Club Spotlight: Elite Sports

<p>Ohio has a lot of great volleyball clubs and Elite Sports is definitely on the list. They are located in Uniontown, Ohio and currently in their 10th year of training.  They have a small but efficient facility with 3 courts, a cafe, and a team store. They get a lot of stuff done in a small amount of time during practice. Brandon Thewes is the Director of Volleyball operations as well as coach for the 16 and 17 elite teams. He does a great job on keeping the practices moving and pushing his players to work hard and focus on key drills to prepare them for tournaments. I had a chance to stop into their practice facility and sit in on their elite tier practices. I have to say I liked what I saw. The athletes were keyed in and practicing like it was game day. I spoke to a few of the 17 elite players and they were excited to be leaving that weekend for a tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC (Clash at the Coast). They felt that they were prepared and had a great shot at winning the whole thing.</p> <p>17 Elite is a team full of energy and talent. They are quick and setters Mallory Fluharty and Sophia Minor are able to run their offense and get the ball to their hitters to score. They are stacked with hitters, using pins Ashley Cudnick, Mia Schindewolf, and [player_tooltip player_id="114563" first="Ellie" last="Zuro"] to get up high and consistently put the ball on the floor. The Middles for this Elite team; Natalie Maiorana, Jaymes Gilbert and Kendra Klusch are quick and able to get a good swing on the ball as well as get up and put pressure on the other teams hitters. The backrow for Elite cannot be overlooked, their passing keeps this team in system and lets them to do what needs to be done. Libero Kalie Campbell and DS Haley Futrell seem to be everywhere on the court. They are able to get to the ball and pass in system consistently making it easy for their setters to run the offense.</p> <p>I followed the team as they competed in the Clash at the Coast and I have to say, the training they did really paid off. They made it to the championship match, going in undefeated against another undefeated Fusion 18 Elite team. The girls battled but came up just shy of the win. It was great watching them at their practice facility and then in a tournament, there was no difference. They take to heart the old saying "You play how you practice". I am excited to see them more throughout the season, I expect this will not be the last championship match they will see. They are focused and well trained and I am sure that they have the attention of many of the scouts.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>