I wrote about Paulus after scouting her in person at the Westside Invitational last October in Cedar Rapids. The sophomore looked to be packed with potential competing against a strong field for the defending state champions. Mount Vernon returns a lot of firepower this fall and should be formidable again. Paulus can be considered an important component for that optimism if what I saw at the 2026 Mizuno Midwest JVA Challenge during early May in Des Moines is any indication. She was standing out through six rotations for an Adrenaline team that impressively finished fifth in the Open Division. Paulus is an explosive athlete that generates good power in her swing after leaping up high in her vertical and getting on top of the ball. She reads the block well and finds soft spots in the defense. Paulus is a good athlete with good reflexes that moves well laterally, making her an effective performer in the back row. I feel good about putting Paulus high on my list of breakout candidates for 2026.

Paulus is going through some growing pains as a sophomore on the varsity. From what I witnessed while scouting Mount Vernon at the Westside Invite in Cedar Rapids on Oct. 11, 2025, however, she’s also packed with potential. With long arms and impressive athleticism, Paulus has the makings of being a impactful attacker at the pin. She jumps well and generates power in her swing already. There’s growth potential in that area and also in defending at the net. Paulus owns a skill set and physical characteristics that play well at the outside pin, but there’s a chance they could work in the middle or the right-side as well. Paulus’ progress is very much worth monitoring moving forward.