Prez Day At StL: Available Athletes In 17 Open

This article has been edited due to a recent commitment. All athletes listed below are available as of Friday, February 14.   President's Day, traditionally, is always the busiest weekend nationwide for club volleyball tournaments. It is increasingly hard to go three hours in any direction in the midwest and NOT find a tournament filled with aspiring athletes looking for solid competition to prove their worth regionally or nationally. That being said, the toughest (top to bottom) division in the entirety of the President's Day tournament in Saint Louis is 17 Open, with a ton of top athletes meeting in the Gateway to the West. Here are five athletes from three Indiana-based clubs that look to show their mettle this weekend.    Quick and elite, London looks like the middle that gravity forgot. She gets up quicker than most, swings with pace harder than most, and has long strides that have her defend from pin to pin better than most middles. Showcased as an M2 on this club team, London could hit from anywhere and use her athleticism to terminate regularly. This weekend should be an excellent time to see how she matches up with bigger competition on a national scale.     With over 1000 kills and 1000 digs in her career thus far for the Braves, Sophie is a six-rotation, full-time outside that has earned First Team All-State honors the hard way---with a solid work ethic, relentlessness and overall natural athleticism. With a calm platform and active feet, Sophie is more than capable of being a DS as well, but her future looks brighter than that limitation. As part of a 2A top five program in Indiana, she's more than capable of the training and "grind" needed to perfect her craft, and has the innate ability to take over a match when needed from the left pin. I also like the lack of errors she makes when presented with out-of-system setting. "Bettering the ball" seems to be inherent in her playing, as she is as reliable as she is tough.     A taller version of Sophie at the other outside hitting position on Union's top 17s team is Ellie, who is yet another six-rotation option for the fall of '26. Long, lean and athletic, Ellie is exceptional at scoring points when things aren't perfect from the setter. Her high contact point and long strides while playing allow her to cover ground and do things smaller outsides just can't do. I like Ellie's pass-to-attack ability, as she always seems to be ready to hit whether she's in serve receive or not. Her only major limitation might be the need for a quicker arm swing, which Coach Purichia is more than likely training her to do this spring.     Strong and confident, Keira is an excellent option as a 5-1 setter for the next level. Her hands are high, her ball placement is accurate, and she runs an offense with knowledge of (1) who the hot hitters are, and (2) where the opponent's defensive liabilities are. A relentless grinder when it comes to training and playing, Miss Dommer is all business from the first whistle to the last, and her mere presence makes all of the hitters around her better as a whole.     By far the most athletic player on today's list, Bailey is a jump-out-of-the-gym terminator on the left pin that can play all the way around and score points from anywhere on the court. A state champ in 4A from this past fall, Bailey's athleticism gets her out of trouble more often than not, which is really hard to say for any other outside on this list. With quiet confidence, Bailey is more than capable of taking over a match and, without all of the attention, dominate opposing blockers. I'm looking forward to how she plays against bigger and better competition in this 17 Open draw this weekend, as she'll be tested against some of the best in the midwest.

This article has been edited due to a recent commitment. All athletes listed below are available as of Friday, February 14.