Unified 16-1 2024 Club Volleyball Preview

Unified 16-1 is hoping that it can put together a few upsets in 2024 as the program tries to compete with the other powerhouses in the state.   This year's squad is green, but coming together nicely and showing it has the fight to take opponents into deep waters.   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Addyson Lewis – Clarkston</td><td>Izzy Ivezaj – Stoney Creek</td><td>Alexandria Gianino – Austin Catholic</td></tr><tr><td>Natalie Sowle – Clarkston</td><td>Emelyne Hugol – Groves</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='532892' first='AnnaLiese' last='Dunlap'] – Clarkston</td></tr><tr><td>Ally Rissmann – Romeo</td><td>Mira Cline – Oxford</td><td>Margaux Nollet – Groves</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Focus on defense</h2>   Unified 16-1 comes to the court with a lot of strong defensive options, including three different DS's.   Ally Rissmann of Romeo, Mira Cline of Oxford, and Margaux Nollet of Groves make up the defensive trio.   Nollet has been sporting the libero jersey and brings a good mix of energy and accuracy to the position. She covers a lot of space and has a good feel for anticipating the play and being able to get the ball to the setter.   Rissmann looks very calm and comfortable in the back row and makes a very smooth pass no matter what angle she's playing the ball.   The same goes for Cline, who also stays composed and makes sure to keep the tough attacks in play with her quick movements. She's got a good feed to the setter on casual attacks, while also having a quick twitch on the fastballs that come her way.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Offensive options</h2>   Unified has given the setting duties to Addyson Lewis, who has a good grasp of the hitters and when to turn up the tempo.   Lewis has a stable of five primary hitters. On the outside Emelyne Hugol and [player_tooltip player_id='532892' first='AnnaLiese' last='Dunlap'] are joined by right side Izzy Ivezaj.   Dunlap has been an early workhorse offensively. She's putting away a lot of balls from either pin with a nice mixture of shot speeds. Dunlap has been able to stay ahead of the blockers to find a lot of open room.   Hugol has good length for the offense, as she can wait on sets and still put a good swing on them. As she gets more comfortable and taps more into her aggression, she will see her kill count pile up.   Ivezaj is coming off a nice prep season with Stoney Creek. She's very active at the net and wins a lot of 50-50 battles. She also has the ability to dial up the heat and knowing when to loft a shot over the block.   In the middle, Unified has Alexandria Gianino and Natalie Sowle.   Gianino has a lot of length and wingspan to utilize at the net. She's an active blocker and is improving offensively as she develops her footwork and timing.   Sowle is a 6-footer that brings a powerful swing to the net. She has a big wind up and delivery that has been able to fight through blockers.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Early results</h2>   Unified 16-1 opened the season at The Nike Classic and placed 21st in the 16 Club Division.   Unified dropped two of its first three matches of the weekend, but then went on a three-game win streak that included a win over Unified 16-2.   They ultimately lost in the Bronze bracket to SMASH Raiders Nitro in three sets, falling 15-11 in the final set.   Unified 16-1 is back in action this upcoming weekend as part of the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis.

Unified 16-1 is hoping that it can put together a few upsets in 2024 as the program tries to compete with the other powerhouses in the state.