My Dream Team from the Nebraska Freshman Showcase

<p>There were so many fantastic and worthy athletes at the freshman showcase today that picking some favorites is nearly impossible. So, I decided to pick a team of them that I think would work great together from the selection available at the event today.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='850372' first='Marianna' last='Zephier-Murphy']</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/IMG_7904.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-848175" style="width:157px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='850372' first='Marianna' last='Zephier-Murphy'], middle hitter from Millard North High School, class of 2029.</figcaption></figure>   <p>Zephier-Murphy is a 6'1" middle hitter from Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska. This athlete's reach is long, and her vertical is high. With her blocking in the middle, she will shut down her opponents' offense quickly and make it difficult for their team to score or go on runs. She is also deadly as a hitter in the middle and will score with impunity and often. I would expect a huge impact from this athlete on offense and defense, and this is why I chose her to be on this dream team. I desire the defensive abilities of this athlete on my side of the net more so than the offensive abilities, although she has both in her arsenal, so the more skills the better. Her friendly demeanor would help this team gel on the court and become invested in the outcomes of their games more quickly.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='738511' first='Anna' last='Bauer']</h2>   <p>Bauer is a 5'11" middle blocker from Grand Island Northwest High School. I chose Bauer for this team because of her high volleyball IQ and her athletic abilities. She has a high vertical, smarts, and is a powerful blocker. Her natural athleticism works wonders on the court and would be very supportive of the other athletes in the front row on my dream team. She can block, hit, and dig, and has wonderful hands to pop up errant balls for more organized play. She keeps things moving and in the right direction. Her team's rallies just had more organic chemistry when she was involved today, and I believe she will bring that intangible magic with any team she plays with.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='782250' first='Maggie' last='Nash']</h2>   <p>Nash is a 5'4" defensive specialist from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Nash uses pure athleticism to dig the ball up to her setter and save the day with her play. She has all the special skills needed for her position, like quick feet, a great platform, a high volleyball IQ, and the ability to make plans and carry them out on the run. She is versatile and makes a big impact as an awesome defender.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='780405' first='Whitney' last='Mertens']</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/IMG_7905.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-848180" style="width:179px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='780405' first='Whitney' last='Mertens'], DS/L from Pius X, class of 2029.</figcaption></figure>   <p>Mertens is a 5'5" DS/L from Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. I chose Mertens for her smarts. She has a great platform, tons of speed, and wonderful coverage under her front row hitters. She makes the plays that most players this age are not thinking about attempting yet. It takes something extra to be under the ball all of the time on the court during matches. This athlete is driven, and it shows in her play. She is always chasing and getting in the way of the ball hitting the floor during plays. She is a smart and powerful athlete and has a big impact on the outcome of matches. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='790545' first='Brinley' last='Whitney']</h2>   <p>Whitney is a 5'5" defensive specialist from Free State High School in Lawrence, Kansas. I picked Whitney for her awesome back-row attacks. She has a great platform, awesome footwork, and speed. Her athleticism and skills on the court get her where she needs to be. She is an invaluable asset to this team and is a wonderful teammate as well. She keeps things positive and can not only adjust her play but also helps her teammates be better players. This is worth more than gold to a coach or developer of a team. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='847021' first='Tinley' last='Olson']</h2>   <p>Olson is a 5'11" right-side hitter from Lincoln Standing Bear High School located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Olson makes what she does on the court look super easy, which, of course, it is not. She has tons of speed and power when hitting at the net and has big hands helpful in a blocking situation. She is an intimidating figure and helps convince her opponents to hit elsewhere, which sends them towards the middle, where other big blockers are waiting for the attack. She is an integral part of any team she is playing on. Great athlete! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='815053' first='Lucy' last='Labedz']</h2>   <p>Labedz is a 6' right-side hitter from Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska. She is fierce in the middle and is a superb athlete. She is a great blocker as well as a hitter and has an impact from the start of any set. She controls her side of the court and is very impressive at the net. She has a long reach and will kill anything that passes in her direction. She is always aware and focused on the court and always making a difference. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kenli Donner</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/IMG_7903.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-848178" style="width:163px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kenli Donner, outside hitter from Gretna HS, class of 2029.</figcaption></figure>   <p>Donner is a 5'11" outside hitter from Gretna High School in Gretna, Nebraska. She is a great communicator, which works great for my dream team. She has power and grace in one package and is a hot hitter who got the work done during today's event. She was impressive to multiple scouts for today's events, and given how hard it was to choose outside hitters for my dream team, she got a spot due to more than one of us having faith in her abilities and prowess. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fallyn O'Connell</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/IMG_7901.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-848176" style="width:157px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fallyn O'Connell, outside hitter from Omaha Marian HS, class of 2029.</figcaption></figure>   <p>O'Connell is a 5'10" outside hitter from Omaha Marian High School. This athlete is a smart and valuable resource to my team because she can see the open spaces on her opponent's court and direct the ball to those spots accurately. She has a high volleyball IQ, which gives her an anticipatory edge on the court, and she has enough ability and skills to make her a lethal opponent.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='790693' first='Ava' last='Bauer']</h2>   <p>Bauer is a 5'10" setter from Grand Island Northwest High School. She was an impressive setter today and made all of her hitters look good with great placement and communication about where the ball was going to be. She has great athleticism, awesome hands, and plays everywhere on the court. She can dig and cover under her hitters, she can block well, and she can hit some herself and gain points for her team. She is a fantastic all-around athlete.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='846878' first='Maci' last='Falcone']</h2>   <p>Maci is a 6' setter from Gretna East High School. She is an athlete with a full skill set. She can set with parity between her hitters, is smart about where she is moving the ball to so her team has the best chance of successfully scoring, and she can hit and dig with the best of them. Her speed and agility on the court won her points for me and put her on my dream team.</p>   <p></p>

There were so many fantastic and worthy athletes at the freshman showcase today that picking some favorites is nearly impossible. So, I decided to pick a team of them that I think would work great together from the selection available at the event today.