Standouts from the Independence Volleyball Invite August 25th

<p>The Independence Volleyball Invitational had 5 ranked teams in attendance on Saturday. Teams included Alburnett, Benton, Oelwein, Union (Tied for 15^th in 3A), West Delaware (10^th in 4A), Starmont (3^rd in 1A), Independence (4^th in 4A), and Janesville (1^st in 1A). Janesville and Independence ended up in the finals after going undefeated through pool play and winning their semi-final matches. Janesville came out on top with a 2 set win over Independence to claim the championship.</p> <p>Pool 1:                                     Pool 2:</p> <p>1st Independence            1st Janesville</p> <p>2nd Union                             2nd West Delaware</p> <p>3rd Benton                           3rd Starmont</p> <p>4th Oelwein                         4th Alburnett</p> <p>Semi Final 1: Independence over West Delaware</p> <p>Semi Final 2: Janesville over Union</p> <p>Final: Janesville over Independence</p> <p>There was a lot of great matches and we saw many great athletes but here are a few that stood out:</p> <p><strong>Bree Thompson</strong>, Senior, Outside Hitter, Janesville: a versatile player with great physical presence at the net, Thompson has a high volleyball IQ, placing balls well and putting them down when she needs to.</p> <p><strong>Madison Larson</strong>, Senior, Outside Hitter, Independence: Larson is an aggressive hitter with a powerful swing and an impressive jump serve.</p> <p><strong>Claire Demmer</strong>, Senior, Middle Blocker, West Delaware: a dynamic athlete with lateral speed and a long block, Demmer is intimidating at the net. She is a smart hitter with an explosive swing.</p> <p><strong>Macey Kleitsch</strong>, Junior, Setter, West Delaware: Kleitsch does a great job moving the ball around. She has quick hands, is aggressive, and isn’t afraid to take risks. She is a threat on the right side as well with her quick arm and strong blocking.</p> <p><strong>Alisa Bengen</strong>, Senior, Setter/RH, Janesville: a skilled all-around player, Bengen delivers great sets, has good ball control, and is an aggressive attacker.</p> <p><strong>Ella Koloc</strong>, Freshman, Libero, West Delaware: solid in serve receive and covers a lot of the court. Always on her toes, she will be a fun player to watch this season!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>