Triple Crown Day 1: Show Stoppers And More (Part 1)
The opening day of the Triple Crown NIT started out for me at the 12s courts. And yes, we all know there are a ton of aces BUT heads up y’all, there are some studs out there. From height to power to straight out scrappers the 12s division DEFINITELY DOES NOT disappoint! Let’s get to it. For the most part four of the five top ranked teams held their seeds. Three squads ended up undefeated for the day: Madfrog 12 Green, Excel 12 Red and Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar. A5 12-LA and Premier Nebraska 12 Gold both went undefeated match wise and 6-1 in sets. There were a bunch of other scrappy teams along with straight out ballers. Excel 12 Red is a lot of fun to watch. They have a ton of options the setters Anna Lukas and Gabriella Fiori can dish to. Two of those options include outside hitters Mary-Christine (MC) Crutcher and Skye Lincoln who can terminate balls in any location. A5 12-LA was another team that was not only fun to watch but was loaded with size and talent. Pins Macurdy Harden, Kari Knotts and Milan Tallman brought the heat. Middles Madison Middleton and Gia Stokes also packed a punch. And let’s not forget to mention Madfrog 12 Green. The defending 2022 11s champions are both scrappy and explosive. Libero Collins Alonzo anchors the back court with pins Nadia Cobos and Tatum Smith who pass incredibly well. Middles Julianna Godbey and newcomer Soleil Rhodes are both sizeable and powerful at the net. TAV 13 Black is a whole new squad to watch out for. Size and scrappiness headline this team. Pins Cailtin Carriazales, Sarah Floyd, Natalie O’Donnell and Olivia Permenter all can terminate with the best of them. Libero Madison Kutch anchors the backcourt well. Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar is another team to keep your eye on. Setter Riley Stringer dishes well to her hitters. Outside hitters Cadence Talaga and Daisy Brown pack a punch on the court. And let’s not forget to mention libero Paulina Zahn and DS Londyn Foster who hold down the backcourt with fire and consistency. DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Julianna Godbey MB Madfrog 12 Green: Godbey was quick laterally and able to attack effectively. Mary-Christine (MC) Crutcher OH Excel 12 Red – A big strength of Excel comes with the outside duo of Crutcher and Lincoln. A six-rotation outside, MC can terminate anywhere on the court. Skye Lincoln OH Excel 12 Red – Lincoln, the other part of the outside hitter duo, jumps well and hits with a heavy hand. Danaya Petkova MB Rockwood Thunder 12 Elite – Petkova is huge at the net and plays six rotations. Watch this kid! Isabelle Alexander L KIVA 12 Red- I loved Alexander’s leadership and fire on the court. Her out of system sets were pretty on point too. Reese Canada OH Boilers 121E Gold – Canada gets up and bangs. She’s a great six-rotation athlete. Kendall Rowray MB Munciana 12 Peppers: Rowray explodes jumping wise on the court and has a whip of an arm. Bel Wood MB ID Crush 12 Seward: Wood is an aggressive middle who has no fear at the net. She’s another six-rotation athlete who attacked everywhere on the court. Lily Vandeweghe MB Mizuno Long Beach 12 Rockstar: Vandeweghe is a huge wall in the middle blocking position and she moves well laterally too. Madison Middleton MB A5 12-LA: Middleton is a dynamic middle blocker who has a whip of an arm combined with incredible athleticism. Macurdy Harden OH A5 12-LA: A six-rotation outside, Harden displayed her all-around game, scoring in the front and playing defense in the back. Cadence Talaga OH Mizuno Long Beach 13 Rockstar: Talaga is an all around scrapper. From swinging with aggression in the front row to sick defense in the back row she is a six-rotation threat. Sarah Floyd Opp/OH TAV 13 Black: Floyd is an impactful player on both pins. She can go over the top of blocks or simply tool them with ease. Haedyn Lynnes L DYNASTY 13 Black: Loved her leadership on the court. Also was kinda a defensive rockstar back there. Vanessa Gridley S Arizona Storm 13 Thunder: Another duo to watch out for but this time it’s a setter duo. Gridley has a long frame with great extension. She is consistent in her delivery and location. Jade Smith S Arizona Storm 13 Thunder: Smith is also part of the setter duo. Smith has good vision, sees the court well and connects with her hitters. Meredith Abney L A5 13 Karen: Abney is a fluid libero who moves around the court with ease. She anchors the back row well. Jaelyn Jordan S MAVC KC: Jordan was dishing well and putting up a nice ball for her hitters. She elevates her team with the ability to guide an offense. London Merchant OH Madfrog 14 Green: Merchant hits a heavy ball and can power through blocks along with off speed shots to keep defenses guessing. She was passing well too. Ella Olson OH Tstreet 14 Carson: Olson can do it all on the court. She brings serious offense and scrappy defense to the court. She’s a versatile player and one to keep tabs on. Kendall Omoruyi MB Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Omoruyi is a HUGE presence at the net. She has a big arm and is an aggressive, physical attacker who moves well laterally to boot. Fara Bronson S Arizona Storm 14 Thunder: Bronson is a leader on the court. Her vocality combined with her athleticism and fire help lead her squad, plus she did a great job of moving the ball around and getting her middles invovled.
