GJNC Open Division Preview: Circle City 15 Purple

Kyp Harasymowycz June 2, 2021 @ 08:58 AM

To know that you’ve earned your open bid is one thing. It is COMPLETELY another to be forced to play a "win or go home" after a shaky gold bracket power pool on day three of a major qualifier. However, that’s exactly what this squad did at the Asics Show Me Qualifier in early April. This particular team has come a long way, and here are four players that will make a major impact going forward in their careers. ’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110513" first="Emery" last="Moore"], 5-9 S, North Central Probably the most natural athlete on this list is Emery, the quintessential setter on this list. Of the setters in all classes, Miss Moore is my favorite, for a number of reasons. For one, she’s a gym rat; she’s relentless in her work ethic. Number two, her combination of speed and athleticism is second to none. Third, she’s a leader, through and through. Running a 5-1 on an open level team is hard, but Emery makes it look easy. Her set placement and set choices are seemingly improving every time I see her. I can’t wait to see what next fall brings for her. ’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110495" first="Sophia" last="Mayo"], 6-1 OH, Perry Meridian A big, strong, heavy-armed pin attacker is what every team needs. Look no further than Miss Mayo, who should be inching close to attacking at ten feet by now. Sophia is the definition of "terminal attacker", and should continue to represent that label even more as she gets stronger and smarter. ’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110489" first="Alexis" last="Maesch"], 5-10 S/RS, Avon A lefty banger that can run an offense too? Scary thoughts, considering the comments I just made about Emery above. Getting the bid-securing kill was Alexis, younger sister of Georgia signee [player_tooltip player_id="85671" first="Abby" last="Maesch"]. Alexis, hyper-athletic in her own right, has an attack touch of almost ten feet, but should be passing that threshold by the time the fall comes around. I’m a huge fan of her abilities, as either position is highly recruitable by themselves---she can do both, and at a high level. ’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110503" first="Ava" last="Utterback"], 5-11 OH, Plainfield Another younger sister of a D1 signee on this roster, Ava averaged nearly three kills and three digs per set for a young Plainfield squad last fall. Fast forward to this spring, and this kid is absolutely hammering the competition. If she’s not at ten feet by now, maybe my measurements are wrong. She’s developed into one of the best six-rotation outsides the state has to offer, and it’s only a matter of time before the big dogs come calling.