2026 Dead Frog Club Profile: 16 Black

<p>It's been a promising start to the club season for Dead Frog 16 Black.</p>   <p>Already with a first-place finish in The Nike Classic 16 Club Division, this team has been able to rack up a lot of wins.</p>   <p>Here's a closer look at this squad, which is coached by Judy Mason.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='850223' first='Abbigail' last='Kline'] - OH</td><td>Kiersten Chalupa - OH</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='941034' first='Ellie' last='Hammer'] - OH</td></tr><tr><td>Camryn Jacob - OH</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='842490' first='Emma' last='Buscher'] - MH</td><td>Kelsie Scheumann - RS</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='874284' first='Gianna' last='Hughes'] - MH</td><td>Sophie Denison - DS/L</td><td>Julia Wiley - S</td></tr><tr><td>Gianna Cary - S</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Versatile Outsides</strong></h2>   <p><strong>Kiersten Chalupa </strong>is a long outside that has a smooth approach in her attack and can get to the ball at a high point. She's got a high ceiling for where her game can go. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='850223' first='Abbigail' last='Kline'] </strong>is a versatile hitter that can play anywhere along the net. She's got some good pop on the ball and isn't afraid to make a challenging attack line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='941034' first='Ellie' last='Hammer'] </strong>brings a good balance of offensive skills and defensive ability. She is able to be a reliable player in both phases and is willing to do whatever her team needs. The same can be said of <strong>Camryn Jacob</strong>, who has a lot of awareness on the floor and anticipates the play well to give herself a chance to make a momentum-swinging play. <strong>Kelsie Scheumann </strong>is a right side that can put the ball away with authority as well, providing a great 1-2 punch on the pins for this Dead Frog squad at all times.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Aware Middles</strong></h2>   <p>Dead Frog has some explosiveness in the middle with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='842490' first='Emma' last='Buscher'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874284' first='Gianna' last='Hughes']</strong>. Buscher has been able to play anywhere along the net in her volleyball career, and she makes a lot of high IQ plays as she continues to add more tempo and power to her game. Hughes has played multiple positions in her career, but that gives her a high level of court awareness and strong timing when she's on the floor. She can put the ball away in quick fashion.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Setting/Defensive Leaders</strong></h2>   <p><strong>Julia Wiley </strong>and <strong>Gianna Cary </strong>hand the setting duties for this 16 Black squad. Wiley got some good experience with South Haven this fall and impacted the game in all three phases while developing into a strong floor leader. Cary shows a lot of good awareness at the position and is able to give her hitters good balls to attack at a consistent rate. When it comes to defense, <strong>Sophie Denison </strong>is listed as the primary defender. She's been a real dig machine when she's on the floor. She leaves it all on the floor and is determined to get to every ball that comes over the net.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Expectations</strong></h2>   <p>After running through the competition at the Nike Classic, dropping just one set, Dead Frog suffered a pair of losses at the Presidents Day Challenge a few weeks ago. Those were good lessons to learn, as they came back and won a pair of matches after that. This group has plenty of potential and has proven they can execute. As they continue to raise their play, they should be able to pick up wins against stronger competition.</p>

It's been a promising start to the club season for Dead Frog 16 Black.