"Live Eye" Windy City 16 USA Standouts

16 USA did not disappoint from the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago. I was able to spend some time Saturday at the gold pools where it came down to a matter of points to the teams who made their way to the gold bracket. Circle City 16 Black took home top honors to upgrade their bid. Here are some performances that are worth noting in a very deep and talented field.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02262.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374327" width="394" height="262"/></figure>   Circle City 16 Black   Circle City 16 Black finished 10-0, winning the 16 USA title. I was able to see two of their matches and what really propelled them to their success at Windy City was their overall depth and balance. I had notes on multiple players and over the course of a three day qualifier, their needs to be a variety of athletes who can step up at different times. Like most Circle City teams, they played extremely clean with a solid first contact and then establishing the middles. [player_tooltip player_id='152932' first='Bella' last='Dafforn'] provides the first contact as the libero where setter [player_tooltip player_id='261023' first='Isabelle' last='Jackson'] was able to create favorable matchups for her attackers who could hit from a variety of tempos. Middle blockers [player_tooltip player_id='228758' first='Elena' last='Chappell'] and Lauren Kruse are highly efficient. Chappell showed she wasn't afraid to swing hard while she could find the corner to score points. They both were able to seal the block and had textbook footwork to get out of the block to transition. Sadie Poack and Emmy Nasser were two of the pins who showed they could score points in and out of system. This team came into Windy City with a Freedom bid and have now upgraded to the USA Division.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02172.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374331" width="360" height="240"/></figure>   Avery Gemperle - AJV 16 Molten   Right Side   There were a lot of really strong right sides this past weekend who could score points with a big left handed swing. Gemperle is really smooth from the right side where she can score points in variety of ways. She can tip, throw, and put a lot of pace on her swing. Her length gives the other side of the net problems offensively and defensively. A really fun athlete.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02177.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374338" width="425" height="283"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='179886' first='Sofia' last='Peters'] - AJV 16 Molten   Outside Hitter   There is a lot of athleticism with [player_tooltip player_id='179886' first='Sofia' last='Peters'] who has a lot of length with the ability to score on the outside as well as right side. AJV 16 Molten already has a 16 USA bid and finished in the final eight this past weekend. Peters was key for this team when I saw her play on Saturday where she could attack in multiple spots along the front line. Her footwork and approach allow her to get the maximum height on her jump with solid hand contact as well.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02336.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374341" width="652" height="434"/></figure>   Camille Middleton - Skyline 16 Black   Outside Hitter   Middleton can score a lot of points in a short amount of time. She was flat out electric for Skyline this past weekend where I saw her score points from the front and backrow. On the outside, she was able to hammer cross court, but she is more than one shot where she blasts away. She can mix in an off speed and top spin roll to land in front of the defender. They have to respect her from everywhere. I was able to see a very exciting end to the Skyline match against HPSTL 31-29 to close out the match.   Alyssa Koerkenmeier - HP Illinois 16 National   Gabrielle Behling - HP Illinois 16 National   Middle Blockers   The combination of these two athletes are what every teams needs. Koerkenmeier plays high school for Breese Mater Dei where I saw her play in the 2021 Illinois State Tournament as a freshman. Wow, she has shown great improvement in her skill and athleticism. She was all arms and legs and now shes shown that she has the physicality at the net to really make an impact. She is a really tough match up - 6'5 is 6'5 and her wingspan is dangerous. Behling was so much fun to watch. She would get so excited for her teammates for a big play and plenty of big plays on her own.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02191.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374342" width="538" height="358"/></figure>   Sophia Burkey - TVC 16 Black   Outside Hitter   Burkey brought a really active and heavy swing to the court where I saw Toledo take on Dunes in a very competitive match on Saturday. Burkey is a six rotation outside hitter who can handle a heavy volume of swings where she was able to show her ability in every rotation. She could score on the outside, out of the middle, and on the right side out of serve receive. She was also one who could score out of the middle. I would think a lot of Mideast schools would have her on the radar to her to a camp this summer because she has a high ceiling.