NIT Libero & Middle Blocker standouts

Last, but not least, the middles and liberos that caught our eye at Triple Crown the other weekend. I know, I know, the tournament was over a week ago, but I wanted to make sure I had my notes in order and got to go back and watch all of the players I wanted to watch. There were quite a few new names that caught our team’s eye at both the middle and libero position. Without further ado here are some middles and “bros” from Triple Crown that stood out to me and the VB Adrenaline team:

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Pulelehua Laikona: Libero, AZ Storm, PPV 265- it wouldn't be a run down of liberos if we didn't include the AZ Storm stud. She moves well, she makes big time digs in clutch moments for her team. She really helps make those hitters look great. Another added bonus for her and her potential is the fact that her team really is stacked with hitters so she spends so much time having to play defense against the best of the best. Overall a really top libero.

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Frankie Ramsdell-Washington: MB, Legacy, PPV 156- This legacy squad didn't have the showing or start that they may have wanted but individually there were a lot of players making plays that seemed promising and Ramsdell-Washington was one of them. I think she could see an increase in PPV after this weekend simply due to her size and increase in court awareness, as well as her movement on the block.

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Emme Moser: Libero, Tri State Elite, PPV 188- I took note of this bro from day 1. She was making plays for her team that kept them in games. I think it's hard as a libero to stand out, but she made big time digs that didn't let other teams just roll over this Tri State Elite group. SHe is also super calm and controlled in serve receive. She was a standout stud from the start for me!

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Nyla Livings: MB, TAV, PPV 221- offensive and defensive middle that plays really well for this TAV group. She does a great job being up and active in transition making her stand out against other middles that maybe don't get up every time. She makes her setters' lives easier because of this!

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Kaendall Omoruyi: MB, AZ Storm, PPV 295- Again, a player on this AZ Storm team that is absolutely stacked. She is a top tier attacker and will continue to stand out among her peers because of how talented she is. An attacker that plays well in the middle or the pin that will really make an impact in college volleyball someday.

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Gabrielle Garcia: Libero, Drive Nation, PPV 159- her serve receive really stood out to me. I think she moves really well and is determined to not get aced. She leads the back court really well and helps cover ground in serve receive when she needs to. I think with time her PPV could be expected to increase. 

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Charley Moeddel: MB, Tri State Elite, PPV 166- Another middle that I was expecting to be a stand out that definitely caught my eye. I think she's been working on being more efficient moving laterally on her block, but she is creating offensive opportunities for her team in first ball especially. I love her setter and think she does a great job keeping Moeddel involved in the offense.

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Margaux Godfrey: Libero, A5, PPV 210- Godfrey may have been a piece that was missing from the A5 puzzle. They have had talented liberos on this team, but Godfrey stands out (and that's hard to do as a Bro). She is an impressive defender as well as a strong leader in serve receive. She is new to this A5 team, but I can't wait to continue to watch them play and learn together. I think they will only get better as the season goes on.

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Marlee Steiner: MB, HPSTL, PPV 165- A really steady and consistent player. Her blocking is what stood out to me and our team. She is calm in the center of the court and waits to go make big moves to block players. She also has really strong hands over the net and presses well creating solid blocking set ups for her defense to defend around.

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Kyla Williams: MB, AVC, PPV 266- incredible player on both offense and defense. Her setter always talks about how fun it is to set her and I can only imagine. She is so high and played really well against some other TOP blockers in the country at the NIT. She is also such a dominant blocker that when she is set and pressed attackers have no voice but to tip or get stuffed. 

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Cedra Saolotoga-Talaga: Libero, Mizuno Long Beach, PPV 123- Just a solid libero overall. She has a really strong team around her but she did a good job last weekend keeping her team in system and trying to make plays. She is really physical and athletic and uses it well. I like watching this group play all together and I think Saolotoga-Talaga adds to the fun of it all.

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Kylee Evans: MB, A5 Gabe, PPV 207- stud middle blocker. She jumps out of the gym and allows her setter to run a more balanced offense. She is a fun middle to watch because she does jump so well. I love watching her play because of her ability to turn a ball back towards one 1. She is above a lot of blockers so she creates chances to wait and attack the ball at harsh angles. 

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Anela Wailani: Libero, AZ Rev, PPV 212- such a tall and long libero. I think she may be one of the tallest bros in this class. I think it serves her well and allows her to play with some incredible range. There could possibly be a trend soon where we see more length and height to liberos which will allow them to cover more ground. That is exactly what ​​Anela Wailani does. She uses her height and is able to make some really nice plays for her team.

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Lyric Judson: MB, Premier Nebraska, PPV 199- She is a stud middle that I was expecting to stand out and she did just that. I quite honestly had not heard a ton about her before this weekend, but she definitely stood out at the NIT. She is a powerful attacker with a ton of range. She jumps really well and her angle attacks are what make me most impressed. 

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Sanai Severloh: MB, Forza1 North, PPV 226- she was THE standout MVP on day 1… no questions asked. We were super impressed with her the entire tourney but she caught our eye on day 1 and there was no going back from there. She's athletic beyond doubt. She was up in the middle and could attack wherever she wanted. She had control of games entirely for her team all by herself. This is a player that found our eye and will continue to be on our radar moving forward. 

‍Anniston Clark: MB, KC Power, PPV 212- she does a good job of using her entire swing to be efficient when attacking. Our team took away the fact that she had a really good snap that allowed her to bounce balls but to also hit deep corners. This is a huge skill for middles because it's very hard to defend. She is one that I could see her PPV changing in the coming weeks simply!