The JVA West Coast Cup brought plenty of talented teams and individuals to Long Beach for Memorial Day weekend. vballrecruiter.com spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday watching and observing the action. Below, we highlight our Show Stoppers for the libero position.
14 Open
Presley Thompson, Wave 14 Brennan – The amount of quality hitters that she faced Day 3 was daunting but Presley was up to the challenge. Watching her dig the heat, then dive for tips and cover half the court was exciting to watch. Add the fact that she went on long serving runs with that great serve, she gave a masterclass on being a stud libero.
Sage Meidroth, Surfside 14 Legends Jess – Meidroth plays with such energy it makes it easy for her teammates to trust her. She has a solid serve and covers the court well.
Ava Gordon, Sunshine 14 Westside – Quick and fearless, Gordon moves well to cover most any swing. She can get caught without a block and is still able to keep them in system. It makes her fun to watch.
Pulelehua Laikona, Arizona Storm 13 Thunder – Laikona’s positioning is impeccable. Whether there’s a block or no block, she sees the play develop and puts herself in the only spot where the ball can go.
Mya Capistrano, Forza1 North 14 UA – Capistrano’s technique is clean. Watching her touch a ball makes you wonder why can’t everyone do the same. This seventh-grader is absolutely quick and possess a very accurate serve.
15 Open
Izabella Mahaffey, Arizona Storm 15 Thunder – Go ahead and challenge Mahaffey – three-star recruit – at your own risk. She’s a smooth passer out of serve receive who’ll keep Storm in system the majority of the time.
Hadley Porter, Dynasty 15 Black – Porter – another three-star recruit – helps steady out the back row with her consistent passing and defending. She moves well and can make up ground when covering.
Sarah Ng, Absolute Black 15-1 – Whenever we caught Ng in action, she was playing really well. She was picking up some tough attacks to keep her team in the rally and was also passing fairly well out of serve receive.
Jannelize Perez, OT 15 Meg – In general, OT Meg was playing solid defense with Perez leading the charge. She was getting the ball to her setter in good spots on the regular.
Yuri Park, Wave 15 Scott – Park was her usual self, making the plays that came her way. She rarely missed her mark out of serve receive and was in position to make a few nice saves.
Sarah Mendoza, Drive Nation 15 Red – A four-star recruit, Mendoza takes care of business in the back row with confidence. She’s not one to get serve at very often.
16 Open
Jacqueline Smith, OMNI 16 John – We caught Smith on the opening day. She was passing very well out of serve receive. She also showed some digging skills in picking off a few cross-court shots that came her way.
Ella Vogel, Co Jrs 16 Sherri – A three-star recruit, Vogel is a defensive stalwart. She reads and moves well, getting to balls that others aren’t able to.
Rylie Sengdara, Forza1 North 16 UA – We saw Sengdara on Days 1 and 2 and both times she was performing well. She was showing consistent passing when targeted in serve receive. And she made several nice digs on cross-court shots.
Taylor Deckert, SCVC 16 Roxy – Deckert was on fire for much of Day 1. Practically every ball she touched she bettered. Her passing was sharp and on point.
Liv Leschly, Academy 16 HP Denny – We didn’t see a whole lot of Academy but did catch some of the team on Day 1. When we were there, Leschly was nails. She was smooth in serve receive and covering well at the net in scooping up blocked balls.
Maya Evens, Wave 16 Brennan – A three-star recruit, Evens is a smooth defender and passer. Teams rarely go at her in serve receive. She’s also a game-changer in the backrow with her ability to pick up balls and extend rallies.
Caleigh King, Drive Nation 16 Red – Another three-star recruit, King is hard working. She was all over the court making plays the entire weekend.
Annah Legaspi, Momentous 16 Dan – Yet another three-star recruit, Legaspi played a large role in Momentous’ success over the weekend. She’s a lights-out passer and she’s quick with good range.
17 Open
Makena Lim, A4 Volley 17 Joaco – Lim – a recent Georgia commit – was a steadying presence in the back row. Her passing was keeping A4 in system. She also made a couple A-plus digs to keep rallies alive.
Tehani Ulufatu, Absolute Black 17-1 – Ulufatu is a passing machine. Absolute often uses a two-person serve receive and it’s Ulufatu passing at least half the court or more.
Drew Wright, Sunshine 17 LA – Wright’s been playing outside for Sunshine but made the move to libero and it paid huge dividends. Wright has been Sunshine’s best-passing pin and took that skill to the libero position. It really helped steady serve receive in addition to her making some big-time saves.
Ella Scott, Tstreet 17 Naseri – The 17s division has some big bangers. It’s Scott who is charged with standing and taking the best they have to offer. She does well getting some tough balls up and keeping points alive.
Koko Kirsch, Wave 17 Juliana – We’ve written about Kirsch at others points this season. She’s as steady as they come and very active. She’s always flying around the court getting to balls.
Sydney Bold, Coast 17-1 – A three-star recruit, Bold is a defensive force in the backrow. She’s rarely off target in serve receive. She also reads and reacts well to make some unbelievable plays.
