2024 Club Preview: Michigan Elite 18 Mizuno/18 Elite
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Be sure to follow @lshotvb on Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter for all things volleyball! – Just like that, club season is upon us! After another incredible high school season, this club season is proving to be another big one for Michigan-based…
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Just like that, club season is upon us!
After another incredible high school season, this club season is proving to be another big one for Michigan-based club teams. In 2023, we saw national champions be crowned as well as many top finishes from all ages from these prestigious clubs. It’s time to look to the future and see what these clubs have in store for us in 2024.
From the west side to the east, let’s take a look at what Michigan Elite has cooking up with their 18 Mizuno and 18 Elite squads this club season.
18 Mizuno
Hailey Green Hailey Green 5'1" | DS/L North Branch | 2024 State MI – North Branch | Allison Pilat Allison Pilat 6'2" | OH Plymouth Christian | 2024 State MI – Plymouth Christian | Avery Woodard Avery Woodard 5'7" | S Marysville | 2024 State MI – Marysville |
Johanna Tillman Johanna Tillman 6'2" | MB Dakota | 2024 State MI – Dakota | Karley Pretzer Karley Pretzer 5'10" | OH Dakota | 2024 State MI – Dakota | Danielle Mertz Danielle Mertz 5'11" | OH Marian | 2024 State MI – Marian |
Taylor Smith Taylor Smith 6'1" | S Pewamo Westphalia | 2024 State MI – Pewamo-Westphalia | Saige Martin Saige Martin 6'0" | MB Pewamo Westphalia | 2024 State MI – Pewamo-Westphalia | Lydia Michelin Lydia Michelin 6'0" | MB Milford | 2024 State MI – Milford |
Going into the 18s club season, this is a squad with a big question mark around them. While throughout the last few seasons, we have yet to see this team operate at full-strength given a tough go with injuries. This season however, it’s practically a brand new team. From last year, only four players return. The rest join the squad either in-house, other club transfers or brand new kids with little club experience. Let’s take a look.
Power on the Pins
Of the power on the pins, the only familiar face to this team is Allison Pilat Allison Pilat 6'2" | OH Plymouth Christian | 2024 State MI (Cedarville) on the left side. Not only is Pilat one of the four returners, but she’s actually one of only three players to have stuck with this group throughout her career. A 6’2 giant with a heavy ball, Pilat can be as terminal as the top dogs in the field. She’ll be looked to heavily throughout her last go-around with Elite.
Rounding out this trio of traditional pins, Michigan Elite calls up a pair of outsides that found great success last year on their 17 Elite squad. Danielle Mertz Danielle Mertz 5'11" | OH Marian | 2024 State MI and Karley Pretzer Karley Pretzer 5'10" | OH Dakota | 2024 State MI (Davenport) were the dynamic duo in last year’s 17 Elite squad that found themselves with a bid to GJNC in the 17 National division. The pair, while undersized at 5’10, jump very well off of the court and hone in on incredible ball control.
These three will surely find themselves in the mix on the court to a high success rate.
Middle Territory
Much like the pins, we see only one middle return to this group. Johanna Tillman Johanna Tillman 6'2" | MB Dakota | 2024 State MI (Grand Valley) is another one of those core four returners from a season ago. Tillman is coming off of a very strong high school season alongside Pretzer at Dakota HS. She’s arguably one of the top blockers in this Michigan class and will be looked to carry a lot more than net defense duties throughout her 18s season.
Here come the newbies. Not only are these two newbies to Michigan Elite, but they’re genuinely newbies to club volleyball. Lydia Michelin Lydia Michelin 6'0" | MB Milford | 2024 State MI (Miami (OH)) and Saige Martin Saige Martin 6'0" | MB Pewamo Westphalia | 2024 State MI complete this trio of middle blockers for Elite. Michelin got a little taste of club last season with the Forge 18s team that competed in open last year. An athletic body, she managed to grab the attention of Miami (OH). While still quite raw, Michelin could turn into a real powerhouse for the Red Hawks.
For Martin, this is a player very new to the club season. In fact, Martin has been one of the top track and field prospects in the 2024 class for quite sometime. In her sophomore year, she was crowned a double state champ in both the 100m and 300m Hurdles. Meanwhile, her freshman year saw her take runner-up and bronze in the events. She’s also a part of that famous 2022 Division 3 State Champion Pewamo-Westphalia group as well. Needless to say, Martin oozes of athleticism and with a pure focus on the volleyball courts, she too could be a big steal for any program. She can be seen mostly on the right side for Elite this winter.
Deadly Defense
On trend, Elite returns a major piece to their puzzle in each position. Hailey Green Hailey Green 5'1" | DS/L North Branch | 2024 State MI (Wingate) returns for one last go-around in the MiElite jersey. Green is coming off of a huge high school season. Not only did Green charged the North Branch Broncos to their second consecutive title, but she made history. This was the first time any North Branch team would go back-to-back. On top of this, Green announced she would be playing for Wingate in the fall of 2024. One of the top programs in NCAA Division II Volleyball.
