New Names and Teams Rise Among The Best At AAU Nationals
Some Iowa teams and top athletes quietly made their waves in Florida with a top ten finish in their respective divisions at the AAU National Championships in Orlando this past week. With Iowa Heart (Ames Area), Adrenaline (Cedar Rapids), and…
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Continue ReadingSome Iowa teams and top athletes quietly made their waves in Florida with a top ten finish in their respective divisions at the AAU National Championships in Orlando this past week. With Iowa Heart (Ames Area), Adrenaline (Cedar Rapids), and MVP (Sioux City) all playing some big matches in the championship bracket gave some athletes some high pressure situations and they will soon transition their focus into their high school teams which the start of the season is less than two months away!
17 Club
Iowa Heart vs. Adrenaline
Opening match of the 17 Classic Division found these two teams from Iowa. Over the course of the tournament Iowa Heart went 10-1 with multiple three set wins, including one over Central Illinois Elite to get into the championship bracket. Adrenaline won their first five matches of the tournament before two straight losses to A5 and Fusion. They would go onto win the next three, including a sweep of Motion (MVP) out of the Milwaukee area to earn a spot in the championship bracket.
With hundreds of teams, the two from Iowa find each other in the first round, the final 11 of the tournament. Iowa Heart would race out to the early lead and take set one 25-16 before Adrenaline would go on to win the next two to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal match Adrenaline ran into a Sports Performance squad and finished their tournament with a loss 25-20, 25-21 to finish with an overall record of 9-3 and a 5th place finish.
Players You Need To Know:
Ashley Hinrichs – Adrenaline – Libero
Hinrichs just brings the fire and grit to this Adrenaline team. A solid platform and quickness makes her one that can be depended upon for a solid first contact or reading a first contact to keep the ball in play.
Katie Jensen – Adrenaline – Pin Hitter
Jensen has a really active arm and isn’t afraid to take a big swing. She will attack out of the front or backrow and from either pin. Her arm is electric and always a threat to score.
Hailey Hested – Adrenaline – Setter
So steady and solid, definitely the type of setter who is cool under pressure and just has her composure. She reads the game well with what hitter she can go to as well as when to attack offensively. With a left handed swing she can score on second contact and has a lethal serve.
Cassidy Boche – Adrenaline – Outside Hitter
Boche just has all the tools of a six rotation outside. She can pass, serve receive, and she can make something happen out of nothing. Boche will be returning for Cedar Rapids Jefferson and will be a big point scorer in the MVC, a definitely 2020 outside hitter on the rise in Eastern Iowa.
Haley Cavan – Iowa Heart – Libero
Really steady and does a great job of being stopped on contact to take pace off the ball. Every team needs a libero that is efficient and can be depended upon to make the routine play and then some and that is exactly what Cavan can do.
Haleigh Hadley – Iowa Heart – Outside Hitter
Hadley first popped up on the radar at the Iowa High Performance camp. No surprise to see her leading her Iowa Heart team this past week in Orlando. An active arm and versatile from where she can hit in the front row she will be utilized in multiple ways for a Gilbert team who will be ready for a big season.
17 Club – MVP – Sioux City
The power of Kenzie Foley and Jazlin De Haan wasn’t quite enough to defeat Crossfire out of the Twin Cities Metro area who was playing with a ton of momentum on Monday morning. Despite the loss, MVP finished in the top eight of the 17 Club Division and before bracket play went 10-0, only dropping one set over the three days leading into the championship bracket. This is a club on the rise with some of the top athletes out of Northwest Iowa as well as parts of Nebraska and South Dakota.