The Asics Challenge hosted by Mother McAuley of Chicago takes place Friday and Saturday at the host school plus two more sites. It features 24 teams spread across eight pools of three. The pool winners from Day 1 meet in an eight-team gold bracket on Day 2. vballrecruiter.com will be on hand providing coverage of the event. Below, we give a rundown of teams and players to watch for.
vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams
No. 15 Mother McAuley IL
No. 20 Assumption KY
No. 21 Huntley IL
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TEAM SPOTLIGHTS
Taking a look at the top eight seeds in the field (in order):
Mother McAuley IL – The Macs, who captured the LIVT championship at the beginning of the month, suffered their first loss in a setback against Marist last week. Junior outside Ellie White is the heartbeat of the team, leading the way with 240 kills and hitting .403. She’s backed by sophomore outside Sydney Buchanan and junior middle Ellery Rees. McAuley runs a 6-2 with senior setters Tess Hayes and Olivia Klapp and is anchored on defense by senior libero Gigi Navarrete.
Assumption KY – The Rockets are preparing for their final tournament of the regular season. Before that though, Assumption is set to face Mother McAuley on Thursday in a lone-standing match. Assumption finished runner-up to the Macs at the LIVT and came in sixth at the Durango Fall Classic. The team relies a lot on junior outside Charlotte Moriarty, the team’s kill leader. Senior setter Whitney Woodrow is at her best when she can also get senior middle Gabrielle Gerry and sophomore middle Bailey Blair heavily involved as well. Defensively, the Rockets have a good one at libero in sophomore Kristen Simon.
Notre Dame Academy KY – The Pandas were bounced from contention at the LIVT with a loss to Mount Notre Dame OH in the quarterfinals. Now, they’ll take their shot at the Asics Challenge. Senior Sydney Nolan is the big weapon on the outside that defenses must prepare for. Behind her is a pair of sophomore swingers in Riley McCloskey and Ava Tilden. The Pandas also run a 6-2 with senior Lauren Ott and freshman Lizzy Larkins. The team is also strong at libero with senior Kamden Schrand.
Skutt Catholic NE – The Skyhawks are about to log more travel miles. They have already attended the Nike TOC Southeast event in Tampa and now head to Chicago to see if they can come out on top there. Before playing Friday and Saturday though, Skutt takes on No. 30 Benet Academy in a stand-alone contest. Senior outside Morgan Burke is the go-to arm while senior Anna Weberg helps steady the backrow defense.
Divine Savior Holy Angels WI – This is DSHA’s first time playing competition outside of the state of Wisconsin. DSHA has fared well against some of the best in its state, splitting matches with both Oconomowoc and Appleton North. Among players to keep an eye on is 4-star recruit and sophomore outside Madison Quest. Junior outside Sophia Wendlick is another, as Quest and Wendlick lead the team in kills respectively.
Marist IL – After beating Mother McAuley last week, the Redhawks could be on an upswing and ready to make noise this weekend. Senior middle Ufuoma Omene and sophomore outside Bella Bullington are two to keep watch for.
Huntley IL – If the Red Raiders can get past Prairie Ridge on Thursday they’ll enter the weekend undefeated. That perfect mark is certainly going to be tested though in such a strong field. Senior outside Ally Panzloff and junior outside Morgan Jones are key offensive pieces for senior setter Maggie Duyos.
Metairie Park LA – Unfortunately, we don’t have any pertinent information on the Cajuns but will gain from seeing then in action this coming weekend.
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MORE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sylvie Zgonc SR OH Hamilton WI
Alex Kreutzmann SR S Hamilton WI
Eva Finnessy SO OH Hamilton WI
Gabbie Anderson SO S Crystal Lake Central IL
Mykaela Wallen SO OH Crystal Lake Central IL
Grace Grocholski SR OH Kettle Moraine WI
Briana Binagi JR OH Kettle Moraine WI
Jordan Heatherly SR S/RS Montini Catholic IL
Sienna Skarda SO MB/RS Montini Catholic IL
Izzie Evenson SO OH Montini Catholic IL
Emily Lavin SR OH Brookfield Central WI
Emma Koceja SO OH Brookfield Central WI
Elle Kelleher SR OH Wahlert Catholic IO
Ellie Blotnik SO OH Joliet Catholic IL
Olivia Chovanec SO OH Joliet Catholic IL
Jessica Horn JR S Joliet Catholic IL
Emily Clausen SR OH Catholic Memorial WI
Emma Barton SR MB Downers Grove North IL
Lauren Salata JR OH Nazareth Academy IL
Kitty Sandt SR S/RS Nazareth Academy IL
