Notes From Hoosier Regionals: 15s That Showed Out
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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. NCISVBC 15-1 Undersized and CERTAINLY…
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Continue ReadingWith 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.
NCISVBC 15-1
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 Paige Perez Paige Perez 5'2" | S Lafayette Central Catholic | 2027 State IN (’27, 5-2 S, Lafayette Central Catholic) and Emma Garringer Emma Garringer 5'9" | S West Lafayette | 2027 State IN (’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 Lauren Johnson Lauren Johnson 5'9" | OH Lafayette Central Catholic | 2027 State IN (’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 Emma Hinds Emma Hinds 5'1" | DS/L Benton Central | 2027 State IN (’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.
Rev 15-2
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. Kyra Joostberns Kyra Joostberns 5'8" | S Lawrence North | 2027 State IN (’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. Laynie Holman Laynie Holman 5'9" | OH Westfield | 2027 State IN (’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 Harper Greene Harper Greene 5'2" | DS/L Bishop Chatard | 2027 State IN (’27, 5-6 DS/L, Bishop 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.
Team Indiana 15.2
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 Isabel Jacobus Isabel Jacobus 5'3" | DS/L Westfield | 2027 State IN (’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 Maeve Jordan Maeve Jordan 5'7" | S Bishop Chatard | 2027 State IN (’27, 5-7 S, Bishop 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.
Circle City 15 Purple, White and Volt
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 Jade Cline Jade Cline 5'9" | RS Brownsburg | 2027 State IN (’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, Ava Dean Ava Dean 5'8" | S Center Grove | 2027 IN (’27, 5-6 S, Center Grove) and Savannah Brock Savannah Brock 5'6" | S Mooresville | 2027 State IN (’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. Taylor Donovan Taylor Donovan 5'5" | DS/L Plainfield | 2026 State IN (’27, 5-6 DS/L, Plainfield) is the clear anchor of the defense, and was regularly in on some exceptional defensive plays when needed. Jenna Dittmer Jenna Dittmer 5'9" | OH Zionsville | 2027 State IN (’27, 5-10 OH, Zionsville) and Lila Bruszewski Lila Bruszewski 6'1" | MB Carmel | 2027 State IN (’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. Chloe Moss Chloe Moss 5'9" | RS Cathedral | 2027 State IN (’27, 5-9 MB, Cathedral) and Marley Vanwanzeele Marley Vanwanzeele 6'0" | MB Mooresville | 2027 State IN (’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 Audrey Davis Audrey Davis 6'0" | RS Westfield | 2027 State IN (’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.