USA Jr Nationals Pre-Tourney Showcase Players to Watch Vol 8
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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. Prep Dig has once again renewed our partnership with USA Volleyball to…
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Continue ReadingWe 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. Prep Dig has once again renewed our partnership with USA Volleyball to run the Pre-Tournament Showcase the day before the tourney starts. It will be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center where the tourney is being held. We are going to be previewing some of the players who have signed up to participate. 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. Without further ado, here are a few players who you should be watching at the showcase.
Kathryn Wulff-Smith Kathryn Wulff-Smith 5'7" | DS/L Garces Memorial | 2027 CA [2027] 5-7 Libero (HS: Garces Memorial/Club: Bakersfield VBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Kathryn is currently an unranked prospect in the 2027 Class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet. She plays volleyball at Garces Memorial and also plays club for Bakersfield Volleyball Club . When I discuss liberos, I often talk about defensive range. This means how far away a libero can extend to touch a ball and keep it alive for her team. Kathryn might be one of the best at this in her age group. She takes a very quick first step to the ball and then still pushes off with both feet to propel her even further. Always keeping her eyes focused on the ball, she is able to sprawl out at the last second and keep her team in the rally. Liberos are such a joy to watch as they have no regard for their personal safety when they are in pursuit of the ball and that is the epitome of who Miss Wulff-Smith is. She is not afraid to get down and dirty to save a ball from hitting the floor. Her emergency techniques are at an elite level at a very young age and that says a lot for her potential for the future. I cannot wait to see her in action in both the individual positional drills and also during the scrimmage drills at the showcase. Keep your eye on this one as she is special.
Rubi Harrington Rubi Harrington 6'0" | MB Marlborough | 2025 State CA [2025] 5-11 Middle (HS: Marlborough/Club: Actyve/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Rubi is currently ranked as the 41st best overall prospect in the 2025 Class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays volleyball at Marlborough High School and club for the Actyve volleyball program. Miss Harrington is a very fast middle with a super high motor. She does a great job of closing out the block from pin to pin with quick footwork. I also love how she uses her arms to close the seam of the block when the pace of the ball dictates her to. It shows a great understanding of blocking strategy from her coach. Offensively Rubi generates a lot of power from her fast arm swing. The speed of her down swing adds so much power to her attack. Her bread and butter route is a slide as she generates a lot of power from her torque. When it comes to routes out of the middle, she is able to run all of them that are on the middle route tree. Her middle attack is set from a little higher tempo than most, but she is able to time it perfectly in order to deliver some pop on the ball. I think she is able to play multiple positions along the net and am intrigued to see her in action against the top competition.
Reagan Hanfelt Reagan Hanfelt 6'0" | MB Ankeny | 2025 State IA [2025] 6-0 Middle (HS: Ankeny/Club: Powerplex/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Reagan is currently ranked as the 49th best overall prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Iowa State Rankings. She plays volleyball at Ankeny High School and club for Powerplex. Miss Hanfelt is the real deal out of the middle and we are super excited to watch her dominate on the courts at the showcase for Nationals. She has a hammer like Thor that can bring the thunder from many different angles. I almost feel sorry for the ball as it has to take the pounding from her violent down swing. As an attacker out of the middle, it is very important to hit the ball with extremely sharp angles so they can move the ball around the block and Reagan is a master at this. She is a very dangerous attacker who must be accounted for at all times during serve receive rotations and free ball situations. As a blocker, she times her swing footwork very well and is able to press on the net when the blocker is making contact with the ball. This young lady needs to be on the short list of all schools who are still in need of a dynamic middle on their roster in a few years. Give her a look and you will not be disappointed.
Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes that will be attending the showcase. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at Michael@prepdig.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 Prep Dig Family!