Five Takeaways From The Nebraska 250 Expo
The high level of volleyball skills and volleyball IQ in Nebraska was on display this Sunday morning at The Volleyball Academy in LaVista, Nebraska for the PrepDig 250 Expo. Here are five takeaways from covering the event: All-around skill level:…
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Continue ReadingThe high level of volleyball skills and volleyball IQ in Nebraska was on display this Sunday morning at The Volleyball Academy in LaVista, Nebraska for the PrepDig 250 Expo. Here are five takeaways from covering the event:
- All-around skill level: During several short court drills, it was difficult to tell who a defensive specialist, setter or hitter was. Many athletes did great in all basic fundamentals of volleyball. It was good to see six-rotation players, whether that was their specialty or not. Kudos to Nebraska high school, club and youth coaches for great training and emphasizing being able to play all positions.
- Adaptability: It would be nerve racking to be going to an Expo and maybe not knowing a single person, let alone showcase your skills on the court in a complete team game in front of college coaches. This goes back to the great all-around skill level of the athletes. Setters were thrown in to hit and middles were setting the pins today. It was great to see athletes step out of their comfort zone and be adaptable to what the court needed for that particular drill.
- Positive Energy: It was great to see the passion and love for the game these athletes brought to each drill. They were cheering and celebrating each other’s digs, aces, kills or blocks. They also helped each other shake off errors and focus on next point. They began to develop good court chemistry throughout the session. Many of theses athletes would make great teammates for any college coach to consider.
- Communication: I was very impressed with the level of communication for the two-hour session. Serve receivers were talking and calling seams. Liberos were calling shots that were open on the floor. Setters were communicating with hitters they just met five minutes ago. Middles were communicating if setter was up or down. There was also great communication between passers on serve receive. Also impressive was the talk between defenders, since there was not one set defense being played and the ability to terminate out of system was also notable.
- Volleyball IQ: I was really impressed with the different shots and court awareness displayed my many athletes. I witnessed some setters with some great dump shots and I also saw some liberos with some great back row swings! I saw some great tips and roll shots to the donut from middles. The fact that all of these girls were from all areas and classifications from Nebraska and could immediately hop in and do the drill on cue was a testament to the great training from coaches in Nebraska.