Minnesota Top 250 Expo: Mighty Middles

On Sunday we hosted the Prep Dig Minnesota Top 250 Expo and was full of impressive athletes. The middles were one of the studliest groups so coaches, I hope your paying attention because the middles are out there!    Schmidt is a player who has seen the big high school stage and excelled. She hits with a heavy arm and played really smart and aggressive at the net. Schmidt had good timing and she provided an imposing presence at the net on defense.     Schmidt is so incredibly explosive and agile. She soars above the majority of blockers and can deliver some really powerful shots. Schmidt is a consistent presence of pressure at the net. Her smile and energy alone will make you see her love for the game.     Soiney has a great vertical and a super fast armswing that get the job done. She is typically showcasing a lot of all-around skill and she isn't afraid to amp up the aggression at the net. Soiney is going to be a game changer for her club team, high school team and beyond.     Foster-DeVold hits with a very heady arm and she was definitely a top performer as well as on our All Expo team for Session 1. She is close to 6'0 but she displays a lot of athleticism and range to execute a powerful attack. Foster-DeVold can swing from a variety of locations, run different routes, and use different angles to get the job done. She adapted quickly to different setters in different drills. That isn't always easy as a middle.     Yunker is very quick off the ground and she gets her arms up early to take a fast swing on the ball. She has really good instincts at the net and as a blocker she gets her hands on a lot. Yunker is quick and strong and when she finds a groove, watchout! She has a very high ceiling.      White is simply dynamic as an attacker. She can terminate from anywhere on the net and adjust her approach accordingly. White stands out with her explosive swing and ability to make it look effortless. She knows where the ball will be and how to prepare for it. This makes her dominant at the net on both sides of the ball.     Terhune was one of the first to get noticed at the Top 250 Expo. She had a great swing and was positively vocal with her setters and those around her. Terhune also made adjustments quickly and was very adaptable.     Gholson-Johnson caught my attention with really good timing on her block. She adds some nice velocity to her attacks and finds the open court on the other side of the net. She was very consistent throughout the Expo and we all love having that player we can depend on.     Johnson has good eye work in terms of focusing on how the play was developing. That, along with her footwork and quick lateral movement allowed her to get a ton of touches on the block. Johnson has a fast swing and solid contact on the ball which expedites its trip to the floor.     Koprek was a baller from the moment we started. She has was one of the more powerful swings in her group and she had made adjustments early to get her timing with each new setter. Koprek even had me thinking she was a pin when she was playing some defense in warm-up.     Mathison was unknown to me and I'd expect she's played mainly with some smaller clubs since I haven't seen or heard of her before. She will catch your eye with her power behind the ball. She finds a way to make an impact on both offense and defense. Mathison was a real force blocking and working angles with her attack.     McCarthy has really leveled up her game over this past year. Her footwork is better and she's getting her arm up faster. She has a lot of length to use for the block and her timing is there. McCarthy takes some good swings on the offensive side as well as patroling the net for overpasses.     Halverson is an explosive jumper and I was impressed with her hangtime. Sometimes we forget how effective the delayed swing can be. Halverson got better and better as the showcase went on and she found angles and opportunities to shine.     Beckman is a solid all-around athlete who was able to showcase her abilities at the net. She carried herself with a lot of athleticism and she raised her game to match those across the net from her. Beckman does a nice job timing her attack to get the best bang for her buck.

On Sunday we hosted the Prep Dig Minnesota Top 250 Expo and was full of impressive athletes. The middles were one of the studliest groups so coaches, I hope your paying attention because the middles are out there!