Central Zone Invitational Preview: 17 Open

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the tri-state area's best early-season events is this next weekend in Indy in the Central Zone Invitational. Here are some of the top-seeded teams from the greater Cincy area and some of their athletes to see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami</strong><br>The top seed in the event, this team features some of the area's best prep prospects in the 2024 class, with all committed athletes heading to Division I programs. They have the tools to compete with good depth and variety in their arsenal. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='107399' first='Julia' last='Hunt'] (Washington commit) and pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='114565' first='Sydney' last='Barrett'] (Denver commit) are among the best in Kentucky and Ohio respectively with others that contribute well in their roles. Uncommitted prospects include middle [player_tooltip player_id='107434' first='Lilly' last='Hamburg'], a nice complement to Hunt with an improved quality to her game offensively that is matching more the strength of her defense at the net. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='139272' first='Abby' last='Yoder'] is coming off of a recent injury and working her way back to form as she has been the primary setter for this team for a couple of seasons. [player_tooltip player_id='107418' first='Macy' last='Lentz'] is also improving the quality of her setting and distribution overall following a good season as the floor leader for St. Henry this past fall. She has good tools in her athleticism and overall skill set to contribute in the setting phase as well as with her ball control and big arm at the net offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 17 Blue</strong><br>The 3rd seed overall to open up the event on Saturday, this squad is loaded with many garnering a lot of recruiting attention that will see them compete at some of the best programs in the future. [player_tooltip player_id='260892' first='Kiana' last='Dinn'] is a Pitt commit and is one of the most versatile athletes in the area with her ability to set the ball, pass and play defense, and elevate and score with her arm. Ohio State commit [player_tooltip player_id='114599' first='Reese' last='Wuebker'] is a highly touted threat at the pin and gets a lot of attention from opposing defenses, but their depth helps create space for her to do her thing very dynamically. Uncommitted [player_tooltip player_id='114578' first='Dakota' last='Henry'] is one of the best liberos in this class in Ohio and ignites a team effort that can produce high quality touches in serve receive and defensively. [player_tooltip player_id='114568' first='Addy' last='Brus'] on the pin has nice hops, can generate good pace, and has increased her stock following a very good high school season for St. Ursula. Uncommitted middle [player_tooltip player_id='114573' first='Molly' last='Dorger'] is already showing the increased impact she is making on both sides of the ball as she has improved the efficiency of her movement to attack aggressively as well as get up well in front of opposing attackers when blocking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AVC 17 Red</strong><br>This team enters the event as the #4 seed overall and brings with them good athleticism collectively and a lot of high level competitive experience from the high school season as they feature some of the best Ohio talent from the greater Cleveland area. The 6'3 pin presence of [player_tooltip player_id='139300' first='Alexa' last='Strandberg'] is worth a good look and evaluation given her ability to contact high and swing with good power and range. [player_tooltip player_id='139302' first='Sydney' last='Waller'] also has good length on the pins at 6'2 and upgrades the depth for this team after switching clubs from last season. Both of these prospects are listed as uncommitted. Also uncommitted and worth a good look is [player_tooltip player_id='114591' first='Emily' last='Ragon'] in the middle. She has an aggressive arm and when on time through quick options around the setter she can generate good arm speed and pace on contact. This team has the potential for great ball control that includes the improved quality of first contact production from libero Avery Anders and pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='114595' first='Julia' last='Sprecher'] (LSU Beach commit). Add in the arrival of all-Ohio setter [player_tooltip player_id='169128' first='Hannah' last='Pattie'] (Campbell commit) and the quality at each position has this team poised to accomplish big things this club season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other OH/KY teams to see (Seed/Team Name):</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#5 KIVA 17 Red</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#8 Mintonette m.71</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#9 [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 17 Ulland</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#13 ROCKC 17-1</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#14 Maverick 17 Elite</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#15 Union 17-1 UA</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#16 TVC 17-Black</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#19 OPVC 17 Day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#20 NOVA Jrs 17 Navy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#26 Lex United 17 Adidas</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#27 MAVA Adidas 17-Select</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->