January Thaw: 15u Standouts That Ruled the Court

The January Thaw brings in some top level talent each year. I love to sit back and watch these players compete. Their skill levels and athleticism are always off the charts. While all the players participating in the tournament are good, the following are the players that I thought were jaw-dropping and ones that I found myself spending more time at their court than I had originally planned.   Remember to follow me on Instagram @Prepdigamy and Facebook @PrepDig Amy for up to date event coverage, stories, and more.    I honestly think Masselink was born to play volleyball. Playing up a year on the Kairos 15 Alpha, Masselink is a 6 rotation outside that is simply dynamic in everything she does. She has the height, vertical, power, court awareness, and the ability to terminate anywhere on the court. While all of her shots are impressive, her sharp cross attacks are ones that made me stop and stare. I am already predicting that this standout is headed for a HUGE volleyball career and I am so glad I was able to witness her at the beginning of it.     Zieske had a great tournament and is at the top of my list for the most effective 6 rotation outsides in the class of 2028 across the region. She is very poised, controlled, and consistent on serve receive and defense. She is also powerful and terminal with a mixed bag of shots to utilize when hitting out of the front row and back court. She is everything a team needs and wants in a 6 rotation outside and she delivered repeatedly this weekend.     McGuire was one of my favorite setters of the tournament. She has fast footwork, a high window, and a quick release that makes her highly efficient and hard to read. She also threw in several well placed setter dumps which further frazzled her opponents and made them stay grounded instead of cheating on the block. Overall, McGuire ran one of the most efficient offenses of the tournament.     I am a huge [player_tooltip player_id='508163' first='Avery' last='Minor'] fan and this powerful attacker did not disappoint at the January thaw. She is quick, has excellent court vision, and knows how to terminate using an arsenal of shots that she has at her disposal. Teams need to keep tabs on her as this hard hitting, bold lefty is one that will take wicked swings from either pin and also out of the middle making her hard to stop.     [player_tooltip player_id='733255' first='Brynlie' last='Richman'] is an incredibly athletic setter with a high endurance. She has excellent court vision and did a great job getting all of her attackers involved on the court. She is quick and delivered consistent balls to her pins. While it is tiring enough to set on every play in a 5-1 offense, she also effectively blocked out of the middle and ran her offense out of it while in the front row. The skill, strength, and endurance she has as a player is exemplary.     Jennings is a consistent force on this MN Select squad. Playing 6 rotations as an outside, Jennings has a big, powerful, heavy swing that is hard to stop. She was also consistent at serve receive and defense. However, what was really impressive though was to see her come flying out of the back court and deliver several kills. While Jennings is a standout on skill level alone, it is also impressive that she is playing up a year and has only just started her volleyball career.     While Opland can and does play multiple positions, she ruled the backcourt during the January thaw. Her serve receive was impressive as was her digging and block coverage. She anticipated well, effectively read the opposing teams setter, and moved quickly and efficiently making her a force as a libero and one of the key pieces to this championship squad.

The January Thaw brings in some top level talent each year. I love to sit back and watch these players compete. Their skill levels and athleticism are always off the charts. While all the players participating in the tournament are good, the following are the players that I thought were jaw-dropping and ones that I found myself spending more time at their court than I had originally planned.