Top 16s at Volley Palooza

This past weekend was the last stop before the Regional Championships here in Oklahoma. It is the last tune up before teams fight for their last chance at a national championship bid. For ages 14-17s, the region will be giving out 1 National level bid, 1 American level bid and 1 Freedom level bid. This past weekend we had several top 15s teams play up in hopes of being pushed just before the big dance. All four 15s teams were seeded in the top 8 overall. Mixed with some tough 16s such as Redline, FSJ 16-2, Virago and OK Charge 16-3.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players:</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='286288' first='Kamryn' last='Collins']- Outside Hitter for OK Charge 15 National. She was nearly unstoppable all day long. From pool play to bracket play it was nothing but her dropping bombs on opposing diggers. She has a great counter move to all the power she brings, with a well disguised off speed tip over the block. Cache High School has really struck gold for the next couple seasons with this talented freshman. She was a huge part for this team playing up in the 16s division and still winning the gold championship.   Abigail Jensen- Defensive Specialist for OK Redline 16-1. Talk about a serving machine. Her serves are as flat as they get. Its rough for passers when the only two options you are seeing are the ball clipping the net or it looking like it will clip the net but doesn't. When she is serving and in the back row, her team is usually making a run and needs to be limited or things could get lop sided quickly.   Azalea Scott- Outside Hitter for FSJ 16 National. FSJ was the only non Oklahoma team in this division and they came in as the 3rd overall seed. Right on cue, they finished the tournament tied for 3rd. Azalea is a very gifted athlete! She has great lateral quickness as well as, a solid vertical. I really appreciate her style of play, being smart and controlled with each swing. She makes minimal errors and this keeps her hitting efficiency in the green. FSJ was a solid squad and miss Scott was a big part of why they made it to the semis.   Molly Wilson- Setter for Virago 16-1. Molly is a 15s playing up this season. She plays for Booker T. Washington High School. She is typically in a 6-2 system and was all of pool play but Virago had to shift to a 5-1 once bracket play started due to injury. Her and Virago were able to make a run to the gold championship. She showed a ton of heart by shouldering a larger work load than normal and staying calm throughout. Her serve was able to disrupt opposing offenses and her setter attacks were helping take pressure of her hitters.   Emma Hall- Setter for OK Charge 15 National. Emma did a great job of not only effecting the game with her serve but also with her decision making. Her ability to get to the net early and get squared was impressive. She also showed some real hustle on the defensive end with some scrappy digs that ruffled some hitters. I'm excited to keep updated on this upcoming school season.   Caroline Cohlmia- Outside Hitter for Virago 16-1. When Caroline is on, Virago is a tough group. She has gotten them on big runs early with her serving ability. Both the velocity and her accuracy are solid. When she makes her way to the front row, now part of the court is safe. She has great control to hit a cut shot or take it down the line. She is an all around utility player that is hard to find a real weakness to exploit.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wrap Up:</h2>   Regional pools will likely be released today or tomorrow. There will be plenty of tears and cheers as Sunday comes to a close. It has been a great season here in Oklahoma. We have continued to show we are growing and progressing on a national scale. Congrats to all those that earn a bid and get to compete this summer in Chicago!

This past weekend was the last stop before the Regional Championships here in Oklahoma. It is the last tune up before teams fight for their last chance at a national championship bid. For ages 14-17s, the region will be giving out 1 National level bid, 1 American level bid and 1 Freedom level bid. This past weekend we had several top 15s teams play up in hopes of being pushed just before the big dance. All four 15s teams were seeded in the top 8 overall. Mixed with some tough 16s such as Redline, FSJ 16-2, Virago and OK Charge 16-3.