Mercy Elite Power Series Takeaways & Standouts Part 1

The second round of the Volleyball Power Series at St. Joe’s Mercy Elite Sports Center was held on Saturday. Overall, 29 teams took part in the day, which featured some great action. While it was hard to keep an eye on all the play, I did get to see a lot of talent. Here’s Part 1 of my takeaways from the day and some players that caught my eye. [caption id="attachment_157811" align="alignright" width="162"]<img class="wp-image-157811" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Dakota-Tillman-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="162" height="216" /> [player_tooltip player_id="110328" first="Johanna" last="Tillman"][/caption] Dakota: The Cougars have a lot of size at the net, and a lot of athleticism to go with it. [player_tooltip player_id="108718" first="Erin" last="Madigan"] is an impressive setter at 6’1”. She moves really well and has a great connection with her hitters. [player_tooltip player_id="66302" first="Olivia" last="Gardner"], [player_tooltip player_id="66338" first="Emma" last="Thamarus"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110328" first="Johanna" last="Tillman"] all were putting down powerful shots and creating blocking issues for opposing hitters. All are also juniors, aside from the sophomore Tillman. Dakota is going to be a major factor these next two years. https://x.com/PrepDigMI/status/1439254932826304517?s=20 [caption id="attachment_157814" align="alignright" width="224"]<img class="wp-image-157814" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Novi-Hoffman-268x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="251" /> [player_tooltip player_id="66308" first="Kaitlyn" last="Hoffman"][/caption] Novi: The Wildcats are a very balanced and technically sound team that can play out long rallies. A big reason for that is having standout passers like [player_tooltip player_id="66340" first="Sarah" last="Vellucci"] and [player_tooltip player_id="66308" first="Kaitlyn" last="Hoffman"] also in hitting roles. The two have been elite defenders during club season, but have shown their all-around skills this prep season. Vellucci is the go-to hitter and leader for the Wildcats, while Hoffman has shown she can do it all this year and looks confident at the net. Mercy: The Marlins are relying on a lot of young talent this year, most notably their freshmen hitter-setter duo of [player_tooltip player_id="156293" first="Ella" last="Craggs"] and [player_tooltip player_id="156295" first="Campbell" last="Flynn"]. Both play each position very smoothly and can transition seamlessly. They have a great rapport with one another and have big swings. Flynn is 6’1” and her length is a great added dimension to her standout athleticism. Craggs is an explosive athlete with a drive to be the best. Clarkston: The Wolves were without junior outside [player_tooltip player_id="66303" first="Paige" last="Giehtbrock"], which certainly was a big loss. However, Clarkston still was very competitive on the day. Along with the usual standouts of middle [player_tooltip player_id="137572" first="Elizabeth" last="Adams"] and libero [player_tooltip player_id="24860" first="Summer" last="Jidas"], junior hitter [player_tooltip player_id="140487" first="Emma" last="Larkins"] caught my eye with some good footwork and finishing on the day. She showed the ability to adapt and get good swings from different angles. North Branch: The Broncos are No. 6 in our latest D2 poll and they still are a young team with just one senior on the roster. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="110291" first="Alana" last="Deshetsky"] is definitely a go-to hitter and finishing at a high rate. She’s hitting .321 on the season. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="110287" first="Kayla" last="Chingwa"] is an imposing middle at 6’2” and has a high ceiling for growth. She’s going to become a real problem for opponents. https://x.com/PrepDigMI/status/1439263483347017732?s=20 Brighton: The Bulldogs were rolling out with some young talent and a number of them show a lot of potential to make Brighton a team to keep an eye on for the future. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="110310" first="Emily" last="Kramer"] and Alyssa Swanson were able to put together some impressive kills at the net, while sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id="110331" first="Karlie" last="Vogelheim"] did a nice job of putting them in position to succeed. Junior middle Megan Jagst has good length at 6’1”. She can be a real force as she taps more into her aggressive side. Anchor Bay: The Tars had some tough opponents, but played very competitively and showed a lot of resilience. Michelle Domey, a junior outside, was aggressive throughout the day and played with a lot of fire. She wasn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone at the net. It helps when you have a great veteran setter in [player_tooltip player_id="24875" first="Karlee" last="Stoll"] as well. Junior libero [player_tooltip player_id="110323" first="Lexi" last="Smith"] also showed a lot of hustle and had a serve that really challenged opponents. https://x.com/PrepDigMI/status/1439242247816585220?s=20 [caption id="attachment_157815" align="alignright" width="138"]<img class="wp-image-157815" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Romeo-5-217x300.jpg" alt="" width="138" height="190" /> Caitlin Jaskolski[/caption] Romeo: The Bulldogs are a team that plays with good hustle, but don’t have the size a lot of top teams in the state do. One player that really showed that was junior Caitlin Jaskolski. She moved around the court well and was giving her all to each point. She also put together some impressive swings. Rochester: The Falcons don’t have a record that raises eyebrows, but they are a team that have been a tough out and seem right on the cusp of turning the corner. Junior middle Sara Robinson did some good things for Rochester. She was strong defensively with her blocking and showed some improved attacks when her number was called.