What To Expect From MVA Rise Academy 61

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a big event on the horizon this weekend, MVA Rise Academy 61 is hoping it can build on some positives it has seen to open the 2025 club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The squad already has a pair of finishes in the top half of the 16 Open Division in the two events it competed in in January.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Will Rise Academy 61 be able to vault itself among the best 16U teams in the state?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Talented outsides</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rise Academy 61 is going to be a handful for its opponents due to its depth on the pin. They have some very capable finishers that provide a lot of power in their attacks. That level of physicality will be a strength throughout the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='467901' first='Mallory' last='Wandel'] </strong>and <strong>Olivia Waller</strong> command a lot of attention and respect at the position. Both have the ability to rack up kills in quick fashion, but also bring a lot defensively to the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='481385' first='Allison' last='Musial']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='459740' first='Aubrey' last='Reynolds']</strong> can play either end and are also quickly establishing themselves as top-level hitter in the class. Each has had moments to shine and will continue to be a threat on this offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Middle growth</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along with the talents on the outside, Rise Academy has some middles with high ceilings in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523862' first='Sylvia' last='Setsma']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490376' first='Margaret' last='Alderink']</strong>. Setsma is a quick-footed and aggressive hitter that is showing the ability to shine in a fast-paced offense. She's showing good instincts and stringing together a lot of high-percentage swings. Alderink is a middle that's played on the outsides before, which shows she's got a lot of agility and well-rounded skills to work with. She can really climb the ladder and come down strong over the top of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Technical play</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rise Academy 61 also wants to be known for being sharp technically, which will come down to the play of its setters and libero. <strong>Camya Copelin </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523860' first='Chloe' last='Kunter'] </strong>run the offense as the two setters. They each are pushing themselves to push tempo, but also limit errors. With the kind of hitting this team has, the duo don't have to get too risky. If they can avoid the self-inflicted mistakes, this offense should hum. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490378' first='Zoey' last='Klunder'] </strong>is the lone primary defender, but surrounded by plenty of help with her outsides. Klunder brings a good energy to the court and she is challenging herself against the best hitters in the state on a consistent basis. That should help her keep the ball off the floor this season and allow this offense to do its thing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What to expect from Rise Academy 61</strong> </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rise Academy is very competitive in each match thus far, just working on finding out how to come through in those close sets. The team picked up a nice win over Legacy 16-2 ADIDAS in its first even of the season, so that should give it a feel as to where it fits in the Midwest picture. Overall, five of its seven losses have come in three-set battles. This team is very close and is likely to find that right groove to help it push through in those crucial third sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->