Club Preview: ’22s at Empowered

<p>Easily, this group is the largest from any one club I’ve written about for the class of 2022. With the combination of beach and hard court training, Empowered is a unique facility that allows girls there to train all parts of the game we all love and enjoy. Looking at what their practice schedules entail, it’s easy to see why; some teams have one day of sand training and three days of hard court training per week. In other words, kids at Empowered have no choice but to improve and be successful at the next level. Here are the 42 (!!!) athletes that have yet to commit to a school for the fall of ’22.</p> <p><strong>17/18 Elite Black</strong></p> <p>A few high-flying middles headline this roster in <strong>Niesha Anderson </strong>and <strong>Madison Ritchie.</strong> Both jump touch over 9-6 and Niesha is <em>this<strong> </strong></em>close to hitting the ten foot mark. We also expect to see a bit of <strong>Quinn Olding</strong> in the middle, who has also seen some time on the left pin and is explosive with her raw athleticism. <strong>Mariah Millage </strong>looks to anchor the right side with this group. Setting a 5-1 is <strong>Taylor Gerke, </strong>whose foot speed, athleticism and ball placement makes her a great addition to any roster. <strong>Emma Barile</strong> wraps up the ’22s with this roster, and will don the special jersey starting in January.</p> <p><strong>17/18 Elite Red</strong></p> <p> Three middles dot this roster in <strong>Bralyn Stockman, Destiny Bradfield </strong>and <strong>Shyanne Duncan. </strong>Destiny, the tallest of the three at six feet, can also double as a right side in a pinch. Shyanne probably pans out to be an M2 at the next level, as she is outstanding off of two feet. Bralyn is explosive and could probably play anywhere along the front row. <strong>Kiana Gomez-Espino</strong> looks to hold down the right side for 17/18 Red, as her six foot frame makes her very useful on both offense and defense. <strong>Madeline Vnuk</strong> is a 5-10 setter ready to run a 5-1 in this offense. A trio of DS’s play for the Red squad. <strong>Sadie Walden</strong> might be the most consistent and vocal of the bunch, and should have the special jersey owned come January. Her serve receive is quiet and controlled. <strong>Kennedy Sipe </strong>and <strong>Maria Post</strong> will be excellent three-rotation DS’s for this group and beyond.</p> <p><strong>17 Elite Black</strong></p> <p>The true 17-1 squad for Empowered has a ton of athleticism and experience within its numbers. For this author, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95563" first="Haley" last="Kruse"]</strong> is my favorite on the roster, sporting a nearly 30" vertical to go along with her abilities as a six-rotation outside. Two other pin attackers for this group include <strong>Olivia Krahn</strong> and <strong>Ashton Widenhoefer. </strong>Both are capable of being six-rotation passers, and both have all of the necessary shots to go after taller blockers. This squad has the possibility of running a 6-2, with exceptional setters <strong>Hope Moring </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118189" first="Payton" last="Rolfsen"]</strong> at the helm. Hope can easily double as a right side when not setting, while Payton’s quick hands and 5-11 frame are more than capable of doing the same. Additionally, either setter could run a 5-1 if the need arises. A pair of DS’s in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115017" first="Emma" last="Lyons"] </strong>and <strong>Chloe Pierce</strong> look to solidify the defense for this roster. Emma is smooth on defense, and is comfortable in the left back. Chloe’s quick twitch and excellent anticipation can place her anywhere on defense. The bigs on this squad all have next-level capabilities. <strong>Lea Mummert </strong>gets up quick and plays best when attacking off of two feet. <strong>Katelyn Rumschlag </strong>is the biggest of the three, and takes advantage of her six foot frame regularly. <strong>Reagan Salzbrenner </strong>plays bigger than her 5-11 frame might dictate, and is the most polished of the three.</p> <p><strong>17 Elite Red</strong></p> <p>This group also looks to run a 6-2, as setters <strong>Grace Stedge</strong> and <strong>Rachel Uchtman</strong> are both listed as 5-6. Both, however, place the ball perfectly for their attackers and are quick enough to get to any number of out-of-system balls. The high-flying outside hitting <strong>Isabelle Shelton</strong> attacks at 9-6, with ten feet within her sights.<strong> </strong>Joining her on the pins are <strong>Emma Moellering, Tess Herendeen </strong>and <strong>Brook Dager.</strong> Emma can play either pin. Tess is listed as an outside, but will probably be best suited in the DS ranks at the next level. Brook is an explosive lefty that hits a heavy ball. She’ll be 17 Red’s right side to start the season. In the middle for this squad are <strong>Emma Forte </strong>and <strong>Addison Freed. </strong>Finally, <strong>Layla Meyer</strong> is looking to be the libero for this bunch, and can play left or middle back with ease.</p> <p><strong>17 Elite White</strong></p> <p>The last of our five teams mentioned here has a ton of potential. Pin attackers <strong>Mollie Sheehan</strong> and <strong>Madison Suiler</strong> are interchangeable and can play multiple positions. Middles <strong>Madison Desenberg </strong>and <strong>Katelyn Nieman</strong> look to plug the middle. <strong>Sarah Beer </strong>and <strong>Madison Inman </strong>should run a 6-2 to start the season. The DS’s feeding them the ball are <strong>Ashlyn Cruz</strong> and <strong>Jensen Miguel. </strong></p>