Triple Crown NIT Top Performers Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Triple Crown NIT because of all of the talent that will be under one roof.&nbsp; It was held in Kansas City, MO on February 18-20^th.&nbsp; To stand out in this tournament is a big deal because of the level of players that traveled from all over the United States.&nbsp; This series will be about those players that stood out to me while watching their play.&nbsp; Let's meet a few of those that stood out for various reasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156869' first='Kynli' last='Kirkendoll'] [2024] 6-0 Middle (HS: Jenks/Club: Tulsa Power/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":324674,"width":169,"height":174,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/Kinli-Kirkendoll-e1677015287983.jpg?w=994" alt="" class="wp-image-324674" width="169" height="174" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kynli is currently ranked as the 3^rd best overall prospect in the state according to the 2024 Prep Dig Oklahoma State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays for Jenks High School and plays club for Tulsa Power Volleyball.&nbsp; I have watched this young lady blossom into a fantastic volleyball player over the past few years.&nbsp; She is extremely explosive off of the ground and laterally along the net.&nbsp; The power she puts into driving her lower body into the ground translates into some high-flying play above the net.&nbsp; It also helps with some exceptional power being transferred into contact on the ball.&nbsp; In the match that I watched, she was super explosive running the slide away from her setter.&nbsp; She scored with it multiple times and it wasn't even close to being slowed down by her opponent.&nbsp; Because she can hit so hard and so well, sometimes her defense can get overlooked by the casual observer.&nbsp; However, I noticed how crucial she is to the overall play of her squads defense.&nbsp; If she didn't block the ball or slow it down, she for sure had an impact in causing the hitter to funnel the attack around her block right to her back row defenders.&nbsp; She is a big time prospect and should garner lots of attention by college programs in the near future if they saw what I did at this prestigious tourney.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='228682' first='Kayla' last='Ostovar'] [2025] 5-3 Libero (HS: Mater Dei/Club: Mizuno Long Beach/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":324675,"width":182,"height":162,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/Kayla-Ostovar-e1677015449920.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-324675" width="182" height="162" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kayla is currently an unranked prospect in the state according to the 2025 Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on my watch list and should have no problem making the list when I update it in a few weeks.&nbsp; She plays for Mater Dei High School and plays club for the awesome Mizuno Long Beach volleyball program.&nbsp; This young lady is super fast and so dynamic in the libero position.&nbsp; I watched her fly all around the court and take command in the back row like a floor general should.&nbsp; She was extremely communicative to her teammates while in serve receive and pumped her teammates up when they needed a lift.&nbsp; What I loved about her play the most was how technically sound her passing and digging was.&nbsp; She routinely had balanced footwork while she was moving toward the ball and during contact.&nbsp; Playing at this level it is very difficult for a libero to make plays over and over due to the pace of the ball that is constantly coming their way, but Kayla was phenomenal taking everyone's best punches and asking for more.&nbsp; I loved how she was able to dig the hard driven ball so well by collapsing her lower body and utilizing great soft angles.&nbsp; She is one libero I will keep my eye on this season for sure.&nbsp; Jot her name down and you will not be disappointed in what you see.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366853' first='Julia' last='Waller'] [2025] 5-8 Setter (HS: Cardinal Newman/Club: Absolute Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":324677,"width":144,"height":189,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/Julia-Waller-e1677015568110.jpg?w=781" alt="" class="wp-image-324677" width="144" height="189" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Julia is currently an unranked prospect in the state according to the 2025 Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on my watch list and should have no problem making the list when I update it in a few weeks.&nbsp; She plays for Cardinal Newman High School and plays club for Absolute Volleyball.&nbsp; I watched this young lady play multiple times this weekend and was impressed every single time.&nbsp; She is a very feisty setter who is not afraid to run a 5-1 and battle at the net with players who are much taller.&nbsp; Julia does a fantastic job of jump setting from all positions to keep the block thinking that she is going to dump the ball.&nbsp; Every now and then she will also dump the ball to keep them honest and if it doesn't score a point, it got her opponent out of system.&nbsp; This young lady is out here playing chess…not checkers with her jump setting.&nbsp; She routinely got her hitters either a one on one with a solo blocker or created a great split in the block by holding the middle with her jump set.&nbsp; She led her team to a great record this weekend by moving the ball around to all of her hitters very efficiently and effectively.&nbsp; She is someone who I will be watching very closely moving forward as I cover California.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:nov8vb@yahoo.com">nov8vb@yahoo.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Family!&nbsp; Don't be afraid to interact with us.&nbsp; We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.&nbsp; Keep them coming!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->