Emptying The Notes App: Saturday At Hoosier Regionals

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And don't forget to follow @KypPDIN on X for all of your Indiana high school and club volleyball news!   Hoosier Regionals have come and gone, and multiple championships and even more bids were awarded here in Indiana. With that comes a LOT of court watching, and there were plenty of opportunities to see multiple kids in multiple positions do their thing to upgrade their stock. Here are a bunch of players from around the state that showed out when it mattered most.    For a kid that's spent a little time doing just about everything at Columbus East, it was a pleasure to finally see her lock down the libero jersey on Saturday. Relentless in her pursuit of the ball with active feet and a positive, vocal attitude, Krea showed her leadership abilities from 0-0 in the first match on Saturday.     At first glance, I didn't recognize Kayli—-it's been a while since I've seen her play live. What I saw was a solid, three-rotation outside that has one of the highest attack touches in her class. Her reach made a lot of blocks look optional, and it's a “sneaky reach”, meaning that you don't see it coming. She's not a rah-rah player; you can expect Kayli to just do her job, hit high and hard and OVER blocks, and score a few points in the process. Easily the most athletically gifted player on Circle's 17 White, she'd be a nice addition as a front-row attacker with size.     A recent transfer to [program_tooltip program_id='943690' first='Hoosier' last='Elite'], Dara is a silky smooth leader of the offense that has hands of gold. Yes, a little unassuming for a setter of my taste, Miss Bush is more than capable of running a 5-1 on her own, and made her team significantly better because of her setting choices and regular high volleyball IQ plays.     Big and physical, Miss Sylvia went off on more than one occasion on Saturday, taking advantage of her heavy hitting and the smaller block she was going against. Mostly used as a three-rotation right side, she's an easy plug-and-play at a small college that needs some grit, tenacity and a physicality not normally seen in this class on the right pin. I like her constant heavy-swinging attitude regardless of the previous point's result. Her relentlessness and poor short term memory when errors come around is exactly what's needed at the next level.     The best part about regionals for me is the ability to see kids I've never seen before perform against other athletes in the same class and compare. In Mia's case, she outjumped and outplayed a lot of the players she went against, and did a ton of damage as a three-rotation outside. With long arms and a solid swing, she abused a lot of blocks that weren't ready for her heavy swing. Jumping and athleticism is not a problem for this young lady, as she merely needs time in the volleyball gym to refine her volleyball-centric skills. She'll be a steal for someone looking for a game-changer that has athleticism written all over her.     A recent transfer over to Rev, Addison is a sneaky-good middle that hits hard when in-system and smart when not. I like the physicality she brings, as it's a dynamic that will carry her far in not only her recruitment, but the remainder of her career.     I've seen Finley play for the better part of two years now, and watching her grow and improve in each and every match is a pleasure. What I DIDN'T expect was that she played RIGHT SIDE in her first match of the tournament, and she excelled at that as well. I'm afraid of adding that position to her chart, yet her excellence in both positions against kids in her graduating class makes her even scarier than her top-30 ranking would infer. Nevertheless, to know that Finley is capable of stepping in as an M1, an M2 or a right side on her squad makes things much easier for the coaching staff at Circle.     Already one of the best defenders in the class of ‘28, Stella wore the libero jersey with pride as Circle's top 16s squad marched to the regional title this weekend. Of the times I've seen her play, this was the first time I saw her take over the match live, in a very similar fashion as when she took over the libero jersey during her freshman campaign at Avon. Her relentlessness in pursuit on defense, added with a no-quit attitude produces a libero recruit that is unquestionably ready for the next level.     In short, Hadley was just fun to watch at Hoosier Regionals this weekend. Able to pass half the court in serve receive, she regularly took the pressure off of her fellow passers by simply showing up. On defense, she's anticipatory, quick, and uses her active feet and calm platform to make the setter's job that much easier.     From the Fort Wayne area, Kendi is a hard-hitting, positive-attitude-having outside that does just about everything needed to make her 16 Black squad that much better than expected. When a side-out was needed, Kendi received the ball. When a serving run had to happen to stay in the match, Miss Kiehl produced aces and out-of-system passes regularly. Front row, back row, and everything in between, Kendi is a regular force for her club squad, and will be a force as she develops even MORE strength and volleyball acuity as the years roll on.     To wrap my epically long day up, I got a chance to watch this spitfire of a setter from Greensburg. Earning a win over a tough Circle City squad, Ali ran a 5-1 offense to perfection with varied tempos. She's also a defense-first setter, which is more than I can say about a lot of setters in this class. Tough as nails and easily the emotional leader of SEIVB, Ali's the kid you need to have when the match is on the line. With athleticism and speed through the roof, Ali should be receiving a ton of recruiting attention in the coming year. Her future is bright—-she's a plug-and-play option in a 6-2 offense for the next level, and understands the work involved to get there.

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