Kaizen Classic 15s-18s: Top Players
We are in Tulsa for the Kaizen Classic. Quite a few of the top teams were out of state this weekend. Shoutout to a few teams that did well at the prestigious President’s Day Classic in St. Louis: Charge 15…
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Continue ReadingWe are in Tulsa for the Kaizen Classic. Quite a few of the top teams were out of state this weekend. Shoutout to a few teams that did well at the prestigious President’s Day Classic in St. Louis: Charge 15 UA finished 15th, TPV 15-1 and Peak 15-1 both finished 3rd overall. Peak 16-1 finished 5th overall and UPVBC 17 Open finished 3rd overall. Solid outings against top-notch competition from all over the US. Let’s take a look at some players that stood out here in Tulsa.
15s–
Ella Ramsey #7 OH for OC 15 Elite. OC 15 Elite was seeded 5th overall and got the upset over #4 FSC Cougars 15-1 out of Wichita, Kansas. They went on to the gold bracket where they finished 7th overall. Ella is a big reason this team does as well as they do. She is a 6-rotation impact player that has some serious power in her swing for a freshman. I look for her to continue to gain control of the ball and start to hit at a higher efficiency each tournament.
Jayden Smith #17 OH for Virago 15-1. Virago 15-1 was seeded 2nd overall and went on to win the championship. They did not drop a set all tournament and held their opponents to an average of 15.5 points per set. Jayden played extremely well in this tournament. She hit a .280 for the entire tournament.
Mia Johnson #3 OH for Kaizen 15 Black. Kaizen 15 Black went on to finish 5th overall in the gold bracket. Their only two losses were to first and second overall seeds. Mia is a threat from any area on the court. She hits out the back row, from the left side, and even from the right side if needed. She also did a good job playing defense when she was in the back row to keep balls alive.
Brooklyn Hicks #24 MB for Virago 15-1. Brooklyn had some absolute monstrous kills when the blockers didn’t get up in time. She moved along the net well, hitting a variety of tempos and sets to keep opposing blockers guessing. She hit an outstanding .371 for the entire tournament.
16s–
Ashley Thompson #1 DS for Virago 16-1. Virago 16-1 went a perfect 5-0 on the day and took home the gold bracket championship. Ashley is such a large part of their success. She is a hard-working DS that also leads with her voice. She is not scared to get loud during the play and after when her teams scores.
17/18s–
Raegan Reeves #36 Setter for OC 17 Elite. OC 17 Elite finished as the runner up of the gold bracket. Coming in as the lowest seed in gold, they upset the #1 seed in a thrilling 3 set victory. Raegan is a natural leader on the court. She works hard to track down every ball possible.
Grace Van Meir Grace Van Meir 5'4" | DS/L Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK #2 DS for Kaizen 17 Black. Kaizen 17 Black finished 3rd in the gold bracket after being knocked out of the tournament by Kaizen 18 Black. She is ranked as the 7th best DS in the 2023 class. It looks like she will continue to move up that list.
Tournament host, Kaizen, had 18 Black win the 17/18 division, 16 Black make the championship, and Kaizen 15 Black almost upset the #1 team in the 15s division and finish 5th. Virago took home the hardware though, with 14s, 15s, and 16s all winning the championships in their divisions. They had a combined 35-3 record in sets throughout the entire tournament.