North Meets South As Top Players Reign at Appleton East Patriot Invite
Interesting matchups and top players were definitely the highlights of the Appleton East Patriot Invite this past Saturday where I was able to take in the Silver Bracket (Hortonville, Little Chute, SPASH, and Appleton East) as well as the Gold…
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Continue ReadingInteresting matchups and top players were definitely the highlights of the Appleton East Patriot Invite this past Saturday where I was able to take in the Silver Bracket (Hortonville, Little Chute, SPASH, and Appleton East) as well as the Gold Bracket (Notre Dame Academy, Mosinee, Bay Port, and Pewaukee). Only fitting that Mosinee, located between Stevens Point and Wausau took on Pewaukee out of the Milwaukee area for the title with Pewaukee winning in two sets.
Key Performances
Kellyn Kennedy – Appleton East
Kennedy is scrappy, she is able to chase a ball down and find a way to get it to her hitters to terminate. East was able to win a tight battle with SPASH which was highlight by a come from behind first set where the momentum was carried into a second set win as well. Kennedy has soft hands, a smooth release, and puts up a great ball to terminate.
McGlone on the right blocking for Hortonville.Macy McGlone – Hortonville
I’ve seen McGlone play a few times and if she wasn’t heading to UW-Milwaukee to play basketball, she would be able to find herself on a college volleyball team somewhere. Her athleticism is above and beyond most of the other athletes on the court. Just take a look at this picture with here her eyes are at blocking above the net. She attacks a slide like a layup and goes up for a block like she’s tearing down a rebound – a fun player to watch.
Zoe Gburek – Mosinee
Mosinee has the experience from the state tournament in 2018 and plays with a really relaxed vibe where they don’t seem to get too phased by anything. Their defense is rock solid which is led by Zoe Gburek, a libero who is nearing the 300 dig mark on the season. Mosinee was down big to Notre Dame in set one of the semifinals and went on a huge run to take the set which carried them through set two.
Maddy Dokken – SPASH
Dokken has gotten stronger and is jumping higher than when I saw her in club this past season and definitely since her Sophomore year where her game has really evolved. Dokken is the top point scorer for the Panthers and will be playing at UW-Parkside.
Elsa Shepard attacking for Pewaukee.Elsa Shepard – Pewaukee
I remember watching Shepard quite a bit her 15s year when she was a Freshman during the club season, but wow – what a transformation and improvement with her ability to block, transition, and terminate. She is up there as one of the top middles in the Junior class with her ability to attack offensively and be in a position to control the net defensively.
Raegan McIntyre – Bay Port
Bay Port plays with a lot of intensity and energy. With a 15-1 record, Pewaukee was a great chance for them to play against top competition. McIntyre runs the show as a setter and always has an outlet with Brooke Clement and Alyssa Koska on the pin. However, she is really solid running the middle and setting behind her as all of their attackers have the ability to score points.
Storylines To Know:
Pewaukee is one of the more solid all-around teams I have seen this year. They have their standouts in Shepard and high flying Jordan Berglin on the outside, but in their 6-2 offense, they provide so many chances to attack from all over the place from multiple players. The defense provides a clean first contact and they can really spread the blockers thin as well as keep the other side of the net off balance.
Mosinee before a serveBay Port is going to be a scary team come tournament time. This was the first time they have been tested this year with Pewaukee, but they have an athletic lineup, solid coaching, and a high intensity they play with that can compete with other top teams. In their section will be Kimberly and Appleton North who are always some of the top teams in the area. It will be interesting to see how the Pirates are able to stack up against other top teams in their section with big matches against De Pere, the Neenah Tournament, and Luxemburg-Casco.
Mosinee may be one of the more relaxed teams I have seen this year. True, it always helps when you’re winning, but they never seemed to get rattled. They smile, they have positive body language, their bench is engaged and they just find a way to get the job done. I take a lot of pictures at tournaments and Mosinee always has players high fiving or smiling to one another to keep the atmosphere loose, but also very competitive.