Top Player Spotlight – Miller McDonald 2023 Setter
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This month I will be rolling out some articles that are a little different than we have been writing for the past couple of months. We will still be doing our regular highlight articles on multiple athletes for exposure, however…
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Continue ReadingThis month I will be rolling out some articles that are a little different than we have been writing for the past couple of months. We will still be doing our regular highlight articles on multiple athletes for exposure, however I wanted to do some special articles on a few special athletes that we are getting to know quite well with Prep Dig TX. These young ladies volunteered to answer some questions so that we could get to know them a little bit more personally. The athletes were hand picked out of quite a few submissions that I received. My next installment is with Miss Miller McDonald Miller McDonald 5'8" | S Lake Highlands | 2023 State #156 Nation TX . She was picked because we are getting to know her quite well and are following her career very closely. She is the floor general for one of the best teams in the nation this year and we at Prep Dig TX wanted the volleyball world to take notice with a more personal account of who she is. Without further ado, here is our article on Miss Miller McDonald Miller McDonald 5'8" | S Lake Highlands | 2023 State #156 Nation TX .
Miller McDonald Miller McDonald 5'8" | S Lake Highlands | 2023 State #156 Nation TX [2023] 5-8 Setter (HS: Lake Highlands/Club: Drive Nation/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miller McDonald Miller McDonald 5'8" | S Lake Highlands | 2023 State #156 Nation TX is now currently ranked as the 9th overall prospect and the 2nd ranked setter in the 2023 class according to our State Rankings. We have written multiple articles over the course of the year about her that stated, “This young lady excites me. She plays for a newer club out of the Dallas area, Drive Nation. They were formed by former NBA great Jermaine O’Neal. Their state of the art facility allows them to train at a very high level. Miller is a setter who loves her craft. She can be seen in a gym by herself setting to a target often. Her work ethic at such a young age is inspiring to watch. The ball comes off of her hands so smoothly that you can tell she was born to set. The fluidity of her arms during her follow through is a sight to see. She possesses great footwork to track the ball down and has excellent posture throughout her set. The set that truly raises my eyebrows is when she goes against flow behind her to a right side hitter. It usually takes years to master that set as it is one of the most difficult to perfect. Miller is pretty close to getting it perfect. When I see her do that at this young Freshman age group, I just shake my head and know that volleyball is in great hands with young players of this caliber already. It is safe to say that this young lady is one of the next great Dallas area setters. I suggest you college coaches take note NOW. I am more excited to cover this young lady because she has a drive that is not seen in many players. Everyone on this State Rankings list has something about them that stands out. The drive to be the best is alive and well inside of Miller. And it is this that will keep her on our radar for the next few years. She has every tool in her toolbox that will allow her to move up the rankings. We have been watching very closely and she is ready to take the Lake Highlands volleyball program over for the next few years. Meanwhile her and her Drive Nation squad have been on a mission this club season. They are one of the top teams in the nation in their age group and have already punched their Open Division ticket to USA Junior Nationals with a huge 3rdplace finish in the Open Division of the Mid East Qualifier. They went 9-1 and showed the nation who they are. Be on the lookout for our updated State Rankings List next month to see where she falls.” We have been following her very closely and she continues to prove herself on the court while leading one of the best teams in the nation in her age group. They are primed and ready for a solid run at USA Nationals this summer. Please help us congratulate her on moving up to be one of the top ten volleyball players in the State of Texas.
We were able to ask Miller some personal questions so that our readers could get to know her a little better and here is a little from the conversation:
Prep Dig TX: What hobbies and interests other than volleyball do you have?
Miller: Whenever I have the time outside of volleyball, I love to travel with my family as much as I can.
Prep Dig TX: What is the most played song/artist that is played the most on your playlist?
Miller: Anything by Morgan Wallen or Taylor Swift is always on repeat.
Prep Dig TX: Tell me why you started playing volleyball.
Miller: My sister who is two years older than me got really into it, so of course as any little sister would do, I followed in her footsteps and fell in love with the sport immediately.
Prep Dig TX: What keeps you motivated to get better at your craft at this point in your volleyball career?
Miller: I know my ultimate goal has always been to play at the D1 level in college, and there is tons of competition when it comes to that, so I know the only way to make it happen is by outworking other players and that is what keeps me motivated.
Prep Dig TX: What do you love about the primary position you play?
Miller: I love getting to run the offense, and having to think about who is on the other side of the net and how I am going to give my hitters the best opportunity to score, because the best feeling is tricking the blockers so my hitter has a 1v1 situation.
Prep Dig TX: Name an influential coach that you have had and why they were influential to you.
Miller: Corrine Atchison and Jon Nasgowitz who were my 13s coaches definitely had the greatest impact on me. They challenged me mentally and physically and taught me so much about the game and we ended up winning the national championship that year.
Prep Dig TX: Name an influential player that you have played with and why they were influential to you.
Miller: Without a doubt it is Lily Nicholson Lily Nicholson 5'10" | S McKinney North | 2023 State TX . We have played on the same club team together for 5 years now so she is my closest friend and we are both setters so we can easily relate on most challenges in our game which allows us to push each other to get better constantly.
Prep Dig TX: What is the one thing you want to work on the most to be better at in your position?
Miller: My main focus right now is my decision making. It is one of the most important parts of being a setter but also one of the most challenging. It determines whether you are setting your hitter up for success or failure, so that is what I am working on the hardest right now.
It makes me so happy that the future of volleyball in the sport of Texas is in the “hands” of players like Miller. She is one of the many young ladies across this wonderful state that LOVE the sport and show it with everything they have in the tank. She is a cerebral player who thinks out the game as she is working on her craft. You see this in many professional quarterbacks, point guards, or pitchers. Setters like Miller are no different. This is exactly what will carry her over the years to become a college level player and possibly beyond. We hope that everyone keeps their eyes on her as she is tearing it up on the court year in and year out…and she is just getting started! We are proud to have her ranked as the second best setter in the entire state as of now. Stay tuned to see more on Miller as we continue to cover her.
Again, I decided to write a few articles on players such as her so that our readers can get a true understanding of what these athletes go through and how volleyball is a passion for them like it is for many of us. These players deserve all of the recognition that they can get. I will be rolling these out throughout the month along with our regular highlight articles that contain multiple athletes.
We will be publishing more articles daily to give the recognition to each athlete that has earned the right to be called a top 100 Texas Volleyball Player. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for or that you think have what it takes to be added to our database, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Lastly, Thank you to everyone for all of the shout-outs on social media, tags, emails, direct messages, and most importantly…thank you for continuing to read out publication and support us as we strive to bring attention to the wonderful and amazing players of this great big state of ours! Volley on!