Four Stars From HP 16-1’s Presidents’ Day Challenge Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a dominant weekend for High Performance 16-1 at The Presidents' Day Challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HP 16-1 went a perfect 6-0, dropping just two sets along the way to win the 16 Open/Premier Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While it was a team effort, High Performance had some key standouts lead them to their first championship of the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller'], OH</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kapeller continued her impressive club season by leading High Performance in kills this weekend with 42 over six matches. That included seven in the championship win over FaR Out 16 Gold. Kapeller is proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in this class. She just keeps meeting high expectations and isn't backing down from being the lead offensive option. Her length is along her to beat opponents everywhere on the court and she's definitely not lacking in confidence right now. Kapeller adjusts to the ball really well to make an aggressive play even when the set is a little off. When High Performance needed to put the ball away in a key point, Kapeller was the one to do it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='747660' first='Mari' last='Hardin'], S</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hardin is one of two sets on the 16-1 team, but she led the way in assists this weekend with 71. She did a nice job of getting Kapeller the ball with a high chance to succeed, but also helped get other outsides like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513767' first='Rachel' last='Johnston'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456516' first='Kennedy' last='Duncan']</strong> rolling at times as well. On top of that, Hardin was a difference-maker from the service line. She tallied 13 aces on the weekend and consistently kept opponents on their heels with serve receive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Maya Kuebler, DS/L</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming from a volleyball family, Kuebler is a well-coached player that shows great fundamentals. She was composed in the back row and able to keep the offense in a good flow throughout the weekends. Over the six matches, she led the team with 43 digs and also put together a handful of good service runs. Kuebler never looked panicked when tracing the ball and staying on top of the opposing attacks. She kept herself low to the ground and made smooth passes to the setters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523875' first='Kate' last='Sulkowski'], MB</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of defense, Sulkowski was a valuable piece to High Performance winning the title this weekend. The 6'1” middle got in the way of a lot of opposing attacks and made life easier for her defenders. Overall, she tallied 15 blocks on the weekend. Offensively, Sulkowski was steady with her play. She showed good awareness to pick up some impressive kills thanks to opponent's mistakes. Sulkowski showed the ability to connect quickly with her setters, and with her length, could climb the ladder to play over the top of the blockers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->