Academy Summer League: Week 2 Preview

<p>As I looked forward to my second showing at Academy’s summer league, I wanted to make a point of seeing teams that I don’t normally see, whether through reffing or pure PD observation. That being said, here are four teams on four different paths to success in the fall of 21’ that I will be watching tonight.</p> <p><strong>Martinsville</strong></p> <p>A sectional champ from a year ago, the Artesians bring back the majority of their offense and gain a year of experience and confidence to boot. With the return of 5-1 setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85809" first="Grace" last="Reynolds"] (’22, FGCU commit), </strong>things should continue to click on all cylinders. Since her club team has qualified for Vegas, I’m not sure if we’ll see her tonight. However, others I’m interested in include club and high school teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="123003" first="Mackenzie" last="Martin"] (’22, 5-10 OH), </strong>who is the primary cog in this machine. I’m also looking forward to seeing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85921" first="Molly" last="Urban"] (’23, 5-3 DS/L), </strong>who will be the main reason for their success in the fall.</p> <p><strong>Eastern Hancock</strong></p> <p>I know very little about the Royals. Always athletic and always multi-sport, EH also returns all of their offense from a year ago, yet their success (10-19 last season) cannot be measured in wins and losses. The good news is that this team grew up as the season progressed, and they’ve got a few kids that should be considered for the next level. My personal favorite is <strong>Lili Hunt (’22, 6-0 RS/S), </strong>who attacks from the front and sets from the back. She’s going to need some help, however, and <strong>Megan Retherford (’22, 5-3 DS)</strong> will bring some strength to an already athletic program. Finally, <strong>Sydney Hayes (’23, 5-6 S)</strong> is the other part of the equation in this 6-2, and if she moves to the 5-1 setting position, this will unleash Miss Hunt on all opponents next fall.</p> <p><strong>Franklin Central</strong></p> <p>From two teams returning most everyone to two teams graduating most everyone, Franklin Central is the first team I’ve seen that has multiple collegiate-level players on a team playing under-.500 ball. Most of the offense, including Southern Indiana signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85788" first="Carly" last="Sobieralski"], </strong>is gone, and so is her setting. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106364" first="Olivia" last="Tarter"] (’23, 5-7 OH)</strong> will be leaned on heavily for offense this coming fall. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="125403" first="Amaya" last="Price"] </strong>should also contribute to the offense that graduated. <strong>Natalie Millar</strong> looks to anchor the defense for the Flashes.</p> <p><strong>Triton Central</strong></p> <p>The Tiger’s 2020 season was one of the best in recent memory. 26-4, winning both their conference and their sectional, they ran into a couple of bad rotations in their four-set loss to Heritage Christian in the regional final. The BAD news? Five of the top six attackers from TC aren’t coming back. Graduation has gutted this roster, and hopefully they have enough time training with each other to find that offense before August comes around. Look for <strong>Maddy Brown</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85884" first="Julia" last="Sanders"]</strong> to lead the way, at least in the huddle.</p>