L2 Standouts From SPVB Presidents’ Day Challenge

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week was a noteworthy week for Michigan volleyball clubs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the success at Triple Crown and the Presidents' Day Challenge in Detroit, there wasn't a lack of things to talk about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, what got lost in the shuffle was a really strong showing for the L2 Volleyball program at The SPVB Presidents' Day Challenge in Aurora, Ill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>L2 brought home two open titles, while having two other teams finish near the top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at who helped these respective L2 teams to their strong showings in Illinois.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>L2 181</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>L2 came home with the 18/17 Open title with a three-set win over Illini Elite in the final. The team had a lot of overall production and help throughout the roster, but <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110298' first='Lea' last='Gage'] </strong>really shined in the setter role. She got a lot of hitters involved and hitting at a high rate. She also was on point from the service line throughout the weekend. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110280' first='Katie' last='Berry'] </strong>was one of those hitters that really connected well with Gage. Berry got one some nice hot streaks on the outside and was a powerful force all weekend that opponents had trouble slowing down. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110313' first='Greta' last='McKee'] </strong>was her usual steady self defensively. She was dialed in on serve receive and made a lot of great feeds to hitters on out-of-system balls that still led to kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>L2 171</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 17U squad finished fourth in the 18/17 Open Division, but held their open against a lot of older competition. L2 was led on the weekend by libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156310' first='Kylie' last='Kennedy']</strong>. She was all over the floor and stepped up to the challenge of playing against a lot of powerful hitters. She passed a 2.3 and was a dig machine while also providing a lot of great assists with out-of-system balls. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156298' first='Chloe' last='Giehtbrock'] </strong>continues to shine as a setter and ran a middle-dominant offense last weekend. She averaged nearly 10 assists per set and was a big factor defensively as well. One of the middles Giehtbrock connected with was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261152' first='Grace' last='Cooney']</strong>, who hit nearly .300 on the weekend while being a big factor defensive with nine solo blocks. Cooney also was a momentum shifter with her serving, recording 13 aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>L2 161</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>L2 161 took home the 16/15 Open title in Illinois, grinding out of a tough win over Illini Elite 16 Black in a three-set final. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='487356' first='Lucy' last='Monahan'] </strong>earned tournament MVP honors and was able to shine down the stretch of the big sets. The middle came through with a number of clutch kills, blocks and service aces. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226905' first='Delaney' last='Gilmore'] </strong>was also a standout for the weekend as a setter/right side option. She was putting down big finishes at the net, while providing some great setting out of the back row. No surprise to see <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240701' first='Giselle' last='Burlingame'] </strong>also playing at a high level. She's always been locked in with her defensive play and that was no different in this event. Her play on the final day of the tournament was a real difference-maker for L2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>L2 151</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 151 squad came through with a silver bracket title after battling through some older competition in the 16/15 Open Division. L2 won its final three matches of the tournament, with all three coming in three sets. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442968' first='Amelia' last='Vogelheim'] </strong>played exceptionally well at libero. She was really put to the test in this event and had to take on some strong, elder hitting. However, she was able to come through with key digs and accurate serve receive in those third sets on the final day of play. <strong>Lesa Pierson </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='471313' first='Nellie' last='Alves'] </strong>were key to finishing off points offensively. Pierson was steady on the outside all weekend, making some highlight-reel kills. Alves also had some nice pop on her swings on the right, while also displaying high-level setting to get the ball in the right places at the right times.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->