What I'm Watching at DT'25: Setter Showdown

The Dream Team Camp offers a chance to come and see the best volleyball facilities. An opportunity to be around some of your heroes and dream big dreams for a bit.  You are one of the select in the sport no doubt.  Many forget that athletes are coming to Lincoln to extend a DREAM and keep it alive.  They are trying to stay alive on Nebraska's recruiting big board following Dream Team Camp, especially the next class up.

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2028 is a talented class nationally, but three positions in particular have All-American type depth that haven't been seen for awhile: Libero (possibly deepeset class ever (GOAT conversation), Middles and that position that Bergen and Ella came down to battle for 5 (how has it been 5) years ago the Setters.  The other significant part of the deep setter class is that nearly ALL of the nation's Big Dogs are going to be in the market for '28 Setters (Nebraska, Texas, Penn State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Pitt, Louisville, is that enough proof) so it's going to be a recruits market.  So talent evaluating for those Setters is going to be big, and because of the way volleyball does it backwards, this (and the NTDP sessions for some) are the only face-to-face time these coaches will get with these recruits before they sign them in June.  So Saturday and Sunday are essential for connection, maybe more than soft hands and accuracy.

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So here is a short take on what I'm watching for on three veteran campers that I've seen more of, that I think are high-priority Nebraska targets, and how they have spent their summers.  These aren't the entire roster, but a couple I wanted to touch on.

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Alexandra Knox- Pittsburgh, PA PPV 270 Select Camps: Pitt, UCLA, North Carolina, and Notre Dame.

Knox is a physical and net presence.  The court leader and the floor general of this group.  Although it hasn't garnered the national attention of the next two, it is solid, reliable, and consistently makes the correct read.  I wrote earlier that this seems like what I have referred to as a "DBK fit" kid.  Someone who matches the coach and her personality, grit, and some of those players who built the core of her program at Louisville.  Knox works her tail off. I'm excited to watch her in a big gym like this.

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Josalyn Samuels- Harrisburg, South Dakota PPV 289 Camps: Texas, Louisville, Creighton, Wisconsin, and Minnesota

The tallest and longest in this class.  Just earned a 2nd All-American honor at USA Nationals.  Also, I have to believe she is going to be playing with a bit of extra fire than the usually reserved Samuels does.  She made the U19 National Team tryouts and played all season at the 16s level, so Samuels has been pushed.  She has been to Dream Team before, so I think the "wow factor" is gone for her. She is at camp to play her best volleyball and treat this more like a tryout for DBK rather than a "Oh wow, I'm at a Nebraska camp." Reports from earlier camps have been very impressive. The skill is there, what is Samuel's adding to take her game to that elite level, and does it show at Dream Team?

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Taimane Ainu'u- Kapolie, Hawaii PPV 289 Camps: Texas, Nebraska

What a June for Ainu'u from Nationals to NTDP and then U19 National Team tryout to Norceca and then Gold, finally being named Most Valuable Setter at the event, and coming back to the states and attending Texas camp with Samuels.  Taimane has a game of touch and accuracy, but she is strong and athletic.  She is gaining attention quickly on the mainland for fans who haven't been able to see a lot of her game.  Ainu'u has handled the U19 team well; let's see how she handles the group at Dream Team and just the Nebraska Experience.

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