Dallas Freshman Showcase – Top Performers Vol 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who are the best freshmen volleyball players in Texas?&nbsp; We definitely saw some players who wanted that title over the weekend at our Freshman Showcases. &nbsp;The second session was held on Sunday July 28^th at the Courtside Sports Center facility in Carrollton, TX. &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; This series of articles will discuss those special players that stood out for various reasons to our court coaches and scouts.&nbsp; They have won our prestigious Top Performer award.&nbsp; Let's meet the winners!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='580657' first='Blake' last='Buljan'] [2028] 5-11 Middle (HS: The Oakridge School/Club: [program_tooltip program_id='431321' first='Texas' last='Image']/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blake is currently an unranked prospect in the 2028 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at The Oakridge High School and plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='431321' first='Texas' last='Image'] volleyball program. &nbsp;Miss Buljan impressed quite a few of us at the showcase with her blocking technique.&nbsp; She does a great job of understanding the importance of getting her midline in line with the attacker's hitting angle in order to get a touch on the ball.&nbsp; A lot of younger blockers tend to line up shoulder to shoulder with the attacker in front of them and miss the true angle of the attack, but Blake does a great job of analyzing/judging and taking an extra step left or right to cut off the hitter's line of approach.&nbsp; As an attacker, this kid has some good bounce to her game.&nbsp; I love how she drives hard to the net and gets up off of the ground very quickly to pound the ball to the opponent's side.&nbsp; What is truly remarkable is how she is able to cut the ball around the block with immense power at this young age.&nbsp; She has a bright future in the middle and we are all in on her potential.&nbsp; College scouts should take a look now to get an early jump on all of the schools who will be following her journey soon.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='580665' first='Emily' last='Boomstra']&nbsp;[2028] 5-6 Libero (HS: Hockaday/Club: Excel/Verbal: Uncommitted)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emily is currently an unranked prospect in the 2028 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at the Hockaday School and club for the Excel volleyball program. &nbsp;Miss Boomstra has exceptional body control while digging.&nbsp; It is amazing to watch a younger libero turn her body while lunging out toward one side or the other.&nbsp; This helps her to create some awesome angles and get the ball to travel directly toward her setter.&nbsp; While a lot of players just fall toward the ball while digging, Emily uses her amazing athleticism to contort her body. &nbsp;Her platform is exceptionally soft and the ball rebounds very so naturally off of it.&nbsp; It really is beautiful to watch from a volleyball purist's eyes.&nbsp; When I watch her play defense, I see someone who is perfectly in tune with what she has been coached to do.&nbsp; One reason I say this, is how she holds her form well after contact of the ball with her platform.&nbsp; By doing this, she will ensure that she doesn't add any extra unwanted momentum into the ball and be able to judge her angle well because of it.&nbsp; I think she is a libero to watch for sure so everyone take notice now.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award at the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='580672' first='Grace' last='Rodriguez']&nbsp;[2028] 5-10 Middle (HS: PTAA/Club: Bullitt/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grace is currently an unranked prospect in the 2028 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for the Bullitt volleyball club program. &nbsp;Miss Rodriguez has a lot of power in her strong frame and upper body.&nbsp; When she gets a hold of a ball, the opposing side better watch out because it will have a ton of pace on it.&nbsp; The timing of her attack is what stands out when I watched her perform.&nbsp; The way she is able to get on top of the ball because of her timing is what allows her to hit with so much power.&nbsp; The way that she spreads her hand wide to get a lot of surface area on the ball in order to direct it to where she wants it to go proves that she understands offense at a high level and because of that, she will be a force at the net for a long time. &nbsp;Grace plays the game with a lot of passion and has a high motor for the middle position.&nbsp; We will keep our eye on her moving forward.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning the Top Performer award for this showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes that excelled at 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 -->