Frostbite Festival: Tournament Gems

I always make sure to save a few shinny gems for my final article “wrap up” of a tournament. Everyone wants to end on a positive note and these players sure did. They all either had great moments, great plays, great games and/or overall had a great tournament. As I close out my notebook on the Frozen Festival, the following are some gems that I had to make sure received a shout out!    Murphy was a nice discovery on the courts and was a fun setter to watch. Speed is the word I would use to describe her as speed is the nature of her game. She is quick to track down balls, quick on her release, and sets a quick tempo to her hitters. Her footwork is fluid and she hustles all the time. This hard working, quick setter is going to be one to watch as the season goes on.     I saw numerous right side hitters in this tournament. Paisley Jo was one that stood out to me as she has variety of shots and isn't afraid to use them. She will go line, deep cross, sharp cross, and so on which most resulted in kills. I also liked that Paisley was constantly working hard in all aspects of her game - she was hustling in blocking, in transitioning, and covering which all helped her team win many games. I have Paisley and her team on my schedule to visit later in the season as they were sure fun to watch.     Ruby is dynamic middle and right side from northwestern Wisconsin. This shinny gem has been hiding from us in the small town of Grantsburg, WI but certainly no more. Ruby is the complete package. She is tall, athletic, quick, has a lethal arm, reads the ball well, and puts up a huge block. I especially like her versatility in that she can hit shots to both corners out of the middle, hit hard down the line on a slide, and also terminate from the right side pin. Ruby makes it difficult for opponents as there is no easy way to stop her.     Morarend plays middle for Iowa One and was a big component of her teams success over the weekend as they made their way to the gold bracket championship. Ella has a super quick swing and uses it to her advantage. She reads the blockers well and knows how to find the seams, go around blocks, or bang it off blockers hands to rack up her kill count. I was also impressed with her ability to read the opposing team's setter. Blocking back and forth between the pins is exhausting but Morarend's ability to read makes her an efficient defensive weapon that tallied numerous blocks and block touches.     Vogel is a fiery middle hitter that I was so glad I was able to watch this past weekend. She is energetic, quick, has great hops, and has an array of shots that she puts down with her fast arm swing. Vogel is a setter's best friend. Not every set is going to be perfect, but she reads, adapts, and moves well to make them appear as if they were all delivered that way.

I always make sure to save a few shinny gems for my final article “wrap up” of a tournament. Everyone wants to end on a positive note and these players sure did. They all either had great moments, great plays, great games and/or overall had a great tournament. As I close out my notebook on the Frozen Festival, the following are some gems that I had to make sure received a shout out!