Standout Squad Peak 15EP

We are going to talk about Peak 15EP, which is their top team at that age, and how dominate they were this past weekend. They played up into the 16s age division looking for more competitive matches to push themselves. This is a special team that is eyeing nationals and what it takes to get there. I was lucky enough to speak with head coach, Jeff Boyland, this week. He is pushing them to understand both, the skills and strategy on their side of the net and what the other side of the net is capable of and is doing. Understanding and playing the game of volleyball at a higher level mentally.   This team reminds me very much of last years 15s teams that went on to represent Oklahoma well on the national stage. TPV 15-1 and coach Boyland's Peak 15EP team both earned a bid to the USA division at the USAV Girl's Junior National Championships. Both teams finished impressively, both tied for 5th overall! The three losses the two teams combined for, came at the hands of teams who finished in the top 3 and in the 3rd sets 13-15 and 12-15. They were that close to being in and possibly winning a national championship.   <h2>SOME POWERFUL PLAYERS</h2>   I believe with the top tier coaching they will receive, the starting point I witnessed here in Tulsa this weekend and the competition level they get to see in their practice gym, this team will earn another national bid and finish even higher than last year. This is one of the most dominating performances I have seen a team put together when moving up a division. This team is made up of 10 great players from 9 different schools. Lets look at a few of the players that stood out to me.   [player_tooltip player_id='301380' first='Olivia' last='Branum'] #7, Setter. She attends Westmoore High School. She is the real deal folks. Her skills are not freshman level. She has great rhythm and timing in her jump setting. Her neutrality of her hands and body position makes life rough for a blocker. She is not just skilled in setting, she plays front row and works just as hard up there. I was very impressed by her play and look forward to covering her for years to come.   [player_tooltip player_id='284928' first='Annie' last='Hopkins'] #9, Middle Blocker. She attends Edmond Memorial High School. Being a starting middle for the 6A state champs this year was just the beginning to her career. She has the ability to put together a long and illustrious high school career. With most of the firepower returning, Edmond Memorial will be right back in the mix next year as well. Annie has some eye popping swings each match that definitely get the crowd to make some faces that are worth watching.   [player_tooltip player_id='297088' first='Valyn' last='Donahoo'] #8, Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker. She attends Norman North High School. Valyn is physically someone the other team looks at across the net and thinks "yeah we are in trouble". She has the frame and build to become extremely good in the years to come. She will continue to add to her range and blocking prowess. She will be making a splash for Norman North High School in the near future. She may be one of those cornerstone players for them going forward to build around.   [player_tooltip player_id='274669' first='Presley' last='Schrader'] #4, Outside Hitter. She attends Community Christian High School. Her versatility allows her to impact every team she plays for. Having high school teammates like [player_tooltip player_id='156859' first='Landry' last='Braziel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='156864' first='Victoria' last='Gray'] will be great resources for her hitting abilities. She was able to libero for them this season because she has such good discipline in her platform and IQ of the game. Being around these high caliber club teammates is some of the truest "Iron sharpens Iron" lifestyle for her. She will continue the Community Christian tradition going strong.     It was awesome to see this team this past weekend. This team is loaded with more talent that I listed. I am hoping I am able to catch them later in the season and see the growth I believe is coming for all of them.

We are going to talk about Peak 15EP, which is their top team at that age, and how dominate they were this past weekend. They played up into the 16s age division looking for more competitive matches to push themselves. This is a special team that is eyeing nationals and what it takes to get there. I was lucky enough to speak with head coach, Jeff Boyland, this week. He is pushing them to understand both, the skills and strategy on their side of the net and what the other side of the net is capable of and is doing. Understanding and playing the game of volleyball at a higher level mentally.