The Big Dogs in 16 Open at Big South: Day 1-2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Be sure to follow&nbsp;@lshotvb&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">Tik Tok&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for all things volleyball!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>–</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day 1 at Big South was nothing short of entertaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have ourselves a real treat on our hands when it comes to the 16 Open as this Atlanta-based qualifier has brought out some heavyweights! Of the teams already with their bids in hand, only one managed to make it into the top ten of this tournament. This goes to show how competitive things got. Legacy, A5, Arizona Storm all found themselves atop of the standings and with their ticket punched to Dallas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The race for Dallas was in full speed. Day 1 and 2 proved just that. Let's take a look at some of the big names of Big South.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sasha Cromer - KC Power</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I haven't seen Sasha Cromer in action since early on in her 15s season. With the in the back of my mind, Cromer has really jumped leaps and bounds in her game, as to be expected. She is looking more and more like the upper echelon of setters in this 2027 group. She moves well around the court and runs diverse offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Isabel Incinelli - Winter Park</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is easily one of the best outsides in the 2027 class. Isabel Incinelli stands well above the majority of her peers. In both her height, wingspan and her growing vertical, she can tower over the best of the blockers. Getting past them, the pace on her ball causes some serious headache for back court defenders. Incinelli has led this team to an Open bid prior to Big South but was still maintaining a driven style of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Destinee Chukelu - A5 </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's very few things better than playing well on your home turf. This is yet again another incredibly talented A5 group. While the talent gets spread very well across the board, one name I don't think gets talked about enough is Destinee Chukelu. A player that has caught my eye at Triple Crown has looked to be a prominent figured in this team's offense. She is a player that can beat out the toughest of defenses with her speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fara Bronson - Arizona Storm</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Racing all the way to the championship match, Fara Bronson was looking to be playing some of her best volleyball of the season. Needless to say, when a team goes 6-0 throughout the first two days without dropping a single set, one thing is for sure. Bronson is equipped with some of the most dominating attackers in the country. However, despite the luxury, it is Bronson's ability to read the game and spread the wealth that makes this team so rich in success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sophia Smith - Legacy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's to no surprise that this Legacy 16-1 Adidas squad went on to win the Big South Qualifier. A team deep in talent in just about every position, the one position that doesn't get talked about enough is the opposite. Sophia Smith has been having an incredible sophomore year and is continuing that into the club season. Smith continues to become more and more a critical piece to the success. Her scoring is timely and her energy on the court is second to none.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kherynton Chinnis - NC Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She may not be the biggest player in the gym, but man can she ball. I have a special place for those undersized rockstars. Kherynton Chinnis is exactly that. As a middle blocker, 5'11 is quite the undersize in today's standard, but when you play the game like Chinnis does, it really negates it all. Chinnis is a real dynamic player that is so fluid in her movement. She can run just about any route you give her and tap on to be an incredibly strong blocker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brenna Mirovsky - Michigan Elite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Transitioning positions can be quite difficult, especially from one like setter to libero. However, Brenna Mirovsky has not only made the jump but has cleared the landing on all fronts. With every time she steps into the convention center, Mirovsky is getting better. Big South saw a rather breakthrough moment for Michigan Elite, as they went 3-0 on Day 1. Mirovsky was one of the brightest of stars comparative to her defensive counterparts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sophia Dostic - OTVA Tampa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OTVA Tampa is such an exciting figure in the 16 Open division. A lot of that is to do with Sophia Dostic at the setter position. OTVA found themselves in some exciting matches on Day 1 of the tournament and came out stronger from it. Dostic has a great feel for the game and finds her hitters in the best positions to score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->