2028s Shine on Day 1 of Champions Cup

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16s division of the Champions Cup kicked off with some high level play and a lot of fun. Athletes and teams were celebrating each other in the best way and it was such a great day for volleyball! Here are some of the 2028s who shined on day 1 of the Champions Cup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Layla Hawkins - 414 16 Blue</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Layla showed immense consistency throughout the day today. She never wavered or hesitated, showing leadership and confidence in the back row. She was at liberty for 414 and showed great discipline from her free ball passes and following the ball out of bounds to quick reaction block coverage and clean serve receive. Her talent ran the full spectrum of what is required of a libero. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='792597' first='Brooke' last='Hetland'] - Belle City Juniors</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brooke is another libero who was just a consistent force on the court. She was absolutely relentless with her grit and effort, going all out on every single play. She picked up some great balls and was all over the place, taking up as much space as possible to keep her offense available. She had great court awareness and communication. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='750826' first='Stella' last='Brockman'] - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 Black</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stella had a day on the pin today! She was connecting with her setter so well and was finding great moments to unload on the ball. Stella was aggressive with her shot choices and wasn't afraid to take big swings to earn points. She had some momentum-changing moments that were fun to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='522651' first='Brynn' last='Reffke'] - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 Adidas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brynn might have been one of the most competitive and communicative athletes on the court at the Champions Center today. She commanded the court for her FC team and was a leader both in her play and her voice. Brynn showed great balance between playing scrappy and free and knowing when to have clean form and ball control. She really impressed me with her ability to cover a lot of space and consistently keep balls in system for her setter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='835772' first='Amelia' last='Zoschke'] - [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 Blue </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amelia is a setter who has great hands but her biggest asset to her team was her huge hustle and ability to make playable balls out of scramble plays. She never stopped working when she was on the court and wasn't afraid to be an active defender as well. Amelia was quick with her reaction time and never missed a beat. This made her able to run through balls of the block touch or track down rogue passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Vaeda Brooks - Keweenaw 16</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vaeda was an active point-earner for Keweenaw and set the block well on the right side. She did a great job making herself available even in out of system situations and consistently placed the ball in smart locations. Vaeda showed great court awareness and offensive range across the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='918400' first='Lyndsey' last='Bender'] - Madtown 161 Select</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lyndsey was essential as a 6-rotation pin today. She was aggressive on offense and defense and was a go-to hitter when Madtown needed a point. Lyndsey showed power at the net and mixed up her shots well. She is a player with huge potential and can cause a lot of problems for opposing defenses. She also showed great consistency across the back row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Allyson Horner - Madtown 162 Select</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Allyson was truly unstoppable today. She was locked in as a defensive specialist on defense and nothing dropped on that back line. I saw her make numerous digs corner to corner. Allyson showed speed, grit, and discipline. Her ability to read the ball off the block was impressive and she never gave up on a ball. She had a massive impact for Madtown today. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jaeda Vinson - [program_tooltip program_id='431479' first='Wisconsin' last='Juniors'] 16 Ignite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaeda was a great communicator and put in huge hustle on the court. She played middle and worked to get pin to pin on her block. She did a great job working with her teammates and being a positive voice on her team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->