I felt this was a pretty easy choice when it came to libero. After Pulelehua the next best libero in the state (if not 1A or 1B) would be Aubrey. She is a star when it comes to her game play and someone that can really anchor the backrow for us. As a defender she is all over the place and reads the game at a high level really demonstrating her court IQ. She gets a ton of high quality touches on the ball and seems to be moving on the floor with ease, both in transition and to defensive positions.

Now, where she excels is her serve receive. She tracks the ball exceptionally well, maintains excellent posture through contact, and delivers accurate passes that allow the offense to stay in system. The best part about her is that she shows a ton of confidence by taking a large portion of the court and makes life easy on the other girls in the backrow. She is a top level libero and an easy pick for this team, she has always played with top end talent and should make this team run on all fronts.

One of the top liberos I was able to see during NIT, Aubrey was electric as a libero could be with her overall game play. She was all over the place with her defense and was getting touches on some top tier talent that other liberos were not. She seems to see the game at a different pace and will anticipate very well to get to the correct spot more times then not. She moves with great footwork and seems to get from transition to base to defense with such ease. Her footwork also helps in serve receive as it allows her to cover a ton of space there as well.

Her passing in serve receive and defense is also elite. She seems to get her arms on the ball in the correct angle almost every play to help keep her team in system. She is also relentless with her hustle and ability to get quality touches on balls that most liberos wouldn’t be able to. She was a one of the top liberos in her division and at the tournament, she was a big time standout with her play at Summer NIT.

Aubrey Burns Aubrey Burns 5'4" | DS/L Millennium | 2027 State #128 Nation AZ is arriving at UA Next looking for a ticket to Orlando.

Defense, serving, and live competition are the three areas she is most excited to showcase, but what may stand out fastest tomorrow is the emotional control she now brings into high-pressure moments. Aubrey’s mental side of her game is one of her biggest areas of growth this season, especially learning how to reset quickly and not allow mistakes to dictate everything that happens next.

That maturity already showed up in one of the biggest moments of her club season. Down 8-13 in the third set of a championship match, she stayed composed, continued communicating, and helped her team emotionally stabilize long enough to complete the comeback win.

That moment feels important heading into an environment like UA Next where momentum changes quickly and emotional steadiness matters.

Her leadership style is rooted in communication, staying loud, staying connected, and helping teammates remain locked into the next point instead of the previous mistake.

Verbally committed to Brigham Young University, Aubrey feels prepared for exactly the type of competitive environment waiting for her tomorrow.

~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247

Aubrey is a top level libero in AZ. This past school year she played at Millenium high school and averaged 3.6 digs a set and passed 446 balls in serve receive with only 18 errors. She is the libero for one of the top club teams in AZ for Sky 17 gold and it is easy to see why based on her high level of play. 

One thing about her is that her serve receive is a clear strength, with the ability to pass accurately while on the move. Aubrey also brings high energy to the floor, communicates continuously, and just never stops with the energy and positivity toward her teammates. She projects as a dynamic backcourt presence as she heads to BYU. Honestly this is a steal for them, and she should make an impact immediately there. 

Most notably Aubrey is an instinctive, high-end athlete who covers a large portion of the court. She shows explosive first movement and exceptional lateral quickness, allowing her to close gaps quickly and make plays well outside her starting position. She is comfortable defending against pace and angle, using body control and timing to produce controlled digs rather than simple saves. She is going to be a person to watch for conference defensive play of the year next year based on her game play alone, look for her to be one of the top liberos in club this season regardless of class, and a senior to be on the lookout for next year.