California Top 250 Expo – Players to Watch Vol 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are weeks away from our awesome series of showcases across the country.&nbsp; We will be holding our California Top 250 Expo on November 18^th from 6:00-8:00pm at the Mizuno Long Beach training facility. &nbsp;We are going to be previewing some of the players who have already 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>[player_tooltip player_id='367805' first='Mikaela' last='Brennan'] [2025] 6-1 Outside/Middle (HS: JSerra/Club: Tstreet/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mikaela is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 Class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on my official watch list and has a legit shot to be ranked when I update her class next week.&nbsp; She plays for Jserra High School and also for the amazing Tstreet volleyball club. &nbsp;Being versatile is one key component to getting lots of college interest these days.&nbsp; Miss Brennan is extremely versatile as she is able to play multiple positions at a high level along the net for any team.&nbsp; I see her attacking both quick tempos both in front and behind a setter and high tempo balls on both the left and right side of the court.&nbsp; When you are able to switch positions and tempos in the same game and not deter your timing as a hitter, that is when you know you are a high-level volleyball player.&nbsp; I love how she is able to contact the ball at the very peak of her reach and when you match that with how long her arms are, you have one really difficult arm swing to time as a blocker.&nbsp; I can't wait to see how Mikaela competes against some of the top-notch talent that will be in attendance.&nbsp; Stay tuned to see our continued coverage of her play at the Expo.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='469145' first='Blair' last='Gardiner']&nbsp;[2026] 5-7 Setter (HS: Sant Fe Christian/Club: SoCal VBC/Verbal: Uncommitted)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blair is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at Santa Fe Christian High School and for the SoCal volleyball club program.&nbsp; Miss Gardiner is a talented distributor of the rock for her squads.&nbsp; She has such a nice soft touch on the ball and utilizes a great jump set to fool the defenders.&nbsp; I love how she is not afraid to jump set against the flow of the pass, especially when she is on the left side of the court.&nbsp; She has enough power to send it all the way to the right side attacker with good pace.&nbsp; Truly using great timing of her jump, she contacts the ball right at the peak of her set while in the air.&nbsp; When setting, she moves the ball around to all of her attackers very well and understands how to distribute it evenly.&nbsp; When I watch her skills, it really looks like she has been coached very well and that says a lot of about her being coachable.&nbsp; There are very few flaws in her technique when handling the volleyball.&nbsp; I love her posture, hand contact, and release.&nbsp; We cannot wait to see her in action in person as she looks like someone who will showcase very well to college coaches who will be watching.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='475679' first='Francesca' last='Rebagliati']&nbsp;[2027] 5-3 Libero (HS: Marymount/Club: Los Angeles Volleyball Club/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Francesca is currently an unranked prospect in the 2027 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at Marymount High School and club for the Los Angeles Volleyball Club program. &nbsp;After watching her highlight film multiple times, there are a few things that truly stand out.&nbsp; I love how she keeps her arms away from her body during serve receive.&nbsp; This allows her to create some awesome angles by having some room to drop her shoulders.&nbsp; Secondly, I love how she keeps her platform so quiet during and after contact of the ball.&nbsp; This will ensure that the ball doesn't have any extra momentum to it and keeps it on her side of the court for her setter to run offense off of it.&nbsp; While a lot of young players tend to swing their arms toward the ball when passing, Fran really understands why you shouldn't do this.&nbsp; One of the most outstanding aspects that I saw in her play is how she doesn't stand flat-footed prior to the serve being contacted.&nbsp; By being on the balls of her feet, she is making her first step that much faster than others who have their weight on their heels.&nbsp; I can't wait to see how she performs against some of the awesome competition we have coming.&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 -->