January Volleyball Standouts

January is in the books and now we need to talk about some standouts that have grabbed our attention through their play this past month. With enough matches to evaluate trends, January offered meaningful insight for us over at PrepdigAZ. The players highlighted themselves through consistency, efficiency, and poise under pressure. This month's standouts weren't defined by one big performance, but by repeatable impact across matches for the whole month.   We know there were a lot of girls who this month could have fit that description, but when talking with coaches, club directors, and other scouts.. these names kept appearing throughout those conversations so without further ado, here is our list!    Emma is one of the top pin hitters in the class of 2029, and has demonstrated that week in and week out with her stellar game play but she impressed us even more with her game play this past month.   Emma is a physical right-side attacker with a college-ready frame who showed clear offensive value throughout January. She is a reliable option in out-of-system situations, especially on broken plays and transition swings. She does not shy away in those moments and attacks with pace and confidence, showing the ability to score both through the block and off the hands. Blocks are non existent for her as she is comfortable swinging against set blocks and does not shy away from high-pressure moments late in sets.   One thing we like is we saw her blocking took a noticeable step forward this month. She really lines up well against left-side attackers, closes inside hands with great discipline, and presses over the net rather than reaching. That is a big difference we see in her over other blockers her age is the ability to press over the net and really take away that space from other pin hitters. She is also improving in her reads as a play is going on, resulting in more controlled touches even when not recording stuff blocks.   Emma is already a standout based on her game play normally, but she really is taking off and demonstrating why she is one of the best players in her class, shall we say one of the best in AZ? Few more months like that and we will have to have that conversation!     January marked a big step forward in tempo and decision-making for Addi. When watching her play she runs a very balanced offense and does a good job disguising sets, keeping blockers honest, and setting with pace. No one is able to tell where the ball is going and defenses have a tough time getting to the block when they are in system. She really connects particularly well with middles in transition and runs them in serve receive to a high degree as well.   She is also a great defender, and teammate. She leads her team with her all out effort on each play but standouts with her defense. Her defense is second to none and really has elevated over the last year with how well she moves her feet and can take a hard driven ball and make clean contact. She is also a great server as well, and she has one of the highest ratings on her team so far this season. She can serve right to whoever her coach calls, and it is tough enough to get a lot of aces or out of system balls when she is on.   Addi is overall making great strides this season with her decision making, defense, and communication/leadership. She is someone who is firmly on our radar after an impressive January and someone you all should get to know as this won't be the last time you hear her name. She is trending up wards and should continue to make noise in the coming months.     Alyssa is a 6 rotational pin hitter for AZ Outlaws who just went undefeated and won their division at Colorado Crossroads earlier this month.   Offensively, Alyssa shows good arm speed with great shot discipline. She is super effective in her offensive game and her tool box has it all with a sharp cross, high seam, and deep line when blockers drift. Her timing continues to improve on faster tempo sets, and she stays available as a release valve for the setter when they are out of system. She is very capable of being a volume attacker who can terminate the ball at will at times.   Her serve receive continues to be an asset for her team as she can be a literal libero if it wasn't for her great arm swing. She has a great platform that is also stable, and she shows good balance against pace and movement. In defense she is very engaged, and does well in her transition from defense to being an option to hit from the back row as well. She always seems to be moving on the floor and never slows up. Alyssa also shows willingness to pursue balls outside her zone and help her teammates out as she has a ton of confidence in her defense and serve receive.   January reinforced what we really want to see out of a pin hitter: consistency, confidence, and tools that hold up under pressure. Alyssa is someone who is worth tracking closely moving forward as her month of January was one to remember.     Malia has had a great month over at Omni and really showed up for the class of 2029. She has all the tools scouts love to see in a player and really demonstrated a full amount of them to us during the month of January.   Malia has what we call in the sport a live arm. Her arm swing, motion, speed is all super impressive and she gets some power behind the ball. However Malia also showed improved shot selection throughout January, scoring not just on power but with range. She was effective not only with the power but also with tooling the block and finding deep seams.   Malia also handles out of system balls well and remains aggressive late in rallies. While some players made air on the cautious side... this is not Malia as she will routinely win points with aggressive shots in long rallies. Overall her serve receive continues to trend upward as well; she still has some room to tighten platform consistency against hard servers, but shows six-rotation potential with her overall game play.   This month highlighted both growth and reliability from Malia. As competition tightens as we head to NQ and championships, expect her to continue raising her level and helping her team continue to perform well.     Lyla really stood out at Oasis this last month and is really starting to get on our radar with her overall play.   She was an anchor defensively throughout January, consistently controlling first contact against tough servers. She also reads attackers well and gets off her base quickly, showing elite floor coverage. She is just all over the place, and her range is unlimited it seems like. It really is awesome to see a player like Lyla being able to cover so much ground with her defense and transition with ease to cover.   She is also calm under pressure and takes charge of serve receive patterns. You can see in her game play the leadership aspects coming out with her ability to vocalize and control the backrow on top of her energy when her teams scores. Her overall control in serve receive and defense allows the offense to stay in system more often than not. Most importantly her IQ is high and it helps raise the level of those around her with her.   January confirmed Lyla's upward trajectory. The consistency, competitiveness, and repeatable skill set shown this month points to continued growth as the season progresses. Her stock is trending in the right direction, and she's a name that warrants continued looks from us and all of you.     