Show Me Spotlight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dust has cleared from week 1 of Show Me, where we saw the 17s, 16s, and a couple of 15s age groups in action. Missouri teams had a good weekend, along with some players. I didn't get a chance to get my eyes on as many players as I wished due to some other responsibilities, however, there were some notes I jotted down for a handful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 17 Open, Mavs 17 Elite earned their Open bid after defeating local foe [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] in a 5th-place match with trickle-down bids in play. It took a 26-24 second set win to secure the bid. They went 7-3 over the course of the weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 USA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 17 Elite moved on up from American to USA after a third-place finish at Show Me. They had a strong 8-2 record over the weekend. Addison McNieve continues to shine from the libero position, and [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] got a good weekend from [player_tooltip player_id='552361' first='Caileigh' last='Kilgore'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 16 Open has been close but secured their Open bid after a second-place showing in their backyard. Their 7-3 record over three days was good enough to lock down their position. [player_tooltip player_id='436201' first='Riley' last='Riggs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='480396' first='Peyton' last='Kubik'] are as good a one-two punch in this age group in the country. [player_tooltip player_id='446321' first='Madison' last='Maximuk'] also looked good this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16 USA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 16-1 took care of business, going 7-1 and benefiting from the trickle-down in securing a bid. [player_tooltip player_id='485610' first='Riley' last='Martin'] and Anna Hagan are a couple of setters representing Missouri high schools on their roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15 Open</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Already Open qualified, [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 15 Black wanted to put teams on alert and did so with a perfect weekend, 10-0 and dropping one set throughout the three days. Mavs 15 Elite also qualified again in the Open division, going 6-3. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Day 1 Standouts</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned above, I had a busy weekend, but was able to take notes for some players that caught my attention</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729520' first='Kamiyah' last='Harris'] - OH - [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 15 Blue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harris plays 6 rotation, and she has improved in her passing from earlier in the season. She is an athletic pin who can score in numerous ways on the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lilian Horn - S - [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 15 Blue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like Horn's size and playmaking ability from the setter/hitter positions. She and Harris also join forces on their high school team and should be a duo to keep an eye on for years to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='766342' first='Cora' last='Kubik'] - RS - 417 Jrs. 15 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was highly impressed with the swings Kubik took on the right side in the match I watched. She swings a heavy ball and finds the floor or hands consistently. Her ability to get touches and blocks defensively was also noted. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='778365' first='Allie' last='Pearcy'] - L - 417 Jrs. 15 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I liked the energy Pearcy brought to the court for 15 Elite. She has a heavy motor and gets touches on balls all over the court. Her ability to set on 2nd balls also shone bright during the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490211' first='Reese' last='Darnell'] - S/RS - 417 MO Jrs 17 Elite Royal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Darnell is one of the two-headed monsters that sets and swings for this team and contributes in major ways. I was most impressed with her blocking from the right front in the match I had eyes on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='725291' first='Quinn' last='Aldridge'] - S/RS - 417 MO Jrs 17 Elite Royal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aldridge stood out due to the many things I saw her do well on the court on day 1. She ran the offense efficiently from the setter position but also took big swings from the pin when she rotated to the front row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->