Welcome to Prep Dig! New Names to Know from the CZ Championships

Small, regional tournaments like the Central Zone Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana always give me a good chance to see some local players that I have never seen before. This year I wanted to focus on kids we have not covered yet her at Prep Dig Indiana and who may not get a chance to be scouted at some of the bigger events and qualifiers (i.e. President's Day or Mideast Qualifier), simply because of the sheer number of athletes at those tourneys. The oldest and toughest age division at this specific event was 15/16 Elite, featuring teams ranging in age from 14s to 16s, and I kept my focus there. Here are six players whom we have never covered before, but that certainly caught my attention over the weekend.    Ainsley is a long and lean, high flying middle blocker who is just an eighth grader. When I watched her play against a 15u team, she stood out the most for me on the court out of all the offensive players at the net. Sauder is quick in transition and always available - a quality you don't usually see until much later for middle blockers. She can jump high and hit HARD in both directions with her fast, wind-up arm swing, plus she is already a solid blocker at just 14. I look for Ainsley to continue moving up in the ranks at Circle City, especially as she continues to train with high level competition; this young lady has a TON of potential and is a next level prospect in the making.     Circle City certainly has some top tier setting talent in the 15s age group (ahem, [player_tooltip player_id='746663' first='Charlee' last='Groninger'] from Plainfield) and Cecelia is definitely a part of that group. For starters, her hands are buttery soft, and she has an incredible ability to push the ball from one of side of the net to the other with ease. Prather does what most young setters won't do because they are scared - move the ball around and get everyone involved. She never resorted to simply setting it outside because that's what was easy; she would force the middle and set right side out of system, too. Lastly, Cecelia is a go-getter and a hard worker on defense. You can tell she loves playing the game and does not want her team to lose.     The part of Brennley's game that stood out to me the most was her determination to ALWAYS be an option for her setter in transition. Being available every time as a middle blocker takes a LOT of hard work and mental toughness - if you aren't willing to outwork everyone and be okay with only getting set a few times a match, you cannot be a good middle - and Ledford does just that! I am always impressed with middles who are selfless and also talented, which are characteristics this young lady certainly possesses. She can hit both directions on the one ball and can terminate, while also putting up a big block at the net. The combo of Prather and Ledford is definitely a good one and one I look forward to watching as the club season moves on to bigger tourneys and qualifiers.     If you are looking for an all-out, all over the court, never give up DS, Abby is just that. When I watched her Circle City team play, I saw her in both the DS and L positions over the weekend, and I can see why she is a foundation of her team's defense. She communicates really well with positive body language and talk with her teammates. Swan never missed a chance to cover her hitters after passing or defense and oftentimes gave her team multiple chances. She digs balls well in front of her, especially in left back, and can run down a shanked pass/dig into the bleachers or the wall without regard for her body. Lastly, in serve receive she passes the deep ball confidently with a solid platform angle and recovers well mentally after a miss. Abby is the type of DS every team needs who will bring good energy to the team through solid skills, positive communication and 100% effort.     Matthews is mostly listed as a DS/L, but when I watched her Rev 16-2s team play she was hitting outside and doing it very effectively. At 5'6" she is another one of those players who just blows the silly "undersized" thing out of the water by the way she plays at the net. Sydney has an arsenal of tools in her belt when attacking and she uses them with confidence - she can hit high hands, find the seam, tool off the right side and she knows when to off speed. On top of that, she is efficient when attacking out of system, allowing her team to stay in rallies longer. And of course, she is good in the back row on both defense and serve receive, allowing her to play all six rotations and be a floor leader for this Rev Squad. What one of the parents told me about Matthews sums her up best: "She's simply a gamer. She doesn't know any other way than to work hard and hustle. We love having her."     Greene was another bright spot for this Rev 16-2s team as the libero who was ALL OVER the court. From serve receive to covering, Harper never stopped moving or communicating and was first to admit if she had made a mistake, which is a quality that I love to see in a DS/L. She wasn't afraid of standing in the seam or down the line to dig the hard driven ball and was quick to get on the floor for tips. Greene's fundamentals look solid too; she doesn't panic in serve receive but instead keeps her solid platform away from her body and never swings. She reads well and sets up outside the block on defense so she can use her ability to read and react to her advantage. This Rev team certainly has a dynamic defensive duo in Harper and Sydney and when they are both in the backrow it becomes increasingly difficult for the opposing team to score.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">If you loved this article, please follow our Instagram page, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/abovethenetvolleyball">Prep Dig IN | Above The Net Volleyball</a> for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes action.</h3>   After following our page, take the next step and subscribe to PrepDig! By subscribing, you'll not only stay connected to the latest coverage of your favorite events, but you'll also be helping to shine a spotlight on rising volleyball talent.   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Small, regional tournaments like the Central Zone Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana always give me a good chance to see some local players that I have never seen before. This year I wanted to focus on kids we have not covered yet her at Prep Dig Indiana and who may not get a chance to be scouted at some of the bigger events and qualifiers (i.e. President's Day or Mideast Qualifier), simply because of the sheer number of athletes at those tourneys. The oldest and toughest age division at this specific event was 15/16 Elite, featuring teams ranging in age from 14s to 16s, and I kept my focus there. Here are six players whom we have never covered before, but that certainly caught my attention over the weekend.