USA Jr Nationals Pre-Tourney Showcase Players to Watch Vol 11

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are a month away from the culmination of the club season…USA Jr Nationals, which will be held in Chicago at the end of June and early July.&nbsp; Prep Dig has once again renewed our partnership with USA Volleyball to run the Pre-Tournament Showcase the day before the tourney starts.&nbsp; It will be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center where the tourney is being held.&nbsp; We are going to be previewing some of the players who have signed up to participate.&nbsp; The one aspect that sets our showcases apart from every other one in the country is how we offer coverage, before, during, and after it is completed.&nbsp; Without further ado, here are a few players who you should be watching at the showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brooklyn Kostoff [2024] 5-7 Setter (HS: Santa Margarita/Club: San Clemente/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brooklyn is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but she is on our watch list since we have taken notice.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and also plays club for San Clemente. Miss Kostoff is a very accurate setter who uses very fast footwork to help run her offense.&nbsp; You very rarely see her take many negative extra steps toward the ball as she tracks it down.&nbsp; This kind of efficiency will keep her in position to play the ball to the best of her abilities consistently.&nbsp; The two-sport star also shines in her school's beach program.&nbsp; Playing beach volleyball helps keep her sharp, in great physical condition, and aids in her overall ball control.&nbsp; What I like about her is that she is not afraid to battle at the net despite her size when she runs a 5-1 offense from the front row.&nbsp; She uses very ounce of her frame to push the ball to the pins and the ball never dies early.&nbsp; When she is in the front row and the ball is passed a little tight, she has an arsenal of dumps to use in order to score for her squad.&nbsp; We are excited to have her in the showcase and cannot wait to report how she fares.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220916' first='Sydney' last='Baumfalk'] [2025] 5-9 Outside (HS: Olathe East/Club: MAVS/Verbal: Uncommitted) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sydney is currently ranked as the 26^th best overall prospect in the 2025 Class according to our Prep Dig Kansas State Rankings. &nbsp;She plays volleyball at Olathe East High School and club for the MAVS KC volleyball program. What some might see as a little undersized for a pin attacker, I see someone who can hang with the big girls and should not be slept on at all.&nbsp; If you do think that she cannot be a threat, you will be sorely mistaken and she will make you pay.&nbsp; As coaches, we want players to use all of their body in order to hit and not just their arm swing.&nbsp; Syd does this by truly “crunching her abs” or engaging her core while she attacks and it adds so much extra pop into her shot.&nbsp; I love how I see her shoulders come forward during her swing slightly, which means she has tightened her abs and used every muscle possible to hit harder.&nbsp; She can score with a variety of different shots including hard cross, down the line with power,&nbsp; and a series of stifling off-speed shots and tips.&nbsp; Miss Baumfaulk will be fun to watch against this elite competition.&nbsp; Stay tuned.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='119812' first='Zoe' last='McDonald']&nbsp;[2024] 6-2 Middle (HS: Shawnee Mission East/Club: [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power']/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zoe is currently ranked as the 31^st best overall prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig Kansas State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at Shawnee Mission East High School and club for the nationally recognized [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power'] program.&nbsp; Miss McDonald is a true beast at the net both offensively and defensively.&nbsp; When you watch her attack, you see some raw natural power in her upper body.&nbsp; She unleashes this power in many different ways while running a ton of different routes.&nbsp; By using her lightning quick arm, she makes it very difficult for anyone to stop her consistently.&nbsp; The opposing team has to have some amazing timing and spacing, otherwise she will tool the block and make them pay.&nbsp; She runs a very aggressive slide and it is hard to stop.&nbsp; The best aspect of her is how she uses amazing torque while on a quick set in front of her setter to kill the cut back angle toward the setter of the opposing defense.&nbsp; It is a very difficult angle to use for a right-handed player, but Zoe makes it look super easy.&nbsp; She ahs the potential to be one of the best middles in the showcase and we cannot wait to see her against the best of the best.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes that will be attending the showcase.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.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 Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->