Sunshine Classic Pre-Tourney Showcase – Wk 2 Top Performers Vol 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We were super excited to run our Sunshine Classic Showcase in conjunction with the Sunshine Classic National Qualifier in Orlando, FL on March 1^st and March 7^th.&nbsp; It was held at the Winter Park Volleyball Club and was live streamed via BallerTV.&nbsp; This article series will discuss some of the players that turned the heads of the court coaches and scouts that were in attendance.&nbsp; Let's see who earned the Top Performer award from the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480450' first='Ava' last='Saenz'] [2026] 5-8 Middle (HS: Sharyland Pioneer/Club: Texas Fierce Elite/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ava is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but turned a lot of heads during the showcase.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for Sharyland Pioneer High School and also plays club for the Texas Firce Elite volleyball program.&nbsp; Miss Saenz proved that height doesn't matter when you have tons of heart and a strong work ethic.&nbsp; Over and over during the course of the two hours, court coaches brought her name to my attention because of both her skill set and movement on the court.&nbsp; They remarked that she had tons of athleticism and when I went over to watch I agreed.&nbsp; It didn't matter that there may have been a taller player going against her because she was ready and willing to battle anyone that was put in front of her.&nbsp; I would go into battle with players like Ava any day of the week.&nbsp; While most players need to create a lot of momentum to get up off of the ground, Ava uses some awesome fast twitch muscle fibers to propel her up multiple times in a row while blocking and during quick turnarounds while transitioning from defense to offense.&nbsp; I love how fast she moves on the court and how her heels hardly ever hit the floor making her super bouncy.&nbsp; She was a very fun player to watch and we all enjoyed coaching her.&nbsp; We think you will also.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning the Top Performer award at the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laila Henderson&nbsp;[2027] 5-10 Right Side/Outside (HS: Grayson/Club: A5/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laila is currently an unranked prospect in the 2027 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings but that is only because we don't have rankings for Georgia yet.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for Grayson High School and also plays club for the famed A5 volleyball program. Miss Henderson wowed her court coaches with some awesome offensive skills at the net.&nbsp; She did such a great job of reaching very high during her arm swing and making contact at the true peak of her reach.&nbsp; This made it very difficult for opposing blockers to time her attack, which resulted in scoring opportunities.&nbsp; Her court coaches remarked that she used some amazing court vision in order to see holes in the defense and exploit it with tips short and deep that led to points for her team.&nbsp; We will keep our eyes on her very closely to see how much she progresses over the next few years.&nbsp; All of us were very happy to have her in the gym as she had such a great attitude while training and scrimmaging.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award for this showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Annika Dandridge&nbsp;[2027] 5-11 Outside (HS: The Catholic HS of Baltimore/Club: Maryland Juniors/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Annika is currently an unranked prospect in the 2027 Class according to our Prep Dig Maryland State Rankings, but that is only because they have not been released yet.&nbsp; She plays for The Catholic High School of Baltimore and plays club for the Maryland Juniors volleyball program. Miss Dandridge stood out for multiple reasons to our court coaches.&nbsp; Her length mixed with her ability to terminate and pass equals to one solid all around left side attacker.&nbsp; This young lady can thread the needle of the seam of the block with power that opened a lot of our eyes.&nbsp; Her approach form is picture perfect and beautiful to watch for a volleyball purist.&nbsp; One of the best aspect of her offensive genius that was very apparent was her ability to adjust her footwork to sets that died a little bit inside and still hit for power.&nbsp; Most players would have to roll or tip these sets, but she looked like an upperclassman already by taking longer steps in order to get correct spacing.&nbsp; I think she has a bright future in the sport and college coaches should write her name down now to get ahead of what could be an exciting journey for her in the next few years.&nbsp; Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award for this showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are many more amazing players that will be written about.&nbsp; Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp; Follow me on Instagram or X by searching @CoachMikeDZ.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply reposting on X, Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->