2021 Club Preview: Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy

The talent-rich East side of the state of Michigan will be on full display during the club season with Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy. Always one of the most competitive clubs in Michigan each year, Michigan Elite returns a lot of top-end talent for the 2021 club season. Some of their Mizuno squads will have national aspirations this year and their more veteran squads feature future Division 1 stars. Here’s a look at what Michigan Elite is bringing to the court in 2021. 18 Mizuno [caption id="attachment_104226" align="alignright" width="267"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-104226" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/Mikayla-Haut-4-267x300.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="50288" first="Mikayla" last="Haut"][/caption] Coached by Vince Muscat, this unit returns its entire team from 2020 and adds in a talented outside hitter in [player_tooltip player_id="50292" first="Kaylin" last="Collins"] (College of Charleston), who was out last year with a knee injury. This group is pretty strong at all points. Leading the team is 2020 Miss Volleyball winner [player_tooltip player_id="14163" first="Julia" last="Bishop"] (Michigan State) at setter. Bishop will lead a fast offense that includes hitters Collins, [player_tooltip player_id="50288" first="Mikayla" last="Haut"] (Fairfield), [player_tooltip player_id="50313" first="Jenna" last="O’Brien"] and [player_tooltip player_id="14204" first="Jenna" last="Vaske"] on the outsides while [player_tooltip player_id="50293" first="Ellie" last="Tisko"], Charli Atiemo (Northern Illinois) and Ashley Nordman (Bellarmine) can hit from the middle or the outside. Bishop has worked with many of these hitters for year at Michigan Elite and at Farmington Hills Mercy. Defensively, 18 Mizuno has some of the best the state can offer in [player_tooltip player_id="50290" first="Rachel" last="Jennings"] (Ohio Northern) and [player_tooltip player_id="50302" first="Olivia" last="Kowalkowski"] (Georgia State). Their defensive play, combined with the leadership skills of Bishop makes 18 Mizuno arguably the best unit in the state and should be highly competitive on the regional and national stages. 17 Mizuno [caption id="attachment_112702" align="alignright" width="255"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-112702" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/10/NDP-Josie-Bloom-255x300.jpg" alt="" width="255" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="24842" first="Josie" last="Bloom"][/caption] Coached by Mayssa Cook, this squad features three players that Cook coaches at Marian High School in outside power arms [player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"] (NC State) and [player_tooltip player_id="24883" first="Sophia" last="Treder"], as well as 6’3” middle [player_tooltip player_id="24877" first="Sarah" last="Sylvester"] (TCU). This team added in outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="91611" first="Madison" last="Gebhardt"], who has a lot of pop in her swing as well. [player_tooltip player_id="24861" first="Kimani" last="Johnson"] is another strong player on the outside that stands 6’3”, while Aly Borellis is a do-everything player that can finish points and also run the offense at setter. Along with Sylvester, [player_tooltip player_id="60832" first="Amanda" last="Glanton"] is a 6’3” middle that creates a lot of problems for opponents. Defensively, this squad added in [player_tooltip player_id="24842" first="Josie" last="Bloom"], our highest-ranked libero in the Class of 2022. She joins [player_tooltip player_id="60859" first="Amina" last="Robinson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="24835" first="Kendyl" last="Andrews"] for a stacked set of defenders. Andrews can also play setter when Borellis is on the outside. This team looks very balanced and fundamentally sound. The Class of 2022 is highly talented in the state and 17 Mizuno should be pushing to earn the top honors in the state this club season, which also should push them toward a top 20 spot on the national scene. 16 Mizuno <img class="size-medium wp-image-122712 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/12/Marian-Ava-Sarafa-2-300x279.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="279" />Coached by Neil Rucinski, 16 Mizuno won’t have the size of some of their opponents, but they will try to offset that by running a fast 5-1 led by setter [player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"]. Sarafa has a lot of playing experience at the varsity and elite club level. Neele’ge’ Sims would be a middle Sarafa would normally get to work with, but the talented player is continuing to recover from injuries suffered this fall and is hopefully to make an appearance later in the club season. Still, 16 Mizuno isn’t lacking in talented hitters. On the outside, [player_tooltip player_id="66316" first="Remi" last="Madison"], [player_tooltip player_id="66330" first="Ella" last="Schomer"], [player_tooltip player_id="66304" first="Megan" last="Grose"] and [player_tooltip player_id="66303" first="Paige" last="Giehtbrock"] are explosive outsides that are building on great prep seasons. Giehtbrock is a new addition to the roster. [player_tooltip player_id="66302" first="Olivia" last="Gardner"] and [player_tooltip player_id="66329" first="Reagan" last="Sass"] are both players that can play the middle or the outside. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id="108714" first="Taryn" last="Rice"] and Kalliann Cook handle the defensive duties. Rice is a new addition to the team while Cook has a lot of big-match experience over her time with Michigan Elite and Birch Run. This team should be one of the stronger 16’s in Michigan, but has some gelling to do with new pieces getting mixed in. Expect some impressive wins toward the end of the season. 15 Mizuno Coached by Kristin Eddy, this team provides some unknowns for Michigan Elite, as they have added three from last year’s 14 Mizuno team. What will help bring the squad together is their setters, [player_tooltip player_id="110309" first="Emery" last="Kuebler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110335" first="Avery" last="Woodard"]. Kuebler has been part of a two-setter system at Clarkston this fall, while Woodard is a lefty setter from Marysville. The team also returns their defensive pair of [player_tooltip player_id="110313" first="Greta" last="McKee"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110299" first="Kiley" last="Gallagher"]. On the outside, [player_tooltip player_id="110304" first="Cameron" last="Herman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110285" first="Devin" last="Brunk"] return while Rayna Powers is a new addition. Mia Eickholdt also returns. She can play anywhere across the net. [player_tooltip player_id="110331" first="Karlie" last="Vogelheim"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110316" first="Alison" last="Parachek"] are newly-added middles for the squad. Vogelheim can also settle in at OPP. While there are a lot of unknowns entering the club season, this is a scrappy group that has a good work ethic. That should lead to some good things as the season progresses. Michigan Elite is always competitive in the state and the same can be said on the regional level for this team. If things click quickly, perhaps greater goals nationally can be set. <a href="https://bit.ly/351tTIA">Related: Legacy Volleyball Club Preview</a> <a href="https://bit.ly/3bcE4hd">Related: FaR Out Club Preview</a>