Ball Control Shines at Midwest Power League #2

<p>It was another action-packed Sunday at the Midwest Power League!</p> <p>As I watched the season’s second Power League in Omaha, I was trying to decide which players or trends I wanted to discuss afterward. In the end, I settled on featuring some of the event’s top ball control players.</p> <p>Ball control is a strength for a lot of the top competitors at this Power League, so it’s only fair that we give some credit to the players who excel in this phase. Setters and defensive specialists are in the spotlight for this feature, and there will be plenty of names that you surely recognize here.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Smooth Setters</strong></p> <p>In a way, this Power League felt like a celebration of Nebraska’s most successful prep setter over the past few years. That’s just the kind of tournament field we had on Sunday.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="58781" first="Madi" last="Woodin"] had yet another brilliant Power League showing as she helped her Nebraska Juniors 18 Black team charge through the 17/18 Open. The Elkhorn South star showed an uncanny ability to feed the hot hitter on her team, and there was no shortage of good options throughout the event. Tempo is a huge thing for 18 Black, too, and Woodin’s pace fits perfectly with their offense.</p> <p>On the same thread, we saw many more accomplished setters who thrive in an up-tempo offense. [player_tooltip player_id="37531" first="Abby" last="Schomers"] continues to thrive with Nebraska Elite 18 Omega and has the range to keep her hitters in rhythm on nearly any kind of pass. Her fellow Skutt SkyHawk, [player_tooltip player_id="59194" first="Morgan" last="Burke"], makes the same contributions in the Nebraska Elite gym with 17 Vici.</p> <p>Let’s keep going down the Nebraska Elite age ladder. On the 16s side, <strong>Molly Romano</strong> is such a natural leader for Nebraska Elite 16 Lokahi. This team just keeps improving and has the all-around talent to make some noise at any venue. I also got an extended look at 15 Matrix, where [player_tooltip player_id="155049" first="Peyton" last="Meyer"]’s aggressive setting style meshes well with her high-flying team.</p> [caption id="attachment_182175" align="alignright" width="488"]<img class="wp-image-182175" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/02/IMG_7667-crop-3962x2601-1646024982-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="488" height="321" /> Allick[/caption] <p>VCNebraska rolled out a couple two-setter systems that looked sharp on Sunday. For 18 Elite, [player_tooltip player_id="58796" first="Hannah" last="Allick"] and [player_tooltip player_id="58801" first="Karli" last="Symonsbergen"] seamlessly trade the setter spot and can locate the ball with great consistency. You can also enjoy watching the two-headed monster of [player_tooltip player_id="104989" first="Malayah" last="Long"] and [player_tooltip player_id="123535" first="Lauryn" last="England"] for VCN 17 Elite.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Eyes on the Endline</strong></p> <p>Now, let’s give a shoutout to the defensive specialists who just keep dominating at these Power Leagues.</p> <p>The aforementioned VCNebraska 17 Elite is lucky to have [player_tooltip player_id="109597" first="Paisley" last="Douglas"] constantly patrolling the backcourt from the libero spot. She obviously has plenty of championship experience on the high school side, and this 2024 prospect will be fun to follow for a long time.</p> <p>Strong backcourt duos became a theme at this event. For Nebraska Juniors 18 Black, their star defensive duo might actually be their two six-rotation pin hitters, [player_tooltip player_id="58786" first="Kylie" last="Weeks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="58799" first="Madilyn" last="Siebler"]. This pair thrives in absolutely every phase of the game, and it’s impossible not to give them credit for their contributions in floor defense and serve receive.</p> <p>How about a sister duo? They’re not on the same team, of course, but <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="58811" first="Katie" last="Galligan"]</strong> and Sarah Galligan were both in the gym for another Power League and gave onlookers plenty to cheer about. Natural libero skills run in the family sometimes.</p> <p>Premier 16 Gold continues to lean on the talented duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104984" first="Faith" last="Frame"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155037" first="Sierra" last="Pokharel"]</strong> to lock down the back row. Solid ball control has been a hallmark of many Premier teams over the years, and we may be seeing that trend evolve with 16 Gold.</p>