Club Team Spotlight: Athena 16-1 Gold

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Athena 16-1 Gold team has started the season off with a bang. Of the eleven athletes on the team, eight played for various Athena teams last year, including, but not limited to, the 14-1 Gold team (Madi Andrews), the 15-1 Gold team (Addie Emerson, Hayden McGehee, Gabby Troche, and Addy Azavedo), and the 16-1 Gold team (Mia Hunt). This year's 16 Gold team is stacked with talent, and each athlete on the team is playing impressively so far. In the power league open division, which includes 17s and 18s teams, the 16 Gold team is currently ranked seventh - higher than any other 16s team in the open division. The team also won the 2023 Matt Hartner Memorial Classic tournament in January, dropping only one set all weekend. With that record, there's no doubt that this team's future is bright. Leading the 16 Gold team as head coach is Athena founder and director, Lena Chan. She is assisted by Grace Massey, former Oregon State University libero and OSU all-time dig leader.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["267156"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eOutside hitter Andrews, who currently sits at #1 for the class of 2026, is a stellar athlete who will undoubtedly help bring this team continued success. Andrews moves around the court effortlessly and uses a quick and explosive approach to consistently put the ball away. She is a smart player, too, and can place shots all over the court to score for her team. Andrews is steady in the back row, making her a strong six-rotation player. Her tough jump float serve adds to Andrews's very impressive skill set. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["257559"],"_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: 400u0022u003eAs the 16 Gold team's primary libero, Azavedo commands the back row. Her passes on serve receive are practically perfect; she combines solid technique with quick footwork to get to every serve. Azavedo is also incredible on defense, where she uses her super fast reaction time to pick up hard-driven attacks and move swiftly to cover her hitters. With Azavedo covering the back row, it will be hard for opponents to get many balls past Athena's defense. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["161836"],"_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: 400u0022u003ePutting up a wall on the right side is Emerson, whose impressive blocking stops outside hitters in their tracks. A lefty, Emerson's hitting is versatile and hard to track and defend, making her quite the weapon in the front row. Her approach is quick and explosive, and she reads the court well, which allows her to not only bury the ball but also place it well. Emerson's skills have understandably put her as the current #1 right side hitter for the class of 2025.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["161157"],"_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: 400u0022u003eHunt, who currently sits as the #2 recruit for the class of 2025 and the #1 setter, is an outstanding athlete and an all-around talented player. Hunt's most impressive attribute is her versatility, as she is able to play successfully as an outside hitter for Central Catholic, and then run her offense seamlessly as one of the setters for Athena. As a setter, Hunt combines her great hands with quick footwork to move her well-placed sets around and keep opponents on their toes. She will be a huge asset to her team throughout the season. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["267161"],"_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: 400u0022u003eAs a 6'2” six-rotation outside hitter, Ross puts up a massive and effective block defensively and uses her heavy and powerful arm swing to be an offensive weapon. Ross has great court vision, which she uses to find openings on the court and put the ball away consistently from anywhere in the front row. Like Andrews, Ross is only a freshman, making her high level play all the more impressive to watch. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["161843"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":320556,"_player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eTroche is one of the 16 Gold middle hitters, and she has started the season strong. Troche makes attacking from the middle look easy as she quickly gets to each set and uses her height and fast arm swing to hammer the ball away. Troche also moves well laterally to close at the pins and put up a big and powerful block. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63eb36857df50"} /-->