Wave Holds Off Late A5 Rally In Epic NIT 17s Battle
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In true “Wave” fashion and in a literal sense, it was back and forth, there was high tide and low tide, sometimes aggressive, and a little unpredictable. However in the end, it was Wave 17- Juliana who prevailed in an epic back and forth three set battle winning 17-15 to snag a win over previously undefeated A5 17 Jing.
In set one it was all Wave with Michigan commit Jenna Hanes Jenna Hanes 6'3" | MB Cathedral Catholic | 2024 State #76 Nation CA doing a little bit of everything. She started the match on a serving tear putting Wave up 10-4 and never looking back in set one.
Wave was able to control Kentucky commit Hannah Benjamin who was absolutely electric. With the aggressive serving from Wave, A5 found itself out of system where they consistently went to Benjamin. She had all the shots in the book and was a big reason behind A5 snagging set two, forcing a winner take all third set. Benjamin continued to score points in set three and even brought A5 to match point.
There was no quit in the girls from San Diego. It was a lot of balance and ball control. Hanes was dominant out of the middle, but the pins were lethal, using high IQ shots, tooling the block, and taking what the defense gave them to overcome a set three deficit to take the match.
Wave finishes the day 2-1 with wins over Houston Juniors and A5. A5 already has a Northern Lights Qualifier Open Championship under their belt and a bid to USAV 17 Open for 2023. The defending 16 Open AAU national champions also went 2-1 with wins over Premier Nebraska 17 Gold and OT 17 T Aaron.
More Names to Know
Maya Evens – Wave 17 Juliana
Class of 2024 – Libero
Evens was relentless, commander of the back row. A5 loves to push the pace of play and has an aggressive serve and Evens was extremely consistent in serve receive and had some big time digs coming from dangerous swings of Benjamin. She made sure to score a few points herself behind the service line. An essential part to setting the defensive tone for Wave
Grace Agolli – A5 17 Jing
Class of 2024 – Setter/Right Side – Committed to Cal
A5 is one of the more physically imposing teams in the field with a lineup full of athletes not only six feet tall, but athletes who are in the 6’4-6’6 range. Last name had plenty of big blocks and swings from the right side, she caused plenty of problems for Wave and will be key for A5 the rest of the weekend
Fallyn Blotzer Fallyn Blotzer 6'1" | OH Corona Santiago | 2025 State #16 Nation CA – Wave 17 Juliana
Class of 2025 – Outside Hitter
A new name has entered the Class of 2025 recruiting chat. Fallyn Blotzer Fallyn Blotzer 6'1" | OH Corona Santiago | 2025 State #16 Nation CA is an electric outside hitter for Wave playing up on their 17s squad. At 6’1, she’s long, athletic and has a high contact point. She plays with fire and a big smile. Her intangibles are extremely positive for her side of the net and has shown she is one to watch throughout the weekend and this qualifier season as coaches start to find out about this dynamic athlete.