2022 Presidential Stand-Outs in Detroit: 18s

Presidents’ Day Weekend may be a holiday to celebrate past presidents, but it has also become a holiday to celebrate volleyball! Just about every volleyball player in the country was in contest this weekend and the competition was red HOT! Whether you were in Kansas City, St. Louis, or in Detroit, high level volleyball was in abundance this past weekend. The 18s division in Detroit saw West-Michigan team FaR Out dominate with their top two teams going toe-to-toe for the title game. The likes of household names [player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"] and new names [player_tooltip player_id="66293" first="Kennedy" last="Arp"] were on full display. Here are some presidential standouts from Detroit this Presidents’ Day Weekend. [player_tooltip player_id="66293" first="Kennedy" last="Arp"] (2023) | 6’1 MB | FaR Out Black How have I not heard of this player before? [player_tooltip player_id="66293" first="Kennedy" last="Arp"] floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Arp was a huge highlight throughout the weekend in Detroit. She has a huge vertical and seemingly stays in the air forever before bringing down the hammer. I felt my jaw drop multiple times watching her play. [embed]https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1496855686420267008?s=20&t=Qgq37zBOdnVVUI7TlIDW-Q[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="151382" first="Kate" last="Luurtsema"] (2022) | 5’10 OH/MB | FaR Out Gold It’s not all the time you see an elite club boasts two teams good enough to vie for a title. FaR Out does. A large part was [player_tooltip player_id="151382" first="Kate" last="Luurtsema"]. She may be a little undersized when playing in the middle, but her versatility and vision for the court really elevates her well. Luurtsema is Hope College bound in the fall, which is a great get for the Flying Dutch. [player_tooltip player_id="137569" first="Kayla" last="Giroux"] (2022) | 6’2 MB | Michigan Elite This is another name I wasn’t too familiar with before the weekend. Man, was I missing out. [player_tooltip player_id="137569" first="Kayla" last="Giroux"] was oozing with athleticism all weekend long. She’s fantastic in the middle as her slide attack and block work came up big when Elite needed it most. Giroux also has a solid back court game and a great second contact! [player_tooltip player_id="137570" first="Janiah" last="Jones"] (2022) | 6’1 MB | Michigan Elite She had a huge fall season with Marian and her play hasn’t skipped a beat since. [player_tooltip player_id="137570" first="Janiah" last="Jones"] like Giroux is a raw athlete. Jones can come up with some of the craziest of plays and make it look effortless. Her block is tough to say the least. I am not sure if there was a single bad block touch off of Jones this weekend. Kasey Smith (2022) | 6’0 MB | ECV What she lacks in size, she makes up in her vertical. Kasey Smith is a smaller middle but has a lot of up to her game. She’s not only a high flier, but she’s fast. Whether it’s in her block, transition or getting on the ball, its all with a snap of a finger. Smith has a great slide attack that proved lethal throughout the weekend. [player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"] (2022) | 6’2 OPP | FaR Out Black She doesn’t need much of an introduction. [player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"] was doing [player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"] things in the Motor City. The mighty southpaw was getting a lot of reps on the left side and looked quite comfortable. Her overall game held up strong from her attack to the pass, it was all golden. [player_tooltip player_id="66314" first="Kennedy" last="Louisell"] (2023) | 5’11 OH | FaR Out Black Continuing along with her impressive fall campaign, [player_tooltip player_id="66314" first="Kennedy" last="Louisell"] is getting better and better with each viewing. Louisell can just soar in the arm and blast through any defense. Her court vision seemed much improved from the fall as the shot selection was very high-level. [embed]https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1495816655334641664?s=20&t=Qgq37zBOdnVVUI7TlIDW-Q[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="60841" first="Olivia" last="Howlett"] (2022) | 5’10 OH | FaR Out Black FaR Out has no shortage of killer pins. [player_tooltip player_id="60841" first="Olivia" last="Howlett"] was equally as impressive as her counterparts. She boasts a heavy arm on the pin, but it was more her defense that made the highlights this weekend. Howlett has a great eye in the back court, and even in the front, she was coming up with huge saves. Sammie DiBease (2022) | 6’1 OH | ECV ECV has a really solid overall squad. Leading the pack is pin attacker Sammie DiBease. DiBease was consistent force throughout the weekend. She’s not a player to have an off game, she has a steady arm with some crafty angles on both pins. Her passing was also a strong suit. [player_tooltip player_id="114478" first="Emmaleigh" last="Allen"] (2022) | 5’10 OH | ECV Right alongside DiBease, [player_tooltip player_id="114478" first="Emmaleigh" last="Allen"] makes a wonderful one-two punch for this club. Allen has a big arm. Slightly undersized, Allen has some serious speed when coming off the ground and getting on top of the ball. She was sending missiles all weekend long. Quinn Robak (2023) | 6’0 OH | Michigan Elite A new name I didn’t know before, I was quite impressed with Quinn Robak’s play in Detroit. Stepping in the absence of [player_tooltip player_id="24862" first="Morgan" last="Lockhart"] for this 18 Elite squad, she does a great job keeping the level of play high. Robak has a great six rotation game with solid passing and smart attacking. She was taking cracks all weekend but spreading the ball around to great effect. [embed]https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1495600039883849733?s=20&t=Qgq37zBOdnVVUI7TlIDW-Q[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="24868" first="Emmalee" last="Murphy"] (2022) | 5’10 OH | FaR Out Gold FaR Out Gold was a pleasant sight to see. [player_tooltip player_id="24868" first="Emmalee" last="Murphy"] was a huge force for the team all weekend long leading up to a championship match against their own program. Murphy has a great eye for the game, she attacks the ball all around the court and goes after the block fearlessly. [player_tooltip player_id="173606" first="Lauren" last="Hallas"] (2023) | 5’8 S | FaR Out Gold When you’re a part of a team full of undersized players, you got to find a way to score and play at a high level. [player_tooltip player_id="173606" first="Lauren" last="Hallas"] does just that. Hallas quickly became a bright spot on my radar after watching a play or two. She runs her offense fast! Whether it is in system or out of system, Hallas likes to play with speed and it bode well for this team. [player_tooltip player_id="114462" first="Abby" last="Avila"] (2022) | 5’9 S | ECV Running one of the most balance attack all weekend was [player_tooltip player_id="114462" first="Abby" last="Avila"]. This was a fun setter to watch for this reason specifically. When you have big guns on your squad, the single player dependence can get boring real quick, but not with Avila. She put all of her attackers in great positions to score and scored herself quite efficiently. Jaina Macauley (2023) | 5’7 S | Michigan Elite Running the offense for Michigan Elite was Jaina Macauley. Macauley, while an undersized setter, she had one of the best all-around games of the group. She can run an efficient offense to the best of them, but she also has a great defensive side to her.