Club Team Spotlight: Aspire NW 18-1 Empire

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming out of Vancouver, WA, is the high level Aspire NW 18-1 Empire team. The club's 18s team finished 8th in the region last year, so this year's team had big shoes to fill. Despite that pressure, the Empire team is already doing an excellent job. They finished third in the 2023 Matt Hartner Memorial Classic, falling in only two matches all weekend and finishing closely behind the top ranked OJVA 18-1 Gold team. In the open division of the CEVA Power League, the Aspire NW 18-1s are currently ranked ninth, showing that they have potential to remain a top ten team in the region this season. The team is coached by Aspire NW director and Jefferson High School head coach Shyanna Davis, Mary Patricia Jayne, and Jourdan Wenzinger, who assisted the 2022 18-1s team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["91360"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":305728,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eAs a six-rotation athlete for Nelson High School, Christopher is a force from the right side. She uses a fast arm swing to hit deep into the court, and she puts a lot of power behind her attacks. Christopher is also quick on defense and uses her athleticism to pick up some tricky or hard-driven shots. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["91340"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eComing to Aspire NW from Athena is setter Fast, whose athleticism and quickness help her live up to her name. Fast is committed to Eastern Oregon University and for good reason: She has great footwork and is able to get her hands on nearly every pass, and each of her sets are placed with great precision. Fast also reads the court well, allowing her to make plays on two to open court. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":305727,"_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Sierra Hale","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Damascus Christian School","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"Aspire NW","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eHale, who dominated the 1A league at Damascus Christian School this past season as a setter and outside hitter, is an all-around talented player who will likely play as the main libero for the Aspire NW 18-1s this season. Hale is super steady on serve receive, but she shines defensively. Her reactions are quick, and she does a great job getting to each ball to put up playable digs for her team. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["91378"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eWilson has made her way back onto the court following an ACL injury, and the Aspire 18-1s team is fortunate to reap the benefits of her return. Wilson has some serious hops, which she combines with an explosive approach and a fast arm swing to bury the ball deep into the court from any position in the front row. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["207480"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eAnother commit to Eastern Oregon University, Womack is an outside hitter with quick footwork, an incredibly impressive vertical, and a fast and powerful arm swing that is hard to defend against. Womack is also steady defensively and on serve receive, making her a solid six-rotation option for this 18s team. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63d749167c847"} /-->