Club Team Spotlight – Sunshine 17 LA
We are coming to the end of the volleyball season soon and we wanted to write a few articles on certain club teams who we think deserve some recognition for their season. Qualifier season is now coming to an end and…
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Continue ReadingWe are coming to the end of the volleyball season soon and we wanted to write a few articles on certain club teams who we think deserve some recognition for their season. Qualifier season is now coming to an end and some teams have punched their ticket to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals, which will be held in Indianapolis later on this summer. Let’s take a look at a team who has had a great season so far and who we will be seeing at Nationals. Take a bow Sunshine 17 LA…you have earned it.
The Southern California Region of USA junior Volleyball has a strong reputation of producing some of the best talent in the nation. It is super tough to stay competitive but the Sunshine Volleyball club has been in the Open level mix for quite some time now. Their 17 LA team has proved to be one of the best in the nation this season. They have an overall record of 47-18 and rank 20th overall in the nation and 3rd in the Southern Cali Region according to AES results. They qualified in the Open division of USA Junior Nationals by finishing 5th overall at the Windy City National Qualifier in Chicago. I have watched them twice this year and they have been impressive both times. We are proud of their success and look forward to seeing them in Indy later this summer for Nationals. Even though we can write about each and every athlete that contributed to their success, I am only going to cover a few players that stood out while I was watching them. Let’s meet a few of them.
Olivia Babcock Olivia Babcock 6'3" | OH Sierra Canyon | 2023 State #13 Nation CA [2023] 6-3 Outside/Right Side (HS: Sierra Canyon/Club: Sunshine/Verbal: University of Pittsburgh)
Olivia is currently ranked as the 27th best overall prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig National Rankings. She plays at Sierra Canyon High School and also club for the amazing Sunshine volleyball program. This multi-sport athlete is a game changer for any team she plays for. In club, when I watched her play this season she was a stud on the right side. She is able to score in any position you put her in. Sunshine fed her the ball over and over in the match I watched. It was very apparent why…this young lady is a flat out stud. She scored both from designed play-sets out of the back row and from both pins in the front row. She is very dynamic from the service line also as she stifled top ranked Circle City for a few aces. The University of Pittsburgh commit will dazzle any spectator. We will have more on Miss Babcock when we watch her team compete in Indy at nationals this summer.
Dior Charles Dior Charles 6'1" | MB Marymount | 2023 State #93 Nation CA [2023] 6-0 Middle (HS: Marymount/Club: Sunshine/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Dior is currently on the watch list in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Marymount High School and also club for the awesome Sunshine volleyball program. This young lady can absolutely fly as she is part of the famed ten foot club. Her vertical on her approach touch is phenomenal as she reached ten foot three with her peak jump. Dior has been on everyone’s radars since she was in middle school due to her natural athleticism. There is not a route she cannot run effectively and she also stars as a blocker as well. Her quickness patrolling the net is something that every college coach would love. She helped lead her high school team to a number one ranking and a State Title. I am going to love watching her in person later this summer at nationals. Stay tuned for more on this dynamo.
Torrey Stafford Torrey Stafford 6'0" | OH Marymount | 2023 State #20 Nation CA [2023] 6-2 Outside (HS: Marymount/Club: Sunshine/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Torrey is currently ranked as the 38th best overall prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig National Rankings. She plays at Marymount High School and also plays club volleyball for Sunshine. Widely considered one of the best outside hitters in the nation, Miss Stafford is a phenom. She has made numerous All-American lists and it is totally warranted with what I saw from her individual play. Defensively is it very difficult to scheme against such a versatile and athletic left side. The moment any team sets up to take away the angle, Miss Stafford can turn on a dime in mid-air and throttle the ball down the line. She is one huge reason why this team is so dynamic. We will have much more on her as we will be in Indy to watch her compete at nationals. Stay tuned for more.
Other notable players for this star-studded roster are outside Drew Wright Drew Wright 5'11" | OH Mira Costa | 2023 State CA and right side Grace Thrower Grace Thrower OH Harvard-Westlake | 2023 CA . Setters Sydney Floyd and Emily Wen run a great 6-2 offense and keep all of these hitters attacking at a high level. We will be highlighting these young ladies and others from this team in another article soon as they gear up for Nationals. Stay tuned for more from this wonderful team.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Cali Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!