FaR Out Wins Emperors Cup National Championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Be sure to follow <strong>@lshotvb </strong>on Instagram and Twitter for all things volleyball!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":6} --> <h6 class="wp-block-heading">-</h6> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a new kid on the block. Top Court presents the coveted Emperors Cup, 18s National Championship. Adjacent to the highly sought after USAV Girls Junior National Championship, Emperors Cup provides another national championship experience for the 18s group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In its inauguration, Top Court, owned by<a href="https://threestep.com/"> 3 Step Sports</a>, had some of its best talent on display for an epic championship. With the likes of Munciana, Bama Elite and K2 on tap alongside FaR Out, all vying for a title. It was the latter of the group that returned home with a national title from Las Vegas, NE. The club's second in a row following last summer's AAU 18 Premier title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":276089,"width":148,"height":225,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/12-Elana-Erickson-2.jpg?w=672" alt="" class="wp-image-276089" width="148" height="225" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='110295' first='Elana' last='Erickson']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The FaR Out crew seemed virtually unstoppable throughout the tournament. Going a perfect 9-0, while only dropping two sets, en route to the title. This crew came in to Vegas on a business trip!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the tale of a balanced, well-oiled machine for 18 Black. On the attacking front, FaR Out knew how to spread the ball to every single one of their six attackers. [player_tooltip player_id='110295' first='Elana' last='Erickson'] (Western Michigan) led throughout the tournament with 54 kills. Not far behind were the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell'] (Northern Kentucky), [player_tooltip player_id='172198' first='Isabelle' last='Swiercz'] (Central Michigan) and [player_tooltip player_id='156343' first='Navea' last='Gauthier'], who all knocked down over 40 kills in the championship run. Gauthier led all players with an eye-popping <span style="text-decoration: underline">.432 hit percentage</span>. In the middle, both [player_tooltip player_id='66293' first='Kennedy' last='Arp'] (Valparaiso) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140479' first='Reilly' last='Zegunis']</strong> (Wright State) went for 30 kills a piece, hitting a combined percentage of .355! As a team, FaR Out hit well over .300 on the weekend! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Running such an effective offense was the combination of a seasoned veteran [player_tooltip player_id='66343' first='Corrie' last='Wisser'] (Ferris State) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='224597' first='Abigail' last='Pickard']. The two combined for over 200 assists and 50 digs in the championship effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the defensive side of things, Arp manned the net better than anyone could, averaging over a block per set. Behind Arp, Erickson and L [player_tooltip player_id='110318' first='Carley' last='Piercefield'] (Western Michigan) combined for 115 digs on the weekend. OH [player_tooltip player_id='110332' first='Avery' last='Weslow'] made big plays as an impact DS and put up 26 digs on the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The championship run also marked the return of MB [player_tooltip player_id='140491' first='Paige' last='Sanders'] (Grand Valley). Sanders was struck by the injury bug last spring at the Can Am Classic after going down with a nasty knee injury and has been on the mend since. Emperor's Cup marked Sander's grand return to the court, notching six kills on ten swings in limited action!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":259625,"width":165,"height":157,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-Kennedy-Arp.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-259625" width="165" height="157" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='66293' first='Kennedy' last='Arp']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the conclusion of Emperor's Cup, marked the conclusion of several prep careers at FaR Out. [player_tooltip player_id='66293' first='Kennedy' last='Arp'], [player_tooltip player_id='66343' first='Corrie' last='Wisser'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140479' first='Reilly' last='Zegunis']</strong> will all hang up the FaR Out jersey on a high note. A national championship. For Arp and Wisser, this marks their second straight season as national champions. From Prep Dig, we wish these seniors the BEST of luck with their collegiate careers going forward!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the remainder of this crew, a whole slew of juniors and sophomores. They will rebrand back to 17 Black and compete the remainder of the 2023 season as such.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congratulations FaR Out on yet ANOTHER national championship!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PrepDig is putting on the Michigan Stock Up Showcase for Class of 2024-26 prospects on July 22 in Pontiac. </em><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/info?website_id=3&event_id=780"><strong><em>Click here</em></strong></a><em> to sign up for the event. You can use promo code “LshotDig2023” for $10 off your registration.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->