Unified 18-1 2024 Club Volleyball Preview

Unified 18-1 brings a lot of balance to the court, as the whole roster of nine players have come through with big moments early in the club season.   Here's a closer look at this year's 18-1 squad and what they've accomplished a month into the club season.   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Lea Wasielewski – Anchor Bay</td><td>Ella Rusk – Utica</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='271120' first='Ava' last='Acre'] – Lutheran North</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='261158' first='Hailey' last='Jones'] – Clarkston</td><td>Lorelai Gallo – Lutheran Northwest</td><td>Madison Pawlowski – Notre Dame Prep</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='261205' first='Saniyah' last='Terry'] – LC North</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='383187' first='Aleeza' last='Carballo'] – Rochester</td><td>Makenna Johnson – Austin Catholic</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Impactful up front</h2>   Unified 18-1 is going to have some strong arms to work with this club season.   [player_tooltip player_id='271120' first='Ava' last='Acre'] is coming off a really impressive prep season for Lutheran North. She was one of the state's most impactful blockers and is able to work the middle or the outside. Acre has a lot of length and a really smooth delivery at the net.   Lorelai Gallo brings a lot of power on the pins. She plays aggressively when she can, but also scraps at the net to find a way to finish points.   Madison Pawlowski can do the same, as she delivers a big swing on the right side and has good court awareness to adapt and score on out-of-system swings.   In the middle, Unified relies on Ella Rusk and [player_tooltip player_id='261158' first='Hailey' last='Jones']. Jones has shown some deceiving power, able to generate a lot of pop without needing a big wind up. She's improving on her movement along the net as well to be effective from the outside. Rusk shows good quickness and the net and has had solid timing with her setters. She also looks to play aggressive attack angles.   The balance Unified has offensively is a credit to setter Lea Wasielewski, who is mixing up the ball well and getting it to her players with a chance to finish. She stays light on her feet and communicates well to keep the offense on the same page.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive depth</h2>   Unified has a lot of defensive specialists to rely on.   [player_tooltip player_id='383187' first='Aleeza' last='Carballo'] has been sporting the libero jersey, and her dig and ace numbers are piling up quickly. She's making good, composed choices during frantic plays and displaying a wide range of abilities to come up with a tough dig. Her sprawls and dives deliver accurate feeds to give the offense a chance to put down a big attack.   [player_tooltip player_id='261205' first='Saniyah' last='Terry'] and Makenna Johnson make up the defensive depth for Unified.   Terry has been able to contribute as a OPP as well. She's an explosive athlete that has a fundamentally sound swing she can use on the RS or in the back row. She's also very quick defensively, coming through with some very timely digs.   Johnson handles the center of the back row very well. She gets in great position to take on the head-on attacks and make an easy pass to the setter.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Early results</h2>   Unified 18-1 has been busy, with three events already under their belt this club season.   Things got started in the Girls Winter Volleyball Championship in mid-January in Chicago, followed by the OVR Girls WinterFest in Columbus to end the month. At WinterFest, Unified finished 13th in the 18 and Under division, winning the bronze bracket.   The squad dropped two of their first three matches, but closed out strong with three consecutive sweeps to end the weekend.   Last weekend, Unified took part in the Ohio Valley 18s qualifier, where it finished 15th in the 18 Liberty Division. The squad went 4-4 on the weekend, but showed some fight in winning a number of close sets. That included a three-set battle to open bronze bracket play on Sunday.

Unified 18-1 brings a lot of balance to the court, as the whole roster of nine players have come through with big moments early in the club season.