New Faces At Washburn Elite Camp

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washburn University hosted its annual Elite Prospect Camp on June 18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The upside to scouting a camp like this is that I get to see a ton of athletes. Some I am familiar with and have scouted multiple times. While there are other athletes whom I might know the name, but have not seen them compete in person. Then there are the athletes who show up, show out, and get on my radar for the first time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is the second of two reports today on athletes who attended the camp. Prospects from multiple states and ages filled up three courts at the Washburn Student Recreation Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are athletes that I saw compete for the first time in person.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828207' first='Drew' last='Bruna']</strong>, 5'11”, MB, Hanover, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bruna is ranked No. 63 overall by Prep Dig. The Hanover prospect attended the camp with her cousin. They are two athletes I looked forward to seeing play, and they did not disappoint. Both are very athletic. Drew plays middle and has a big reach. She led Hanover last season with 347 kills and 78 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807941' first='Gracie' last='Bruna']</strong>, 5'6”, OH, Hanover, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gracie is currently unranked. She is a step quicker than Drew, but not as tall. She finished with 195 kills and 385 digs for the Wildcats last season. I was impressed with her lateral movement and her passing skills. The two cousins paired up with each other during the drills, so they looked extra crisp, but I would have liked to have seen them pair up with a couple of players they weren't familiar with. Both have aspirations of playing college volleyball, and in my estimation, they own the skills to get there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='621307' first='Emersyn' last='Ripley']</strong>, 6'1, MB, Wichita Warriors, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ripley is ranked No. 9 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027, mostly due to the impressive stats she has put up during high school. She has a big reach and at times looked a little tentative on the court, but I understand she is dealing with some aches. I was impressed by her defensive skill for her size and wished I could have stayed longer to see her do some hitting. She plays for a "Homeschool" team, which I would like to see play this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='550572' first='Amelia' last='Wilhite']</strong>, 5'11”, OH, Gardner-Edgerton, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilhite is ranked No. 114 overall by Prep Dig. This was my first time getting to see her play. At times, I got her and Santa Fe Trail's [player_tooltip player_id='516246' first='Quincy' last='Cook'] confused as they are both tall redheads. The Trailblazer prospect has a physical and strong frame. If the Washburn coaching staff did bench press testing, I would have put some money on her to win it. She moves well and showed she has the skills to be considered for a bump in the rankings in August.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483945' first='Macy' last='Karlin']</strong>, 5'6”, DS/L, Marantha Christian, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karlin caught my attention during the camp, and was the biggest surprise of the day. She is ranked No. 95 overall, and in my research before the event, I did not look at her at all. She was not on my radar until I saw her action. She is a fireball libero who plays with high energy. There were three or four defensive players at the camp ranked higher than her by Prep Dig, but she stood out as a potential college defender. I was impressed with how she hustled during the camp and was very vocal around all those unfamiliar athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827935' first='Taylor' last='Steele']</strong>, 5'10”, MB/RS, Olate South, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second biggest surprise of the camp was the play of Olathe South's Steele. She is a physical athlete who can play multiple positions. One aspect of her game that stood out was her leadership. I saw multiple athletes go to her for assistance on a team drill that they were confused about. She graciously explained the drill to them while still trying to pay attention to what was happening on the court. She had 104 kills for the Falcons during her sophomore season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='591953' first='Emmy' last='Kaberline']</strong>, 5'10”, OH, Andover Central, '28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaberline is ranked No. 29 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028. She is a youngster I have heard a lot about, but this was the first time getting to see the Andover Central prospect compete. She moves really well and was not at all intimidated by the level of competition at the camp. She played with poise during the fast-paced team drills and looks like an athlete that the Jaguar coaching staff can build around and use in multiple positions if necessary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->