Triple Crown Notes

Triple Crown has come and gone. There was a lot of action and talent on display in Kansas City, a lot to keep up with. Here are some notes and takeaways from the weekend.   14-Year-Old Division   If you've followed me for a while, this will throw some of you for a loop. I've stood strong on the idea that I don't talk about athletes until their 15s/high school years. I spent quite a bit of time on the 14s courts this weekend due to some other responsibilities I had, and saw some local players in action. Here are some players who were fun to watch.   Sophia "Sophie" Morris - S - [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 14. Black   The big concern for many with the rule change regarding doubles was that setters may get lazy in their craft. Morris did not get the memo. She delivered good sets all weekend and displayed good decision-making for 14.   Corinne "Cori" Redmond - OH - [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] 14 Black   Redmond is a six-rotation outside with enormous potential. Her offense, like many at this age, is her calling card. She has an array of shots and sees the court well. High IQ.   Kendall Macrorie - OH - Mavs 14 Elite   Macrorie has good size and punch behind her swing. She goes right at the defense and terminates the ball at an effective clip.   Emersyn Curry - L - Mavs 14 Elite   I loved Curry's play along the backrow. Her reflexes got her hands and arms on numerous balls. Her second ball setting was also clutch in the match I saw.   Harper Carlson - OH - [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 14 Elite   Carlson was steady in the match I was able to check out. She displayed a good cross-court shot that the defense struggled to adjust to throughout the match.   Colbie Schuckman - MB - [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 14 Elite   The big takeaway I got from watching this middle is that she has the ability to impact the game in numerous ways. She puts up a good block on defense and gets touches, and offensively, she sees the court well to determine shot selection.   Ava Hernandez - L - [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last=''] 14 Elite   Quite a few balls were coming her way from the Madfrog offense, and Hernandez held her own in the back row.   [player_tooltip player_id='932148' first='Julia' last='Lueckenotte'] - OH - [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 14 Elite   Both Rockwood players I listed are long, which is a helpful physical trait on the court. Lueckenotte can hit over the defense and put up a wall in left front against her opponents.   Sara Stanek - OH - [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 14 Elite   Stanek can score, but walked away really impressed with her back row defense from the middle back. She showed the skills to be a good six-rotation pin.   Fiona Dorsey - S - [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power'] 14-1   Another solid setter with good hands and ball placement. Decision-making was also above average, and solid play defensively on the back row.   Olive Bishop - L - [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power'] 14-1   Bishop is my third libero, getting some love. Really strong instincts and reaction speed.   [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power'] 18s keep it rolling   In our preview, we shared that Lucas Galmarini's team had double-qualified and would get another good test this weekend. They passed with flying colors with a second-play finish. They are playing extremely well early in the season and playing free without a lot of pressure. Galmarini shared with me, "To be honest, I didn't do my best job preparing the team for this tournament. The girls persevered, supported each other when it mattered most, and put together some big wins to get to the championship game. Congratulations to TAV, they executedat a high level all weekend".   The 18s of [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] weren't they the only [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] team with NIT success   The [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 15s team earned itself a 5th-place finish at the stacked tournament, going 7-1 along the way. The lone defeat was a crushing three-setter that ended 15-13. This team is playing well heading into the qualifier season.   Additional Top 15 Finishes   [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last=''] had a good weekend with their top teams in the 16 and 17 divisions finishing in seventh, fighting their way to the elite bracket. [program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 17 Elite concluded their weekend at 15. Also representing the East side of the state, HPSTL 16 Royal had a 3-4 record, good for 13th place.

Triple Crown has come and gone. There was a lot of action and talent on display in Kansas City, a lot to keep up with. Here are some notes and takeaways from the weekend.