Standouts at the Motor City Madness Showcase: Class of 2024

<p>The madness was real in the Motor City this past weekend. Some of the top prospects out of Michigan and Ohio were putting their talents on display for the Motor City Madness Showcase. </p> <p>These talents are still uncalled for and looking for their next landing spot in the collegiate ranks. Here were some of the top players from 2024 class in the MCM Showcase.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172199" first="Sophie" last="Crawford"] (2024) | 6’1 S | Gull Lake/Dead Frog</p> <p>She’s one of the premier up-and-coming setters in Michigan and [player_tooltip player_id="172199" first="Sophie" last="Crawford"] was on full display in the Motor City. Her movement around the court is super clean and her delivery is smooth. Crawford loves to run a faster tempo and her length proved a benefit in scrimmage play.</p> <p><strong>Lydia Fraser</strong> (2024) | 5’10 OPP | Gabriel Richard/Legacy</p> <p>The 2024 class showcased a lot of heavy arms and <strong>Lydia Fraser</strong> was a part of this strong group. A hefty south paw, Fraser brings the heat with every aspect of her game. She can bring the hammer down at the net and has a strong driving float serve from the back line.</p> <p><strong>Alexis Glenn</strong> (2024) | 5’9 OPP | Brighton/Michigan Elite</p> <p>The showcase brought in a lot of high level opposites to the UWM Sport Complex, <strong>Alexis Glenn</strong> was alongside some of the top. She can attack on both pins at a high level. Glenn’s swing is very refined and swings with a wide array of shots.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172200" first="Julia" last="Gojcaj"] (2024) | 5’8 S | Stoney Creek/High Performance</p> <p>Alongside the elite opposites in Pontiac, the top setters in Michigan came out to ball. [player_tooltip player_id="172200" first="Julia" last="Gojcaj"], a Prep Dig top 250 attendee, has shown huge improvement since December. Her touch on the ball is getting more and more sound along with her footwork. Gojcaj has grown a great deceptive play with her sets.  </p> <p><strong>Jess Goodman</strong> (2024) | 5’4 L | Sir Frederick Banting/London Sharks</p> <p>Coming across the bridge from Canada, <strong>Jess Goodman</strong> showed a lot of upside in her defense and reception in Pontiac. Goodman is a scrappy defender with an admirable pursuit to any ball thrown her way.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172197" first="Clara" last="Gyomory"] (2024) | 5’11 OPP | North Branch/NBVBC</p> <p>Another standout opposite, [player_tooltip player_id="172197" first="Clara" last="Gyomory"] continues to shine and did so on Friday. Her unorthodox approach proves to work to her advantage and she can bring the heat with the best of them. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172201" first="Margaret" last="Hilliard"] (2024) | 6’2 S | Cranbrook/Michigan Elite</p> <p>Another athlete that attended the Top 250 expo in December, [player_tooltip player_id="172201" first="Margaret" last="Hilliard"] has shown a vast improvement in just about all aspects of her game from then. From her setting to her blocking and her attacks on two. All of this comes from a huge jump in confidence which was evident in her play.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="153673" first="Ella" last="Jensen"] (2024) | 5’4 L | Lakeview/Michigan Elite</p> <p>Alongside club teammate Hilliard, [player_tooltip player_id="153673" first="Ella" last="Jensen"] had a fine outing on Friday as well. Jensen has a good sense of the court around her and was picking up some tough balls, showing some great reads on the ball.</p> <p><strong>Kenzington Miller</strong> (2024) | 5’2 L | Mogadore/Elite Ohio</p> <p>This is the first I have seen this player in action, but it was a great first encounter. <strong>Kenzington Miller</strong> was a spitfire on defense, very speedy and scrappy. Miller was able to contend with some of the top defenders across the age groups.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="153677" first="Taya" last="Nordmann"] (2024) | 6’1 MB | Dewitt/Michigan Elite</p> <p>One of the few middle blockers in the 2024 class on tap, [player_tooltip player_id="153677" first="Taya" last="Nordmann"] made a lot of noise with the attention. Nordmann has a high reach on her attack and can do quite a bit of damage with her block. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="186778" first="Jada" last="Pantaleo"] (2024) | 5’9 OH | Eisenhower/Legacy</p> <p>Right along the theme of this class, [player_tooltip player_id="186778" first="Jada" last="Pantaleo"] is a heavy bopper. Her swing can create a lot of noise and she can score with some power. Pantaleo is a little undersized, but showed great elevation.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172209" first="Karley" last="Pretzer"] (2024) | 5’9 OH | Macomb Dakota/Michigan Elite</p> <p>One of the top performers from the showcase came out of [player_tooltip player_id="172209" first="Karley" last="Pretzer"]. A high flier with a lot of pop in not only her jump, but her swing. She carries a strong arm with a wide range of shots. Pretzer came to perform and is a top notch talent to take note of.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172210" first="Katelynn" last="Rottman"] (2024) | 5’11 OH | Lansing Christian/Michigan Elite</p> <p>Another heavy arm on the left side from Michigan Elite was [player_tooltip player_id="172210" first="Katelynn" last="Rottman"]. She’s a lethal attacker that can get it done anywhere across the net. Her bread and butter being the left side, Rottman spent some time swinging in the middle and impressively enough. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="153664" first="Jackie" last="Scheiber"] (2024) | 5’11 S/OPP | Riverview/Michigan Elite</p> <p>Not only can [player_tooltip player_id="153664" first="Jackie" last="Scheiber"] set a pretty well located ball with tempo, but she bring down some eye-popping attacks. Yes, it wasn’t her abilities as a setter that caught the eye, but her offensive prowess she possesses. Scheiber has great mechanics and could be an efficient attacker as well as setter. </p> <p><strong>Saniyah Terry</strong> (2024) | 5’6 L | Lanse Creuse North/Crank It</p> <p>Another fresh face on my radar showing off her skills this weekend was <strong>Saniyah Terry</strong>. As scrappy as can be, Terry wasn’t letting any ball drop on her side of the court. She knew exactly where the ball would go and was almost always successful in keeping a rally alive. </p> <p><strong>Laila Bates</strong> (2024) | 5’10 OH | Grand Blanc/Michigan Elite</p> <p>One of the top standouts from the entire showcase came out of <strong>Laila Bates</strong>. She was a do-it-all type of player throughout the event and was the first to step up when needed. Bates didn’t even get to show off much of her skills as an attacker on Friday, but she was always found on the court. Top notch defense and a vocal leader on the court, Bates is an excellent talent to watch for the next few seasons.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>