February Fiesta 16s Division Recap and 5 Key Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16s Division was the place to be this weekend at February Fiesta!&nbsp; In addition to several tough 16s teams such as Charge American, Elevate, and Rise- the division attracted several top 15s teams and even Peak 14 Elite.&nbsp; The younger teams more than showed they belonged, with only one 16s team (Charge American) making the final four, joined by [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] 15-1, Virago 15 Elite, and Peak 14 Elite!&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] advanced to the finals by defeating Charge 15 UA Tulsa and Charge 15 American in 2 sets, albeit close.&nbsp; Virago 15 Elite took the long route- beating Kansas Rise 16-1, Elevate 16-1, and Peak 14 Elite in back to back to back matches- with the latter two victories coming in thrilling 3 set matches.&nbsp; The finals show cased a rematch with both [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] and Virago being in the same pool on Day 1.&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] looked like the fresher team in the finals, but Virago put up quite a battle, with [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] emerging victorious 21-25 and 23-25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='940044' first='Makenzie' last='Benge'] – MB, Rise 16-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You know it's a tough local tournament when a team like Rise 16-1 ends up finishing 5^th.&nbsp; Despite the finish, Rise showcased plenty of talent, including middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='940044' first='Makenzie' last='Benge'].&nbsp; Benge is the prototypical front row volleyball player- tall, long armed, yet quick enough to get up and down the net as a blocker, and in transition.&nbsp; She does a great job of making herself available offensively, and has a great connection with her setter.&nbsp; They connected all day on a variety of tempo sets, but were especially effective when running the ‘31'.&nbsp; Collegiate coaches at all levels would be smart to take a look at Makenzie's film.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bella Brown – OH/DS, Virago 15 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Virago 15 Elite shows a lot of team chemistry and utilizes a variety of players in unique ways depending on matchups, momentum, etc- making it tough to select just one player to highlight.&nbsp; Brown stood out this weekend however, not only for her pure performance- but also her development and increased role since the last time we saw this team play.&nbsp; Bella's serve receive and defense have improved significantly since the beginning of the season as she took hold of the OH2 position this weekend, particularly in critical moments.&nbsp; Her improvement has allowed her team to get away from their 2 person serve receive at times- lessening the load on their libero and other OH.&nbsp; Bella came up with some huge defensive plays this weekend to keep rallies alive- as well as some big back row swings.&nbsp; Despite being undersized- she has the athleticism to make up for it on the front row.&nbsp; If her hitting and blocking game can take a similar step forward the way her back row game has- watch out for Virago 15 Elite!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Suzy Howle – S/RS, Oklahoma Peak 14 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howle and her teammates did not look out of place for one second playing up 2 age groups this weekend.&nbsp; Their only 2 losses came to premier level 15s teams in Charge 15 UA Tulsa and Virago 15 Elite.&nbsp; Howle contributed in a variety of ways all weekend.&nbsp; As a setter, she showed a lot of upper body strength and ability to push the ball over the floor, reversing the flow and putting her hitters in great positions against opposing blockers.&nbsp; She chipped in some key points as a server and hitter as well, and showed some tough defense in the back row as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='899731' first='Lizzy' last='Brennan'] – OH, [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brennan could have made this list off just one single swing on Day 1.&nbsp; In a tight first set against Virago 15 Elite in pool play, up 25-24, the final ball went outside to Lizzy and she slammed the door shut with an epic swing down the line that hit the floor near the 10ft line and bounced over the rest of the court, over the spectators gathered around the court, out of sight.&nbsp; Maybe the most impressive swing from a 15s player I've ever seen.&nbsp; Obviously on the way to their 1^st place finish Lizzy contributed more than just one swing.&nbsp; She was steady and confident in serve receive and scored several other points on the outside. &nbsp;At the most important position in volleyball- this is the kind of player you want on your team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='900843' first='Ashlyn' last='Taylor'] – OH, [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volleyball coaches know, it's extremely difficult to beat a team with 2 great outside hitters.&nbsp; The position is so valuable with all the ways that the outsides contribute- getting the most swings, serve receive, defense and serving. &nbsp;That's exactly what [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'] has at their disposal.&nbsp; You could copy everything said above about Brennan above and paste it here for Taylor.&nbsp; Taylor came up big in the finals- scoring in a variety of ways on the outside.&nbsp; Capable of delivering the knockout swing, Ashlyn also found space to score on a several tip and off-speed shots as well, keeping Virago off-balance defensively.&nbsp; Great hitters have a deep bag of offensive tools that they can employ- finding ways to score no matter what the defense focuses on taking away- and that's exactly what Ashlyn displayed when it mattered most: Greatness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->