Day Five - Another National Showcase

This is the tweener day, the break between the older group and the younger group. Later in the evening the second Prep Dig National showcase will run. This gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the local DMV players who participated in the first National showcase.    We watched her play some queens at the National showcase. She showed good ball control and made a couple nice ups on hard driven balls. She played for a Maryland Juniors team that finished 38th in the Freedom Division. At large events such as this liberos can go unnoticed. At 5'8" it appears she can hit outside, but she plays defense well and seems quick on the floor. Loved her attitude as she mingled with the other players on the court.       Adyson plays for Liberty Elite in Maryland. When I first ran across her last year her setting skills caught my attention. She had good hands and moved smoothly to the ball. She also had the ability to put the ball away playing right side. This year when we watched her play she hit left side for Liberty Elite. At 5'8" her height needs to expand by a couple inches for her to attract attention.   At the National Showcase she was with the setters. She still brings the hands so I think that should be her focus. The Liberty Elite 16 team played in the Patriot Division where Adyson hit left side.     Avery set for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] in the Patriot Division. She has soft hands and can push the ball out to both pins. The nice attribute I like about her setting is that she is not afraid to jump set. At 5'5" she may not get a lot more growth to play right side or set a 5/1 at the higher levels. She shares the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='535101' first='Kamora' last='Mack'], who also attended the Prep Dig National showcase.     Kamora sets for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'], who played in the Patriot Division. She brings strong hands to the court but sometimes brings them up too wide, resulting in a lot of spin on the ball after she makes contact. Kamora brings a lot of enthusiasm to the game. She shares the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='490057' first='Avery' last='Lefman'], who also attended the National Showcase. So far Kamora falls outside out top 150 rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='354086' first='Nina' last='Schweigert'] outside hitter (West Springfield/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] - Another [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] player at this event. At 5'8" it would be ideal if she grew a couple inches if she wants to play the pins effectively. During the tournament she showed the ability to hit the three meter set. She also broke out the jump spin serve, though if she wants to use it effectively at the higher levels she needs to gain more velocity.    The last of the [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] foursome. Another hitter at 5'8" that ideally would need to grow a couple inches to stay at the position. Also needs to find a little more velocity in her hits that a little strength would resolve. Getting a little more playing time for Lightridge would give her the exposure she needs.    Jessica McCarey OH (St, Paul VI/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) - Jessica played for a [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] 17 team in the Patriot Division. At 5'10" she brings some height to the outside. She plays right side and hits the ball well though getting a little more velocity on the ball would enhance her game.   [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] Black   East Coast got off to a slow start in the Junior Nationals, losing their first five matches. After that they got on a roll, winning four straight. They won their first two matches of this streak in three sets, taking the third sets 15-13 and 15-12. There exists a little firepower on this team.   It starts with their 6'0" left side [player_tooltip player_id='569802' first='Milan' last='Curl']. She plays six rotations creating some powerful juice hitting front row or back row. She likes to sneak inside to hit a high hard one from the middle. Their middle [player_tooltip player_id='568907' first='Shylah' last='Totten'] also impressed with a hard swing. She showed off some defensive skills as well when playing the back row after serving. At 5'11" she brings some height in her game. She played middle for East Coast but for her high school team she hits outside.   Finally, I also liked their libero Isabela Cancado. She showed good hustle at the position, but her hands may need some work for setting. They also used [player_tooltip player_id='465317' first='Kathryn' last='Nguyen'] at the setting position. Before the tournament she stood out for being the only ranked player on the team but that was for her play at Peninsula High.

This is the tweener day, the break between the older group and the younger group. Later in the evening the second Prep Dig National showcase will run. This gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the local DMV players who participated in the first National showcase.