Taylor Saga found her footing at UA Next through defense. Playing DS and libero in a gym full of new faces, she leaned on her ability to read and dig balls, and the supportive atmosphere around her let her play as freely as she would with her own team. She specifically remembers the energy in the gym pushing everyone to be louder, which made the whole experience more fun and, by her own account, made her a better competitor in the moment.

Camp reinforced something less about mechanics and more about mindset for Taylor: move on quickly, correct fast, and let the next rally matter more than the last one. That next ball mentality shows up in how she talks about her defensive reads, which have improved noticeably this season as she’s gotten better at picking up attackers before contact. She’s chasing more of that same recognition going forward, specifically the consistency of reading the opposing offense well enough that she already knows what’s coming before it happens.

~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247