High-flying and terminal, Amaya is spending literally all of her free time developing the all-around game. Able to attack from anywhere and use her high attack touch to make a lot of blocks look obsolete, Amaya’s quick transition, coupled with that high attack touch, turns her into Superwoman when in-system. Gravity looks optional for this young lady, as she might be the highest leaper in this class. In short, she should be treated as the primary attacker on any roster she’s a part of.

The highest flyer on the Yeti, Amaya’s athleticism immediately separates herself from other outsides in the class of ‘28. Already accustomed to a faster-than-average offense, she uses her speed and quick transition ability to make gravity look like a suggestion. Along with that athleticism is her relentless attention to in-the-gym training—-she’s constantly posting her progress videos, which currently include a ton of floor defense and passing.

I remember evaluating Amaya at the Early Bird Shootout last January, and had her as an athletic but limited three-rotation outside. What she’s done in the last year is proof of high-end development, continued elite athleticism and an innate ability to terminate regularly. She’s even sprinkled in some serve receive and floor defense for good measure. The work ethic with this kid has been relentless, and seeing her regular progress on my X feed confirms that fact.

Last spring, Amaya was all about jumping high and terminating….and that was it. After this fall and a ton of training (both individually and with her club team), she’s starting to round into the player she can become. Earning yet another sectional title with LN this past fall, Amaya is a high-flying attacker that can hit all angles from any tempo of set sent her way, and is slowly developing the ball control portion of her game. Her #1 improvement in the last calendar year has been her maturity, as she’s now picking and choosing her attacking points instead of blindly attacking regardless of the defense, situation or set. Great to see this kind of development from a Wildcat, and I hope to see more of the same this club season.

Easily the highest jumper for her squad, I watched Amaya be a three-rotation outside, and she did well. She’s still learning the aspects of hitting balls with pace out-of-system, and I’m sure that with a little bit of time she will develop her ball control more (she was three-ro this weekend, I doubt she’s had a chance to pass much) and become a more complete player. For now, that jumping ability and natural athleticism cannot be taught, and that should carry her well into her sophomore year in the fall.

In short, this girl can JUMP. During the match, it’s more of a glide, or even a hover, depending on the tempo of the set she’s receiving. Once received, however, Amaya knows exactly what to do with the ball. Her athleticism is off the charts, and she makes gravity look irrelevant at times. I like the work she’s putting in, as a lot of kids with her athletic ability try to ride that ability alone without taking extra reps. Not Amaya. She’s also trying to hone her entire game, not just the attacking part. With her improved skills and out-of-this-world athleticism, she’s on the right path for her recruitment.

Amaya was a big part of the varsity squad at Lawrence North this year ending up third in kills per set, total kills and total blocks, and second in hitting percentage as just a freshman. In fact, she was the only freshman to start and play every set for the Wildcats. Zander can rip the ball down the line when the set is all the way out and she has a great push tip off the block she can use when the set is tight to net. I would like to see her work on transitioning off the net faster and deeper so she can use all of her power and vertical because when she gets a good, strong approach, she can be a very lethal outside hitter.

Another athlete who was jumping out of the gym, Amaya, brought one of the highest contact points of the Freshman Showcase. Amaya’s explosive closing steps in her approach rival the best of high school attackers. Most success throughout the showcase came from hitting over the block & isolated power in her shoulder. Once the rest of the mechanics click, she’ll be very sought after at the next level.