Northern Lights Qualifier Preview: FC Elite 16 Navy

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are in the deep end of Qualifier season! It's an exciting time as teams from across the country battle for bids to play in Chicago, IL in June and July. 15's and 16's teams will be in Minneapolis this weekend competing for bids in the American, Liberty, USA, and Open divisions. Personally, I can't wait to be in the gym with all this talent and witness some of the huge battles to come. 16 Open alone will host high-level "local" teams including Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold, MN Select 16-1, Madtown 161 National, Northern Lights 16-1, and Vital 16-1 Gold. And FC Elite 16 Navy which is the focus of this particular article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before I get into the arsenal of attackers on this team let's talk about the setters that run this squad. [player_tooltip player_id='178226' first='Madison' last='Tripp'] is the type of setter that keeps this team on a steady course. She makes magical things happen with her hands and moves the ball around quickly with consistent form making her hard to read. [player_tooltip player_id='178227' first='Alexa' last='Hernandez'] is a pro at setting against the flow and makes it hard for blockers to track the ball from set to attacker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The middle of the net is controlled by [player_tooltip player_id='178231' first='Campbell' last='Onell'], [player_tooltip player_id='178230' first='Eva' last='Wall-Perkins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='202186' first='Chloe' last='Parker']. Each of these middles have a different strength and style to score points. Onell is dominant in transition running behind the setter while Wall-Perkins is strong in transition in front of the setter. Parker is dangerous out of serve receive running a push ball out of her setter's quick release or she can put up a dominant block.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178224' first='Annika' last='Kowalski'] made a big showing for Xavier when they won the 2022 WIAA Division 2 Championship. Kowalski was a reliable attacker and has really taken that success and continued that momentum into her 16's season. Let's talk about some more pins like [player_tooltip player_id='202161' first='Kendra' last='Shimon'], like Kowalski, can put up an intimidating block. She mixes up her shots between a soft roll and a hard swing down the line which throws off the opposing defense. [player_tooltip player_id='178256' first='Kalyn' last='Schueller'] provides a similar skillset on the outside pin with the ability to reach high and hit over a small block or slice around the block. [player_tooltip player_id='178229' first='Maeve' last='Lasky'] is another long pin but she specializes on the right side. She takes a fast swing on a ball dying to crush a cross court shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='178222' first='Molly' last='Fischer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='178238' first='Ava' last='Patchett'] run the back row. Fischer brings a mature and calm demeanor to the backcourt while she steps into the gaps while making clean contact. Fischer and Patchett both step in to take the second ball with ease and nice clean hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking forward to seeing who they match up with this weekend!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->