Day 2 at the MEQ began with fiery passion, setting a dynamic tone for Saturday’s competition. For the most part, teams held their seeds. However, the day wasn’t without its surprises, as there were some shake-ups heading into Sunday’s gold pools.
In the 18 Open division, things took a predictable turn with most of the pools concluding in line with their initial seedings. However, it wasn’t all straightforward — there were a couple of pools where the expected outcomes were turned on their heads. Among them was Team Pineapple 18 Black coming in as the third seed and ending up in the one spot. And in the same pool MKE Sting 18 Gold ended up grabbing the second seed. And in another pool FC Elite 18 Elite took the second seed and advanced to the gold pools.
Most of the 17 Open teams either held seed or there was a huge shakeup in the pool. And a reminder MKE Sting 17 Gold is the only team which already has its Open bid so it’s anyone’s game heading into Championship Sunday. The craziest pool (in my opinion) was Pool 6, which featured Adrenaline 17 Ben, Circle City 17 Purple, PVA 17 ELITE, and DYNASTY 17 Black. Dynasty took the top seed out which if you had the chance to watch them play you would see that they are down a middle blocker. THAT BEING SAID between Reese Messer owning jousts as a middle blocker, Hadley Porter doing some amazing acrobatics defensively, and pins Abigail Mullen and Lauren Lopez swinging away, they managed to come out on top.
In four out of the six pools the top seed held their spot. That being said WAVE 16-Scott ended up switching seeds with 1st Alliance 16 Gold in their pool and both advanced. Also Academy 16 Diamond and Metro 16 Travel ended up overtaking the second seed in their respective pools. Heading into Sunday only Mintonette Sports m.61 has their open bid so it’s wide open.
DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS
Lola Schumacher L Munciana 18 Samurai: Schumacher, a 5-star Wisconsin signee, is a non-stop chatter box on the court. She is smooth and sassy in defense.
Jenna Hanes MB WAVE 18-Brennan: Hanes, a 4-star Michigan signee, moves incredibly well laterally along with being quick in the area to attack.
Hannah Benjamin OH A5 18-Marc: Benjamin, a 5-star Kentucky signee, was bringing the heat on the outside. She was literally thumping balls on the court.
Petra Fritz OH E3VB 18-1: Fritz, a 3-star recruit, has a whip of an arm. She explodes off the ground well too which makes her had to slow down.
Eva Finnessy RS MKE Sting 17 Gold: Finnessy is on a team full of studs That being said, she got my attention by consistently swinging well on the right and bringing the heat.
Isabella Mogridge S OT 17 T Aaron: Mogridge, a 4-star Oregon commit, is just a flat out competitor. She dishes with authority and finesse.
Ryleigh Short OH COAST 17-1: Short is an all-around ball control oriented outside. She adds consistency in serve receive and can put balls when needed.
Stella Dillon RS COAST 17-1: Dillion, a 3-star recruit, provides great defense at the net as well as beating defenses with her arm.
Quinn Loper OH WAVE 17-Juliana: Loper, a 4-star USC commit, is a strong all-around player with solid ball control skills and she’s a smart hitter who knows how to score in a variety of ways.
Chloe Parker MB FC Elite 17 Navy: Parker is a middle with great size who can read well and attack with heat in the middle.
Jaelynn Kohli OH Wolf Pack 17 Black: Kohli, a New Mexico State commit, was fun to watch as I walking by her court. She is a wall at the net and can hit not only on the pins but also runs a great slide attack in serve recieve.
Ellen Zapp MB Circle City 17 Purple: Zapp, a 3-star recruit, runs a quick middle attack but what makes this so lethal is her ability to turn on a dime.
Hadley Porter L DYNASTY 17 Black: Porter, a 3-star recruit, was the queen of acrobatics today. She had no fear making some huge and quite precarious up’s.
Sydney Frazier MB M2 Volleyball 17-1: Frazier, a 3-star recruit, has a knack for defense at the net. She is also fast and athletic which makes her lethal offensively.
Elle Davis OH KNVBC 17 Showtime: Davis has a powerful arm and can crush balls whether front or back row.
Lily Wittgraefe L CJV 17 Mizuno: Wittgraefe, a 3-star recruit, is a consistent passer who in defense reads and covers well.
Caroline Ward RS Boiler Jrs 161E Gold: Ward, a 5-star recruit in the class of 2027, is a gamer who plays with intensity. She has a quick swing and gets after it aggressively.
Carolyn Tarnow MB 1st Alliance 16 Gold: Tarnow, a 4-star recruit, has great height and a huge wingspan that helps her not only track a ton of balls defensively but also she has the ability to hit literally over anyone.
Amelia Mancino OH WPVC 16 Armour Black: Mancino, a 3-star recruit, was splitting the seems not only consistently but effectively. Also her top spin jump serve is fun to watch.
Alana Whitfield OH/RS Illini Elite 16 Cardinal: Whitfield, a 3-star recruit, is so relaxed and calm in serve receive and then brings the heat on the pins.
Tyra McKinnie MB OP2 16-1 Elite: McKinnie was a force in the middle. She was blocking and swinging effectively. And she had a kickset that was money to the outside!
Skylar Brady OH OP2 16-1 Elite: Brady, a 3-star recruit, is long and jumps well. She is relentless as she brings the heat over and over.
Sarah O’Connor S MJVA 16 Elite: O’Conner is a smooth disher with a soft touch and clean release. She’s also steady with her location.
Isabelle Masten OH Rev 16-1 Fury: Masten, a 3-star recruit, is just plain fun to watch. She is an athlete undersized athlete who can fly on the court, along with bringing a ton of sass and fire.
Finley Krystkowiak OH WAVE 16-Scott: Krystkowiak, a 5-star recruit, has a lively arm and high contact point which makes her a very difficult hitter to block and honestly has no problem going over the block.
Hannah Lee MB MADFROG 16’S N GREEN: Lee, a 3-star recruit, is an undersized middle who is fast off the ground. She also adds a ton of spark to her squad.
Ava Wilkerson MB Academy 16 Diamond: Wilkerson, a 3-star recruit, is a physical presence with both her blocking and attacking. Her slide attack is incredibly effective.
Sofia Guerrero-Wilson/Simone Searles RS A5 16-1 Gabe: Guerrero-Wilson, a 4-star recruit and Searles, a 3-star recruit, were both effective defensively and swinging with authority offensively on the right side.
Ella Florez S Pohaku 16-1: Florez, a 5-star recruit, is a 5-1 setter who is so fluid and reliable with strong hands. She is quite deceptive too.
Willow Weninger RS Pohaku 16-1: Weninger, a 4-star recruit, is a physical attacker who hits with lots of power anywhere on the court.
Elena Hoecke MB MN Select 16-1: Hoecke, a 5-star recruit, brings physicality to the front row. She has a power arm and puts up a wall of a block along with moving well laterally.
Hayden Rodriguez S TVC 16-Black: Rodriguez is a heady setter who does well dishing the ball to her various hitters along with playing balls out defense.
Heidi Bergfeld L Roots 16-1 Green: Berfield makes tremendous plays keeping rallies alive and bringing a defensive tenacity to the floor.
Georgia Hite OH Rockwood Thunder 16 Navy: Hite has a fluid swing and provides a real scoring punch on the outside.
Sadie Kroeger OH MIDTN 16 BLACK: Kroeger, a 3-star recruit, explodes off the ground and gets in the air quickly. She has a fluid swing and can rip the ball.
Addison Burks L MIDTN 16 BLACK: Burks is strong in the back court. She has great reactions and does well tracking down balls to keep plays alive.
