2023 Club Profile: Five:1 15 Black
The key for any club team is to see growth throughout the season and be playing your best at the end of the year. Five:1 15 Black is on the right trajectory through the opening months of the 2023 season.…
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Continue ReadingThe key for any club team is to see growth throughout the season and be playing your best at the end of the year.
Five:1 15 Black is on the right trajectory through the opening months of the 2023 season.
While taking some tough losses early, this team has started to find its identity in recent weeks, leading to some big wins.
Five:1 15 Black
This squad is coached by Tiffany Sayles and has a nice mixture of talent from around various areas of the state.
Five:1 is putting a lot of trust in the hands of Ava Boldman, as she is the lone libero listed on the squad. The Lansing Catholic product is a very driven player and definitely brings the scrappiness needed for the position.
She is joined on the roster by fellow Lansing Catholic talent Chloe Reece, on the outside. Reece has a very balanced game and can be a defensive asset as well. The same goes for Meghan Weiss, who can play the outside or shift to DS. From Oxford, Weiss has a lot of ball-handling skill that should help this team stay in-system throughout the club system.
Also on the outside is Addison Dunning Addison Dunning 5'7" | OH Davison | 2026 State MI out of Davison and Lily Sukup Lily Sukup 5'10" | OH Goodrich | 2026 State MI out of Goodrich. Sukup saw some action for the Goodrich varsity program this season, which was a great learning experience for her. She’s got a nice first step and is improving daily with her swing. Dunning is in the same boat, as she was part of the Davison varsity squad that won a district title. She is explosive off the floor and looks to have the potential to be a complete six-rotation player.
In the middle, Darby Crystal provides some size and length for 15 Black. Also out of the Davison program, Crystal is the only player on the roster listed over 6 feet (6’1”). She also brings the top jump touch of 9’4”.
Joining her in the middle is Tasia Williams out of Carman-Ainsworth. Williams got varsity experience this year as well and was able to move to the outside for the Cavaliers as well. Though just 5’9”, she is able to play long with a lot of lift off the floor.
Avery Benson is a middle and RS option for 15 Black from the DeWitt program. Her ability to play both positions provides a little flexibility with the lineup to best match their opponents.
Handling all the offensive options will be setters Myla Lasley and Allison Rutledge. Lasley comes from Birch Run, while Rutledge is part of the Lapeer program. Both are well-coached players with a lot of technical skills that are trying to add new dimensions to their game and pick up their overall tempo.
It’s was a rocky start for 15 Black thus far, but they have also been challenging themselves against some top talent.
The JVA Rock ‘N Rumble saw them earn a nice 3-set win before getting a bit overwhelmed by top programs like Legacy.
They picked up a few more wins in the Central Zone Invite, including a win over Unified 15-1 to pick up some confidence.
That led to this past weekend where Five:1 came through with a runner-up showing in the 15 Open of the President’s Day Battle of the Ohio Valley.
The real highlight was a three-set semifinal win over CHiX 15-Pink in which 15 Black dropped the opening set 25-13 and bounced back to win 25-21, 15-13.
This team is showing quick growth and a lot of grit, which should lead to bigger things ahead.