Kiva High School Elite Camp: Notable Prospects (Part 3)
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Kiva’s High School Elite Camp has grown tremendously since it started 30 years ago. What once began with one college coach running the camp, it has continued to grow each year and with this last camp having more than twenty…
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Continue ReadingKiva’s High School Elite Camp has grown tremendously since it started 30 years ago. What once began with one college coach running the camp, it has continued to grow each year and with this last camp having more than twenty Division 1 coaches in attendance. This in particular is was makes this camp so impressive. The 120 athletes at Elite Camp are trained in each session that has a focus on a specific skill such as ball control, defense, and every other piece of the sport you can think of. Each session begins with a college coach discussing the importance of the focused skill to the group, emphasizing how important it is to understand the skill no matter your position may be. Session 3 began with an introduction to attacking, then players were split onto courts to do training associated with their respective position. The players were presented with yet another chance to show off their work ethic, athleticism, and how much they can do on the court.
Here are the top performers from Kiva’s High School Elite Camp that left it all on the court in session 3:
Ellie Czajkowski (DS) Alliance- 18 Molten ’23
Ellie walks on the court with the kind of swagger you would love to play next to and have your back. She leads in more ways than just vocally which is exactly what a team needs from a player who is expected to control the backcourt defense. She is clear and direct with her communication to her teammates in the backcourt next to her, but also has her hitter’s backs giving them the confidence to swing away. On top of all of this, her defensive moves are fast and aggressive stealing kills away from attackers on the other side of the net.
Caroline Hillbrich (OH) Union- 17-1 ’23
Hillbrich’s fast arm swing and court vision make her a threat in the front row, but she can do much more than that as a 6-rotation outside hitter. She is very coachable and quick to make adjustments asked of her in the next rep that she gets. She makes serve receive look effortless with her great understanding of angles and quick platform. To top it off, she is relentless on defense and makes elite plays to keep the ball alive for her team.
Sophie Dufour Sophie Dufour 6'1" | OH Franklin County | 2025 State #130 Nation KY (OH/OPP) Lexington United 76 ’25
Sophie is playing up this season for Lexington United and is playing a big role for them. She has impressive approach touch of 9’10″ and that high contact at her age will only go up. She puts up a solid block that puts up a barrier against any hitters she is up against. Dufour’s eagerness to learn and grow as a volleyball player does not go unnoticed.
Gabrielle Jones Gabrielle Jones 5'11" | RS Chaminade | 2024 State OH (MB/OPP) Elevation- 16 Butcher ’24
Another hitter from Elite Camp that impressed with her height of contact on the ball when swinging. Jones approach touch measured at 9’11″ making her only 16 years old and one inch away from joining the 10ft club. She is very vocal and always is giving back to her teammates. As a hitter she hits a heavy ball that can blow through almost any block it was up against, but she is also able to tell the difference between ’yes’ and ’no’ balls when making shot decisions which shed light on the value in her volleyball IQ.
Avarie Adams Avarie Adams 6'2" | MB Sacred Heart | 2024 State KY (MB) Kiva- 16 Red ’24
Agile is the perfect word to describe Adams’ movement on the court. She works hard in transition to always be available to produce for her team. Her lateral movement is fast and efficient resulting in her getting touches on the block to slow down aggressive balls coming at her defenders behind her. Her arm swing is like a whip and when she gets ahold of the ball with her height she is nearly unstoppable. She is certainly a middle blocker that I imagine will be making phone calls come June 15th.