Power Players in the MEQ 18 Open Gold Medal Rounds

<!-- 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>This weekend saw one of the top qualifiers in the country take place.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From coast to coast, the best of the best were on tap and in search for a bid to junior nationals in Vegas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 18 Open, we saw the grand return of [program_tooltip program_id='430129' first='Munciana' last='Volleyball Club'], after a <strong>17</strong> year absence, take the MEQ title in an undefeated weekend. Alongside with accepting their first bid to the tournament since the mid-2000s, [program_tooltip program_id='430155' first='Team' last='Pineapple'] and Tri-State Elite accepted bids while placing third and fifth respectively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As one of the very last qualifiers in the 18s season, this one laid it all out on the table. With some incredible volleyball going on, let's take a look at some of the power players in the 18 Open at MEQs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='110498' first='Lola' last='Schumacher'] - Munciana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's one stout task to be the number one defender on a team full of power five defensive studs! This Under Armour All-American's senior year continues to shine as one heck of a swan song. [player_tooltip player_id='110498' first='Lola' last='Schumacher'] was locked in from start to finish in Munciana's 10-0 stretch to their first open bid in nearly 20 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'] - Munciana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After seeing [player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'] go in and out of the line up at Triple Crown, MEQ was a well-welcomed return to form for this future Hoosier. Vinson was electric all weekend long but when it came to championship, she put on a show! One of the most dominating opposite attackers in the field, nobody could slow her down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='192114' first='Addy' last='Tindall'] - Munciana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='192114' first='Addy' last='Tindall'] may be future rivals with Vinson, but for now, they're the dynamic 1-2 punch that proves too deadly for Munciana. The future Boilermaker continues to shine in her newly found home. Tindall was instrumental in the long-stretch of victories to attain the 18 Open title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clare Luoma - MKE Sting</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was bittersweet to watch this one in her final outing in this qualifier. A personal favorite when it comes to liberos in this class, Clare Luoma made sure to go out with a bang. A scrappy stalwart in the back court, nothing is too much for this player. Her demeanor was crucial in Sting's bounce back from falling mid-tournament to ending up atop the standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lily Wagner - MKE Sting</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right alongside luoma, Lily Wagner had something to prove at this final outing at MEQ. This team not only attained their second bid to the junior nationals, but Wagner led this team to a silver medal. The future Terrapin continues to get better with age and she's shaping up to be an immediate impact for Maryland in the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ellie White - 1st Alliance</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From setting to attacking, there was not much that Ellie White touched that didn't turn to gold. I was quite impressed with White's growing ability to run an offense at such a high level. For a long time, this player was known for his physicality but she is blossoming into an elite setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='110486' first='Morgan' last='Gaerte'] - Team Pinapple</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team is on a real hot streak as of late. After winning the Bluegrass 18 Open and now nabbing their ticket to Baltimore, much of this is to the success that [player_tooltip player_id='110486' first='Morgan' last='Gaerte']. She's as dominating as they come, when Gaerte gets on top of the ball, it's going down. After dropping a day 1 match to Six Pack, Gaerte stepped into overdrive. Putting her team on her shoulders, they would avenge the said loss on day 3 to ultimately earn the bid. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Honorable Mentions from GM Pool Play</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Elle Demetrician </strong>- FC Elite</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Payton Petersen </strong>- Six Pack</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Maria Drapp</strong> - Tri-State Elite</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Jenna Hanes </strong>- WAVE</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Emma Duffield </strong>- A5</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='142821' first='<strong>Lilly</strong>' last='<strong>Merk</strong>']</strong>- Circle City</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Bella Lee</strong> - OTVA</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110491' first='Leah' last='Richmond']</strong> - Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->