Scouting Reports: Juniors That Jammed at LOVB Showcase

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   LOVB held its Midwest Recruiting Showcase last week in Coralville. About half of the attendees hailed from the junior class.   Here are evaluations on six of the ones I'd not yet written about or hadn't written about recently, a companion piece to two earlier write-ups on members of this class, which can be found <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/06/juniors-that-jumped-out-at-lovb-iowa-recruiting-showcase/">here</a> and <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/06/iowa-2027s-that-showed-out-at-lovb-recruiting-showcase/">here</a>.    After an in-person scout watching her perform for Adrenaline 16 Olivia this club season, Scott turned up at the LOVB Midwest Recruiting Showcase during June. She confirmed that she's making steady progress in her volleyball development. Scott operated on the Cougar sophomore team in 2024, but has positioned herself for varsity contributions this coming prep campaign. With a whip-like swing that generates power, Scott appears capable of doing damage at either pin. She shows a good feel for getting to her attack at both spots and also an aptitude for blocking on both sides of the net. Scott boasts long arms, gets a clean read on the opposing attack and times her blocks well.     One of the more disappointing developments during club season was the limited times I scouted RVA players. Our paths didn't cross much, unfortunately. It was nice scouting a collection of its members during the early summer of 2025. It was well represented at the Prep Dig showcase in Clive and the LOVB showcase in Coralville during June. At the latter, I evaluated Taylor for the first time since being very impressed watching her during November's state tournament. She helped defending-champion Northwest reach the championship match despite a young roster. At libero, Taylor embodies what you want from the position. Her physical gifts of quick reflexes and feet serve her well. Taylor's long legs and arms help her cover more ground than many of her counterparts. Communication and being a good teammate also are positive traits for Taylor. She has as much potential as any defensive specialist in the state.     Uhl is a player on the rise this club season after developing her skills nicely as a sophomore at North Polk last season. She's a fundamentally sound two-way middle. Having a defender in the middle of the net is critical for teams looking to reach their full potential. A hole there can sink the boat. Uhl stands out in this respect. Her height, long arms and timing make her a consistent and effective blocker. With sound technique also present, Uhl keeps the block between the lines and in play. Opponents often struggle in reacting the ball coming back at them. Uhl complements that defense with a powerful attack that finishes off plenty of points.     I've scouted Van Heukelom matches for the last few seasons. Raw in volleyball terms at the beginning, she's blossomed into a productive two-way middle. Van Heukelom has the height and length to be effective at the position. She's sharpened her skills to take advantage of those natural gifts. More explosiveness has been added and resulted in Van Heukelom more consistently finishing points with her powerful swing, which is noticeably more consistent. A deterrent for opposing attacks as a defender, Van Heukelom's block looked especially sharp at the LOVB Midwest Recruiting Showcase in June. Expect her to make a bigger impact in the MVC this season.     Van Der Pol is a versatile two-way middle. She flashed plenty of potential when I watched her compete during the LOVB Midwest Recruiting Showcase in June. With good height and long arms, she has the natural tools necessary to succeed at the position. She marries those gifts with sound volleyball fundamentals and feel for the game. Van Der Pol usually is positioned to make a play. Her block is consistently a deterrent for opposing attacks, and she alters a lot of attempts she can't quite reach. As an attacker, Van Der Pol whips her swing through the hitting zone, creating power. Her skill set also works on the right side     I first saw Aikey rotating in for CIA at the 2025 Iowa regional qualifier this spring. She showed up at the LOVB Midwest Recruiting Showcase in June and looked like a student-athlete continuing to sharpen her game. Aikey is steadily improving, most of that showing up in her consistency getting to balls and turning them into usable passes. On serve-receive, Aikey gets a clean read on the ball and moves her feet to get into position. She also diagnoses the attack well, finding ways to keep tough-to-dig kill attempts in play for her team.

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