Shut Down Blockers at MEQs: 17 Open

The biggest names of the club scene across the country came head to head in one of the hottest tournaments of the year. The Mid-East Qualifiers saw the heaviest of heavy weights walk into the ring of the convention center with one goal in mind. A bid to Junior Nationals in July. Monster blocks, mega rallies, and bombs aplenty, they were all you could want here in Indianapolis. Texas Advantage Volleyball club took the ultimate crown at MEQs and walked away totally unscathed somehow, with a 10-0 record. But they had to muster their way through some pretty tough blockers to get there. Here are some of the top shut down blockers in the 17 Open at MEQs. [player_tooltip player_id="66291" first="Laurece" last="Abraham"] (2023) | 6’2 MB | Legacy I could talk [player_tooltip player_id="66291" first="Laurece" last="Abraham"] for days! Especially with how well she performed in Indianapolis, there’s not enough good things to say. She was unstoppable this weekend. Abraham’s block was on point every single match and her attacking was fearless. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="66313" first="Erin" last="Kline"] could not get her the ball enough, especially on that slide! https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1508126684788281352?s=20&t=pxnUozJ0lOEGUgIQJRI-Zw [player_tooltip player_id="141120" first="Reese" last="Robins"] (2023) | 6’5 MB | Drive Nation There’s not much you can do when you see [player_tooltip player_id="141120" first="Reese" last="Robins"] across the net. She’s already towering over you, but then you see her jump and it’s game over. The Louisville commit was superb at MEQs from start to finish. Robins’ blocking is elite and I don’t believe I witnessed anyone stop her from scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="141125" first="Leah" last="Ford"] (2023) | 6’2 MB | Drive Nation Ya, you don’t get a break after Robins subs out because here comes [player_tooltip player_id="141125" first="Leah" last="Ford"]. She can elevate just as high if not higher than her counter part and she’s just as deadly. Another elite blocker for Drive Nation, there’s never a time an opponent isn’t faced with a wall on this side of the net. https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1507439901364654111?s=20&t=pxnUozJ0lOEGUgIQJRI-Zw [player_tooltip player_id="66334" first="Neele’ge’" last="Sims"] (2023) | 6’1 MB | Michigan Elite Passing woes for Michigan Elite limited the amount of time we got to see this middle duo in action, but when they were called upon, they delivered. [player_tooltip player_id="66334" first="Neele’ge’" last="Sims"] is continuing to have a dominant season. Her blocking is vastly improving with every viewing and her attacking keeps reaching another level it seems. [player_tooltip player_id="173600" first="Sawyer" last="Jones"] (2023) | 6’1 MB | Michigan Elite Opposite of Sims, [player_tooltip player_id="173600" first="Sawyer" last="Jones"] plays a very similar game and is also seeing the same trajectory as her counterpart. Throughout the weekend you not only saw Jones in her typical middle position, but you saw her in some passing formations and swinging from the pins on occasion. Jones was a huge team player for Elite. [player_tooltip player_id="141128" first="Hannah" last="Pfiffner"] (2023) | 6’1 MB | TAV Another elite blocker out of the Dallas area, [player_tooltip player_id="141128" first="Hannah" last="Pfiffner"] was shutting down every dream for the MEQ crown while leading her team to it. Particularly in the championship, Pfiffner was critical in the victory over Circle City. She was able to do what no one could do all weekend and that was slow down Chloe Chicoine, a note definitely worth mentioning. https://x.com/LineShotVBall/status/1508148966055198725?s=20&t=pxnUozJ0lOEGUgIQJRI-Zw [player_tooltip player_id="73493" first="Kaitlyn" last="Sellner"] (2023) | 6’2 MB | Northern Lights Speaking of impressive slide attackers from MEQs, [player_tooltip player_id="73493" first="Kaitlyn" last="Sellner"] for Northern Lights put on a show too. Her slide was deadly, but she also was terminal off of two feet in front of the setter too! Sellner’s block was intense and gave fits to many attackers throughout Lights’ run. [player_tooltip player_id="172392" first="Mehlayna" last="Straub"] (2023) | 6’0 MB | Northern Lights Yet, another middle duo, [player_tooltip player_id="172392" first="Mehlayna" last="Straub"] was as impressive as her teammate, Sellner. She’s a smaller middle blocker, but with her kind of hops, it really cancels out. Straub elevates and does so in breakneck speed. With her speed, she was able to beat out a lot of defenders in her way. [player_tooltip player_id="108666" first="Kaia" last="Caffee"] (2024) | 6’4 MB | MN Select Add another elite middle blocker out of the state of 10,000 lakes, [player_tooltip player_id="108666" first="Kaia" last="Caffee"] was an eye-popping player to watch. She’s a big leaper and can cover a lot of space in the air. Her blocking was very impressive and deemed trouble for a lot of attackers. Caffee was almost always available in transition and terminated at a high velocity.