Motor City Madness: Standouts from the 17 Open
Motor City Madness The 17 Open of Motor City Madness last weekend had a lot of rising stars in the state of Michigan, including many that will be featured seniors in the fall of 2018. Here’s a look at the…
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Continue ReadingThe 17 Open of Motor City Madness last weekend had a lot of rising stars in the state of Michigan, including many that will be featured seniors in the fall of 2018.
Here’s a look at the standout players from the four semifinalists in the 17 Open.
SPVB 16 Elite
The young championship winner put on a dominating performance in the final, winning 25-19, 25-4 thanks to the play of setter Melissa Walden, who is currently uncommitted as a Class of 2020 player. Walden was keeping MVA 17 National Black on its heels in the finals by varying up he sets and finding some moments to attack on her own. Libero Hattie Monson, another 2020 player, also led the Illinois-based team. In the first set, Monson had some key digs to keep her team from falling behind.
MVA 17 National Black
Despite the final not going its way, MVA still had a really strong weekend in Pontiac. Anytime you can work through a tough field, your defensive specialist needs to make an impact. That was the case here, as Andrea Salasky (uncommitted) played a big role to the title. Facing a lot of strong hitters in the Midwest, Salasky was up to the challenge of keeping balls in play and giving her setter an opportunity to get the balls to the hitters. Of the hitters, it was Ashley Slater (uncommitted) that really had some standout moments. Standing 6-2, Slater ranks 12th in our 2020 rankings and she played like it. Her best match of the weekend came in the semifinal win over FaR Out. When the ball came her way, she was finishing points.
FaR Out 17 Gold
FaR Out 17 Gold had a perfect run on Saturday and reached the semifinals on Sunday before falling in three sets. Hitters were the story for FaR Out last weekend, most notably 2020 middle blocker Maggie McCrary (Miami of Ohio) and 2019 middle Emmy Webb (Davenport). Both were dominant forces at the net and led FaR Out to the 4-0 start to Motor City Madness. When they weren’t attacking, they were getting their hands on a lot of opponent’s attacks and making things easier on their back row.
TeamD 17-Red
TeamD was like FaR Out, where it started with a perfect Saturday before falling in the semifinal to eventual champ, SPVB. Libero Madison Benoit (uncommitted) was the star for the team. Her efforts are what led TeamD to the semifinals. Benoit came up with big digs all weekend, especially in close-set wins over MVA and Michigan Elite. When it came to hitting, it was middle Olivia Vance (uncommitted) that led TeamD. She was competing against some other strong middles in this tournament and held her own. It should be a good springboard for the rest of her club season.