2022 Club Season Spotlight: Nebraska Juniors 18 Black

<p>This feels like the right time to spotlight Nebraska Juniors 18 Black. After seeing this team produce some of the best volleyball of the entire Midwest Power League last weekend, I’m incredibly excited to do a deeper dive on this Juniors team.</p> <p>18 Black’s roster is full of names that you’ve surely seen before. These are athletes that have dominated Nebraska prep volleyball for the past few years, and now they’ve come together for one final run with Nebraska Juniors in 2022. It’s going to be a fun ride, and I’m anxious to see more from this group in the coming months.</p> <p>So, let’s break down what makes this team so formidable.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Unmatched Physicality</strong></p> <p>18 Black’s net presence is seriously intimidating.</p> <p>The middle blocker position is particularly stacked with players that can take over matches with their length and strength. [player_tooltip player_id="58784" first="Brenna" last="Schmidt"] was one of the most dominant players at last fall’s high school state championships, and she’s carried that over to the club season with Nebraska Juniors. Her foot speed has been improving rapidly, allowing her to be available anywhere along the net in transition.</p> [caption id="attachment_176432" align="alignright" width="535"]<img class="wp-image-176432" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/01/IMG_6341-crop-3734x2452-1643125519-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="535" height="351" /> Schmidt (10) and Lopuyo (1) are an awesome frontcourt tandem 18 Black.[/caption] <p>[player_tooltip player_id="124243" first="Katelynn" last="Oxley"] is similarly imposing in the middle. Like Schmidt, Oxley is coming off of a breakout high school season in 2021 and should have a great club showing before heading to DePaul in the fall.</p> <p>18 Black has a big roster, too, so you can look forward to players like [player_tooltip player_id="88298" first="Hailey" last="Zimmerman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="103122" first="Savannah" last="Spahr"] having highlight moments throughout the year. Having all this middle blocker talent in one gym is an incredible resource that Nebraska Juniors is undoubtedly happy to have.</p> <p>Slide over to opposite and you’ll find [player_tooltip player_id="58816" first="Ital" last="Lopuyo"], an athlete who has some middle blocker experience of her own. The right pin suits her well, though, as she’s able to attack over the top of the block off of two feet. Those skills will be valuable as Lopuyo makes the transition to SEC volleyball with Texas A&amp;M.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Doing It All</strong></p> <p>Aside from all the big forces at the net, there are so many players with 18 Black who can seemingly do anything in all six rotations.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="58786" first="Kylie" last="Weeks"] has always been a shining example of this. She plays all the way around on the left side, provides superior ball control for her team, and is incredibly steady in everything she does. Weeks is another SEC commit for 18 Black and is headed to Arkansas this year.</p> <p>From one Elkhorn South Storm to another, [player_tooltip player_id="58781" first="Madi" last="Woodin"] has taken her game to another level. She just finished smashing seemingly every setter-related record on the high school side, and now she is dishing a great up-tempo offense with Juniors. Woodin was made for this team, and she is joined by Lincoln-area setters [player_tooltip player_id="82215" first="Ashlyn" last="DeBoer"] and <strong>Brielle Power</strong> who are also reaching their peak form in 2022.</p> <p>And, on the topic of ball control, [player_tooltip player_id="82412" first="Harlei" last="Cole"] is leading the way in the libero jersey again. The Iowa commit has undoubtedly grown accustomed to winning after Papio South’s run in 2021. Those winning ways ought to persist as Cole provides tons of backcourt leadership.</p> <p>As I mentioned in the Midwest Power League recap, the biggest standout for Nebraska Juniors last weekend might have been [player_tooltip player_id="58799" first="Madilyn" last="Siebler"]. She brings the same all-around skill set as Weeks and can absolutely hammer the ball on the left pin.</p> <p>The list of versatile hitters on this roster goes on. [player_tooltip player_id="82269" first="Sydney" last="Jelinek"] is back with Nebraska Juniors after finishing a successful career with Norris that was full of big matches. The 2022 club season should provide much of the same.</p>