Club Team Previews: Union 17-1 and Circle 17-1

<p>On Sunday, January 9, the club season begins for many Indiana clubs at the Circle City Shootout, hosted at Capitol Sports Center in Plainfield, IN (among other sites). In the coming days, I’m going to touch on a few players you need to know going into this tournament, and the teams to watch.</p> <p><strong>UNION 17-1 UA</strong></p> <p>The most well-rounded team in Union’s arsenal, coached by Providence HS head coach Terri Purichia, will make a ton of noise this club season, starting with this Sunday. Her daughter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85899" first="Grace" last="Purichia"] (’23, committed to Jacksonville State), </strong>is an exceptional locator of the ball and has the tools to play indoor as well as outdoor ball at the next level. But whom will she set? On this side of the Ohio River, look no further than <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85908" first="Caroline" last="Hilbrich"] (’23, 5-10 DS/OH, Floyd Central), </strong>who is another indoor/outdoor stud and should never come out because of her excellence in ball control. A person who can crush it on both pins is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118341" first="Alexis" last="Caldwell"] (’23, RS/OH, New Albany), </strong>who brings size and length to the squad. I’m also fond of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85911" first="Libby" last="Dippold"] (’23, 6-0 MB, Columbus East), </strong>who, along with stud middle <strong>Meredith Brown (’23, 6-4 MB, Mercy Academy, Kentucky),</strong> can make things difficult for opposing offenses both defensively and offensively. </p> <p><strong>CIRCLE CITY 17 PURPLE</strong></p> <p>On the top 17s team at Circle, there is a trio of committed studs to watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85895" first="Chloe" last="Chicoine"] (’23, committed to Penn State)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85896" first="Quinci" last="Thomas"] (’23, committed to Xavier), </strong>will dominate on the left pin regularly. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85921" first="Molly" last="Urban"] (’23, committed to Louisville)</strong> is one of the best first-contact players in her class in the state, and should never be served to under any circumstance. Who does that leave us with? A ton of big time talent, starting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106295" first="Ella" last="Chapman"] (’23, 6-4 MB, Greensburg), </strong>whose size and strength will give fits to opposing offenses and defenses. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the "other" middle is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85897" first="Emily" last="Waddell"] (’23, 6-0 MB, Carmel), </strong>who jumps just as high as Ella, but is faster on offense and can go pin to pin with the best of them. I’m a huge fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85932" first="Ava" last="Smith"] (’23, 6-1 OH/RS, Park Tudor)</strong> who already jumps past ten feet and can hit from anywhere. But who’s going to set all of these athletes? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110509" first="Macy" last="Hinshaw"] (’24, 5-9 S, Hamilton Southeastern)</strong> has always played up a year and will have arguably the best offense to set in the 17s division in the entire state. Her quiet and no-nonsense demeanor will drive this squad to multiple successes this season.</p>