Changing gears this season and joining Green in the back court, Avery Woodard Avery Woodard 5'7" | S Marysville | 2024 State MI also returns. While historically, Woodard has been the one running the offense for Elite, this season will see Woodard shift gears to show off her defensive skills. This will be no adjustment to Woodard, as she is easily one of the top defensive players in the state. Regardless of position. This past fall for Marysville, Woodard managed to put up over 450 digs while running a 5-1 offense. Marysville was regarded as one of the top teams alongside North Branch.
Setting the Pace
Rounding out this team’s roster, we have another newbie to the group. This is another Pewamo-Westphalia product, Taylor Smith Taylor Smith 6'1" | S Pewamo Westphalia | 2024 State MI (Eastern Michigan). Smith comes to Elite by way of Five:1, where she has spent the majority of her club career prior. A move that bodes Elite well however given her size and athleticism. This could be a game changer for this team. With her size and abilities to run a championship winning offense, Smith could be an X factor throughout the club season.
18 Elite
Jackie Scheiber Jackie Scheiber 6'0" | S Riverview | 2024 State MI – Riverview | Brooke Gervers Brooke Gervers 5'7" | S Grand Blanc | 2024 State MI – Grand Blanc | Arielle Newsome Arielle Newsome 6'0" | MB West Bloomfield | 2024 State MI – West Bloomfield |
Gabrielle Gippert Gabrielle Gippert 6'3" | MB Bloomfield Hills | 2024 State MI – Bloomfield Hills | Kora Nicolanti Kora Nicolanti 5'10" | OH Bloomfield Hills | 2024 State MI – Bloomfield Hills | Kate Noe Kate Noe 6'0" | OH Grand Blanc | 2024 State MI – Grand Blanc |
Ava Orlando Ava Orlando 5'6" | DS/L Romeo | 2024 State MI – Romeo | Gracie Pierscinski Gracie Pierscinski 6'1" | MB Linden | 2024 State MI – Linden |
Much like 18 Mizuno, 18 Elite is going to be looking MUCH different from last year’s 17 Elite squad. In fact, this squad has zero returners from last year’s team. It all consists of new faces. 18 Elite brings a good mix of both in-house talent and others to join. Let’s take a look.
Power on the Pins
While the pins may be a little slim, Elite brings in a pair of really well-rounded players to keep the game going. Kora Nicolanti Kora Nicolanti 5'10" | OH Bloomfield Hills | 2024 State MI (Adrian) and Kate Noe Kate Noe 6'0" | OH Grand Blanc | 2024 State MI join this team as new faces. Nicolanti comes way of Unified VBC and Noe is an in-house player. The two both consist of really promising ball control to go along with smart scoring. The two are coming off of exciting high school seasons. Nicolanti saw herself as a six rotation player for Bloomfield Hills, one of the top dark horses in Division I. Meanwhile Noe was a shining star for Grand Blanc in their post-Remi Madison era. She also proved to be a critical piece in 17 National East’s gold bracket finish at AAU Nationals last summer. This duo will do a lot of heavy lifting for this team.
Middle Territory
In the middle, Elite brings on some exciting talent that could throw many opponents for a loop. Looking at some in-house talent, this group brings on Arielle Newsome Arielle Newsome 6'0" | MB West Bloomfield | 2024 State MI and Gracie Piercinski. Both come way from Michigan Elite’s 3’s teams from a season ago. With Newsome playing down with 16 National East and Piercinski on 17 NW. The two players were some of the top players in their respective groups at the end of the season. Newsome and Piercinski both play the game in a very dynamic way. With the ability to reach different shots on offense and read the opposing offense, the duo will be a great combo for 18 Elite.
Joining this middle territory, we get another Bloomfield Hills/Unified product, Gabrielle Gippert Gabrielle Gippert 6'3" | MB Bloomfield Hills | 2024 State MI . This is an exciting piece to the puzzle given her size and raw nature. Gippert stands at nearly 6’4 with an elongated wingspan. She could easily be a power player in the middle or even more so on the right pin given her size.
Deadly Defense
Bringing on another new piece to the puzzle, we have Ava Orlando Ava Orlando 5'6" | DS/L Romeo | 2024 State MI coming in to libero for this squad. An athlete by the way of Romeo/Monsters VBC, Orlando will look to step in and make immediate impact for her new squad. Orlando is a calm presence on the court with a steady touch on the ball. An attribute that’ll surely feed in well with all of the newness.
Setting the Pace
And completing this 18 Elite group, we have ourselves a pair of setters. Jackie Scheiber Jackie Scheiber 6'0" | S Riverview | 2024 State MI (Saginaw Valley) and Brooke Gervers Brooke Gervers 5'7" | S Grand Blanc | 2024 State MI will be in charge of running the offense here. A projected 6-2 scenario, the two will split time running the offense while being a part of it themselves. For Scheiber, this is nothing new as she has been somewhat of a utility player for the bulk of her career for Elite and Riverview. For Gervers, she has primarily been a part of 6-2 systems given her size, but the way she runs the offense, she could make a great six rotation setting option.