Volley Palooza: 16s Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be the 6th year for Volley Palooza. This tournament tends to be used as a great tune up before Regionals the following week. It is not uncommon to see tough teams play up a division in hopes of being pushed and prepared. We see that with a handful of teams such as TPV 14-1, Elevate 15.1 and Virago 14-1. Let's take a look at the 16s division and some top players to keep and eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Charge Tulsa 16 National</strong>: Coming in as the #1 overall seed in the tournament. They are looking to bounce back after a tough weekend at Show Me. Charge has 38 wins to their name and four top 3 finishes on the seasons. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='739159' first='Fallon' last='Makeever'], [player_tooltip player_id='738187' first='Brylee' last='Hancock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='750472' first='Avery' last='Wicks'] have all proven they can crank up the focus and intensity when their teams needs it most. Players such as Brooklyn Wallace and [player_tooltip player_id='740640' first='Kenzie' last='Benningfield'] will need to also be playmakers if they want to win their third championship of the year. They are top 500 in the nation and have the talent and capability to get it done but will they string together a few big wins at the end to win the whole thing?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elevate 16.1</strong>: Coming in as the 2nd overall seed, Elevate will definitely like to have the chance to play Charge Tulsa National in the championship. If everything goes chalk then they will have a huge game against Charge 15UA who is coming off almost back to back top 30 finishes at national qualifiers. There is a reason this team is one of only 7 teams at this age to have 35 wins thus far. Though they had a tough trip to Show Me, they are coming off back to back championship appearances just prior to that. They will be hungry to make it 3 out of 4. Elaina Shondelmyer has impressed me in the back row this club season. I have also liked what Ava Harnish and Isabella De Le Torre have brought to the table. Elevate will need some production from [player_tooltip player_id='759076' first='Charlotte' last='Kerber'] and [player_tooltip player_id='759072' first='Sarah' last='Sixkiller'] to get the job done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Charge Tulsa 15 UA</strong>: Coming in at 3rd overall, Charge Tulsa 15UA will be looking to run through their pool with ease and see Charge Tulsa 16 American in the first round of the gold bracket. This team has been battled tested plenty this season and will look to snag a couple "upsets" in route to their 3rd championship on the year. [player_tooltip player_id='740379' first='Paisley' last='Potwora'] is a stud in the middle, teams can not let her catch fire and feel comfortable. [player_tooltip player_id='740828' first='Anistyn' last='Wondra'] and [player_tooltip player_id='752828' first='Maci' last='McClure'] have also been cornerstones that make this team hum. [player_tooltip player_id='750704' first='Karen' last='Bonilla']'s play in the gold bracket might just be the key to the whole thing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Good luck to all the teams this weekend. There are a ton of big things on the horizon here in Oklahoma. We have our 2028 Rankings and our very own Stock Up Showcase coming soon. We also are less than two months away from schools beginning their summer leagues and therefore we will start seeing and covering high school teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->