17’s Power League All Star Team #1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Power League #2 tournament was held this past weekend in Kansas. It featured 8 of the top 50 teams representing the Heart of America region. Each of the teams competing have players that I wanted to give light to. Because of the immense talent from this past weekend the best way to showcase each of these prospects is through All Star Teams. Each All Star is from a different team and showed why they were able to make one of the top three teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(S) [player_tooltip player_id='222090' first='Alayna' last='Vaeth']: Team [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 17 Black</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alayna is a dynamic setter who takes full control of the offense. If she can get her feet to the ball she's going to keep her hitters in system and on tempo. The ability to keep her sets in tempo as well as in a good location is the most impressive part of Alayna game. The difficult situations she was able to get her team out of creates tons of opportunities for her hitters to execute. She really has the whole package when it comes to her IQ, court awareness, and the consistency of her sets. Alayna is the type of setter that coaches can lean on to get their team in the right positions and taking advantage of the opposing teams weaknesses. She's an impressive prospect that will go far at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(OH) [player_tooltip player_id='489765' first='Claire' last='Buss']: KNVBC 17 Showtime</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Claire gets a hold of a ball, watch out. She has one of the most dynamic swings in the tournament because of her ability to whip her arm as fast as she does. What makes her swing even more dynamic is her ability to create angles outside or across her body to be able to take advantage of opposing defenses. She's the type of outside that their team can lean on to get a kill when they need it. Claire's ability to put the ball down is a skill that most people don't have. When you take a step back and just watch her from afar the first thing you notice is the simplicity and ease that she plays the game with. Her ability to stay calm and confident in big game situations is a big factor for being successful at the collegiate level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(OH) [player_tooltip player_id='355655' first='Jordyn' last='Whitfield']: Shockwave 17 Black</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordyn may not be the most physically imposing outside hitter, but she brings all of the skills and IQ that a college coach would look for. When you're undersized as an outside the first thing I look for is her vision, vertical jump, and how dynamic her swing is. The first thing you notice when watching Jordyn play is her ability to read the court and understand what she has open. She's very situationally savvy on the offensive end with her ability to swing into seams, beat blocks under, and use the block to tool. The best part of her game outside of her offense is her ability to defend in the back row. She uses her IQ to put herself in the best positions to defend the opposing hitters and create better opportunities for her team in transition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(MB) [player_tooltip player_id='526530' first='Jordin' last='Price']: OVC 17-1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joridn is the teams go-to hitter which is rare for a middle blocker. She has the height and length with the athletic profile that college programs look for. She has the ability to hit in all three positions both with tempo and high balls. Her versatility as a hitter gives their team a ton of diversity in their offense. If the opposing team has a glaring weakness you'll see Jordin take advantage of those opportunities. She has the ability to put some pace on the ball but I think her biggest offensive asset is her shots. The consistency that she's able to put the ball where it needs to go is impressive. Jordin is going to be a great utility hitting option for a ton of teams at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(MB) [player_tooltip player_id='542209' first='Kylie' last='Goodale']: Summit VC 17 National</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although Kylie may not have the height and length that Jordin has but she has all of the athleticism to outweigh that. Kylie is the type of player that setters can trust and rely on to make good decisions and make minimal errors. When there's a good enough pass to run her, you'll see her teams setters force her the ball. She has all of the necessary shots that you'd want from the position whether it's throws or tips. She creates opportunities for herself because of the vision she has of the opposing block and her understanding of what's open based off of the block in front of her. She is the safety blanket middle that all setters and coaches love to have on their teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(RS) [player_tooltip player_id='553797' first='Cadence' last='Shrout']: MAVS 816 17 National</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cadence brings a certain level of [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] and grit that you don't see a lot of. She has the intention to make a dent in the floor anytime she goes up for a swing. She brings her entire body through the ball which allows her to whip her arm fast to create [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] in her swing. Most opposing teams aren't able to stop her if you leave her any space to swing. When opposing teams do a good job of getting in front of her, Cadence will tool the block or go to an off-speed shot. Her force on the net on offense is very similar to the force she is as a blocker. She plays with the same level of intensity on her blocking by pressing aggressively over the net trying to shut down opposing outsides. She's a dominant force for her team on the right side of the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">(L) Emma Barrington: [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 17 National</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emma's ability to read opposing servers and beat the ball to the spot in serve receive is impressive. Reading the server is such an underrated skill that Emma takes full advantage of. Emma has such calm feet and a calm platform that her setter knows exactly where the ball is going to go. She makes serve receive passing look so easy yet is one of the hardest skills to be proficient at. Once the ball is on the opposing side Emma's eyes are always on the right thing at the right time. Good eyework allows for defenders to read opposing hitters better. By reading the hitter early she is also able to make her defensive positioning adjustments early as well. Emma is the epitome of a high IQ libero who is going to be great at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] League #2 tournament showcased some of the top prospects playing both in the Kansas and Missouri area. These prospects are massive impact players for their respective teams. They're all different in their own way yet all were very deserving of being considered an all star. High level volleyball is being played in the Heart of America region and I'm glad I was able to showcase a few of the impressive athletes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->