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02184.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374344" width="486" height="324"/></figure>   Anne Wadle - Dunes 16 Black   Outside HItter   This athlete just makes things happen - even if it may be a little unconventional. She has some shots where I was asking myself, “Where iis that going? - oh hey its a kill”. Wadle could hit some crazy angles where she was going cross court within the ten foot line and also found the deep corner to score points. She is the type of athlete who can hit from anywhere in the front row. She's got a high ceiling with her length and IQ.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02196-crop-4800x3152-1681317786.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-374346" width="504" height="331"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='260905' first='Amira' last='Boone'] - Adversity G16 Purple   Outside Hitter   I've written about Boone before from the Great Lakes Region Championships, but its hard not to mention her after watching her performance this weekend. There are times where athletes can have an off day, but one thing I always think shouldn't slump is speed - “Speed doesn't slump”. Boone has so much speed in her approach and a violent arm swing which makes her such an exciting athlete to watch. She springs off the floor to score points. Adversity 16s/Class of 2025 is really deep across both of their teams. They are ones to keep tabs on heading into the summer.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02208.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374354" width="521" height="347"/></figure>   Keyun Zhang - HJV 16 Premier   Setter   Houston Juniors teams are always going to be really physical, well trained, and disciplined in how they play the game.  Zhang demonstrates that as their setter with her skill in how she gets her feet to the ball, a smooth release, and finds a way to get her attackers in place to terminate. Another major strength to her game is her interaction with her teammates.  I would see her in between plays talking to everyone on the court, she's communicating, giving eye contact, and making sure everyone is engaged.  Put her on the all intangible team.    Avery Kent - HJV 16 Premier   Right Side   I may have been a little bias towards lefty right sides this past weekend, but Kent was a big time point scorer for HJV. I have watched plenty of leftys and have also coached leftys where they need a perfect ball to the right side in order to score points. Not Kent, she can score out of serve receive on the outside, score out of the middle and is extremely terminal on the right side. Super impressive. I like how HJV and their setters were able to get her involved in different ways in the offense. This was a really fun team.   Emma McHatten - MOD G16 Blue   Outside Hitter   McHatten packs a major punch from the outside.  She was a key scorer for MOD during Saturday Gold pool play where she wasn't afraid to be aggressive and swing hard using the block or scoring points off a hard cross court.     <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02243.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374359" width="579" height="386"/></figure>   Leah McDonald - OT 16 O Richard   Outside Hitter   McDonald was solid everywhere for OT this past Saturday where she is so smooth all away around the court. She has a really clam, composed style of play where she plays within herself with high efficiency. She is textbook when it comes to her pass to attack footwork where she was a key point scorer for OT and one of their top passers. She knows how to find the floor on the other side of the net.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/DSC02259-e1681318094988.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-374362" width="568" height="383"/></figure>   Mi-Na Diggs - AVC 16 White   Outside HItter   Absolutely electric. Diggs might be all of 5'7 or 5'8 but she flat out flies, a real exciting player that the rest of her AVC teammates were able to feed off her energy. She has the ability to come out of nowhere to create something offensively for this team. She is a go to player in system and find a way to force the other side to scramble in on the other side of the net. I really like her ability and mindset to take the big swing.   Jetta Brenning - Mintonette m.62   Setter   This Mintonette team was extremely scrappy, they know how to compete and close out.  There is plenty of balance on this team where multiple attackers can put a ball away, but another athlete who can put a ball down is their setter Jetta Brenning.  Brenning can find her middles, can set all the tempos in front and behind, but she is really physical at the net - she is willing to take a swing, go for the joust, or find a way to score points on her own.

16 USA did not disappoint from the Windy City Qualifier this past weekend in Chicago. I was able to spend some time Saturday at the gold pools where it came down to a matter of points to the teams who made their way to the gold bracket. Circle City 16 Black took home top honors to upgrade their bid. Here are some performances that are worth noting in a very deep and talented field.