What we learned at the Romeo Tournament

<p>While it is still early in the 2018 season, there were plenty of storylines playing out at the Romeo Tournament on Wednesday from Total Sports Park. Here’s what stood out from the event.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lake Orion is well-rounded</strong></p> <p>Coming into the season, we knew Lake Orion had the potential to be special, but we wondered if they would have the complete package. That questions seems to be getting answered pretty quickly. The Dragons have looked better each week and are getting big contributions from a number of players.</p> <p>Lake Orion is far from reliant on <strong>Paige Briggs</strong> (Western Kentucky) on the outside. Junior <strong>Syndey Smith </strong>has shown improved confidence and that is leading to the Dragons having one of the best 1-2 punches in the state.</p> <p>In the middle, the Dragons have three capable middles in senior <strong>Leigha Boes</strong>, along with sophomores <strong>Kendall Robertson </strong>and <strong>Reagan Goeke</strong>. All of the hitters are making things easy for an already talented setter <strong>Wren Macaulay </strong>(New Hampshire), who is capable of being aggressive herself.</p> <p>If that wasn’t enough, Lake Orion is showing it has a great defense behind their blockers and the efforts of <strong>Ciara Livingway </strong>and <strong>Lauren Ball</strong> in the back row. They also have tremendous serving behind their six-rotation players and <strong>Annika Devendorf. </strong>Devendorf, a senior, was starting a number of long scoring rallies for the Dragons on Wednesday with a serve that gave opponents fits.</p> <p>With wins over the likes of Mercy, Northville, Clarkston, Stoney Creek and more this year, it’s hard to see anyone else being the top team in the state right now.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bloomfield Hills putting the pieces together</strong></p> <p>We didn’t get to see the full Bloomfield Hills roster together on Wednesday, but we know a lot about what the Black Hawks will be facing in 2018. With a new head coach in Larry Wyatt and just one senior on the roster, Bloomfield Hills has a lot of growing to do. If they can do it this year, the Black Hawks can definitely be a factor come the postseason.</p> <p>The team already has a great foundation behind junior setter <strong>Alexa Rousseau</strong> (Northwestern), who is one of the top 2020 players nationally. The key to the season for the Black Hawks will be allowing her to be a setter. Right now, she is having to make more attacks than the team would probably like as they continue to search for consistency from their hitters.</p> <p>Those hitters look to be junior <strong>Alivia Slazinski</strong>, junior <strong>Brooke Bosart</strong> and freshman <strong>Ava Petrucci</strong>. Each had their moments on Wednesday, but are still struggling to find consistency. Given nearly the whole roster could return in 2019, Wyatt is excited about the growth this team can still show.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Romeo moving in the right direction</strong></p> <p>While last season didn’t go as Romeo had hoped, the Bulldogs are still the last team other than Novi to win a Class A state championship. The talent has been around the program and coach Stacy Williams is hopeful to see the team move back toward being a postseason contender in 2018.</p> <p>Wednesday gave her some more optimism as the team reach the semifinals before falling to Bloomfield Hills in three sets. The Bulldogs moved over to a 5-1 and allowed <strong>Chloe Holliday</strong> to take over the offense and it led to more consistency with their attacks.</p> <p><strong>Emily Snay </strong>has already established herself as a dynamic attacker for Romeo and she showed it on Wednesday as well. The junior played outside and right side and was a steady scoring option for Romeo. Senior <strong>Ally Konarzewski</strong> had shoulder surgery last season and Williams is taking it easy with her to start the season. The hopes are she will be full-go for later in the year and really give Romeo another big-time hitter.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Grosse Pointe North relying on seniors</strong></p> <p>The Grosse Pointe North volleyball team had a solid Wednesday, going 4-1 and reaching the semifinals before being another on Lake Orion’s victims list. The Norsemen earned wins over the likes of Midland and Port Huron Northern during the day to build some confidence going forward.</p> <p>GP North will be reliant on its seniors leaders this year and it showed on Wednesday. Libero <strong>Evelyn Zacharias</strong> was all over the court and in great position to support her blockers. Setter <strong>Camryn Simon</strong> was able to spread the ball well to her varying attackers. The Norsemen have some size to work with at the net this year and will give Simon plenty of chances to rack up the assists. Of the hitters, <strong>Regan Sliwinski </strong>in the middle stood out for her play and her vocal leadership. She was a wall on defense for stretches of play and kept the team focused during low points in matches.</p>