Club Preview: ’22s at Ke’Aloha

<p>Our last club preview for the class of ’22 continues our coverage of Ke’Aloha, a club located in the Valparaiso area of Northern Indiana. Their schedule includes a trip to the Central Zone Invite at the Indiana Convention Center at the end of the month, so I’ll get a more accurate report on each of these athletes and which 17s team they play for. On Ke’Aloha’s website, there are three teams listed, but none have rosters as of yet. Fortunately, all of the athletes playing at the 17s level are listed, just without team designations. By position, here are those athletes.</p> <p><strong>The Bigs (MB and RS)</strong></p> <p>I realize that "Bigs" is a subjective term. In this case, each of these players listed will be seen in one of the two positions, possibly both as the season rolls on. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108604" first="Brooke" last="Shapley"]</strong> headlines this group, as I saw her play at Lowell in the fall. Her size, length and volleyball acumen will be a lot to lean on for the class of ’23 kids on her team. She led the Red Devils in blocks and was third in kills last fall. Another "big" to keep an eye on is <strong>Reese Czarniecki. </strong>She was second in blocks for her Chesterton squad in the fall of ’20 and looks to bring more size and length to a thin position.</p> <p><strong>The Pins (OH and RS)</strong></p> <p>Yes, I realize I listed the right sides twice. In this instance, we are talking about players that will specifically be pin attackers for the club season. This list is lengthy and has a wide variety of talent. <strong>Ella Rodriguez</strong> probably has the most upside to this group, as her 5-11 frame might make her a full-time right side. Also standing at 5-11 is <strong>Jordan Ogiego, </strong>who was second in kills and third in blocks at Morgan Township behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85682" first="Emily" last="Rastovski"], </strong>a Purdue signee. Jordan could be a three-rotation player from either pin. Rounding out this group is <strong>Cameron Peters, </strong>a 5-8 OH/RS combo who might see more time as an outside due to her size.</p> <p><strong>The Setters</strong></p> <p>Only two are listed for this class, and they are <strong>Jenna Kirby</strong> and <strong>Kaitlin Gilleo. </strong>Jenna was the primary setter for a very successful Marquette Catholic program in the fall, and was top three in multiple statistical categories. One of the few I’m unsure of in this program is Kaitlin. She’s listed as 5-8 and a setter and right side on the roster. </p> <p><strong>The Hybrids (OH and DS)</strong></p> <p>Oftentimes, rosters list multiple positions, whether it is high school ball or club ball. For Ke’Aloha, we have three that could be a six-rotation outside or a three-rotation defensive specialist. The tallest of the bunch is 5-7 <strong>Macy Mrozinski, </strong>who spent a good portion of the fall season as a three-rotation DS, but can easily play six rotations as an OH2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85842" first="Sophia" last="Foster"] </strong>was a six-rotation outside who led a great Kouts team in kills and aces. Her aggression suits her, and easily overcomes her 5-6 frame. <strong>Sophie Reyna</strong> rounds out the hybrid group by being a true hybrid; she has spent time as both an outside and as a three-rotation DS, without pigeon-holing herself on either.</p> <p><strong>The Littles</strong></p> <p>OK, that wasn’t nice, Kyp. But it IS true; none of the players listed here are over 5-5. <strong>Nina Nash, </strong>Morgan Township’s libero last fall, should wear the special jersey again this spring, as she led the Cherokees in digs in ’20. <strong>Kylie Filo</strong> led the Satellites of South Central (insert DMB reference here) in digs as the ’bro last year. <strong>Rylie Jevert </strong>played behind a senior libero at Wheeler, but still finished second in digs as a three-rotation DS. All three are quick, have a high volleyball IQ and can play multiple positions in the back row.</p>