Looking Back On 2024: Spotlight On Five Highlights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first month of 2025 is almost in the books, but I finally had the time this weekend to sit down and reflect on the 2024 prep season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So I wanted to highlight five athletes I enjoyed watching play last season. Each one reminded me why I continue to work as a volleyball scout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Between the winter weather, rankings work for three sites, and a little "R-and-R", it's been a slow start to 2025 in terms of scouting live events. However, I look forward to another year of club and prep ball, and want to thank the athletes who made 2024 a special one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cheers to what I expect will be another enjoyable year on the Kansas Volleyball scene in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["586613"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6795479d3a18d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Watching Bain play was one of the highlights of my scouting season last fall. She only played 39 sets of varsity play, but she is an upcoming setter who I was impressed with in an early-season match. She played behind Mill Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='154038' first='Ella' last='Florez'], but she should be a setter to keep track of. She finished with 20 assists, 14 kills, and 15 digs in varsity play as a freshman. I was lucky to catch Bain on the right night and look forward to seeing how she continues to evolve on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["493491"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6795490e14163"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My favorite team to watch last season was Wichita North. I saw them play in Barton's summer tournament and could not believe how hard they played in that event. I saw one of North's regular season matches and then saw Buss and her teammates again at the state tournament. She is an energetic six-rotation athlete deserving of college opportunities. It was motivational to watch North compete and improve over the course of the season. They were just a state tournament title away from finishing what could have been a script for a Disney sports movie.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["219715"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67954d7c14ac3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">By the time some of these athletes finish their prep careers, I feel like I have seen them play their entire lives. I started watching Chabot when she was a sophomore and she fits into the category of kids I feel like I got to watch grow up. She was an early commit so did not get a ton of coverage on Prep Dig last fall. She is headed to Johnson County Community College and then I am sure she will play for a four-year program afterward. She is a skilled setter who has worked hard to hone her craft and played at a high competitive level both in high school and club ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["434374"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67954d7c14b1a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It is always a challenge for me to get out to western Kansas to scout, but this year I did make it west of Interstate 135 to scout the likes of Beloit, Ellinwood, and Great Bend. Watching Behr and the Panthers is like getting a homemade Chocolate Pecan Pie from my wife - a "sweet treat" that does not come around often enough. Behr is dangerous as a setter and hitter. She has a bright future ahead of her and I hope I find the time and means to catch the Panthers compete in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["446331"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67954f526c066"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I will be honest, when I live so close to elite programs the likes of Seaman, Washburn Rural, Hayden, and several KC metro schools, I have to make a concerted effort to remind myself to not ignore the elite small school prospects. Henry is just one of a handful of athletes I could highlight to represent an impressive core of ranked small-school prospects. The Nemaha Central attacker is one I have seen grow as an athlete and competitor. She like Santa Fe Trail's [player_tooltip player_id='516246' first='Quincy' last='Cook'], Holton's [player_tooltip player_id='480408' first='Tinley' last='Wilson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='446318' first='Harriet' last='Dean'] and [player_tooltip player_id='503697' first='Emmie' last='Dean'] at Jefferson West, remind me of how deep the talent is in Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->