Salt Lake City Showcase – Top Performers Vol 3
This brand new USA National Qualifier that is held in Salt Lake City, Utah is very well attended with teams from all over the United States to earn a bid for Nationals. There are teams from Alaska to Texas and…
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Continue ReadingThis brand new USA National Qualifier that is held in Salt Lake City, Utah is very well attended with teams from all over the United States to earn a bid for Nationals. There are teams from Alaska to Texas and everything in between competing to prove just how great they are. The festivities started last night with the Showdown Showcase for hundreds of College coaches both in person and watching on Baller TV. It was very well run and had around 190 players showcasing their amazing skill-sets. This series of articles will be to highlight those special players that stood out during the Showcase. Let’s meet those that stood out:
Zoe Leonard [2024] 6-2 Middle (HS: Arcadia/Club: LiveWire/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Zoe plays high school at Arcadia High School in the Pheonix, Arizona area and also club for LiveWire. We were blown away by her length and power as she dominated Thursday night at the Showcase. She was a total force on both offense and defense. Almost every court coach wrote her name down as a top performer. I watched as she used her long arms to force her opponents to funnel their attack around her big block. She is able to get a lot of torque to hit the ball with power even if she is unable to transition all the way back to her touch point and has to jump from where she is to hit the ball. What I love the most about what I saw was how she never hit the ball into the blocker. She was able to cut the ball both directions at will in order to score. This is why she will be a super efficient attacker for the rest of career out of the middle. We are excited for her as she for sure made a name for herself at the showcase.
Ashley Mitchell [2023] 6-0 Outside (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ashley is currently an unranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings, but she showcased extremely well and was turning heads of her court coaches. She plays at San Antonio Reagan High School and club for the nationally known Alamo out of the Lone Star Region. Miss Mitchell is one of those rare players who can hit out of any position along the net in the same game without any timing issues at all. She has played middle during her younger years and now is primarily a pin attacker. She showed well in the entire Showcase on Thursday due to her overall skill-sets. Ashley was passing nails during the ball control drills and was an offensive juggernaut during the team drills. We will be watching her team closely this weekend as she is someone who can score in a variety of ways. If you are needing a versatile volleyball player for your college roster, you should definitely give her a look or two.
Ceanna O’Loughlin [2023] 5-11 Outside (HS: Jesuit/Club: Athena Volleyball Academy/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ceanna is a superb volleyball player from the Portland, Oregon area who should get tons of looks from colleges this weekend after she put on a show during the Showcase. She plays high school for Jesuit, beach volleyball, and club volleyball for Athena Volleyball Academy. She impressed all of us at the Showcase and looked every bit the part of a star on the rise in every aspect of the game. The swing blocking pin was shutting people down during the team drills. I loved her back row play also as she can dig and pass just like a libero. This young lady is super strong and has the frame of a college player already. You can see she works hard outside of practice to enhance her ability on the court. It is noticeable. She has a strong jump top spin serve that can stifle opponents also. Give this young lady a look this weekend and you will not be disappointed in her skill-set. We will be following her team closely and see how they fare this weekend.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!