Early Bird Shootout Preview: What Hoosiers Will Be There?

<p>The kick-off to the club season officially begins this weekend with the Early Bird Shootout, hosted by multiple clubs on over forty courts on Sunday, January 10. The who’s who of 1s teams will be at Capitol Sports Center in Plainfield, the home of Circle City. There will be distinct morning and afternoon waves, with the younger (read: 15s and 16s) ages playing early. Yours truly will be in attendance, so here’s the preview of whom to watch.</p> <p><strong>Courts 1 and 4, AM wave</strong></p> <p>A modified pool schedule, emphasizing social distancing and maximizing sanitation on the court for each and every match, headlines this tournament. The 8am matchups are toughies right out of the gate; Court 1 has Circle City 16 Purple matching up against Academy 16 Yeti, while Court 4 features Union UA 16 and Boiler Juniors 16 Gold. Each have their high-profile class of ’23 players. I’ll be keeping an eye on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85896" first="Quinci" last="Thomas"] (6-1 OH) </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85900" first="Faith" last="Burch"] (5-10 RS)</strong> holding the pins down for coach Scott McQueen. The Academy brings their own size and jumping ability, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99583" first="Mya" last="Ayro"]</strong> moving her athleticism to the left pin after playing middle on her high school team. I’ll be keeping my <em>other</em> eye on Court 4, where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85902" first="Cali" last="Cummings"] (6-0 MB/OH) </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85911" first="Libby" last="Dippold"] (5-11 MB)</strong> will anchor the middle. Prepare to see Miss Cummings on one of the pins as well, as 6-4 MB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106690" first="Meredith" last="Brown"]</strong> from Kentucky should be the main quick tempo option for setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85899" first="Grace" last="Purichia"].</strong></p> <p><strong>Courts 2 and 3, AM wave</strong></p> <p>Although the younger 15s teams are split between these two courts, they will be matched up in a crossover match to end the day with teams from Courts 1 and 4, depending on their finish. No slouches here; the Boiler Juniors 15 Gold squad is familiar with winning, starting with freshman setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110523" first="Allie" last="Shondell"] (5-10 S). [player_tooltip player_id="110515" first="Riley" last="Whitlock"] (5-11 OH)</strong> will also bring a good amount of athleticism to the fold. They immediately are challenged by a Union 15 UA that looks young, but brings a volleyball IQ higher than most. <strong>Kylie Minnis (’23, 5-10 OH)</strong> should lead the way from the left pin, while <strong>Ellie Priddy</strong> will anchor the middle.</p> <p><strong>Courts 1 and 4, PM wave</strong></p> <p>The big girls finally arrive, with Academy’s 18-1 taking on Circle’s 17-1 on Court 1. Experience lead the Rage, with Purdue signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85670" first="Raven" last="Colvin"]</strong> and Butler signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85701" first="Grace" last="Boggess"] </strong>bringing size and massive ability. Circle will put up a fight, with six foot outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85820" first="Courtney" last="Jones"] (Lipscomb commit)</strong> and 6-1 middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85814" first="Ella" last="Peter"] (Central Michigan commit)</strong> carrying their own size and jumping abilities. Court 4 will be a great matchup early as well, with Union UA 18 taking on Impact 18 Scott. Union has their entire roster signed, led by setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85679" first="Emma" last="Kaelin"] (Indiana State)</strong> and heavy-armed outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85667" first="Ali" last="Hornung"] (Purdue). </strong>Impact brings their own talent, starting with senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="125468" first="Madison" last="Ritchie"].</strong></p> <p><strong>Courts 2 and 3, PM wave</strong></p> <p>The top two Circle teams go head-to-head in the first match of our club season on Court 2. 18-1 has a ton of talent, including thumper <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85671" first="Abby" last="Maesch"] (Georgia) </strong>and the best hands (IMHO) in the class of ’21 from Indiana, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85674" first="Bailey" last="DeMier"] (Murray State). </strong>18-2 has their fair share as well, starting with setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85720" first="Sidney" last="Veatch"] (IUPUI)</strong> and lefty hammer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85736" first="GraceAnn" last="Hartman"] (Ashland). </strong>Don’t miss the action on Court 3, however. Impacts #1 team, 18 Jay, matches up against Academy’s 18-2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116473" first="Bailey" last="Hartsough"] (Western Carolina)</strong> will be the primary attacker on Impact’s side, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85788" first="Carly" last="Sobieralski"] (Southern Indiana)</strong> brings her brand of "attacking setter" to run a 5-1 for the Fury.</p>