_tooltip player_id='444435' first='Alyssa' last='Carey'] (OH) - TVA (61)</h2>   <p>Alyssa is someone that I have had the privilege of being able to coach at the UF Team Camps this past summer. I've been able to watch her game from the sideline while she was playing with TVA, but being able to see the work ethic, attitude, and the workload that her school team asks from her is impressive to say the least. Alyssa may not be the most technically sound player I have covered at her position, but it's the other aspects of her game and the overall skills she has at each aspect of the game is why I think she will definitely be moving up the rankings. The thing that impressed me the most about Alyssa was her ability to get her feet to the ball and use different arm angles to expose defenses. She can run any set from almost anywhere on the court while also having the range to hit it to different spots on the court. She's such a huge offensive option for her highschool team that it takes away from the defensive abilities she displays on a game to game basis. Whether it be front row blocking or back row digging, it seems like Alyssa is always in good position to either funnel or block the ball in the front row or to dig the ball in the backrow. She's going to be a huge asset for the next chapter in her college volleyball career and I am glad I was able to teach her a thing or two before she makes the big move. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='444440' first='Alyssa' last='Cadavid'] (S) - 305 VBC (65)</h2>   <p>Alyssa was one of the underrated prospects I was able to watch at the end of the club season this past year. She doesn't stand out from making the flashy sets, she shines in her consistency at the position. One of the hardest things to teach setters is how to look the same no matter where they are trying to set the ball. Alyssa does a fantastic job with her footwork and her hand positioning to be able to set up her hitters for success while making the defense reactionary to her sets. She would consistently be able to hold the middle and create seams for her pin hitters throughout any film or in person games I was able to watch. She does this by keeping her hand contact high above her head and only makes adjustments to the spot she wants to set right before the ball hits her hand; forcing the defense on the other side to react rather than reading where her sets are going to go. It definitely helps that Alyssa is on the taller side of setters, so her front row blocking and dumping also showed to be a factor against her opponents. Although she isn't at the biggest club, her team this past year qualified for USAV Nationals and represented well at the tournament and played a big part in her teams success. I can't wait to see what she has planned for this school season as well as her future endeavors on the volleyball court. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='192161' first='Dyanna' last='Spicer'] (MB) - Team Kiwi (80)</h2>   <p>Dyanna is a player that I also have had the privilege of coaching. She's someone who is the epitome of hard work and dedication to her craft as a volleyball player. Dyanna's biggest asset as a volleyball player is her blocking and availability on the offensive end. Her blocking all starts from her length and athleticism, but finishes her blocks with great hand placement and the amount of space she takes on the other side of the net. She does such a good job of pressing over the net that it makes hitters across from her feel as though they have no space in front of them to hit the ball. Most of the time when the ball hits her block she either gets a stuff block or she gets a great touch for her defense to play off of. Once that ball is dug on her side, she does an exceptional job being an option for her setter not only to hit but at minimum to pull the opposing middle out of the play. Offensively Dyanna mainly uses her swing to hit high and down over or outside of the block. It creates major issues for the defense against her because of the height of her contact and the quickness of her hand getting on the ball. She's able to hit all of the traditional middle sets and has just started really using her body to hit through the ball. I can't wait to see her improvement as she moves into her last year of school and club ball and starts her new journey on the collegiate game. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='444474' first='Mallory' last='Baruch'] (S) - Team Kiwi (98)</h2>   <p>Mallory is a prospect who I have had the pleasure of coaching and being at the same club for about 4-5 years straight. She's someone who is willing to do whatever is needed for her team to improve and especially win. When I first started working with her she was a middle hitter, and after a couple weeks into the start of the season I made her make the move to setter. Since then she has taken the position on her back and improved immensely not only at the position but has been able to improve her skills as an all-around volleyball player. She's consistently running her offense and really understands spacing and tendencies of not only her team but what the other team wants to take away. She uses her height and high contact when setting to help pull the middle away from the pins and create space for her hitters. Mallory's most underrated skill has to be her blocking. She does an exceptional job setting up the block for her middle (Dyanna) to close the block while also being on time. When you add in the fact that she's a willing defender while being in great position, she's not only an underrated setter prospect but the type of player that all college coaches look for. The reliability, effort, and good attitude she has brought her teams over the years is why I am excited to see what she does with her school and club teams this upcoming season. </p>   <p>I've had the pleasure of personally coaching and coaching against a few of these athletes. It gave me a really good idea of not only what they bring to a highlight film but what they do on a consistent basis on and off the court. For the others I mentioned in this article, I think that their film and what I have seen in person was enough to have everyone watching for what they do at the next level.</p>

Before I make another update to the 2024 rankings, I wanted to give a shout out to some of the athletes in the bottom half of the top 100 who have made big strides since I first uploaded them. Whether it be them signing to the next level or just made a statement at the end of the club season and into the start of the school season; these 5 athletes I am going to showcase proved to me why they should be moved up in the next rankings update.