Bluegrass Preview: 16 Open, Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are plenty of athletes from Indiana playing in the Bluegrass two-day tourney this weekend in 16 Open. Let's break down some of these teams and talk about a couple of players from each that should be turning heads this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Munciana 16 Blaze, PP1, Court 67 at 0800</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Munciana's top 16s team has a favorable draw Saturday morning. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155089' first='Lilly' last='Howell'] ('25, 6-2 MB, jersey #6)</strong> will use her size to her advantage, as her length not only dictates her defensive game, but makes blocks irrelevant on the attack. She also covers from pin to pin with ease. Another high-end defender from Yorktown, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155213' first='Addi' last='Applegate'] ('25, 5-5 DS/L, jersey #1)</strong> runs the show in the back row on this roster. Her quiet feet, great anticipation and consistent play keep this squad competitive regularly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>NIVA 16 Purple, P1, Court 48 at 0900</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away from the power pools by twenty or so courts, the remainder of the 16 Open division should be quite competitive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192110' first='Claire' last='Payne'] ('25, 6-1 MB)</strong> is a two-footed attacker who has M2 aspirations written all over her. She's strong, broad-shouldered, and jumps well enough to pick and choose the angles she wants to attack. I'm also a fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192109' first='Ella' last='Watford'] ('25, 5-6 DS/L, jersey #8)</strong>, whose quick and athletic play gets her to every ball. This is a kid that could easily pass half the court, as she plays much taller than her 5-6 frame dictates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Union 16-1 UA, P1, Court 48 at 0800</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of NIVA's competitors in pool 1 on Saturday morning should give them a run in the ball control department. A pair of Silver Creek athletes, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='286982' first='Ava' last='Kopf'] ('25, 5-4 DS/L, jersey #8), </strong>make this team solid in every phase of the game. Ava's ball control expertise is coupled with the size of fellow high school teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='302203' first='Brooklynn' last='Renn'] ('26, 6-3 OH, jersey #4).</strong> Her size sticks out immediately, and she projects to play either pin at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Academy 16E Yeti, P2, Court 47 at 0800</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top 16s team at Academy have a ton of talent to spare. They should be led by their ultra-athletic outsides, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='221198' first='Brynn' last='Berndt'] ('25, 5-10 OH, jersey #2)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152940' first='Abby' last='Kaminski'] ('25, 5-10 OH, jersey #12). </strong>Brynn is a springy athlete that could play either pin at the next level, while Miss Kaminski hits a heavier ball and terminates at will as a six-rotation outside. Both should dictate play (and success) for this roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->