Initial Thoughts from the Indiana Top 250 Expo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, let me introduce myself. I have been a scout for 5+ years and provide coverage mostly for Wisconsin and Illinois. I hopped online to provide virtual coverage for the Indiana Top 250, and it was so much fun! While it isn't quite the same as being in person, it is still a fantastic way to get great coverage of a large number of athletes. Here are some initial thoughts on the Indiana Top 250 Expo!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Benefit of a New Face</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had very little exposure to many of the athletes that attended the Expo prior to the event. This can actually be a huge benefit, though. I have no notions of who is on a 1s team or a 3s team. I don't know anything about the competition between clubs or what may have happened during the high school season. I simply got to do what I love with a whole new group of athletes. It was so much fun to watch, and I have pages of notes from the live event (I will be going back to watch more later today). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grit Dominated</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love seeing athletes with a lot of grit who can just dig deep down and make plays work. There was so much of this happening throughout the Expo, which just increased the level of play of the entire field of athletes. Right-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='409514' first='Krista' last='Lauck'] stood out at the net. She got great touches on the block and had a lethal line shot. No matter the play, Krista was having a positive impact on her team. Defender [player_tooltip player_id='260990' first='Ava' last='Myers'] was all over the court, and nearly everything she touched was absolute gold. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='435850' first='Anabelle' last='Schembra'] knew how to make plays work and was not afraid to go up and take swings on the ball. These are just a few examples of gritty athletes that caught my eye. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setters Kept Things Moving</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The setters ran fast-tempo balls, and everyone had to get on board. I loved how they kept every hitter engaged and utilized their back row effectively. [player_tooltip player_id='435855' first='Bethany' last='Ring'] has hands like butter and doled out near-perfect sets both in and out of system. Illiana Chew had incredible footwork and moved the ball around with impressive efficiency. She made great connections with her middles and every athlete on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='192106' first='Alexa' last='Green'] caught my eye early on and continued to impress throughout the Expo. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Middles Put in WORK</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Being a middle is tough, especially at an expo. There typically are fewer middles than in other positions, and they run pin-to-pin blocking on the court while trying to make offensive connections with setters. These middles were impressive, to say the least. [player_tooltip player_id='487570' first='Adele' last='Evans'] not only excelled playing, but I could also see her visibly cheering and amping up her team from two states away. [player_tooltip player_id='487350' first='Emmerson' last='Gott'] could make a play off any ball and utilized every set she was given. She never counted herself out of a play and was always ready to take a swing. [player_tooltip player_id='394127' first='Ella' last='Vandermark'] could find the corners and make every set work for her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I only listed a few of the very talented athletes who competed at the Expo. I will have numerous articles coming out over the next few days highlighting impact athletes from the Expo!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->