Dead Frog Snags Bid to USA Junior Nationals at MEQs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Be sure to follow&nbsp;@lshotvb&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">Tik Tok&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for all things volleyball!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>–</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In one of the biggest tournaments of the year, there is no better place that you want to bring your A-Game too than the Mideast Qualifiers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dead Frog 17 Black came into this weekend on a mission. Hunting for a bid, they were able to do just that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a group that has been consistently making noise throughout the bulk of their club careers together. Last summer, they managed to place atop the pack in the 16 Premier Division at AAU Nationals, finishing fifth. This season, they have seemingly found a way to crank things up another notch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>En route to the bid earning finish, Dead Frog went on a seven match win streak. They wouldn't see much resistance until the semifinals of the gold bracket against Upward Stars out of South Carolina. Albeit to the efforts of green and black, Stars would not only sweep them, but go on to win the 17 USA Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":447567,"width":"353px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/08/Jordyn-Hughes-Blocking.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-447567" style="width:353px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 17 USA division, only two bids are given out. This meant that fighting for an outright third place finish would've been what DF needed to bring home the bid to Vegas later in the summer. Much to their luck, Stars would go on to decline the bid and grant DF the first of two bids handed out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To go 7-1 on the weekend is a serious testament to true teamwork. However, there was some serious highlights throughout the weekend that drove home this incredible finish for the club. The play out of the middle for DF was top notch and opened up so much opportunity for the rest of this group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='443826' first='Jordyn' last='Hughes'] (UConn) and [player_tooltip player_id='446691' first='Taliyah' last='Hanks'] were holding it down with the best of them. Hughes being so explosive and fast, she can beat out the toughest of defenders. As for Hanks, this weekend was a serious showcase to why she'll be a hot commodity come June 15th. At 6'3, Hanks already has a leg up on the competition. But the way this player can get up and pick and choose her spots is alarming. Both of which were on top of it in the blocking department. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elsewhere the defense for this group is as scrappy as it gets. [player_tooltip player_id='156291' first='Taygan' last='Corstange'], a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4yweHbvUcV/?next=%2Fkultursebiha%2Ffeed%2F&amp;hl=zh-cn&amp;img_index=1">recent Wright State commit</a>, leads this group and continues to shine as one of the brightest defensive products out of the mitten state. Alongside Corstange, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288963' first='Marley' last='Onken']</strong> was coming up with some serious clutch plays as a DS on day 3. I was loving the steady play that she brought on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Running the offense, [player_tooltip player_id='443896' first='Sydney' last='Bates'] (College of Charleston) was doing a really solid job getting her hitters in scoring opportunities. A big presence for this group, Bates brings a lot of leadership and can turn the switch on to take over the match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dead Frog's third place finish marked the highest of any club out of Michigan at this year's Mideast Qualifier.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->