4 Key Match-Ups to Watch on Day 1 of MEQs

Be sure to follow @lshotvb on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc">Tik Tok </a>and <a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a> for all things volleyball!   –   On the eve of one of the biggest qualifiers of the season, the 2024 Mid-East Qualifiers are upon us.   In typical fashion, this qualifier attracts some of the best of the best from across the country on the hunt for a bid to the Girl's Junior National Championships in July. The competition becomes to get so deep, even on Day 1 the top seeds aren't safe from a real dark horse team to spoil their plans.   Between the 16 and 18 Open, there's quite a few of these kinds of matches. If you're looking for a true brawl, be sure to hop onto these courts tomorrow!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Open</h2>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">1st Alliance vs. TVC</h4>   I could see this game being a real doozy tomorrow. 1st Alliance is coming into the weekend as the third seed, meanwhile TVC is coming in as the 22nd seed. A bit surprising for TVC, in my opinion. It's been awhile since Central Zone, but TVC turned a lot of heads including a huge upset over the overall No. 2 seed of MEQ, Legacy. This could get dicey.   Alliance has one of the top rated defenders in the country with Lucy Maloney on their side. She's a digging machine and really pushes this team a LONG ways when it comes to deep rally play. [player_tooltip player_id='236692' first='Elle' last='Schara'] on the outside does a real bang-up job at putting the balls away for this group.   For TVC, they're pretty evenly matched up with the group across the net. Neither are the biggest kids, but they're really intelligent players. The Pike twins, Mallory Pike and Leah Pike are this team's go-to punches. With one on the pin playing six rotations and the other in the middle, both give a very heavy dose of scoring that pushes TVC over some big, physical players.   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">MN Select vs. KIVA</h4>   Another match-up that could not only go either way, but could go the distance in the last match of pool play tomorrow. 8th seed, MN Select, will take on 17th seed, KIVA, in the final match of pool 8. Unlike the first highlighted game, this one will feature some of the biggest, most physical kids in the gym. It's be a battle of the titans for sure.   For MN Select, they have a pair of 6'3 players paired up at the net with S Eva Swenson and MB Elena Hoecke. Both of these players are as physical as they get. When this team is in rhythm and can feed Hoecke the ball, it's a no-brainer. Game. Over. However, Hoecke will have the task of dealing with an always solid KIVA defense as well as a huge wall on the left pin on her slides.   Over the net, KIVA has themselves a new addition to the group that has been elevating the play by ten fold. Jessica Smallwood, 6'5 outside hitter, has been an electrifying presence for this team. While equipped with sheer size, Smallwood moves so well around the court and has nearly all the shots in the book. She's going to have to have a huge presence in this match to upend the top seed.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">18 Open</h2>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='430155' first='Team' last='Pineapple'] vs. Six Pack</h4>   Onto the 18s, this could be a really fun match up. These two teams not only have a lot of physicality on their sides of the net, but both are coming in with a lot of momentum. [program_tooltip program_id='430155' first='Team' last='Pineapple'] is coming off of a huge statement win in the Bluegrass 18s Division. Meanwhile, Six Pack is the reigning USAV National Division Champions last summer.   On Pineapple's side, they're led by OH [player_tooltip player_id='110486' first='Morgan' last='Gaerte'] (Notre Dame). Standing at 6'5, Gaerte has a nice natural advantage on the court, but its when she takes flight and lays down the heat, it's all over. [player_tooltip player_id='110487' first='Mya' last='Ball'] (UCF) is another impact player on this team, running the offense. At 6'1, she poses a lot of opportunities at the net and she takes as much as she can get. As good as Ball is at running the offense, her scoring is very timely and very effective.   On Six Pack's side they have one of the top outside hitters in the class coming off of a HUGE performance at the Under Armour All-America match, Payton Petersen (Louisville). One of the heaviest arms you can find, any opening and that ball is going to be bounced!   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">A5 vs. FC Elite</h4>   And lastly on our list, this is going to be a real exciting match to watch. Anytime you have an A5 team on the court, you're going to get a show. Throw in the likes of FC Elite, who had a really good showing at Triple Crown a few weeks ago. This should be a blow for blow, bombs away kind of game.   On A5's bench, they have a pair of future SEC standouts on the pins that lead this team deep into these tournament weekends. Recent UA All-American, Hannah Benjamin (Kentucky) has become this team's go-to arm. Her ball is blistering and its hard to stop her when she gets into her groove. Opposite of her, A5 has Emma Duffield (Georgia). A lengthy player with some incredible hops. This player brings the heat but in much different and more deceptive way. The two are constant factors in the game.   On FC Elite's side of things, they're led by Elle Demetrician (Michigan) on the outside and Emerson VanLannen (Kansas State) at setter. Demetrician acts as this team's go-to option on offense. VanLannen runs an extremely well-ran offense that keeps teams on their toes. Her and Demetrician have worked up a lot of different routes to score on and when they get into a rhythm, the two can go off!

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