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January 29, 2023

Central Zone: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

January 29, 2023

On a day like this, when there is competitive volleyball being played by nationally-ranked teams across many age groups, it’s impossible to pick a starting point. There’s only so much to get to, but rest assured one item below is the Day 1 Show Stoppers from Saturday’s action at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. However, first let’s take a look at teams and where the stand and how they may factor into Sunday’s conclusion. 14 OPEN A5 14 HELEN: The top seed was upended by Legacy 14-1 Adidas in its last outing Saturday evening. A5 won its three-team pool during the day, then beat NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami in a bracket-match Saturday evening. Yet, Legacy swept the seeding match for Sunday’s gold bracket, taking the contest, 25-11, 25-12. A5 has a wide array of options and one key piece is setter Marissa Jones. She has her pick of options, including outsides McKenzie Wilkie and Laila Amos, as well as middles Kylee Evans and Layla Dunn and right side Megan McLarty. LEGACY 14-1 ADIDAS: The Lakeshore Region club took over the top seed by going 4-0 on Saturday, beating Lex United 14-1 Adidas, AVC Cle 14 Red, Mintonette Sports m.41 and A5. One strength was the play of outsides Calli LeFevre and Kate Kalczynski, as well as setters Avery Thompson-Stepp and Marlie Smith. Libero Addison Thompson-Stepp was strong defensively while Isabelle Lawhorn and Cynthia Ockerman took care of the middle. Lions 14-1: Lions, the No. 9 seed, beat No. 8 Circle City 14 Purple to close out pool play and is still in the hunt. Outsides Francesca Lorenzo and Kalia Kroth teamed with setter/right side Peyton Heatherly, setter Natalie Bochantin and libero Ellie Kowalski to advance.   TRI-STATE ELITE 14 BLUE: The No. 2 overall seed held its position Saturday by defeating Academy 14 Fuego, Maverick 14 Elite, Lions 14-1 and Adidas KiVA 14 Red. Middles Alexandra Morris and Jillian Forrest stood out, as did outsides Makenna Meibers and Maisie Jones. 15 OPEN TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE: It was a strong opening day for Tri-State Elite. Seeded No. 11 overall, Tri-State upset No. 5 seed HPSTL 15 Royal in morning action then pushed No. 3 seed Boiler Jrs 15 Gold to three in afternoon bracket play. Tri-State then closed out by downing original No. 1 seed Mintonette Sports m.51. Helping the team taking over the No. 5 seed was outsides Nattie Slusher and Emma Adkins, as well as setter/right sides Morgan Heater and Milyn Minor and libero Grace Jones. AVC CLE 15 RED: The No. 9 seed to start, AVC upset top-seeded Mintonette in afternoon bracket play, sweeping 25-21, 25-23. AVC fell to Boiler Jrs in the next round but still advanced to Sunday’s gold bracket. Pins Sydney Borowy and Haley Wilson performed solidly. They were backed by middles Nizhoni Clement and D’Aira Whitner, libero Kailey Snow and setter Grace Daniels. VC United 15 Elite: VC United reached the gold bracket after starting play as the No. 26 seed. In a three-team pool, VC United took a three-way tie at 1-1 with HPSTL 15 Royal and Illini Elite 15 Cardinal to advance. Outside Madison Anspaugh played a big role, as did libero Natalie Leach. 16 OPEN MKE STING 16 GOLD: The gold bracket in 16 Open is loaded, with MKE Sting part of the mix. Sting went 3-1 Saturday, losing to No. 2 seed Circle City 16 Purple in straight sets before holding off Team Pineapple 16 Black in three. Sting has plenty of offense to throw at opponents. Setter Billie Reiter has a strong outside duo in Madison Quest and Emma Koceja, as wells as middles Gabriella Pitcel and Karli Molnau. TEAM PINEAPPLE 16 BLACK: Even though Team Pineapple faces an uphill fight in gold bracket, the team did well advancing and could be a border Open team this spring. Team Pineapple pushed both Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting to three sets, losing by a combined six points. Those are both top contenders here. Addison Tindall is a 5-star recruit on the outside. Maya Harris was holding down the other outside spot while Jillian Tippmann was contributing from the right side as setter Ava Harris was dishing to all. OPVC 16 Robinson: I caught this team at JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago and OPVC reached the gold bracket here in Indy. OPVC went 3-1 on Saturday, only losing to top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Outsides Mariah Gaines and Kaylie McIntosh were key, as was middle Raegan Waller. 17 OPEN AVC CLE 17 RED: AVC retained the No. 4 overall seed. It took three to defeat Summit 17 Blue Elite but AVC finished 4-0 nonetheless. Outsides Emma McCartney and Samantha Young were helping lead the charges, as was right side Sydney Waller. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony: A three-star recruit, Grimes spent her high school hitting for Ursuline Academy but is back in her normal defensive spot for Elevation and no doubt the team is thankful for that. Her play was outstanding, from her steady and consistent passing to her ripping jump serves for points. Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51: The defending USAV 14 Open champions were in action Saturday, helped by the strong effort of Cugino, a three-star recruit. She was on point with her passing and was flying around the court extending rallies. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 6-0, 3-star recruit, Miles was showcasing her arm as she delivered plenty of offense for her team. She was finding gaps in the block and exploiting them, sending balls down to the ground in impressive fashion. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer, a 4-star middle, was booming balls on the slide and was very active at the net. She draws lots of attention because teams know she’s getting the ball but still struggle slowing her. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: For now, Andrews is a 3-star recruit, mostly because she was hurt last year and

