Notes From Hoosier Regionals: 15s That Showed Out

With the Hoosier Regionals completed yesterday, I can finally take the time to empty my notebook from all of the great talent from around the state of Indiana. Here they are, in no particular order.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">NCISVBC 15-1</h2>   Undersized and CERTAINLY underestimated, this squad has multiple players that played multiple positions to help their team finish in the middle of the pack of 13 teams at regionals. The two setter combination of [player_tooltip player_id='514357' first='Paige' last='Perez'] ('27, 5-2 S, Lafayette Central Catholic) and [player_tooltip player_id='514359' first='Emma' last='Garringer'] ('27, 5-9 S, West Lafayette) worked well for this group, as both attacked, ran an offense, defended, and were very tough from behind the baseline. I also liked the long and lean [player_tooltip player_id='514361' first='Lauren' last='Johnson'] ('27, 5-9 Pin, Lafayette Central Catholic), who played both right side and outside this weekend. Her attack touch is super high, has a quickness about her that can surprise defenders and finds ways to put the ball away regularly. Finally, the unsung heroine on this roster has to be [player_tooltip player_id='514363' first='Emma' last='Hinds'] ('27, 5-1 DS/L, Benton Central). On many occasions, Miss Hinds bailed out her teammates with a nail pass or a spectacular dig when she was the first contact, and chased down many a ball to keep plays alive on the second contact. Her relentless attitude and mental toughness were on display throughout the weekend.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rev 15-2 </h2>   Of the two Rev teams I saw this weekend, I was more impressed with this team simply because of the adjustments they had to make with some missing parts. [player_tooltip player_id='479286' first='Kyra' last='Joostberns'] ('27, 5-7 S/RS, Lawrence North) was the clear captain of this roster, and was constantly in charge of where everyone was, setting a great offense, and attacking when needed. She did a little of everything all weekend, and the effort and relentlessness of her play showed out. [player_tooltip player_id='513505' first='Laynie' last='Holman'] ('27, 5-9 OH, Westfield) was a regular target of Kyra's in the offense, and when the Panthers needed a side-out, more often than not Laynie took care of business. Can't have an offense, however, without a great first contact, which mostly came from [player_tooltip player_id='514365' first='Harper' last='Greene'] ('27, 5-6 DS/L, [program_tooltip program_id='430077' first='Bishop' last='Chatard']). She looks lithe, but is more than strong enough to shoulder the serve receive load and take hard shots in left back on defense.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team Indiana 15.2</h2>   My title for this team is "the little squad that could". Regardless of who they played, they brought on all opponents with fire and high effort. Despite their record, they took a set off of a bigger and stronger Rev 15-2 squad, and mostly because of the play of [player_tooltip player_id='514367' first='Isabel' last='Jacobus'] ('27, 5-3 DS/L, Westfield). She had to pass half the court at times in serve receive, and was regularly the first contact on defense. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='514369' first='Maeve' last='Jordan'] ('27, 5-7 S, [program_tooltip program_id='430077' first='Bishop' last='Chatard']) was the recipient of those tough first contacts, and got to every ball to make the next one more hittable. I liked this team's pursuit and character, and even despite their finish, fought to the very end.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Circle City 15 Purple, White and Volt</h2>   I didn't get a chance to see 15 Black this weekend, despite their second-place finish and earning an American bid to Vegas. That being said, there are plenty of talented players on the three teams listed above, and we'll start with the Volt (4s) squad and their springy right side [player_tooltip player_id='514353' first='Jade' last='Cline'] ('27, 5-9 RS, Brownsburg). It seems there is always a dearth of athletic studs that play volleyball in Brownsburg, and Jade just continues that fact. Her athleticism, long arms and strength had her putting away balls with her rocket left arm and blocking anyone thinking about terminating against her. Just watching her warm up led me to believe that she's someone special to watch in the future. 15 White had their own solid tournament, barely losing 13-15 in the third place match to Rev's 15-1 squad. Their fourth place finish was directed in part by a pair of setters, [player_tooltip player_id='502571' first='Ava' last='Dean'] ('27, 5-6 S, Center Grove) and [player_tooltip player_id='514355' first='Savannah' last='Brock'] ('27, 5-6 S, Mooresville). I'm guessing that there were a few parts missing, because both played all of the way around when I saw them play. Both had blocks and attacks that were unexpected, yes, but knowing that they could each make up for their size with savvy playing abilities makes this author happy. Both can run an offense in their own right, and both are accurate enough and smart enough to know when and whom to set. Finally, earning the National bid to Vegas was the flagship 15s team. The Purple team has a bunch of parts that can be rearranged so much that I hardly knew who played what position on Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id='399722' first='Taylor' last='Donovan'] ('27, 5-6 DS/L, Plainfield) is the clear anchor of the defense, and was regularly in on some exceptional defensive plays when needed. [player_tooltip player_id='435863' first='Jenna' last='Dittmer'] ('27, 5-10 OH, Zionsville) and [player_tooltip player_id='435867' first='Lila' last='Bruszewski'] ('27, 6-1 MB/OH, Carmel) were pin attackers on Saturday, even though Lila can play middle as well. To know that these two can sky over blocks and terminate at will was impressive to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='443864' first='Chloe' last='Moss'] ('27, 5-9 MB, Cathedral) and [player_tooltip player_id='481214' first='Marley' last='Vanwanzeele'] ('27, 6-0 MB, Mooresville) were stalwarts in the middle. Chloe is a hyper-athletic kids that has hops for days, while Marley's length is her strength, and can defend from pin to pin with the best of them. After a while, though, one could tell immediately that [player_tooltip player_id='443863' first='Audrey' last='Davis'] ('27, 5-10 RS, Westfield) was the primary attacker on this team. This lefty banger hits a heavy ball, and was hard to defend against from both the front and back rows.

With the Hoosier Regionals completed yesterday, I can finally take the time to empty my notebook from all of the great talent from around the state of Indiana. Here they are, in no particular order.