President’s Day Weekend Success

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest mid-season weekends for the club cycle, the President's Day weekend has a handful of high profile events around the country. Two that saw great representation among Ohio-based teams were in St. Louis and Kansas City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Triple Crown NIT</strong> | Kansas City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The prestige of the Triple Crown NIT is well established and is consistently a key event on many club's schedule. It is one of the best events regarding the depth of talent and competition and is very difficult to win. [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] came very close in the 16 Elite division with an 8-2 overall record and a final defeat in the semifinals to the eventual champion. Earning a bronze medal is indicative of how good this group is as they continue to develop their individual and collective skills as a 16U team. Featuring some of Ohio's best 2027 prospects, they are led offensively by a 2028 setter in [player_tooltip player_id='582224' first='Penelope' last='Reisman']. Her 6'0 size and savvy skills continue to be critical to their competitive success. Her ceiling is high as she has lots of time to continue developing into an elite prospect that will certainly covet a lot of recruiting attention if not already. The rest of the group impressed in all facets with noticeable action from their primary middles in [player_tooltip player_id='434971' first='Jillian' last='Forrest'] and [player_tooltip player_id='480837' first='Charley' last='Moeddel']. Their individual athleticism is such a huge asset as Forrest is physical in her presence on both sides of the ball as Moeddel continues to assert her quickness and elevation in ways that increase advantages for with her arm and when defending. At the pins, a lot of attention goes to [player_tooltip player_id='480838' first='Makenna' last='Meibers'] (*pictured) and how she provides stability in the passing game and as a six rotation threat. She contacts well at the peak of her jump with big ability to swing through gaps or use blockers to make things happen. [player_tooltip player_id='480821' first='Maisie' last='Jones'], another athlete that moves well, is quick, and has good arm speed and control making for a tough full rotation of pin presence for opposing teams. I'm a firm believer that the best teams have solid right side presence that can score and as their middles can terminate off one foot, they also have <strong>Rachel Lewandowski</strong> from Kentucky that can be terminal. The primary libero is [player_tooltip player_id='725304' first='Emme' last='Moser'], a smaller but mighty force among this collection of length and high flyers. The action around her is really good which may make her job easier, but she handles her role very well in helping to ignite their high-potential offense with her passing and defense. This is a group that has established itself as one of the elite in their age group on a national stage. It will be fun to see how they sustain this going forward. Following another power league event, they will next take on solid competition at the Adidas Bluegrass tournament in Louisville, KY in early March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>President's Day Classic</strong> | St. Louis</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A midwest staple on the club circuit, this is another three day event that attracts some high quality teams. This year, in the 17 Open division, the gold medal was earned by [program_tooltip program_id='430850' first='Toledo' last='Volleyball Club'] 17 Black. This is a team that has maintained their core group for multiple seasons, which can go a long way in terms of success given their ability to compete cohesively. As well, they feature some of the best Ohio talent in this 2026 class, with good defense, balanced offense, and some terminal hitters that can score in bunches in and out of system. [player_tooltip player_id='227830' first='Mallory' last='Pike'] and [player_tooltip player_id='403527' first='Leah' last='Pike'] are key elements that get a high volume of opportunities. As an outside and middle hitter respectively, the future Ball State pair complement each other very well offensively, and can make for some headaches defensively when they are at the net together and the offense gets overloaded their direction. Setter and Youngstown State commit [player_tooltip player_id='261337' first='Hayden' last='Rodriguez'] knows her hitters well and does great work early to get to a contact point in her distribution that develops their balance and puts hitters in good situations often. Other hitters that make a big impact include middle [player_tooltip player_id='491446' first='KylieEmma' last='Obeto'], a versatile threat with big upside. She is athletic and is growing her stock in what she continues to show in her improved ability to get up and terminate at a high touch point. Another team with good presence on the right side, they benefit from the complete skill set of [player_tooltip player_id='403536' first='Katie' last='Pahl'], a Northern Illinois commit. She contributes to the passing game with good pursuit and angle development while also left-handed and able to rip the ball. Their pin depth is solid with the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='403528' first='Mia' last='Hasty'] and [player_tooltip player_id='261340' first='Kayden' last='Campbell'] as both can make things happen at the net with their own specific tools, that also includes great competitive experience. Hasty is a dynamic in the back row as well as she has good range defensively. A significant piece to their action is libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='412607' first='Jessie' last='Kennelly']</strong>. She has great point engagement as she reads and reacts very well to disrupt an opponents well. This is a fun team to watch as they display a lot of qualities for success as a team. Following the Sunshine Qualifier next week, they will then compete in at MEQ in March a little closer to home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->