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NLQ 18/17s: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

January 29, 2023

In the 18 Open Division, undefeated and previously-qualified Premier Nebraska 18 Gold is in the four-team gold pool along with MN Select 18-1, Iowa Rockets 18R and Mizuno Northern Lights 18-1 on Sunday morning.  In 17 Open, Dynasty 17 Black and A5 17-Jing are the last two teams which are undefeated. But Sunday is another day and both gold pools have very good matchups in store! Gold Pool 1 features A5 as the No. 1 seed, 1st Alliance VBC 17 Gold as the No. 22 seed and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite as the No. 3 seed while Gold Pool 2 has Dynasty as the one seed, OT 17O Felix as the No. 2 seed and Premier Nebraska 17 Gold as the No. 3 seed. A match I truly enjoyed watching was the TAV Houston 17 Adidas against Club Ignit Select 17 Blue in 17 USA. TAV Houston was led by outsides Caelyn Emmerling and Katy Barger, setter Peyton Fadal and middle Chloe Morgan. Club Ignit Select was led by outsides Mackenzie Dean and Noelle Sutcliffe, setter Brittany Bacorn and middle Maeve Rehmann. Day 2 Show Stoppers Sierra Pertzborn MB 608 Jr’s 18-1s: A Toledo signee, Pertzborn, was a wall at the net.  Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1: A 4-star Clemson signee, Simington shut down opponents at the net all day.  Gabi Cornier L A5 17-Jing: A 4-star Florida signee, Cornier was smooth and scrappy like usual in the backcourt.  Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: Emmerling, a 3-star Texas State commit, was literally hammering balls on the OH today.  Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gol: A South Dakota commit and recently named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, Medeck was a ball of fire on the court. From swinging to defense, wow.  Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star Arizona commit, Cisneros was literally everywhere on the court. If she wasn’t sweeping up the back court defensively then she was swinging with fire on the outside.  Abigail Mullen Opp Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen, a 5-star recruit, was skying and hitting with force everywhere she was. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 O Felix: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Fallon was a hammer on the outside ALL DAY.  Mailinh Godschall L Metro VBC 17 Travel: Godschall, a 3-star Duke commit, was everywhere on the court.  Rayna Christianson S/Opp Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 : A 5-star athlete, Christianson can do it all out there on the court. Very smooth and very powerful.  Josalyn Samuels S/Opp Kairos 14 Alpha: A 2028 playing up, Samuels is strong and can dish to the pins efficiently.  Clara Christ L Mizuno Northern Lights 14-1: Christ was a smooth passer who sets the tempo for her squad.

