Small School Standouts at Freshman Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players from all over came together for the Freshman Showcase at The Volleyball Academy in LaVista, Nebraska. Schools and clubs from all sizes were in attendance to display their versatility and show off their talents. Many small school players took the court and showed their athleticism on the floor on Saturday. Let's take a look at some of the small school standouts from the Class of 2029!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='826128' first='Lainee' last='Cook'], a 5'8” outside, was featured in our First Take article, but she too is the&nbsp; small school standout mix. Joining her is 5'7” outside [player_tooltip player_id='775942' first='Jayla' last='Green'] out of powerhouse Lincoln Lutheran. She is athletic, springy and has a fast arm swing. Green gives a lot of energy to her teammates as well. Look for her to make some noise with the Warriors this fall!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another small town athlete who made the trek Saturday is 5'6” right side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='716534' first='Julia' last='Flaming'] from Paxton High School. Flaming plays her club ball with Nebraska One. Her defense is what stood out in particular. Her ability to get some great touches on balls and keep plays alive showcased her versatility. Keeping hitters frustrated by her tip coverage was also key with her smooth dolphin dives to keep play going! Keep her on your small school radar!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the beautiful Sandhills of Nebraska is where 5'9” outside [player_tooltip player_id='845825' first='Josie' last='Morrow'] plays for Sandhills/Thedford. She takes big swings as well. One of her strengths was the ability to stay behind the ball and take smart shots. Particularly during a back row attack drill she had great ball control. Morrow was also a strong defender at left back during digging drills. Look for her to be a multi faceted force for the Knights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Thedford player is setter [player_tooltip player_id='848988' first='Emma' last='Ray']. The 5'7” freshman has great hands. Her confidence continued to grow throughout the showcase and her ball distribution was really good! Her strong wrists and soft hands were a dream for hitters during wash and competitive drills. She had strong connections in particular with the pin hitters. Look for her to continue to grow in confidence and ability! It will be fun to watch the connection between her and Morrow this fall, a dynamic duo for the Knights for sure!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glenwood, Iowa is home to 5'8” [player_tooltip player_id='846987' first='[player_tooltip player_id='523167' first='Natalie' last='']' last='Culp']. The setter plays club ball for River City Juniors in LaVista, NE. Culp has great ball placement, especially on the opposite pins. She has great length with her long levers and moves well. Her calm demeanor and confidence on the floor boosts her teammates as well. Another strength of hers is her ability to read her hitters, and opposing team's hitters. A defender first from the back row, she has a scrappy mentality and trusts her teammates in out of system. Keep her on your radar!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shelby-Rising City Huskies are getting a good one with 5'9” [player_tooltip player_id='836004' first='Hayden' last='Hopwood']. The outside hitter who plays for Nebraska Juniors has a strong arm and power. The thing that also stands out is her ability to hit shots from anywhere on the floor. She can swing or roll shot from the back row. She has a confidence about her that exudes playing fearless. Hopwood is particularly strong with deep shots to Zone 1 or tooling the block. For a young player she has really developed her roll shot which makes her hard to defend. Keep tabs on this Crossroads Conference freshman!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is exciting to see small town talent match up and compete with bigger school talent at showcases! It reiterates the strength of volleyball in Nebraska and the Midwest at all levels of play! Keep your eyes on these small school girls!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->