Multiple GJNC Bids Earned at MEQ

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18 Open - NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami</strong><br>With a 5th place overall finish this team earned their bid after a well fought weekend that included 5-3 overall record. With previous 18 Open qualifers ahead of them in the standings, their bid trickled down to land them among the top 18U teams shaping up to compete for a national title in Salt Lake City in late April. A team made up of Cincy area and northern Kentucky prospects, setter [player_tooltip player_id='152344' first='Emsley' last='Venard'] is a 2024 Ohio state champion with St. Ursula. She has been the backbone of this team's offense for a few years as this squad is one that has some big offensive threats in all positions. Middle <strong>Sophia Loomis</strong> from Loveland is stable in the middle and provides enough presence to help create good space for their big pin action. Venard is committed to Florida Atlantic while Loomis will be headed to Wright State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Open - [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 17 Chicas</strong><br>Three Ohio-based teams reached the 17 Open semifinals of the gold bracket with this team prevailing into the championship match for an opportunity at a gold medal. Coming up short and earning silver, they also earned their bid into the 17 Open division of the GJNC. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='403522' first='Kendall' last='Northern'], committed to 2024 NCAA national champion Penn State, is a very athletic highlight reel through her impact on both sides of the ball. The other standout is setter [player_tooltip player_id='227619' first='Makenna' last='Kirlin'], one that has led her [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] teams for multiple seasons. She has improved her tempo that is making a huge difference for this squad as they like to run fast in all phases when in-system. With their big middle presence, her ability to get the ball to the pins with good speed and space allows their pins to terminate with authority. [player_tooltip player_id='227628' first='Sidney' last='Sprada'], committed to Dayton, and [player_tooltip player_id='227617' first='Cara' last='Richter'], headed to Rhode Island, generate a lot of offense on the power side of the court. The 5'11 [player_tooltip player_id='745461' first='Sophie' last='Davis'], committed to East Tennessee State, is a good right side option and when Kirlin gets her involved against the flow she can score with good pace. One of the best liberos in the Cincy area is [player_tooltip player_id='195210' first='Rachel' last='Morgan'] and a key part of their offensive system's success. She is committed to Miami University of Ohio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Open - Mintonette m.71</strong><br>The other two Ohio teams in the semifinals of the gold bracket are from Mintonette. As both teams fell short in their respective semifinal matches, they had to face one another for third place and the final bid to the 17 Open division at the GJNC on the line. Mintonette m.71 defeated Mintonette m.72 2-0 to secure their opportunity to the national championship event to be played in Dallas, TX later this summer. A handful of prospects from this team are among our top ranked athletes in the Ohio class of 2026 and collectively have produced some terrific results on a national scale over recent seasons. Pins [player_tooltip player_id='192132' first='Sara' last='Snowbarger'] (Indiana commit) and [player_tooltip player_id='227803' first='Layla' last='Hoying'] (Ohio State commit) are two of the best terminal threats on the outside as [player_tooltip player_id='227832' first='Lyla' last='Stewart'] (Wake Forest commit) and [player_tooltip player_id='227630' first='Ava' last='Brown'] (Maryland commit) bring length and their own abilities to blitz the ball offensively from the right pin. This group has good depth and athleticism in the middle with [player_tooltip player_id='227629' first='Alia' last='Schoonover'] (Ohio State commit), [player_tooltip player_id='227627' first='Malia' last='Romes'] (Rutgers commit), and [player_tooltip player_id='502144' first='Kaela' last='Jenkins'] (Grand Canyon commit), while also rich at the setting position with [player_tooltip player_id='227802' first='Mallory' last='Matheny'] (Indiana commit) and [player_tooltip player_id='524602' first='Izzy' last='Scholvin']. The defense and ball control is provided by one of the best in the state in any class in [player_tooltip player_id='227636' first='Emma' last='Cugino'] (Texas commit). Any time this team is competing they typically are among the conversation as threats to finish on the podium. The first step is complete in finding their way to the GJNC in the coming months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16 Open - AVC CLE 16 Red</strong><br>This team opened the event as the #8 overall seed. WIth a 5-4 tournament record, they played some of their best ball in the latter stages of the weekend including wins over Dynasty and OTVA in a tough three-set gold bracket semifinal match. Doing just enough throughout the weekend, they found their way to an opportunity and took advantage of it in the end. Key offensive threats include 6'0 pin <strong>Julia Cernich</strong> on the right side as her high touch point complements the power side options in [player_tooltip player_id='481209' first='Payton' last='Beard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='480834' first='Anne' last='Culkar']. Beard is also 6'0 and can bring some big pace. Culkar, at 5'9, is solid with her ability to score in a variety of ways, including some savvy control and finesse. [player_tooltip player_id='480840' first='Kyla' last='Williams'] is an athletic middle that continues to get more dynamic and she provided some big time net action with her arm and in her quick defense. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='569698' first='Milani' last='Marrero'] provides a big spark with her ball control, defense and in the service pressure she can create. Through a 6-2 offensive option, setters [player_tooltip player_id='501007' first='Avary' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='535850' first='Hailey' last='Gutfranski'] deliver tempo and variety and are skilled at getting their attackers into good situations often. This is a complete team and adds another AVC squad to qualify for the GJNC later this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->