Outside Hitter Highlights at the Michigan Freshman Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Be sure to TAG &amp; follow&nbsp;@lshotvb&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">Tik Tok&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for all things volleyball!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>–</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The class of 2029 is coming in hot, ready or not here they come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the third year in a row, Michigan has played host to some of the best incoming freshmen the classes have had to offer. Ranging from the Metro Detroit area to the West Side and Northern Michigan. This past weekend, we got to really get a great taste of what the 2029 class has cooking up for their debut seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wrapping up the Freshman Showcase coverage, let's take a look at some of the best outside hitter prospects at the Freshman Showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hollie Pederson - St. Ursula</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the few Ohio prospects to make the trek up to UWM, Hollie Pederson is a pleasant surprise. At 5'8, Pederson moves well around the court with great ball control. She plays the complete game. Add onto that her ability to move the ball around the court as an attacker, Pederson is quite smart.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='850477' first='Wren' last='Frailey'] - Troy Athens</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Troy Athens is going to be getting a double dose of the Frailey this fall. [player_tooltip player_id='850477' first='Wren' last='Frailey'] is the younger sister of recent Wayne State commit, [player_tooltip player_id='839890' first='Skyye' last='Frailey']. In many ways, Wren emulates her older sister's game. She is a smaller leaper with a very promising arm. I saw a lot of nice things out of this young prospect throughout the showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='775991' first='Sydney' last='Manning'] - Lakeview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I got the pleasure to get a sneak peak of this player back in June at AAU Nationals. I was wow'ed then and I continued to be impressed. [player_tooltip player_id='775991' first='Sydney' last='Manning'] is a player that could really have a strong career throughout the next four years. Manning plays the entire game at an extremely high level. Between her passing strengths to her wide range of offense, she plays well beyond her years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Taylor Rivers - Marian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This player has spent quite a bit of time playing many positions throughout her young career. Taylor Rivers has experience anywhere across the net and at the setter position. As she enters high school, Rivers will be keying in on that six rotation outside hitter role. A position where I think she could thrive. Rivers sees the court well on both ends of the ball, defensively and offensively. Entering a DEEP Marian program, Rivers has plenty of strong attackers to compete alongside day in and out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='776427' first='Natalia' last='Zywicki'] - Marian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right alongside Rivers, [player_tooltip player_id='776427' first='Natalia' last='Zywicki'] will be adding to the deep bench of attackers at Marian. Much like Rivers, Zywicki is an undersized high flier. She has an impressive range of shots with an eagerness to further grow her tool box. Zywicki is going to see a serious bump in her growth this fall in the Marian gym. I'll be excited to see where she will be come the Top 250 in December.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='812023' first='Brynn' last='Johnson'] - Marshall</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='812023' first='Brynn' last='Johnson'] is another player that I had the luxury of seeing back in June down in Orlando. Fast forward to this showcase, Johnson is poised to have an exciting career ahead. She hits an extremely heavy ball with a lot of range. From her relentless scoring prowess, she is also a steady presence in the ball control department as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='779874' first='Sienna' last='Moeke'] - Traverse City Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Traverse City area is always good for some exciting talent. [player_tooltip player_id='779874' first='Sienna' last='Moeke'] is another one of those players to put on the watchlist. Throughout the day, you could see a heavy beach influence into Moeke's indoor game. Super high IQ, she sees the court well and she has just about all of the tools in her toolbox. I was thoroughly impressed with the way this player carries herself on the court. This is not your ordinary freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='858244' first='Cornelia' last='Friedrich'] - Detroit Country Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I would go on a limb and say that [player_tooltip player_id='858244' first='Cornelia' last='Friedrich'] was the HIGHEST jumper in the gym. Touching 10'0, Friedrich is just at a whole other level at the net. At this height, plus being a left handed attacker, Friedrich is dangerous. I was particular impressed with just how sound of a blocker she was. There was virtually no ball finding the court with these hands up at the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='781087' first='Jacqueline' last='James'] - Detroit Country Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another small, but mighty attacker, [player_tooltip player_id='781087' first='Jacqueline' last='James'] packs quite the punch. Not only does she pack a punch, but she can bring quite the energy onto the court. This is a player that has a lot of experience in just about every position along the front line. James is versatile and can make an impact in a lot of different areas in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='849580' first='Jordyn' last='Holly'] - Plymouth</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Upon the very initial introductions to these players, [player_tooltip player_id='849580' first='Jordyn' last='Holly'] immediately made herself known. From warm ups to the positional training part of the Showcase, Holly has one heavy arm. When she can connect and swing through a set, Holly does some damage. Throughout the rest of the showcase, she continued to shine with a lot of range in her swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='849705' first='Sloan' last='Sood'] - Mercy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is another player, much like Moeke, where I could see some serious beach influence in her indoor game. [player_tooltip player_id='849705' first='Sloan' last='Sood'] is another small, but mighty outside hitter. She jumps well and she has a whip of an arm. Sood displayed a true myriad of different shots in her pocket. From the off speed tip and roll to the 100% bang away, Sood can bring it and change it up at any given moment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->