Prep Dig Aces Defensive Studs

This past weekend was the inaugural Prep Dig Aces tournament in Vernon Hills, IL and it was packed with competitive matchups in the two combined divisions. We started with 14 teams in our 17/18s division as teams gear up for the World Challenge and the 18's USAV GJNC. Then we wrapped up with 12 teams in our 15/16s division where we got to see a lot of new faces and hidden gems.   We spent Saturday at the [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] Volleyball Center with 4 courts going most of the day and we saw upsets in both divisions during pool play. We watched each team compete on Saturday before heading into Sunday's bracket play. On Sunday there were 10 matches that went into 3 sets and some were even going as far as 20-18 in the third set. None of this would be possible without some stellar defenders so let's take a look at some of those players here.    Kashuba is as solid as they come on serve receive. She always seems to be one step ahead of others defensively. Kashuba gets a ton of playable touches and most keep her team in system. She may even see the future with her ability to anticipate what is going to happen next. Or she's just really good at reading the game and focused on her duties as the 'Bro.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BreitNelson/status/1908577291145277740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1908577291145277740%7Ctwgr%5E9317a61fb7709747677f81c4cf9e398838103df2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FBreitNelson%2Fstatus%2F1908577291145277740 </div></figure>     Christopherson is one of those liberos that you don't notice right away because they make every play, routine or not, look easy. After a while, you watch and wonder when someone is going to really challenge her and force her to make a flashy play. She simply has really smooth and quick defensive movement to the ball which makes her an excellent passer and defender. Christopherson seems to have a strong mindset and I didn't see much get her frustrated because she appeared to quickly move on from one play to the next.     Perez had me smiling a few different times when she comes flying in to save the ball after her attacker was blocked. She is a super scrappy defender and almost moves as if she is on the prowl. Her ball control and technique proved crucial in a few big moments for Precision 18 Blue. Perez keeps her teams offense in system and highly productive.     Keim is one half of the defensive duo that anchors Eastside 18 Ninja National. I love how she seizes the opportunity to put on the libero jersey and lifts her team up. Keim has a handle on the pulse of the team and can tell when the team needs a boost. She is an excellent passer and consistent with the first contact. Keim's control allows her team to run its quick temp offense.     Kloss is a dynamite server for Xtreme and I for one believe that the serve is the first line of defense. If you can prevent a team from being in system you've already made it difficult for them to score. Kloss's serve works the deep court and seams and causes a lot of confusion between passers.     Salkeld was super fast in serve receive and made some great reads off the servers hand. She simply won't let the ball drop short on her and keeps her team in system. Salkeld is a solid first contact and an unsung hero for Belusa. She's reliable and consistent and established herself as a key piece this past weekend. Salkheld makes an impact in every match and is a big reason her squad made it to the Championship Semifinals.     Sennett has quick reactions on defense and makes some great reads when a play starts going hinky. That isn't easy to do even if you are an experienced libero because it's like trying to predict the future with all of the variables in play. Sennett will do a lot of the heavy lifting in the backcourt so the offensive players can focus on dominating at the net. It seems this Eastside team will go between Sennett and Kayleigh Keim as libero which gives them both opportunities to work on left and middle back defense. This is not only beneficial for the team to give offensive players a break and keep them fresh but also helps them develop as defenders.     Clair is everywhere all the time. She is a strategist and very crafty when she takes the 2nd ball. Clair also reads hitters extremely well and it gives her a huge advantage on defense. She also has lightning reactions on block coverage and spoils many blocker's celebrations. Honestly, there were times I thought Clair could defend the whole back row on her own she was so fast.     Lawrence makes a great read on the serve and works hard to adjust her platform and get the ball to target. She has super quick reactions and still gets to a ball that ricochets off the block. Lawrence keeps the defense in place and she is very consistent in serve receive which keeps her team operating efficiently. She is very fast but still technical making her an exceptional defender.

This past weekend was the inaugural Prep Dig Aces tournament in Vernon Hills, IL and it was packed with competitive matchups in the two combined divisions. We started with 14 teams in our 17/18s division as teams gear up for the World Challenge and the 18's USAV GJNC. Then we wrapped up with 12 teams in our 15/16s division where we got to see a lot of new faces and hidden gems.