What Early Results Tell Us About L2 181

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 club season is in its early stages, but we're starting to get a good picture of what to expect out of some of the state's biggest clubs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>L2 181 is coming off a big event recently in The Windy City Qualifier and we got a chance to see what this team is going to bring to the floor over the next few months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Solid technical play</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>L2 181 is going to be led by its core positions of libero and setter. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156310' first='Kylie' last='Kennedy'] </strong>and setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='224603' first='Anna' last='Rich'] </strong>are great leaders with their play and composure on the floor. Kennedy has always been a scrappy player in the back court and she's showing her experience thus far in 2025. She's quick to react and get to the ball, making life easier for Rich, who is spreading the ball around nicely. Rich, a Canisius commitment, has been lost in the shuffle at times amongst the great setters in this state, but she's taken her game up a notch in recent months. She's working a lot of different hitters and finding the right combination for her team to score consistently.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Agile arms, plenty of depth</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One thing Rich has is a nice array of size to work with at the net. L2 181 has five different players starting 6'0” or taller, and two others at 5'10”. Along with that size, these hitters show a lot of good athleticism and technically smooth swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cecilia Kowalski </strong>has been an early standout with her ability to finish from the middle or the right side. She's attacking aggressive angles and coming down hard over the ball. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261152' first='Grace' last='Cooney'] </strong>is another lengthy finisher that has put down some nice attacks on her highlight reel as of late. The Oakland University commit has a bright future and she's showing that her timing and footwork are already at the next level. <strong>Lexie Remtema </strong>has also been a good change-of-pace option to get the ball to on long rallies. She stays active and ready.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the outside, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='196766' first='Tara' last='Creekmore'] </strong>(St. Mary's) is finishing at a solid rate and mixing in key defensive plays to make L2 competitive with a lot of strong 18U clubs. She's worked hard to become a more complete player, and it is showing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357522' first='Bella' last='Colon']</strong>, <strong>Anna Logan </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='457339' first='Tia' last='Schultz']</strong> also mix in well offensive on the pins. Schultz (Robert Morris) can really dial up the fastball and change the tone of a match. She's locked in and raising her speed with each match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This group also makes good defensive decisions, along with DS <strong>Cecilia Regoli</strong>, to help Kennedy keep the team in-system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where can L2 181 go?</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Windy City Qualifier showed a mixed back for this team, as it picked up some dominant wins, but also struggled to close out tight sets against superior competition. Among in-state teams, it finished behind Michigan Elite, Legacy and Unified. It's not a bad spot to be, especially as this team has the ability to get better and play catchup. With its size and depth at the net, L2 is a team that should continue to elevate its tempo and move up the rankings. With three events coming up over the next month, it's a chance for L2 to grow at a rapid pace before the key months of March and April determine their season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->