What Iowa Teams Are Taking On 16 Open?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>March and April brings plenty of opportunities for Iowa athletes to compete against the top teams in the country.  I was able to see Adrenaline 16 Doug out of Cedar Rapids take the MidEast Qualifier by storm where they came in as the 32nd seed and finished in the top ten where they beat some top teams along the way, with plenty of college coaches coming to the courts throughout the weekend.  This past weekend I was able to see Adrenaline, Iowa PowerPlex 515, and IPVA do the same at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Minneapolis while more Iowa teams will take on the open field this weekend in Kansas City.  Here is a look at the Iowa teams competing at the open level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639297125962985475?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639297125962985475?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adrenaline 16 Doug</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had a feeling this team would turn some heads at the Mideast Qualifier in Indianapolis, but I don't think others outside of the state were quite ready for them.  This team is full of extremely dynamic, multisport athletes.  [player_tooltip player_id='215385' first='Chloe' last='Meester'] is one who draws plenty of attention with the likes of all of the Iowa schools, Creighton, Stanford, Virginia, and other Big Ten and Big 12 schools seeing what the 6'2 outside hitter can do.  Her game continues to improve each time she takes the court.  [player_tooltip player_id='215389' first='Sydney' last='Maue'], the high flying, lefty right side is special to watch with how she can approach and leap to another level.  She is a unique talent with a high ceiling.  [player_tooltip player_id='215386' first='Carley' last='Jonker'] is a very steady libero who is another athlete who can do a little bit of everything.  This past weekend I was impressed with the setter/middle combination of [player_tooltip player_id='215387' first='Sydney' last='Huber'] and [player_tooltip player_id='447494' first='Jayden' last='Kuper'].  This Adrenaline squad is on tap to compete at the Prep Dig Gauntlet over Memorial Day Weekend where they will see the likes of Northern Lights, Milwaukee Sting, Circle City, 1st Alliance, and Michigan Elite. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":360494,"width":788,"height":525,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01582.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-360494" width="788" height="525"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='215462' first='Katie' last='Quick'] #2</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639309889871785984?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639309889871785984?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iowa PowerPlex 16U 515 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team is an extremely tough matchup.  They were toe to toe with Houston Skyline 16 Royal who were runner up finishers at Triple Crown and are one of the top ten teams in the country.  This squad advanced to day two gold pools which is huge for their AES ranking and getting a chance to get on some big time courts.  They took their lumps, but they know they can compete against some of the top teams in the country.  [player_tooltip player_id='215462' first='Katie' last='Quick'] is a really dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things from how she can defend, set, take a swing with her left hand as a right side or being live as a setter in the front row.  She has multiple attackers who can terminate.  I saw [player_tooltip player_id='215465' first='Reagan' last='Hanfelt'] at the Iowa Top 250 this past winter and seeing her in a live match was extremely impressive.  She has a ton of athleticism and a high ceiling with how she can play high above the net and make a huge impact offensively and defensively.  On the outside, [player_tooltip player_id='215466' first='Aspen' last='Nelsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215749' first='Delaney' last='Miller'] were lethal.  They were going up against some massive blocks and found ways to score points.  They will head to Show-Me this weekend which I was a little shocked by their seed (I really try not to complain about seeding), but they could potential make some upsets over the weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":360495,"width":613,"height":408,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01622-1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-360495" width="613" height="408"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>IPVA 16 Black </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hat tip to IPVA putting themselves in a position to compete against the best.  On day one of the Northern Lights Qualifier they had Drive Nation (Dallas, TX and open bid earned), Nebraska Premier (earned open bid at NLQ), and MN Select. This was the toughest day one pool at Northern Lights and this team played with no fear.  Ashlee [player_tooltip player_id='196422' first='AK' last='Christensen'] was very impressive on the pin where I liked how she could use a mix of shots to score points, but yet wasn't afraid to go after a big block.  Drive Nation has multiple athletes who are touching ten feet or higher and can be an intimidating block to swing against.  [player_tooltip player_id='215748' first='Dakota' last='Hendricks'] showed she could command the backrow as the libero.  Other attackers who I had notes on who were active at the net were [player_tooltip player_id='215732' first='Sydney' last='Brandmeyer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215747' first='Ilana' last='Coleman'].  IPVA gained valuable experience and picked up wins over clubs from Chicago, Madison, and Minneapolis.  This team is definitely trending in the right direction. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":333918,"width":634,"height":422,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC09514.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-333918" width="634" height="422"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Six Pack 16-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team is beyond ready to take on the 16 Open courts.  This team had a strong showing without their full roster at Triple Crown in February and had a nice showing at MEQ in the 16 USA Division.  [player_tooltip player_id='215406' first='Abbey' last='Hayes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215407' first='Gracie' last='Furlong'] will be two key players who can pace this team where they are never out of system with these two big swings on the pin.  [player_tooltip player_id='215395' first='Dakota' last='Mitchell'] is one of the top liberos out of the Class of 2025 and will sure to get her team in system.  Another extremely weapon for this team is [player_tooltip player_id='215410' first='Kate' last='Passmore'] who can do anything out of the front row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":204825,"width":788,"height":525,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/06/DSC06496.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-204825" width="788" height="525"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428936' first='Club' last='Ignit Select'] 16 Blue </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This group out of the West Des Moines area finished 4th overall in the USA Division of the Northern Lights Qualifier.&nbsp; It's no secret that the two who spark this team are the twins, [player_tooltip player_id='216055' first='Kate' last='Shafer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215426' first='Molly' last='Shafer'].&nbsp; They are coming off a state basketball tournament run at Eddyville-Blakeburg-Fremont and are ready to get back to the other hardcourt.&nbsp; Another dual sport threat who could go the basketball or volleyball route is [player_tooltip player_id='215425' first='Jaeden' last='Pratt'].&nbsp; She was one of the top players in the Class 5A state volleyball and state basketball tournament. This team has a ton of athleticism and will be ones to watch throughout the spring.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->