2025 Club Preview: High Performance 16-1 Premier

<p><em><strong>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!</strong></em></p>   <p>–</p>   <p>This is the kind of team that can make the new kid on the block a serious contender in Southeast Michigan. High Performance volleyball, out of the formerly known, Oakland Elite, has themselves a dangerous 16s team.</p>   <p>Led by [player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller'], one of the most promising prospects in the 2027 class, HP is off to a big season ahead. Kapeller will look to bring along a series of underdog talent to prove themselves in the space. This team is led by long time Lake Orion HC Tony Scavarda. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller'] - Orchard Lake St. Mary</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='456516' first='Kennedy' last='Duncan'] - South Lyon</td><td>Mari Hardin - South Lyon</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='523875' first='Kate' last='Sulkowski'] - South Lyon</td></tr><tr><td>Maya Kuebler - Clarkston</td><td>Sienna Austin - Oxford</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='513767' first='Rachel' last='Johnston'] - Rochester Adams</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='512892' first='Brynn' last='Wilcox'] - Bloomfield Hills</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='586766' first='Catie' last='Kuchta'] - Mercy</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='586776' first='Lyla' last='Gorny'] - Troy</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Power on the Pins</h2>   <p>Look no further to lead the way than [player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller'] as the six rotation dynamo. Kapeller is capable of being an offensive threat from both the net and out of the back row. Her long, whip of an arm has grown quite the array of shots throughout the fall. She is looking at her top game entering the early goings of the winter months. </p>   <p>Alongside her on the left side, [player_tooltip player_id='456516' first='Kennedy' last='Duncan'] looks to be a talent that cannot go unseen. A tad on the undersized side, Duncan makes up with a strong jump and heavy arm. This is her first season playing at quite the level on the club circuit. As a former product of Dynamite Volleyball Club, Duncan should become quite accustomed to the speed of the game at the premier and open level in no time.</p>   <p>On the right pin, [player_tooltip player_id='513767' first='Rachel' last='Johnston'] and Sienna Austin should be two strong players to keep an eye on throughout the season. Both players are nearing that 5'11-6'0 stature. They offer some depth to play around with in the offense and could come on strong the more they get used to the level of competition. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Burgeoning Middles</h2>   <p>Just like its pins, HP 16 Premier's middles are also some real strong prospects to keep an eye on. [player_tooltip player_id='523875' first='Kate' last='Sulkowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='586776' first='Lyla' last='Gorny'] will hold down the fort and are coming into the season playing some of their best volleyball. Sulkowski is finding another gear in terms of her speed. She's moving much better laterally and getting a faster contact onto the ball. For Gorny, she is another lengthy player that has come into her own quite nicely. She's also one of the few returners to this team from a season ago.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mighty Backcourt</h2>   <p>This team will look to rely on the two setter system for the bulk of the season, which looks to be the best option when you look at their back court personnel. First, let's look at the pair of setters. Both Mari Hardin and [player_tooltip player_id='512892' first='Brynn' last='Wilcox'] are a bit undersized, both standing around 5'7-5'8. Despite this, the two put up a great ball and run a very similar system to one another. This is key when running a system like this.</p>   <p>Looking at the true defensive side of things, players like Maya Kuebler and [player_tooltip player_id='586766' first='Catie' last='Kuchta'] are tough acts to compete with. Both of which are coming off of promising high school seasons where they made the most of their minutes on the court. Kuebler and Kuchta also have the luxury of spending the falls in some highly competitive gyms. With Kuebler at Clarkston, and Kuchta at Mercy; the two had the chance to defend against some of the biggest of attackers.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Predictions </h2>   <p>This is a team that could turn a lot of heads. At Central Zone over the weekend, HP 16 Premier competed in the 16 Premier division and ended up as a finalist in the division. This is quite the strong opener for a squad that seems to be so new and quite under the radar. With the finish over the weekend, its telling that this could be a team that finds a lot of success in the Premier/USA Division as well as compete really well in the Open Divisions as well.</p>   <p>As players such as Sulkowski and Gorny continue to develop and become stronger, this team's stock only goes up. Keep an eye out for this team over the next several months.</p>

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