Club Team Spotlight: Excel NW 16 Lux

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although the Excel NW 16 Lux team had a tough start to the season in their first open power league tournament where they went 2-3, the team has since made a turnaround and has shown that they should not be underestimated. In the second open tournament, the 16 Lux team went 4-1, pushing themselves into 20th place in the open division. At the 2023 Matt Hartner Memorial Classic, they finished 13th out of 152 teams. And, most recently at the NW Juniors Presidents' Day Tournament, 16 Lux went 9-1 to take second in the 18 open division. The team's steady improvement throughout the season has been impressive. The 16 Lux athletes are coached by Leanna Ludes, a former University of San Francisco player and Portland State University assistant coach, and Alyssa Balducci, who previously assistant coached the UC Berkeley Women's Club Volleyball team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["161852"],"_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":328777,"_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: 400u0022u003eAs a three-rotation outside hitter, Baird makes her presence known from the front row whenever she is on the court. Jumping high and swinging hard, Baird does an excellent job of putting the ball away or swinging high off of her opponents' hands. She tools off the block and hits through it well, managing to score for her team frequently whenever she gets a set. 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Pedersen is one of those middles, and she is quite the weapon for this team. Standing at 6'1”, Pedersen uses her height well to put up a massive block. She has great court vision, too, which she uses to make smart plays when she isn't putting the ball away with a full swing. Pedersen's heavy arm allows her to bury the ball deep into the court, and she is quick and reaches high to get overpassed balls. Her strong float serve makes Pedersen successful from the baseline, too.  u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["290227"],"_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: 400u0022u003eThe 16 Lux team's other middle hitter, Stephen, is, like Pedersen, a key component for this team's success. Stephen combines quick footwork, great timing with her setter ([player_tooltip player_id='264190' first='Mia' last='Thorburn']), and a fast arm swing to put the ball away. At 6'2”, Stephen also uses her height to put up a massive block. Both Stephen and Pedersen are only freshmen, and their futures as front row weapons are bright! u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":328850,"_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Gabriella (Ella) Thompson","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Camas","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"Excel NW","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eThompson, another stellar freshman on the 16 Lux team, is a six-rotation outside hitter who has played impressively this season. Thompson has an incredibly quick arm swing and a great vertical that she uses to hammer the ball. She also adjusts well to different sets that she receives and hits off of the block well, even from the back row. Thompson is also a skilled passer on serve receive and defense, and from the baseline she has a tough float jump serve. Thompson will be an athlete to watch over the next few years. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["264190"],"_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 the 16 Lux setter, Thorburn does a great job of running her team's offense. 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