2024 Club Overview: Five:1 16 Black
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Five:1 16 Black has had a few bumps in the road to begin the 2024 club season, but the team still shows a lot of promise to be able to rack up wins in the months ahead. With a deep…
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Continue ReadingFive:1 16 Black has had a few bumps in the road to begin the 2024 club season, but the team still shows a lot of promise to be able to rack up wins in the months ahead.
With a deep roster, can Five:1 put the pieces together to contend with the top 16U teams in the state?
Allison Rutledge Allison Rutledge 6'0" | S Lapeer | 2026 State MI – Lapeer | Avery Rittmueller – Frankenmuth | Addison Dunning Addison Dunning 5'7" | OH Davison | 2026 State MI – Davison |
Lily Sukup Lily Sukup 5'10" | OH Goodrich | 2026 State MI – Goodrich | Michaela Wolosuk – Flint Powers | Audrey Ball – Garber |
Tasia Williams – Davison | Darby Crystal – Davison | Avery Benson – DeWitt |
Ava Boldman – Lansing Catholic | Ellie Behrmann – Hartland |
Working the outside
Five:1 16 Black utilizes four different outsides in Addison Dunning Addison Dunning 5'7" | OH Davison | 2026 State MI , Lily Sukup Lily Sukup 5'10" | OH Goodrich | 2026 State MI , Michaela Wolosuk and Avery Benson.
Dunning has been the leader offensively with a consistent swing and a strong all-around game. Dunning is able to come up with nice plays around the floor and has the athleticism to battle with blockers at the net.
Sukup has been coming through with some timely kills on both pins and she’s got a polished defensive game that adds a lot to the squad as well.
Wolosuk has been working on her timing and showing improvement in her decision-making at the net. Benson brings some nice pop on her swings and can be a good change-of-pace option to get momentum back on Five:1’s side.
Both setters, Allison Rutledge Allison Rutledge 6'0" | S Lapeer | 2026 State MI and Avery Rittmueller are also able to play on the right side and contribute to the offensive attack. Rutledge brings some size at nearly 6’0”. She’s able to give Five:1 a little more length on the pin and with the block. Rittmueller shows a lot of good improvising skills and makes the most out of out-of-system play.
Size in the middle
While the pins don’t have a lot of length to work with, the Five:1 middles have a bit more size.
Darby Crystal is a 6’2” middle that is a multi-sport talent. She’s got good footwork and a smooth swing that allows her to bring a big presence to the floor. Crystal can scrap at the net, winning a lot of the 50-50-balls.
Audrey Ball is approaching 6’0”, but her explosiveness off the floor allows her to play much bigger. She’s got a lot of hang time and an athletic swing that makes her difficult to contain. Ball’s quickness allows her to attack from the outside as well.
Tasia Williams is part of the roster but hasn’t been able to compete. She would be a welcomed addition, as she’s also a very explosive player that can come down hard on the ball. Williams was dominant for Davison this fall and has a high ceiling for where she can take her game.
Defensive growth
The back row for Five:1 16 Black is led by Ava Boldman and Ellie Behrmann.
Boldman has been sporting the libero jersey this club season and taking on a lot of big hitters. She’s had to have a bit of a learning curve, but is getting better with each event. She’s not going to back down and going to get back in the fight each set. Look for her to breakout over the second half of the club season as she gets a better feel for the speed of opposing hitters.
Behrmann has been a complimentary DS in the back row. She’s been reading the court pretty well and adding some new traits to her game to make sure she keeps the ball in play.
Both Behrmann and Boldman also have brought a momentum-swinging serve to the court. That will continue to be important as Five:1 looks to start picking up the wins.
Early results
Five:1 16 Black opened the season at the Glass City Gauntlet and placed sixth in the 16 Girls Division with a 3-2 record.
They followed that up with a 15th-place finish in the 16 Open of the Nike Classic a week later. While they took a handful of losses, it was a good learning experience to build on.
Next up was the Central Zone Invitational, where the team dropped six matches in the 16 Premier Red Division. Results were closer despite not picking up wins.
This week the squad takes part in the Battle of the Ohio Valley. It’s a chance to show what they have learned from the recent losses.