Des Lacs Invite: Players Who Made Their Presence Felt

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/"><strong>More than 150 college coaches shared this article.</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Join PrepDig and get 30% off with code "digdakotas30."</strong></a></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigdakotas/?hl=en">Follow on Instagram @prepdigdakota.</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tournament days give you a chance to see players in a new light. At the Des Lacs-Burlington Invite, I wasn't just looking for the biggest kill or the player putting up the flashiest numbers. I was watching for the players who changed something for their team when they were on the court. Maybe it was a setter settling things down, a defender keeping a rally alive, a hitter finding a way to score in a tough situation, or a player bringing the energy her team needed. From court to court, these were some of the players who kept pulling my attention back and shaped how their teams competed throughout the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["833021"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678b8e5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='833021' first='Jaida' last='Schumacher'] was getting work done from the outside. She stayed aggressive with her swings and gave her team an option when they needed to get out of a tough rotation. What I liked was that she kept coming back for another swing. Whether the first ball was clean or the play got pushed out of system, Schumacher was working to get available and find a way to do something productive with the ball. She was a steady piece of what her team was doing throughout the day. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["953782"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678b959"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='953782' first='Judy' last='Meier'] made her presence felt at the net. She worked laterally as a blocker, getting hands up and forcing opposing hitters to think about what was in front of them. Offensively, she stayed active and gave her setter a middle option when the pass allowed it. At times, Meier's involvement at the net changed the look of a rally, and that was the kind of team impact I was looking for at this tournament. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Nora McGorman","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Watford City ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678ba18"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nora McGorman brought a lot of activity to the outside. She wasn't disappearing from the match when she wasn't getting set. McGorman worked through transition, got back into the play, and stayed ready for her next opportunity. When the ball did come her way, she attacked with purpose and wasn't afraid to take a swing in serious situations. She gave her team another player they could keep involved throughout a rally. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["922266"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678ba7e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='922266' first='Jaye' last='Potratz'] had some of those defensive touches that can completely change a rally. She got underneath attacks, kept balls from hitting the floor, and gave her team another chance to do something with them. I also noticed how active she stayed between contacts. Potratz wasn't waiting for the attack to find her; she moved with the play and put herself in spots where she could make a difference. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["749991"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678bacc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='839915' first='Nora' last='Pederson'] gave her team another option on the pin and contributed in ways beyond kills. I liked the way she stayed involved from one part of the rally to the next. She could take her swing, transition off the net, and be ready to help on the next contact. Pederson gave her team steadiness, and over multiple matches in a tournament setting. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Brielle Hance","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Watford City","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac44b678bb76"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brielle Hance was responsible for putting everything together. I watched her work through different kinds of first contacts and still try to give her hitters something they could attack. When the pass was there, she could run her options, but I was more interested in what she did when it wasn't. Hance worked to get underneath the second ball, kept the offense moving, and found ways to give her hitters a chance even when the rally wasn't clean. A setter touches so much of what happens offensively, and her impact on her team's play was easy to see. <strong><em>~Theresa@prepdigdakotas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thank you to all my readers for making this journey possible. My goal has always been simple: to shine a light on athletes at every level, from Division I to NAIA, and give them a platform to keep chasing their love for the game. 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