SLC Showdown NQ Showcase Week 2 – Top Performers Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We were super excited to partner up with USA Volleyball and run the Salt Lake City Showdown Showcase in conjunction with the National Qualifier in Salt Lake City, UT on April 5^th and April 11^th.&nbsp; Held at the Salt Palace Convention Center and live streamed via BallerTV, this event is amazing!&nbsp; This article series will discuss some of the players that turned the heads of the court coaches and scouts that were in attendance.&nbsp; Let's see who earned the Top Performer award from the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='372153' first='Vanessa' last='Cavazos']&nbsp;[2025] 5-3 Libero (Club: [program_tooltip program_id='431257' first='San' last='Antonio Magic']/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vanessa is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays club for the [program_tooltip program_id='431257' first='San' last='Antonio Magic'] volleyball program.&nbsp; Miss Cavazos stood out for a multitude of reasons during the entire showcase.&nbsp; We all thought that she did such a great job during the position specific drills and then absolutely killed it during the scrimmage portion.&nbsp; I had put her on the top court because I have seen her skills quite a few times over the last few years and knew what she was capable of and she did not disappoint.&nbsp; She keeps her posture very low to the ground and has a super disciplined mentality during serve receive.&nbsp; I like that when you watch her play she is laser focused and not much rattles her.&nbsp; She is not afraid to go against top hitters and almost feeds off of the high-level competition.&nbsp; What stands out to me when I watch her play is how she keeps her footwork very spread out and wide during movement and at contact of the ball.&nbsp; Her footwork doesn't change very much during her shuffle steps and that shows us that she is extremely coachable and has been trained very well.&nbsp; This is going to be good if a college coach notices it, because then they will be able to mold her into the defensive player they want.&nbsp; We were very happy with her production against some top competition.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning the Top Performer award at the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ava Martin&nbsp;[2025] 6-3 Middle (HS: Twin Falls/Club: Idaho Crush/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ava is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 Class according to our Prep Dig Idaho State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them for her state yet.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for Twin Falls High School and also plays club for the nationally recognized Idaho Crush volleyball program.&nbsp; Miss Martin is a dual sport stud in basketball and volleyball for her high school.&nbsp; When you watch her move on the court, you can see how she draws a lot from being a center in basketball and how it helps with being a middle in volleyball.&nbsp; That same defensive-minded approach as a stopper is huge for any squad.&nbsp; Ava has a lot of length in her strong frame that just cannot be taught.&nbsp; Any schools who need a big presence out of the middle should give her a few looks.&nbsp; This session had a ton of middles that attended and Ava definitely stood out as one of the best of them all with both her offensive and defensive production.&nbsp; I liked how she kept her hands high during blocking, which kept everything super fast.&nbsp; She did not lose a lot of timing when she loaded up to jump and press over the net.&nbsp; Her power on every attack was definitely noticeable not only from her upper body but as she drove her legs into the ground to approach her setter for the quick attack.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award for this showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='521552' first='Emmie' last='Lykens']&nbsp;[2026] 5-2 Libero (HS: Cape Coral/Club: Cape Coral Volleyball Academy/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emmie is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig Florida State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet for her state.&nbsp; She plays at Cape Coral High School and plays club for the Cape Coral Volleyball Academy program.&nbsp; We had some really good liberos at this showcase for week two and I loved what I saw from Miss Lykens.&nbsp; While some liberos only stand out for either defense or serve receive, Emmie is able to do both very well.&nbsp; On her court, she was such a great leader and had such a positive impact on all of the players she was playing with.&nbsp; Her court coaches mentioned that they loved her attitude on the court.&nbsp; Defensively she was tenacious as she pursued the balls that were outside of her zone.&nbsp; She was also very active while covering all three hitters.&nbsp; Her compact frame allows her to be super strong and balanced at the point of contact.&nbsp; The ball rebounded off of her platform so cleanly and smoothly.&nbsp; We loved what we saw and can't wait to see more from Miss Lykens.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award for this showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are many more amazing players that will be written about.&nbsp; Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&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; You can also DM me on Instagram or X by searching @CoachMikeDZ.&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 reposting on X, Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->