Notes From Week 2 Of Circle’s Summer League

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had a chance to attend my second summer league slate at Capitol Sports Center last night, and you could definitely tell that some rosters had changed due to a number of factors like injury, vacation, prepping for AAUs/GJNCs and such. Here are three teams I saw that had a good portion of their fall rosters available.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even though this squad is particularly young and not all that tall, they still took a ton of smart and solid swings against Lutheran and Jennings County last night. An impressive showing by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173242' first='Keira' last='Lucas'] ('25, 5-10 OH)</strong> led the Knights offensively, while <strong>Karsyn Buck ('26, 5-7 S/RS)</strong> was the clear second option on the night. Keira's six kills per set will continue in the fall, but in order to get that state title, they'll need another option. Insert Miss Buck, who is springy and quick. She shouldn't come out of the game next fall, and should set in the back row while hitting in the front. Although Northview's libero was not in attendance last night, an above-average night from <strong>Morgan Oellig ('25, 5-2 DS/L/S)</strong> led this author to think that the Knights have their serve receive all taken care of for the next few years, thankyouverymuch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lutheran</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Saints were also missing a few pieces to their starting squad, but still held their own against both of the larger schools last night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216522' first='Grace' last='King'] ('24, 5-9 OH)</strong> was the #1 option offensively last night, and will continue to be one of the starting outsides once the fall comes around. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216339' first='Delaney' last='Pass'] ('26, 5-9 S)</strong> is a long and lean setter that can get to a ton of balls and is smart with set placement. A pleasant surprise came in the form of <strong>Zoe Sondag ('25, 6-0 MB),</strong> who finally brings a bit of size to this 1A program. She'll be much needed to make things easier for the defense behind her and harder for the defense in front of her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seymour</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When one of the highest profile players in recent memory graduates (Olivia Fish, Wake Forest signee), you need to find some offense. Frankly, it was nice to see multiple parts of what the Owls' future will hold. <strong>Maddie Schrader ('25, 5-7 OH)</strong> plays club at Cougar and looks to be the six-rotation outside that the Owls need for stability on the left pin. The middle is definitely in good hands, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='111873' first='Journee' last='Brown'] ('24, 6-2 MB)</strong> can take over a match both offensively and defensively. Some define her as a "basketball kid", but looked rather natural putting balls away from the middle. <strong>Anna Fish ('26, 5-9 S)</strong> is a KIVA kid that can run any offense she wants, but might be needed to fill some of the gaps offensively that graduation created. She's hyper athletic, has a very high volleyball IQ, and will lead this team well in the fall despite her age. Serve receive should be just fine for the Owls in the fall. Although <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261045' first='Norah' last='Campbell'] ('26, 5-5 DS/L)</strong> is training for nationals (she plays for MAVA) and wasn't available last night, her replacement <strong>Jamie Bobb ('26, 5-2 DS/L)</strong> did just fine in her place. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the offense might come from, but that's what summer leagues are for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->