Miranda really has shown up this month for Victorium and is someone who is going to get on some college radars this year if she continues to play like she did this past month.   Miranda shows excellent reading ability off the hitter's approach and arm, allowing her to beat the ball to the spot rather than reacting late. Having a libero who can anticipate and move well is always hard to find, and Miranda really hits both of those super well. Her January performances were marked by calm, repeatable serve receive against both pace and movement, keeping the offense in system at a high rate. She is just so in control with her form, technique, and angles in serve receive that it is a obvious why she can pass at such a high clip.   Defensively, she covers a large amount of court with efficient movement and strong body control. Notice how we said efficient too, as she moves with such ease it seems like and really gets to locations early to dig the ball. Miranda will dig balls with intent, producing playable balls rather than emergency saves as even on tough plays she somehow makes it look easy. If you think you can hit a tip on her.. well you are wrong! She also excels at handling tips, roll shots, and off-speed attacks, showing high volleyball IQ with her ability to read hitters and get there early.   January was a strong starting point in Miranda's season. The improvements shown weren't situational but they were sustained. As the season moves forward, she's positioned to build on this momentum and work her way into some college radars.     Gloria is a name that is fully on our radar as we move forward this club season. She is a middle blocker who really stood out this last month, but is someone who is going to fly up recruiting radars over the next year based on her game play.   The first thing that stands out about Gloria is her physical presence at the net. She does really well closing blocks and pressing over the net with discipline as she never gets called in the net. She not only gets a ton of blocks but also creates problems even when not recording blocks by taking away space from hitters with how much space she takes up and how well she closes her block. As someone with her first hand experience playing against Gloria, she can really change the game for her team with this ability at the net. Elite blocker in the making would be the best way to describe her to some!   Offensively there is a lot to like about her game, she is very tall and can take a hit above a block that is in front of her. She also can run a fast tempo offensive and seems to connect well with all her setters on her team. She has the footwork and speed to develop all aspects of a middle's offensive game so look for her to become a force on the offensive end as the season progresses.   Gloria really has all the tools in front of her to be a top level middle in her class and the state. She really showed up this last month with her game play and ability to impact the game as a middle. Expect that trend to continue over the course of the next few years as well. She is someone to get out and see if you have some time this weekend too!     One of the top outside hitters in the class of 2029, Bombiski is literally dropping bombs on the competition this last month. She is really making other coaches take notice with her all around play this past month.   Offensively is where she shines the most, as she shows good timing on faster tempos ball and seems to have a good connection with her setters. Most importantly she is staying available in transition. As a play goes on, she is always in a good position to take a set and a effective swing. She understands spacing and does a good job adjusting to imperfect sets when longer rallies or out of system balls happen. A big asset for her team is that she has a back-row attacking presence which adds value to her team and never takes her out of the offense.   On the other side of the coin she is developing her defense and serve receive game to a high level as well. She is a very capable passer who has a lot of reach with her arms and gets great touches on hard driven balls. She also maintains good balance in her defense and reacts well to tips and rolls shots, effectively taking that out of opposing teams game plan. She is an all around 6 rotational pin who can do all the aspects that a team needs from that position.   She has defined herself as a top 10 kid in her class, and with continued months like this has the possibility to make her way into the top 5 for her class by the next update. She is standing out every match at the moment and should continue to do so as we head into the NQ season.     Halle been a standout for Livewire this past month with her overall game play and her versatility has really stood out to us at Prepdig.   January showcased her value as a go-to option in out-of-system situations. Anyone can hit the ball while in system, or while getting great sets....but what set her apart was her ability to control the out of system balls and score points or keep the opposing team out of system as well. She terminates well against smaller blocks and shows excellent range attacking cross and deep corner, while having some finesse with her off speed shots as well.   Halle also can do a lot in the defense department as well. She plays good off block defense and moves very well laterally in her defense as well. She has some elite footwork that really shows up when you watch her. Moving with purpose is how I would describe it as she moves well in offense, defense, and in transition as well. Elite footwork for a 2029 is always something we look for as a scout and Halle has some of the best in the class.   Halle has a good array of attributes that can help a team win, she is capable of being versatile, can be a force on offense, on defense, and is a loud energetic player as well. She is someone who is moving up on our watch list and we can't wait to see how she progresses in the coming months.    We can't wait to see what the rest of the 2026 club season will bring!   As always, make sure you are following us on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigarizona/?hl=en">@PrepDigArizona </a>as well as our scouts<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdiganthony/"> @PrepDigAnthony</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coachmarissamorah/">@CoachMarissaMorah</a>.   Want to get on our radar? Do the following:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Follow us on Instagram, Nominate Through our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGWSR1w3a_ZgKVLmUouN7ymhvldIHGmG6f6zWs54-pGTM_-A/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=116487285663927782556">Form</a>, and Send us your Highlights!</li> </ul>

January is in the books and now we need to talk about some standouts that have grabbed our attention through their play this past month. With enough matches to evaluate trends, January offered meaningful insight for us over at PrepdigAZ. The players highlighted themselves through consistency, efficiency, and poise under pressure. This month's standouts weren't defined by one big performance, but by repeatable impact across matches for the whole month.