15s On The Radar At Great Lakes Championships

We're heading down the homestretch.  The Great Lakes Championship will be held this weekend in Schaumburg where we will take a closer look at the 15s Division.  [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 15 Adidas will be the number one seed heading to the weekend followed by [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] 15 Elite and 1st Alliance 15 Silver to round out the top three.  Here are some athletes to know from the 15s Divison at the Great Lakes Championships.     I was able to see Johanna Rourke and her Michio 15 Blue Smoke team at the Windy City Qualifier a couple of weeks ago. Rourke is one of the setters who can run the show, but she is also a really effective point scorer from the service line. She plays her role well where she is a defender first, gives her attackers a chance to terminate, and is always bettering the ball whether its a quick to the middle or a high ball to the outside where they can live to play another day or terminate.     Sometimes all it takes is a series of plays for someone to standout and that was [player_tooltip player_id='546207' first='Harper' last='Neill'] from the Windy City Qualifier. In one rally she was making digs, a save, and was putting up a second ball which eventually led to a point for her side. She is such a spark for the [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] 15 Elite team where she can handle a high volume of serve receive, take pace off the ball, and has a really high motor where she finds a way to get that extra touch. With the energy she has for her team it can really propel them to some extra points.     [player_tooltip player_id='546205' first='Erin' last='Bruce'] provides a lot of length and athleticism for [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] 15 Elite. As an attacker she can quite the repertoire of shots where she can go deep cross, sharp cross, line, or mix it up with a roll shot. She can score from the outside or the right side and with an improved back court game, she is capable of scoring points from the backrow. Dynamic is definitely a way to describe Bruce and what she can do to put points on the board.     Chloe Adams preps at Janesville Craig out of Wisconsin while playing her club ball for [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] 151 Elite. Seeing her move on the court you can just see her athleticism with how she can get her hands to the ball. When she is in system, she receives the ball high and is able to remain neutral no matter where she is setting. She also has the size and athleticism to attack and block at the net.     [player_tooltip player_id='789739' first='Layla' last='Cagney'] does a little bit of everything for [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] 151 Elite. The small school star athlete from Galena can find time on the court as an outside hitter or defensive specialist. She can serve receive with confidence and brings a no fear approach as an outside hitter. Her feet are extremely fast to the ball and she's not afraid to take a big rip. Her game is exciting where she can always make something positive happen.     Macy Hinz is quite the presence for [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] 151 Elite. She is another small school multisport athlete for VC where she preps for Clinton High School in Wisconsin. Her swing packs a punch where she has the height, athleticism, and physicality to score a lot of points. She was named to the St. Louis Presidents Day All Tournament team. She is definitely new on my radar and I'm excited to see how her game progresses.     [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 15 Adidas takes on the top seed into this weekend's Great Lakes Region Championships. They have had strong performances at Windy City and the JVA World Challenge where they can bring some momentum into the weekend. The commander of the backrow is [player_tooltip player_id='545999' first='Theresa' last='Tortorello']. I was able to watch this team quite a bit at the JVA World Challenge and was really impressed with her composure, she plays with maturity and poise. Ability wise she knows how to manipulate her platform to favorable angles and take pace off a hard swing. She will be one to watch in the Class of 2028 for liberos.     [player_tooltip player_id='546004' first='Neda' last='Savic'] is an outside hitter for [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 15 Adidas where she has a knack to score points on the outside. Her approach is aggressive that allows her to leap with some hang time. She is able to swing big going cross court, but I am impressed by her mix of shots where she can go high hands, throw it down the line, or hit a roll shot over the block. [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] will be looking to win the title come Sunday afternoon which will make for an exciting weekend.     Penelope Park is a really dynamic athlete for 1st Alliance 15 Black where she can set and swing. This is very on brand for 1st Alliance where many of their setters play multiple positions. Park moves really well, getting her hands to the ball and always looking to push the tempo. This all starts with her footwork where she can get to the ball, jump set, and speed things up for her side of the net. She has a balanced offense to work with where this team will be looking to turn some heads this weekend.     What an exciting athlete. A good way to describe Robinson is bouncy. She is so exciting when it comes to her explosiveness. On the outside, she swings with no fear, going for the high hands or even mixing in an aggressive throw. She will be looked to score points for her team where they've notched some big wins this season. This will be a wide open 15s field this upcoming weekend looking to claim some bids to Dallas.     1st Alliance 15 Silver has put quite a season together notching 50 wins. One of the attackers to know out of the middle is [player_tooltip player_id='732199' first='Emily' last='Drumm']. The Fenwick High School prep brings plenty of strength and pop with her swing where she knows how to adjust to what the defense is giving her. She knows how to find the deep corner out of the middle. She is also able to close the block on the pin, transition and be available for her setters. 15 Silver will definitely be in the hunt this upcoming weekend.

We're heading down the homestretch. The Great Lakes Championship will be held this weekend in Schaumburg where we will take a closer look at the 15s Division. Adversity 15 Adidas will be the number one seed heading to the weekend followed by Sky High 15 Elite and 1st Alliance 15 Silver to round out the top three. Here are some athletes to know from the 15s Divison at the Great Lakes Championships.