Post-Gauntlet Late Night Thoughts from Prep Dig Rachel

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had a fantastic time at the AP Center covering 14 Open, 16 Premier, 17 Premier, and 17 Open divisions of the Gauntlet! I think everyone went home exhausted, but hopefully, they were also proud of the way they competed throughout the weekend. Here are a couple of late-night thoughts as I wait for pictures to transfer and load so I can get them edited. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They will be up for all to see and download on our Facebook page in the next few days: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PrepDig/photos_albums">https://www.facebook.com/PrepDig/photos_albums</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also, a quick plug for our upcoming events in early August - we have a series of showcases (Freshman, Sophomore ID, and Stock Up) scheduled for August 2nd in Milwaukee and other dates throughout the country. You can check them all out here: <a href="https://prepdig.com/events/">https://prepdig.com/events/</a> (use code KassDig2025 for $10 off). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Now to the good stuff. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. The Expansion of the Gauntlet was SO. MUCH. FUN. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The past several years of the Gauntlet have been invite-only. And while that has been a wonderful experience, there are so many talented teams out there looking for a great pre-nationals tournament. For the Gauntlet to expand to three divisions this year was a huge undertaking, and it really delivered. Although it was a little sad to be split up from my Prep Dig Wisconsin buddies, seeing the top teams and clubs from across the Midwest compete made me super excited to be on the court, snapping pictures, frantically taking notes, and grabbing some video. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. These teams are Nationals-ready.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The vast majority of the teams competing at the Gauntlet are heading to either USAV or AAU nationals in the next few weeks. We had two USAV Open-qualified teams, two National Division qualified teams, and two AAU Open Division teams competing in the 14 Open division alone. Every single match was a head-to-head battle. And this was not January volleyball - teams were fine-tuning the smallest aspects of their game. They were working like well-oiled machines. It was obvious that these athletes have been playing together for a full season. The setter-middle connections were on fire. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here were some of the top setter-to-middle connections I saw: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1st Alliance 14-1's setter [player_tooltip player_id='781327' first='Claire' last='Rooney'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='781325' first='Chyla' last='Jukes']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Circle City 14 Purple setter Kiersten Lutz and middle DeAsia John</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='557038' first='Milwaukee' last='Juniors'] 14-1 setter Jordyn Paul and middle Adalyn Feyen </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockwood Thunder setter. and middle Nora Butler</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dunes 17 Black setter Abby Haring and middle Kathryn Bergan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='431537' first='Midwest' last='Penguins'] 17 Elite setter [player_tooltip player_id='277435' first='Hannah' last='Padilla'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='504437' first='Kylee' last='Zell'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] 17 National setter [player_tooltip player_id='522223' first='Faith' last='Sperl'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='299942' first='Sophia' last='Olson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. The mental toughness in these teams was amazing to watch.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The teams that played are battle-tested. They have played competitive tournaments all year long, and it is culminating in a national tournament for most of them. Their resilience on the court was impressive. Shaking off tough plays, bouncing back quickly to terminate the following point. Seeing young athletes have the ability to make an error at a critical point in a match, visibly take a deep breath, and close their eyes (I saw this numerous times throughout the tournament) before refocusing on the next point means more and more teams are training both the brain and the body. This is a huge step for youth sports in general. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first match of the day between Sting 14 Black and [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] Adidas 14 Elite had a third set that ended 21-19. It was incredible to watch. The resilience, grit, and fearlessness were such a great start to the tournament, and after watching that third set, I knew we were in for a wild weekend of high-level volleyball!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->