Mizuno Midwest Classic Recap & Standouts

<p>All of the best teams in the state gathered together Southeast Michigan this past weekend for the <strong>Mizuno Midwest Classic</strong>.</p> <p>With the state proving to have some great regional and national contenders in the Class of 2022 and 2023, this weekend provided a lot of outstanding action.</p> <h4><strong>18/17 Open</strong></h4> <p>The <strong>18/17 Open </strong>came down to <strong>Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno </strong>against <strong>Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS</strong>, pitting two top classes against one another.</p> <p>Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno proved to have just a little bit too much for their younger foes, scoring a 25-18, 25-21 victory in the final to win the division and go 5-0 for the weekend.</p> <p>The weekend was a total team effort for Michigan Elite 17 Mizuno. Offensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"]</strong> continued to show her competitive fire and skill set, making the big kills in the big moments.</p> <p>Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60832" first="Amanda" last="Glanton"] </strong>also came through with some big kills, while also posing some real challenges for opposing hitters.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24844" first="Alyssa" last="Borellis"] </strong>put her full skillset on display with her impeccable setting, timely attacks, and standout defensive work.</p> <p>Brizard was on point with her passing as well, while libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24842" first="Josie" last="Bloom"] </strong>really took on the challenge of facing top hitters and coming through with key dig in point after point. Bloom’s serving was a real problem for opponents as well.</p> <h4><strong>16 Open/Premier</strong></h4> <p>Legacy 15-1 ADIDAS came through with top honors, going 5-0 for the weekend and 10-1 in sets. After coming away with a hard-fought three-set win over <strong>Five:1 16-Black</strong>, Legacy went on to top <strong>Monsters 16 Elite </strong>in the final, 25-16, 25-18.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110288" first="Cayla" last="Cogan"] </strong>was a real force for the weekend with 31 kills while hitting an impressive .381. When the ball was coming her way, it seemed like points were ending.</p> <p>The defensive play of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110327" first="Ava" last="Thomas"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110300" first="Ashlee" last="Gnau"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110323" first="Lexi" last="Smith"] </strong>led to a lot of consistency for Legacy. The three combined to pass a 2.21 average, allowing the rest of the team to stay in-system.</p> <p>In the middle, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110328" first="Johanna" last="Tillman"] </strong>played well with 13 kills and four blocks, but also got her hands on a lot of opposing attacks to help the back row.</p> <h4><strong>17 Club Red</strong></h4> <p><strong>Michigan Elite 17 National East</strong> came out with a perfect 5-0 match record and 10-0 set record for the weekend.</p> <p>Setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="92066" first="Reagan" last="Stempin"] </strong>and <strong>Ella DeMasse</strong> were playing at a high level and in complete control of the offense for Michigan Elite during the weekend. Their distribution to various hitters kept opponents on their heels.</p> <p><strong>Alyssa Bommarito</strong> was a standout outside, mixing up her shots to consistently finish points. In the middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60857" first="Ellie" last="Martin"] and Nya Mays </strong>were strong on the block, but also coming through with some key swings.</p> <p>Defensively, <strong>Zoey Mertz </strong>played with a lot of energy and grit at libero to help keep the team in lengthy rallies.</p> <h4><strong>17 Club Blue</strong></h4> <p><strong>Michigan Elite 17 NS West</strong> came through with a 5-0 record to earn the weekend title.</p> <p><strong>Anna Creech </strong>was big from the service line with 11 aces for the weekend while racking up 28 kills. She was able to make a big impact all over the court.</p> <p><strong>Erica Fetterman </strong>spread the ball out well with 68 assists, while also finding a lot of kill opportunities herself. <strong>Lauren Pelon </strong>was also a big factor at the net with 27 kills, while Creech had a 2.08 rating in serve receive and <strong>Marisa Hartwing </strong>had a 2.00 rating.</p> <h4><strong>Other Winners</strong></h4> <p><strong>18 Club: </strong>HVVC 18 Blue</p> <p><strong>16 Club Red: </strong>Dynamite 16 Adidas</p> <p><strong>16 Club Blue: </strong>Legends 16 National Royal</p> <p><strong>15 Club Red: </strong>Michigan Elite 15 Elite</p> <p><strong>15 Club Blue: </strong>Five: 1 15-Black</p>