Windy City Jumpers And Thumpers: 15s From Indiana, Part 1

In our last age group preview of the Windy City National Qualifier, we look to the 15s division, where kids from Indiana are playing in all four divisions this weekend. Here are five athletes from five different rosters that will be jumping and thumping all over McCormick.    From a family of jumpers and thumpers, Audrey is the latest edition, and might hit the heaviest ball of them all. Her ability to go from pass to attack efficiently makes her one of the top recruits in this class. Her other abilities are numerous---can hit all angles, can hit with pace, defends well at the net, and defends well on the floor---and is the primary attacker for one of the best 15s teams in the midwest. Yes, they already have a bid to GJNCs, but that won't stop the relentless train that is Miss Utterback.     Although listed as an outside here, she does a lot of damage as a right side for her Circle team. Don't let that sweet appearance OR her first name fool you; she'll use her jumping ability and quick arm to hammer away at all unsuspecting opponents. Realistically, Grace can play either pin at the next level, mostly as a three-rotation hammer who can score points at will in any offense. The physicality she brings on every attack makes her look very ready for the next level, and she'll only get stronger and better from here.     Another jumper from well south of Indianapolis, Lily travels a long way just to play club ball. Capable of playing all the way around, her lack of previous high-level club training will catch up to her athleticism in time, and she's already shown glimpses of her improvement this season. I like her springy nature, her willingness to try any angle when set repeatedly, and her ability to tool off the block when needed.     Yes, yes, she's probably a setter, and not so much of a "thumper", but hear me out. Probably one of the more complete kids in this class, Nicole is a coach's daughter through and through, and can do pretty much anything she wants in any position at any time. Want someone to run an offense? Call Nicole. Need someone to step in for serve receive? Say no more. How about a solid attacker from both pins? Miss Bontrager has the athleticism to do it all, and will do it at a very high level. The sky is truly the limit for this young lady, and it's only a matter of time before high-level schools figure it out.     New to us, but not to the game, Emma brings a springy and can-do attitude to the court when she plays. On a lot of video I've seen of her, she's hitting not-so-perfect sets from everywhere, and scoring points regularly. For me, that tells me so much about her---finding ways to score without excuses, ability to adjust in-game to whatever set she receives, and will try different angles and tool opportunities to keep her side in the positive. From Emma, you get a coachable pin attacker who will thrive with a solid setter as her guide.

In our last age group preview of the Windy City National Qualifier, we look to the 15s division, where kids from Indiana are playing in all four divisions this weekend. Here are five athletes from five different rosters that will be jumping and thumping all over McCormick.