The Little I Saw at the Midwest Pre-National

Alright! I was in the building all weekend, but I only saw action on a few courts. My main reason for being in the gym was to rate and coach officials. At this tournament, many officials are attempting to move up in their certification levels, and I get to assist in giving them feedback and advice along the way. However, in the process of mainly watching them, I saw some players on these courts I have to note.    The middles of [program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] was on thanks to great passing from the defense. Chappell was explosive off the floor and bounced a few balls in the matches I was able to see. You see the growth in her game offensively. Defensively, she was a force at the net, roofing a couple of attempts from the opponent.     And when Chappell rotated out, Omoike followed and did damage herself. Another explosive athlete who made defenses pay with quick attacks in the gap and [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']ful swings on the slide. It was good to see her on the court after missing time this fall. She didn't appear to have lost a step.     The middles were fantastic, and along with the passers, I was impressed with the tempo and decision-making of sets from Edwards. She did a good job of keeping the front line on the other side guessing and put the attackers in a great position to be successful.     I just wrote about Byrd recently based on highlight footage. I saw her live. She's the real deal, and you know me, I don't talk about players until they reach high school, but with playing up on the 16s as an eighth grader, I get a pass here. She is the truth, and to be honest, I don't watch the 14s, but she's an early clubhouse leader to be near the top of the 2030 class. She can do it all. Score, mix up her shots, play defense at the net and back row, and some mustard behind the service line. I'm impressed if you can't tell.     This [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] team is special, and I walked away highly impressed with the play of McGuire. From the opening pass and the backset she delivered, I could tell she's legit. She moves very well and does a good job of getting her feet under her to make the set. She is a baller.     I was told about Milo a couple of months ago, so I needed to see in person the hype. It's not hype; she's legit. She has bounce. She has [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']. She has great court vision. She plays defense. I haven't done Kansas rankings in a few years, but listen, she could be the best player in this class.     She moves so effortlessly around the back row and makes play after play. Her passing is A1, and her second ball sets were effective. She is an impact player and a big reason for this team's success this year with her play behind the block.     Mavs ran a two-setter system, and Stuart stood out to me with her play in the one match I saw. I thought her set placement set her apartment amongst some of the setters I saw. I thought she did a good job of going with what the defense was giving her, with quick sets to the outside. A high IQ play I saw was her not jumping on an overpass and just raising her hands slightly below the net, which led to still getting a touch and slowing down the attempted kill.

Alright! I was in the building all weekend, but I only saw action on a few courts. My main reason for being in the gym was to rate and coach officials. At this tournament, many officials are attempting to move up in their certification levels, and I get to assist in giving them feedback and advice along the way. However, in the process of mainly watching them, I saw some players on these courts I have to note.