Bluegrass Tournament Standout Hitters
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Teams from as far south as Texas and as far west as Oregon came to the Expo Center in Louisville March 8-10 for the annual Bluegrass Tournament making for a loaded field. These hitters in particular stood out. Ava Tilden…
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Continue ReadingTeams from as far south as Texas and as far west as Oregon came to the Expo Center in Louisville March 8-10 for the annual Bluegrass Tournament making for a loaded field.
These hitters in particular stood out.
Tilden is powerful from the outside often landing balls where even good liberos can not dig them up. She can hit solid to the line and the back middle. Tilden is trying to take some next steps developing attacks from the back row. Tilden is also a good passer and has nice spin on her serves. One of her underrated qualities is her calm demeanor on the court. When her team is trailing, she keeps everyone up. Tilden helped Notre Dame to a 33-6 record and state runner-up finish last fall leading the Pandas with 355 kills to go with 153 digs and 37 aces.
Highlights
Heid is headed to Northern Kentucky for huge reasons. She can hit the ball all over the court from the front and back row. Heid follows through and smashes balls so hard that defenders have a hard time digging them up even if they are in position to make solid passes. Heid can redirect balls while in the air. Heid led the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed with 424 kills to go with 196 digs, helping Badin to a 21-8 record.
Barnett should be seeing some scholarship offers before long because she brings a diverse skill set to the table. Barnett is especially tough from the left side smoking balls to open places including the front middle. Barnett is not afraid to tip balls to the far corners if she feels that’s where balls will drop. Barnett has good follow-throughs on her blocks and gets balls in the air so teammates can make plays on them. She also showed she is very coachable in the Bluegrass Tournament. Barnett helped Assumption to a 36-5 record and state championship in the fall landing 291 kills to go with 42 blocks and 103 digs.
Hamburg may not be playing collegiately so she’s trying to go out on a solid note for the club team. She is a strong middle hitter that is known to take over games when her team needs her the most. She has an outstanding follow-through and has great timing on blocks. It’s hard to get balls past Hamburg when another blocker is by her side. Hamburg is an enthusiastic person both on and off the court. Hamburg had 401 kills, 46 s0lo and 69 assisted blocks to help Conner to a 28-9 record this past season and the first 9th Region Tournament win in program history.
Sigman has the bonus of being a lefty and could be real effective for the University of Cincinnati if she develops those hitting skills. Sigman can hit balls from a number of different angles. Sigman hits great angles off blockers for kills and does a wonderful job backing up her blockers.
Boersma had great footwork putting herself in great position for kills and blocks. It’s hard to get balls past her in the middle. She smacks balls past blockers near the net making her tough to defend along with her size.