Breaking Down Top Pin Hitters in the LPS Classic Gold Bracket

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another pin hitter feature!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I mentioned in our review of <a href="https://prepdig.com/2022/09/outside-hitters-light-up-the-harvest-festival-invite/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://prepdig.com/2022/09/outside-hitters-light-up-the-harvest-festival-invite/">Harvest Festival pin hitters</a> that we had a lot of tournament volleyball to discuss. The morning after my trek out west to Gothenburg, I visited Lincoln Southeast for bracket play in the annual LPS Volleyball Classic. It's no surprise that this event featured some impressive firepower, and we're going to start breaking it down here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, just like yesterday, here are a few pin hitters to follow in the wake of last weekend's tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Power on the Pin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First off, we give a nod to the event's champion, Omaha Marian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We kept harping on the idea that the Crusaders could enter 2022 with some extra energy, and that has absolutely materialized. You can see it in the way Marian's pin hitters fearlessly attack the ball and work hard on the defensive end. Several different pin hitters have contributed for the Crusaders this year, but veterans like [player_tooltip player_id='171639' first='Amanda' last='Draper'] and [player_tooltip player_id='171638' first='Ashley' last='Wilwerding'] really stepped up for the LPS Classic. Then there's [player_tooltip player_id='59204' first='Amanda' last='Loschen'], whose native position is middle blocker but can take plenty of first-ball swings on the left pin. After Marian spent some time adjusting to youth and inexperience for the past couple of seasons, the Crusaders now have a formidable veteran core that can make a serious push at a state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1571149823738511362?s=20u0026t=MLU8K_9PKmaQkgYxa8UJNA","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1571149823738511362?s=20&amp;t=MLU8K_9PKmaQkgYxa8UJNA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's address the LPS Classic runner-up. Lincoln Southwest had a few question marks this fall after some pin hitter graduations from last year's team, but the Silver Hawks have now left little doubt that they're still a top-tier Class A competitor. Talent on the pins still abounds for this squad, and the senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='59196' first='Brinly' last='Christensen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='83540' first='Alexa' last='Gobel'] brought a lot of the heat over the weekend. Veteran leadership at the outside hitter spot seems to be a good omen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But, we can't leave some younger stars out of this discussion. [player_tooltip player_id='155044' first='Elle' last='Heckenlively'] has switched to the left-side hitter position for Gretna and takes on a variety of new responsibilities in serve receive and floor defense. As we've discussed before, this kind of change is a clever way to get Heckenlively involved in the offense as much as possible. It's looking good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1571136903281541120?s=20u0026t=MLU8K_9PKmaQkgYxa8UJNA","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1571136903281541120?s=20&amp;t=MLU8K_9PKmaQkgYxa8UJNA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norris is also building up some young pin-hitting talent to complement the experience of attackers like [player_tooltip player_id='59203' first='Gracie' last='Kircher'] and right-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='105000' first='Celia' last='Spilker']. Club teammates [player_tooltip player_id='155030' first='Anna' last='Jelinek'] and [player_tooltip player_id='189322' first='Kendall' last='Cose'] have embraced their roles on the pins and fit in well with the Titans' unique system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":227779,"width":471,"height":309,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/IMG_0088-scaled-crop-1540x1011-1663612907.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-227779" width="471" height="309"/><figcaption>Kircher attacks for Norris at the 2022 LPS Classic.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another bunch of Titans visited the LPS Classic alongside Norris. Papillion-La Vista South deployed a variety of personnel throughout the weekend, allowing us to get an extended look at a few new faces. [player_tooltip player_id='171634' first='Shealie' last='Wiebers'] has taken on a bigger role this year at the opposite position, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='189347' first='Chloe' last='Livingston'] got involved on the left pin throughout the tournament. Of course, [player_tooltip player_id='109585' first='Lauren' last='Medeck'] still looms large in all six rotations. After seeing these lineup variations at the LPS Classic, it will be fascinating to follow the development of Papio South's pins as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't forget about our other Papio school. Papillion-La Vista have produced some strong moments in early-season action, and [player_tooltip player_id='109602' first='Morgan' last='Glaser'] is leading the way in the kill column. Also of note is [player_tooltip player_id='110201' first='Anna' last='Sis'], who is having the most efficient stretch of her career up to this point of the 2022 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln East represented LPS well at this tournament. No surprises there. [player_tooltip player_id='104986' first='Shandy' last='Faalii'] has continued her feature role in the Spartans' offense, but juniors [player_tooltip player_id='109612' first='Megan' last='Waters'] and [player_tooltip player_id='187800' first='Brynne' last='Topolski'] are also finding a groove to help Lincoln East establish some nice balance on the pins. The battle between East and Southwest to be the top team in the Star City is only just getting started, and the pin-hitting matchups will remain a major storyline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We might as well stay in Lincoln to talk about Pius X's performance at this event. The Thunderbolts are discovering a little balance of their own with [player_tooltip player_id='171629' first='Lanie' last='Brott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='187810' first='Sidda' last='Hagedorn'] anchoring the outside attack. Unsurprisingly, this pair has also demonstrated some stout defensive skills and will make Pius X an intimidating team to score against.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->