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Central Zone: Day 1 Show Stoppers And More

January 29, 2023

On a day like this, when there is competitive volleyball being played by nationally-ranked teams across many age groups, it’s impossible to pick a starting point. There’s only so much to get to, but rest assured one item below is the Day 1 Show Stoppers from Saturday’s action at the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. However, first let’s take a look at teams and where the stand and how they may factor into Sunday’s conclusion. 14 OPEN A5 14 HELEN: The top seed was upended by Legacy 14-1 Adidas in its last outing Saturday evening. A5 won its three-team pool during the day, then beat NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami in a bracket-match Saturday evening. Yet, Legacy swept the seeding match for Sunday’s gold bracket, taking the contest, 25-11, 25-12. A5 has a wide array of options and one key piece is setter Marissa Jones. She has her pick of options, including outsides McKenzie Wilkie and Laila Amos, as well as middles Kylee Evans and Layla Dunn and right side Megan McLarty. LEGACY 14-1 ADIDAS: The Lakeshore Region club took over the top seed by going 4-0 on Saturday, beating Lex United 14-1 Adidas, AVC Cle 14 Red, Mintonette Sports m.41 and A5. One strength was the play of outsides Calli LeFevre and Kate Kalczynski, as well as setters Avery Thompson-Stepp and Marlie Smith. Libero Addison Thompson-Stepp was strong defensively while Isabelle Lawhorn and Cynthia Ockerman took care of the middle. Lions 14-1: Lions, the No. 9 seed, beat No. 8 Circle City 14 Purple to close out pool play and is still in the hunt. Outsides Francesca Lorenzo and Kalia Kroth teamed with setter/right side Peyton Heatherly, setter Natalie Bochantin and libero Ellie Kowalski to advance.   TRI-STATE ELITE 14 BLUE: The No. 2 overall seed held its position Saturday by defeating Academy 14 Fuego, Maverick 14 Elite, Lions 14-1 and Adidas KiVA 14 Red. Middles Alexandra Morris and Jillian Forrest stood out, as did outsides Makenna Meibers and Maisie Jones. 15 OPEN TRI-STATE ELITE 15 BLUE: It was a strong opening day for Tri-State Elite. Seeded No. 11 overall, Tri-State upset No. 5 seed HPSTL 15 Royal in morning action then pushed No. 3 seed Boiler Jrs 15 Gold to three in afternoon bracket play. Tri-State then closed out by downing original No. 1 seed Mintonette Sports m.51. Helping the team taking over the No. 5 seed was outsides Nattie Slusher and Emma Adkins, as well as setter/right sides Morgan Heater and Milyn Minor and libero Grace Jones. AVC CLE 15 RED: The No. 9 seed to start, AVC upset top-seeded Mintonette in afternoon bracket play, sweeping 25-21, 25-23. AVC fell to Boiler Jrs in the next round but still advanced to Sunday’s gold bracket. Pins Sydney Borowy and Haley Wilson performed solidly. They were backed by middles Nizhoni Clement and D’Aira Whitner, libero Kailey Snow and setter Grace Daniels. VC United 15 Elite: VC United reached the gold bracket after starting play as the No. 26 seed. In a three-team pool, VC United took a three-way tie at 1-1 with HPSTL 15 Royal and Illini Elite 15 Cardinal to advance. Outside Madison Anspaugh played a big role, as did libero Natalie Leach. 16 OPEN MKE STING 16 GOLD: The gold bracket in 16 Open is loaded, with MKE Sting part of the mix. Sting went 3-1 Saturday, losing to No. 2 seed Circle City 16 Purple in straight sets before holding off Team Pineapple 16 Black in three. Sting has plenty of offense to throw at opponents. Setter Billie Reiter has a strong outside duo in Madison Quest and Emma Koceja, as wells as middles Gabriella Pitcel and Karli Molnau. TEAM PINEAPPLE 16 BLACK: Even though Team Pineapple faces an uphill fight in gold bracket, the team did well advancing and could be a border Open team this spring. Team Pineapple pushed both Mich Elite 16 Mizuno and MKE Sting to three sets, losing by a combined six points. Those are both top contenders here. Addison Tindall is a 5-star recruit on the outside. Maya Harris was holding down the other outside spot while Jillian Tippmann was contributing from the right side as setter Ava Harris was dishing to all. OPVC 16 Robinson: I caught this team at JVA Rock’N Rumble two weeks ago and OPVC reached the gold bracket here in Indy. OPVC went 3-1 on Saturday, only losing to top-seeded 1st Alliance 16 Gold. Outsides Mariah Gaines and Kaylie McIntosh were key, as was middle Raegan Waller. 17 OPEN AVC CLE 17 RED: AVC retained the No. 4 overall seed. It took three to defeat Summit 17 Blue Elite but AVC finished 4-0 nonetheless. Outsides Emma McCartney and Samantha Young were helping lead the charges, as was right side Sydney Waller. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Ella Grimes L/DS Elevation 15 Tony: A three-star recruit, Grimes spent her high school hitting for Ursuline Academy but is back in her normal defensive spot for Elevation and no doubt the team is thankful for that. Her play was outstanding, from her steady and consistent passing to her ripping jump serves for points. Emma Cugino L/DS Mintonette Sports m.51: The defending USAV 14 Open champions were in action Saturday, helped by the strong effort of Cugino, a three-star recruit. She was on point with her passing and was flying around the court extending rallies. Madison Miles OH Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: A 6-0, 3-star recruit, Miles was showcasing her arm as she delivered plenty of offense for her team. She was finding gaps in the block and exploiting them, sending balls down to the ground in impressive fashion. Reese Resmer MB Boiler Jrs 15 Gold: Resmer, a 4-star middle, was booming balls on the slide and was very active at the net. She draws lots of attention because teams know she’s getting the ball but still struggle slowing her. Ella Andrews MB Legacy 15-1 Adidas: For now, Andrews is a 3-star recruit, mostly because she was hurt last year and

