What a weekend it was as we spent three days watching incredible volleyball at the Big South Qualifier in Atlanta. vballrecruiter.com was on hand watching and observing as many teams and players as we possibly could. Below are the liberos who caught our eyes the most.
15 Open
Jarielys Giraud, GP 15 Rox – There’s an enjoyable spirit that Giraud brings to the court. She’s a Class of 2024 playing down an age group. Her serve receive was very consistent and keeping Game Point in system when she was challenged.
Claudia Rivera, Next Level 15-1 – Though Next Level is from Puerto Rico and we won’t be seeing much of them, it was hard not to add a few players from their squad. Rivera was one of them with her high-energy and enthusiasm. Plus, she’s really scrappy and plays with lots of heart.
Katie Raymer, Triangle 15 Black – It was something with which the ease Raymer plays with. And she’s part of the Class of 2026 playing up! She was nailing passes out of serve receive right to the setter and picking up cross court shots with no issues. We love her upside!
Ariel Ross, Jax Skyline 15 Royal – Ross is fast! She covers ground in a hurry. She plays really hard too.
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16 Open
Olivia Hasbrook, Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite – It was a rocky qualifying season before RT broke through at Big South. Hasbrook is vocal and can be seen constantly communication. She was making plenty of digs as well!
Orian Drore, Tribe 16 Sebastian – Drore has some athleticism to her and can cover ground. She plays with good energy to her and was getting some nice ups to extend rallies.
Ro’Miya Thomas, Gainesville 16 Black – A junior playing down an age group, Thomas played a key part in Gainesville gaining its Open bid. Her speed allows her to track down balls others wouldn’t get to.
Mayte Camacho, Top Select 16 Elite – A three-star recruit, this was our first time seeing Camacho this season and she was impressive. She’s quick and she was making ups consistently. She was also strong out of serve receive.
Maya Evens, Wave 16 Brennan – Another three-star recruit, we’ve seen a lot of Evens this season. She’s smooth and steady and anchors a very good defensive Wave team.
Coley Shiflet, Triangle 16 Black – Triangle has weapons it can throw at defenses but Shiflet adds defensive prowess to Triangle’s side of the net. She’s smart and gets to the right spots more often than not.
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17 Open
Taylor McNear, CHAVC 17 Black – When McNear is on she’s tough to get a ball down on. She’s very quick and can fly around the court making play after play.
Olivia Fenstermaker, Elite VBTC 17 Black – This three-star recruit is already committed to Jacksonville State. She was doing it all. She was passing well in serve receive. She was defending and making digs. And she was covering and picking up blocked shots.
Arya Jue, A5 Mizuno 17 Jing – Jue is a four-star recruit who is committed to Yale. She’s going to be one of the top liberos in the Ivy League when she gets there but for now she gets to showcase her skills for A5. She plays with a calming presence and can make some spectacular saves at time.
Koko Kirsch, Wave 17 Juliana – Watching Kirsch play she puts in work! She’s not to be tested in serve receive as she’s steady and consistent in keeping Wave in system. She’s also not afraid to hit the deck to keep a ball alive.
