MEQ Highlights and Players to Watch

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a great weekend of volleyball down in Saint Louis! The competition was high and teams were pushed to their limits across three days of intense volleyball. It was fun to see the successes of all teams, and great play by the teams from the Badger Region. </span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wisconsin Premier 15 Teal - 2nd Place - American Division</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This team has chemistry. While they are great players and athletes as individuals, they truly excel as a team. They are fun to watch and their skill sets complement each other very well. Lefty right side <strong>Ellie Rottier</strong> is a go-to hitter on this team. She has a powerful line shot puts up a solid block. Middle <strong>Gabby Magee</strong> knows how to pound the ball. She is fast, has a good vertical, and is an overall powerful athlete.<strong> Elise Gillen</strong> is a setter who moves the ball around and runs a fast offense. Her sets are smooth and always look great from wherever she is on the court. Outside hitter <strong>Taylor Larson</strong> is very strong on serve receive and defense but also has a high vertical and powerful arm swing. </span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Midwest Penguins 15 Black - 9th Place - USA Division</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Penguins definitely came focused and ready to play this weekend. They lost in the first round of the gold division and only dropped three matches throughout the weekend. The team really worked as a unit throughout the weekend. They had consistent serve receive which set their offense up for success. Outside hitter <strong>Bella Mullen</strong> has a lot of control with the ball. She sees the court well and places the ball accordingly. Libero<strong> Emily Nielson</strong> has a powerful serve and great court awareness. Defensive specialist <strong>Taylor Hedrick</strong> is great at running down tough balls, especially in scramble plays. </span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Milwaukee Sting 15 Black - 9th Place - USA Division</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While this Sting team is definitely talented, what makes them so successful is their energy on the court. Every time I see this team play, they are fired up and pushing themselves for every single point. Each athlete on this team has an impact on nearly every play. I was really impressed with the outside hitters at MEQ. <strong>Grace Schneider</strong> has a high reach giving her a lot of options in the front row. She also is extremely consistent on serve receive. <strong>Brooke Porter</strong> is extremely scrappy on defense and has a ton of energy on the court. She also has a powerful swing and can battle her way through a block when she is on offense. I was also impressed with how well middle<strong> Sahej Grewal</strong> closed the block and her speed in the front row. </span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>RVA G15 White - 2nd Place - Select Division</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This RVA team truly had to battle for this amazing place in the tournament. Four of their eight matches went to three games. They only dropped two matches the entire weekend and were down a few athletes as well. They got second place with only 8 athletes and a lot of heart! It was a great weekend for this RVA team!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">360 brought home 5th in the Select Division and RVA G15 Navy won the bronze division in the American Division. It was a great showing for Badger Region teams across the board! </span></p>