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NLQ 18/17s: Day 2 Show Stoppers And More

January 29, 2023

In the 18 Open Division, undefeated and previously-qualified Premier Nebraska 18 Gold is in the four-team gold pool along with MN Select 18-1, Iowa Rockets 18R and Mizuno Northern Lights 18-1 on Sunday morning.  In 17 Open, Dynasty 17 Black and A5 17-Jing are the last two teams which are undefeated. But Sunday is another day and both gold pools have very good matchups in store! Gold Pool 1 features A5 as the No. 1 seed, 1st Alliance VBC 17 Gold as the No. 22 seed and Rockwood Thunder 17 Elite as the No. 3 seed while Gold Pool 2 has Dynasty as the one seed, OT 17O Felix as the No. 2 seed and Premier Nebraska 17 Gold as the No. 3 seed. A match I truly enjoyed watching was the TAV Houston 17 Adidas against Club Ignit Select 17 Blue in 17 USA. TAV Houston was led by outsides Caelyn Emmerling and Katy Barger, setter Peyton Fadal and middle Chloe Morgan. Club Ignit Select was led by outsides Mackenzie Dean and Noelle Sutcliffe, setter Brittany Bacorn and middle Maeve Rehmann. Day 2 Show Stoppers Sierra Pertzborn MB 608 Jr’s 18-1s: A Toledo signee, Pertzborn, was a wall at the net.  Kate Simington MB MN Select 18-1: A 4-star Clemson signee, Simington shut down opponents at the net all day.  Gabi Cornier L A5 17-Jing: A 4-star Florida signee, Cornier was smooth and scrappy like usual in the backcourt.  Caelyn Emmerling OH TAV Houston 17 Adidas: Emmerling, a 3-star Texas State commit, was literally hammering balls on the OH today.  Lauren Medeck OH Premier Nebraska 17 Gol: A South Dakota commit and recently named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, Medeck was a ball of fire on the court. From swinging to defense, wow.  Carlie Cisneros OH Dynasty 17 Black: A 5-star Arizona commit, Cisneros was literally everywhere on the court. If she wasn’t sweeping up the back court defensively then she was swinging with fire on the outside.  Abigail Mullen Opp Dynasty 17 Black: Mullen, a 5-star recruit, was skying and hitting with force everywhere she was. Fallon Stewart OH OT 17 O Felix: A 4-star Cincinnati commit, Fallon was a hammer on the outside ALL DAY.  Mailinh Godschall L Metro VBC 17 Travel: Godschall, a 3-star Duke commit, was everywhere on the court.  Rayna Christianson S/Opp Mizuno Northern Lights 15-1 : A 5-star athlete, Christianson can do it all out there on the court. Very smooth and very powerful.  Josalyn Samuels S/Opp Kairos 14 Alpha: A 2028 playing up, Samuels is strong and can dish to the pins efficiently.  Clara Christ L Mizuno Northern Lights 14-1: Christ was a smooth passer who sets the tempo for her squad.

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