Concordia Individual Camp Recap

SEWARD - If you think you can come to a camp at a GPAC school like Concordia and leave your big-girl spandex at home because it's "just NAIA," you're in for a sharp reality check, and that was proven during the Bulldogs' elite individual camp this week. The camp wrapped up today and I was able to spend Tuesday afternoon in Seward taking it all in. The talent at the camp was impressive, but it has to be because the truth is, to play at a place like Concordia and other NAIA schools in this state, you better be really dang good. Here is my take on what I saw during my time on Tuesday, understanding that some of the campers are already Concordia commits or incoming freshmen. Homegrown talent Camryn Opfer of Seward will be a freshman at Concordia this fall and was the biggest hitter in the gym. Now, there is a TON of talent coming back for Concordia this season and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Bulldogs in the NAIA National Tournament this fall, so I'm not sure if Opfer can step right in and play for Concordia or not as a freshman. I will say this, though, she showed on Tuesday the same power arm, standout athletic ability and solid defense that made her one of the best players in Class B last year. Gabi Nordaker, a 2020 middle from Millard West, looked really good and powerful. In my opinion, Nordaker was the the best attacking option for the Wildcats last year despite the fact she's a little undersized at 5'10. She had 235 kills a year ago and was efficient, hitting .317. She's not tradition middle, but she is explosive off of one foot and athletic enough to give people trouble along the net. She's uncommitted, but profiles really well as a potential impact player at the GPAC/NAIA level. ***After writing this, Nordaker wound up committing to Concordia at the end of camp today*** Kalee Wiltfong is an incoming freshman recruit for Concordia and, man, did she show off a cannon of an arm. She had nearly 900 kills in her career at Doniphan-Trumbull, but at 5'9, I'm not sure how effective she can be as an attacker in the GPAC, but she's got very good defensive skills and her arm would make her a real weapon from the back row. A kid that I really, really liked and I think has a very bright career ahead of her is Tatum Kuti. She's from Omaha Marian but did not play for the Crusaders and she will be joining Concordia's volleyball program this fall. Kuti is legit. She's a strong and physical back row player and I really, really liked her court presence and her ability to really deaden the ball. She's not overall tall, but she is athletic and I think - in time - she will find her way onto the court for Concordia. Shelby Jones of Ainsworth is another player that will be at Concordia this fall after having graduated this spring from Ainsworth. Another really solid ball-control player with a very good all-around skill set. Millard South 2020 right side Maggie Madej was at the camp at looked really good. She and Nordaker were the two best uncommitted players that I saw at the camp. Madej is also a little undersized but makes up for it with her athleticism. She definitely has some power and part of me is curious how she would look as an outside hitter. She has more than 400 kills in her career for Millard South, but hits at a .163 clip. Playing for a top NAIA program is certainly within Madej's grasp. One of the players I was most excited to watch is 2020 Concordia commit Sara Huss of Fairbury. Her listed height of 6'3 is legit - there is no inflated MaxPreps shenanigans going on. Her athleticism is off the charts - and I spoke of in a recent article highlighting her accomplishments in track. I like her potential a lot. But, what I saw on Tuesday is that there is still plenty of work ahead for her. But, once things start to click and she starts to get college-level training, she has a chance to be a very, very special player for the Bulldogs. So, Maddy Nagel is a player I only first heard about when she committed to Concordia earlier this summer and I have never actually seen her compete before Tuesday. The 2020 middle from Lincoln Southwest was not on the varsity team last year for the Silverhawks, but it didn't take long to see why Concordia was willing to offer her a spot in its 2020 recruiting class. She definitely will need to get stronger and thicker, but she's probably right at 6'0 with a good skill set and good length. She's going to be an interesting player to watch this fall. I spent most of my time watching players on the main court, but there were a few other players that caught my attention with their play on some of the other courts. Kaitlyn Smith will be a freshman at Syracuse this fall and I will be shocked if she's not an impact player right away. She's just over 6'1 now and has really good athletic ability and coordination for an athlete that tall and young. Don't forget her name, you'll be hearing a lot more about her the next four years I think. Alivia Cullen is a 2021 middle from Fort Calhoun that I also had caught a glimpse of at Wayne State's camp. She puts up a really nice block and has a lot of power in the middle. She doesn't have ideal height for a middle, at probably about 5'9-ish, but there is definitely a place for her at a NAIA or 2-Year College program. Laura Hyde did some nice things while I was there as well. She's a 2021 from Millard North. Although she hasn't played any varsity at this point in her career, I'm guessing she's a back-row player since that's where she really stood out to me. I liked her platform a lot and she made a lot of good passes while I was there.