Club Team Spotlight: Excel NW 18-1 Lux

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's Excel NW 18-1 Lux team has big shoes to fill after last season's 18-1s team finished in the top 3 in the region. Despite that pressure, this year's team is chock-full of talent and will be a team to follow. Several of this season's 18-1 athletes are returners to the club, many of whom played on the also successful Excel NW 16-1 Rox team last year. Of the team's 11 athletes, 8 play high school volleyball in Washington State, while the other 3 play in Oregon. Two of the team's athletes are already committed to play in college: [player_tooltip player_id='97304' first='Paige' last='Stepaniuk'] to Portland State University, and [player_tooltip player_id='97311' first='Cami' last='Young'] to California Lutheran University. The team will be led by veteran Excel NW coaches Lisa and Gary VanSickle, as well as former Excel NW athlete and recent Corban University graduate Sarena Bartley.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will be highlighting some of the Excel NW 18-1 Lux athletes to watch this season below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["126196"],"_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":287934,"_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: 400u0022u003eAdamo can do it all from the front row with her school and club experience as an outside, opposite, and middle hitter. She combines quick footwork, an incredibly explosive and high vertical, and a fast arm swing to hammer away at the ball. Standing at nearly 6'0”, Adamo also uses her height effectively to put up a solid block. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["97317"],"_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: 400u0022u003eHarris is one of the returning setters and defensive specialists from the highly successful 2022 Excel NW 18-1 team. She is quick to the ball and places her sets well, which will certainly be an asset for her team's offense this year. Harris also does an excellent job of moving her sets around the court to keep other teams on their toes. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["259072"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eSetter McCoy does an excellent job running a fast offense, sending low, quick, and precise sets to each of her attackers. She also has solid court vision and is able to dump the ball precisely into the openings on the other side of the court. McCoy is not only talented as a setter, but she is also a strong right side attacker and swings deep into the back of the court. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["249298"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":249106,"_player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eHitting primarily from the middle, Pernsteiner is a powerful attacker and blocker. Pernsteiner is a dynamic athlete who can hit from any front row position, and although she's a bit undersized for a middle hitter, she has an impressive vertical that allows her to put up a big block. Pernsteiner's heavy and fast arm swing also makes her an offensive weapon. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["97313"],"_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: 400u0022u003eSchoene uses her height, fast and heavy arm, and athleticism to put the ball away as an outside and middle hitter. She also uses her great court vision to switch up her swings and alternate between hammering the ball and roll shotting it into openings on the court. Schoene will likely be a huge asset offensively to the 18-1 Lux team.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["97304"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eStepaniuk, who is already committed to play at Portland State University next year, is a disciplined passer who combines her solid technique with her athleticism and quickness to make perfect passes on serve receive and defense. In addition to her defensive talent, Stepaniuk is also effective as an attacker, jumping high and swinging deep to score. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63b9f9f1ecad8"} /-->