Rising Stars in Freshman Class at Florida Top 250 Expo

<p>When watching freshman athletes, sometimes it is a watch-and-watch-them-learn situation. The athletes listed below had great development throughout the expo and were great at picking up skills while playing. They will be difficult athletes to beat now and in the future because of their ability to grow in every moment available to them and their ability to learn. They were all great to begin with but displayed the best thing they can show a coach and that is the ability to learn on the fly. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/31-Presley-Ulmer.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-732405" style="width:170px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Presley Ulmer, a middle hitter from Nease High School, class of 2208.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Presley Ulmer</h2>   <p>Ulmer is a 5'10" middle hitter from Nease High School. Ulmer is a great blocker. She has huge hands and a presence at the net that serves her well in competition. She leaves no space for them to sneak around her hands to get a kill. She shuts everything down quickly. She has a great platform, tons of speed, lots of athleticism, a high volleyball IQ and serves well. Impressive athlete in her freshman year and I cannot wait to watch her develop in the next couple of years to reach her full potential on the court.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/IMG_5642.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-732602" style="width:177px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chelsea Akakatang, a right-side hitter from Bishop Kenny High School, class of 2028.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chelsea Akakatang</h2>   <p>Akakatang is a 5'9" right-side hitter from Bishop Kenny High School. Akakatang is a strong hitter, a powerful athlete, and has an impossible vertical. She is super impressive on the court and always seems to know where to make her moves. She moves so fast that it is hard for her opponents to keep track of where she might strike. She has hot hands and can take anyone down with one strike. She has great serves, can dig like a defensive specialist, and is aggressive when she hits. She will find the open space on your court and hit the ball there so you might make a plan for that occurrence. She is a gifted athlete. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/IMG_5643.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-732603" style="width:189px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='519264' first='Juliette' last='Watson'], a setter from Fletcher High School, class of 2028.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='519264' first='Juliette' last='Watson']</h2>   <p>Watson is a 5'10" setter from Fletcher High School. Watson has a long reach and an impressive grasp of the activities on a volleyball court. She has a high volleyball IQ and is the real deal during a match. She has soft hands, parity with her hitters, and a plan for moving her team through adversity. She serves and sets great and has an awesome platform for digging too. She is a great blocker and puts up a brick wall whenever she goes up. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/34-Gracie-McMillan.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-732408" style="width:179px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gracie McMillan, setter from Ridgeview High School,, class of 2028.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gracie McMillan</h2>   <p>McMillan is a 5'9" setter from Ridgeview High School. She is a powerful setter and has strong hands and a good eye for where to put the ball. She likes setting the outside and right-side hitters and during matches is a powerful ally on the court. She can dig, and block, and is a good server. She has a lot of skill at dumping the ball into her opponent's court when least expected. She is good at getting the unexpectedly loose balls by the net after a hitter is blocked. She is good at recovering and making a play. </p>

When watching freshman athletes, sometimes it is a watch-and-watch-them-learn situation. The athletes listed below had great development throughout the expo and were great at picking up skills while playing. They will be difficult athletes to beat now and in the future because of their ability to grow in every moment available to them and their ability to learn. They were all great to begin with but displayed the best thing they can show a coach and that is the ability to learn on the fly.