My MVPs From The Freshman Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The term [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] implies "most valuable", as in without this person in place, the group as a whole is not as accomplished. With that being said, here are my five athletes that, if they didn't come to our Freshman Showcase, we wouldn't have had as successful a Saturday at Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='586944' first='Blaine' last='Adams'], 5-8 OH, Cathedral</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the start of drills to the team play at the end, Miss Adams made her presence known with her athleticism, power, and all-around play. She's a six-rotation stud of a player that is already jumping at ten feet entering her freshman year. As the day wore on, the stamina she carried with her continued by TAKING REPS IN THE MIDDLE to help spell a couple of overworked bigs at the combine. This is a no-doubt recruit for the class of '28, and no, you can't convince me otherwise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='543387' first='Evie' last='Mounce'], 5-8 S, Normal Community (Illinois)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our Illinois mention has already had some pub from me earlier this week, so I'll keep this brief. The only setter who was vocal from the start, connected immediately with her hitters, played all parts of the game well and asked for more feedback was Miss Mounce. She's going to turn heads this fall and next spring, and I hope she plays a little in Indiana, because she's a pleasure to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='569786' first='Paityn' last='Lauck'], 5-11 MB, Carroll</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the Fort Wayne area, I've already written a little on Miss Lauck. In short, she's an excellent M2 option for anyone that needs one. Additionally, she had a bunch of different setters to work with, and was consistently one of the few who had connections with all of them. Playing bigger than her frame, Paityn is big and physical, and can hit any shot in the book.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='572622' first='Elena' last='Cook'], 6-0 RS, New Palestine</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm a sucker for lefties with size. Love the armswing, love the problem opposing hitters and blockers have with them, love the angles they can hit. Elena was shy at first, but really started to show out once the games began. Her adjustments to different setters took some time, as they were not accounting for a left-handed player behind them. That being said, Elena still got a bunch of solid swings in, and should make a difference in the coming years with a bit more training, both on and off the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435866' first='Kyla' last='Hurley'], 5-3 DS/L, Penn</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By far, the top defender and serve receive person in every <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/12/rising-stars-2028-kentucky-tour/?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&amp;itm_medium=smart-link&amp;itm_term=d3c4a6aafa577e86d77e04d30627d2a2&amp;itm_source=traffic-boost" data-smartlink="d3c4a6aafa577e86d77e04d30627d2a2" title="My MVPs From The Freshman Showcase">drill</a> was Kyla. Her size doesn't matter---she anticipates well, is in on every first contact, and finds ways to make most, if not every ball, nail the target. Vocal when she needs to be the floor general of the defense, her communication with kids she's never known made her side of the court immediately better. I look forward to this young lady's development as her career continues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->