Game-Changing Attackers Take Over at Millard West Invite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We thought last weekend's Millard West Invitational would be a display of frontcourt firepower. The event certainly delivered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five teams took the floor Saturday morning, and a group of dynamic attackers took over from the very beginning. Every elite team needs at least one reliable scoring outlet in the frontcourt, and there were plenty of go-to players to be found at Millard West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's the rundown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["253919"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Liebsack keeps climbing the ladder in the Class of 2026. Her attacking prowess on the left side offered a huge boost to Bennington when Liebsack arrived last year. Now, as a sophomore, Liebsack is soaring to even greater heights with the Badgers. Her jump spin serve is the perfect complement to Liebsack's aggressive style, making her a must-watch Class B athlete.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f606cad0831"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1697986011303682356?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1697986011303682356?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["253927"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Uhlir is a fascinating addition to this feature. For most of her prep career, Uhlir has been dominating the scene as a dynamic setter who can spread the ball around. That's still the case in 2023, but Uhlir is also seeing increasing reps as a frontcourt opposite. Her incredible athleticism makes Uhlir an ideal fit for this dual role.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Ali Jacobs","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Lincoln North Star","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Jacobs emerged as an indispensable part of North Star's offense last weekend. When she's in rhythm, Jacobs can use her length to go over the top and score at will. This collectively gives the Navigators a solid outside duo that can make some serious noise in the Star City.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f606cad0917"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='521266' first='Lauren' last='McKernan']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lincoln North Star","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"McKernan's physicality makes it easy to forget that she's a freshman. Her shining moment of the tournament came against Fremont, where she terminated at an incredibly high clip in a three-set slugfest. Lincoln North Star is no stranger to bringing some star middle blockers into the mix, and McKernan is another one with a ton of potential and room to grow.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["155050"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"This is the least surprising member of this list. Dalton is undoubtedly the leading terminator for Fremont, and her incredible range was on display throughout the invite. The Tigers drew up some clever combination plays and crossing patterns last weekend, and most of them were designed to let Dalton operate. She remained a major factor in the backcourt, too, contributing to Dalton's head-spinning kill numbers in early-season action.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f606cad09d7"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1698026499226406913?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1698026499226406913?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["189375"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Denker is another one of those setter-attacker hybrids who stood out at the Millard West Invite. When she's in the backcourt, she runs the offense skillfully, much like her time with Nebraska Elite. Denise's transition to the Fremont front row allows her to show her fast arm on the pin. This is a true all-around athlete.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["122816"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Pribyl has become the new go-to for Millard West, and it's easy to see why. She has a strong, explosive approach that gives her plenty of attacking range. Though Pribyl has a high contact point that can go over opposing blockers, she's particularly skilled at working around hands and finding the open court","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f606cad0a4b"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1698012227687587986?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1698012227687587986?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["275897"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Thaden changes the dynamic of Millard West's frontcourt, and she does it in a variety of ways. Most notably, Thaden's range off of one foot allows her to be an ideal M1 who can get much-needed sideouts in two-hitter rotations. The Wildcats also rely on Thaden to be a blocking anchor who generates positive touches along the net. 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