My Indiana Stock Up Showcase All-Star Team

We've come to the end of the week, where only a few more honors remain from the fifth annual Indiana Stock Up Showcase this past Sunday. All-star teams, in general, have too many players for my liking---the list should be no more than ten in any volleyball setting. Today's list honors exactly ten players who stood out among the 80+ listed both on our information sheets and the walk-ins that added to our talent pool. Here they are, in no particular order.    Time and again, my fellow scouts were looking for kids that changed the way her side played. Reagan gave us exactly what we wanted---a consistent first contact, a willingness to do the dirty work without accolade, and several outstanding plays that she made look easy. With her active feet, calm platform and ability to pass half the court at any one time, Miss Futa was an easy choice for this author to lead off such a prestigious group. It's no wonder that she's a Munciana kid, as her serve reception and passing were second to none on Sunday.     A year ago at this time, we were honoring Kyla as one of the best freshman defenders at our Freshman Showcase. Not only have things improved for Kyla, they've improved for us as scouts just by having her. Constantly and consistently positive and encouraging while both on and off the court, she backed up her solid talk with exceptional play. Always in the right spot and always spot on with her passing, Miss Hurley proved why she's playing up a year two years in a row at PHP.     Of the setters in attendance Sunday, none showed better body control and athleticism than Jenna. Even her size doesn't limit her possibilities---on multiple occasions, she had to go get a tight pass, and not only did she get there, it was sent out as a perfect set to any one of her three-plus hitters during team play. Prior to this past season, I didn't know much about Jenna. Her arrival on Sunday proved that I have her a bit too low on our rankings list, as this young lady is college-ready, through and through.     Quiet, unassuming and all business, Miss Pierce is another of a long line of solid and consistent setters from Munciana. Lengthy beyond her 5'7" frame, she used her long legs to get to a ton of out-of-system balls on Sunday, while also making those same rough passes good sets for her hitters, regardless of where they were. No, she didn't stick out---and that's the beauty of it. Addison is proof that setters don't have to be flashy if you do your job at a high level.     What can be said that hasn't already been said about this high-flying outside? Time and time again, Blaine was the terminal end of a point in both the drill section and the full-team section of play on Sunday. From the start, it was obvious to us as scouts that her athleticism and level of play is off the charts, and it shouldn't be long before college scouts start noticing. Already a medalist in 15 Open this past summer in Dallas, many more accolades are coming their way for this young lady, which should also include offers starting in the summer of '26.     On Sunday, Elena was the lefty banger from the right side that colleges don't get to see enough of. A year ago at this time, Miss Cook was figuring out footwork, armswing speed and overall volleyball acuity. Now, she can hit from anywhere, block anyone because of her impressive size, and looks the part of an everyday right side at the next level. Yes, the size sets her apart from others. It's what you do with that size that counts, and Elena has clearly put the work in to be this good in just one short calendar year.     I would be remiss if I didn't mention our lone senior on this list. Nevaeh, a Saint Francis (NAIA) commit, is a hard-hitting force that can blast a heavy ball off of a floor defender just as easily as she can break up an undisciplined block. Positive and active to the end, Miss Plaster was a pleasure to have as a source of leadership and consistency on the outside among the older attendees. She should do some serious damage in the Crossroads League in the fall of '26.     It was different seeing Miss Mears play at first. Or should I say, HEAR her play. Over and over again, the sound of her hand taking a full swing on the ball made a different sound than others in the same pin position, even from a court or two over. My fellow scouts and I saw this regularly with Meredith---a full-go, full swing, go-for-broke pin attacker that had little regard of defense or situation. She scored points at will throughout the day, and took chances just as pin attackers should. I don't even recall her sending a free ball all day without putting a swing on it.     Clearly the strongest and one of the more well-polished middles on the day, Abbie was an obvious choice as a top middle for the entirety of the showcase. Regardless of who the setter was, Miss Powell easily terminated in front of or behind the setter, found a connection with multiple setters immediately upon arrival, and was tough to go against on defense. As the day went on, unlike some of her fellow middles, she got stronger and more forceful with her attacks, almost like she was the exclamation point to a sentence. Quick, strong and terminal are the traits every middle should have, and Abbie has each of them in droves.     Paityn is a repeat attendee to our showcases, as she was one of our top middles in last year's Freshman Showcase. Strong bodied and physical, Miss Lauck already has a state championship trophy on her mantle as the defending 4A state champ. She has two different traits that set her apart from others; (1) she hits a heavy ball, making her hard to defend, and (2) she has a relentless motor, making her tougher to defend as the match continues. That combination will carry her far in this recruiting process, as both traits are hard to find among middles here in Indiana. As I type this sentence, I see that she's listed Pineapple High Performance 16-1 as her club team for the following spring, which should immediately make her competition that much tougher to play against---exactly what will make her that much better, which is SCARY.

We've come to the end of the week, where only a few more honors remain from the fifth annual Indiana Stock Up Showcase this past Sunday. All-star teams, in general, have too many players for my liking---the list should be no more than ten in any volleyball setting. Today's list honors exactly ten players who stood out among the 80+ listed both on our information sheets and the walk-ins that added to our talent pool. Here they are, in no particular order.