The Mitten Report: 2023 Northern Lights and Big South Qualifiers
In this article:
Be sure to follow @lshotvb on Instagram and Twitter for all things volleyball! USE THE CODE LINESHOTMCM23 FOR DISCOUNTED REGISTRATION FOR THIS YEAR’S MOTOR CITY MADNESS SHOWCASE! The end is near for the qualifier season. With many opportunities to grab…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingBe sure to follow @lshotvb on Instagram and Twitter for all things volleyball!
USE THE CODE LINESHOTMCM23 FOR DISCOUNTED REGISTRATION FOR THIS YEAR’S MOTOR CITY MADNESS SHOWCASE!
The end is near for the qualifier season. With many opportunities to grab a bid, teams across the country are moving around looking to punch their ticket to the Girls Junior National Championships in July. These Michigan teams served up something special for the latest Mitten Report.
With clubs from the mitten spreading out across the country, we had a handful of top performers all the way from Minneapolis, MN, down to Atlanta, GA. Neither spots disappointed these few teams.
Let’s take a look at the top performers in this week’s Mitten Report.
Northern Lights
Legacy 15-1
Not only did this team return home with their ticket to this year’s USAV Nationals, they also ran away with the Northern Lights 15 Open Championship! Legacy 15-1 nearly went a perfect weekend en route to their title run, only dropping a tough three setter against Nebraska Premier on Day 2. Regardless, a 9-1 record is pretty dominating if you ask me.
It’s becoming one of your favorite broken records, but this team is too good. Led by last year’s AAU 15 Open All-American, Gabby Divita, this team is the definition of a power house. Divita’s whip of an arm is a well-known commodity, but she’s joined by a pair of two of the most dominating middles in their division currently, Ella Andrews Ella Andrews 6'4" | MB Mercy | 2026 State MI and Kayla Nwabueze Kayla Nwabueze 6'2" | MB Bloomfield Hills | 2026 State MI . Nwabueze almost had herself a perfect day on Sunday, swinging for over .800 in hit percentage.
Big South
Michigan Elite 16 Mizuno
This team has yet to go a weekend without finishing within the top ten of the field. Big South was another great weekend for Michigan Elite’s 16 Mizuno squad. While Day 3 saw 16 Mizuno with the toughest route to gold with the likes of Circle City and OT in their gold bracket pool, they still managed to go an impressive 6-2 on the weekend, placing ninth in Atlanta.
What’s makes this team so successful and so much fun to watch is their balance around the court. Any player could be a standout at any point in time, you’ll never know who you’re going to get. Jessica Costlow Jessica Costlow 5'11" | OH SMCC | 2025 State #142 Nation MI and McKenna Payne McKenna Payne 5'7" | DS/L SMCC | 2025 State #105 Nation MI were two big stand out points throughout the weekend. The two have a great connection on the defensive side of things and Costlow was seemingly hitting on another level throughout the tournament.
Michigan Elite 14 Mizuno
Michigan Elite had a really good weekend throughout the 14s age group. Starting off strong, their 14 Mizuno squad had a nice rebound after a rough start to the weekend. After starting 0-2 on Day 1, 14 Mizuno managed to rally off an unblemished weekend after, placing 13th.
We don’t usually cover this young, but the season is flying by before our eyes and before you know it, these are going to be the names that YOU need to know. One of the biggest names from this class and the leader to this team is S Lilli Tripi. At 5’11, Tripi brings a whole different look to her position at this level and it creates havoc for other teams.
Michigan Elite 14 Elite
Picking up where 14 Mizuno left off, 14 Elite turned the heat up a notch in the 14 USA division. Taking the title for highest finisher within the club in any age group or division, 14 Elite finished a season high fifth! Losing to the eventual runner-up, A5, this was a breakout weekend for this young squad.
Similarly to their Mizuno counterparts, this crew is also led by an up-and-coming powerhouse at the setters position, Brenna Mirovsky Brenna Mirovsky 5'7" | S Oxford | 2027 State MI . A smaller setter, Mirovsky brings a lot of athleticism to this team and has a high IQ for the game at this level. Overall, a really excited group of 2027s turning it on at the right time!