Team Focus: Mintonette m.62

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a 9th place finish in 16 USA at the recent Sunshine National Qualifier, this [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last=''] team is a contender in each event they play. Probably the deepest club in Ohio regarding talent and competitiveness, often fielding two good teams at most age groups, this m.62 squad is worth a good look. They head west this coming weekend for the Red Rock qualifier in Las Vegas. Here are a five of their current prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='601717' first='Sydney' last='Roberts']</strong> - S | 2027<br>Roberts runs a really good offense through all options from pin to pin and in between. She is quick and efficient in her pursuit of the ball with a high hand contact. Her footwork to get to the ball off the net is effective to get her to the ball so you can use her hands and not bail out to her platform. As she can deliver appropriate tempo either in or out of system, the quick options to the left side are key to their offensive success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='907600' first='Maddie' last='Jirele'] </strong>- RS/S | 2028<br>Keep an eye on Jirele as she is proving herself to be a well-rounded athlete that can do a lot for her team. This team has already seen a heavy schedule competitively and she has shown her ability to command their offense during her opportunities to set as she can sling the ball in all directions with good pursuit and movement while maintaining the tempo they like to run. As a hitter, she can take a healthy swing from both sides of the court, which was also highlighted during the 2025 high school season as she averaged 2.1 k/s for Olentangy Berlin in her sophomore season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='784504' first='Bri' last='Bush'] </strong>- OH/DS | 2028<br>The 5'9 Bush (*pictured) is a good all-around pin and passer. She gets her feet to the ball well when attacking with ability to bring some of the best power from the left side for this team. Her vision and court awareness when lifting to contact the ball helps her make good decisions of where to guide her shoulder and the finish of her swing as she can knock to the full scope of the opponent's court. She reads well in the first-touch areas and makes good moves in her reaction to the serve or attacker's contact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='752312' first='Mycaela' last='Massey']</strong> - DS/L | 2028<br>I like the way Massey fills the role as the primary libero for this team. She is dynamic in all aspects of what liberos may be required to do from the back row. She shuffles her feet on balance and maintaining good posture to control her angles in serve receive. Defensively, she will do whatever is needed to keep the ball off the floor as she is quick and can play with big range in her pursuit. She has good hands to set the second ball to the pins and back row, while also showing good aggressiveness at the service line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827532' first='Nissi' last='Olayiwola'] </strong>- MH | 2028<br>Olayiwola is a recent arrival on the 2028 radar with this team. With room to grow in her overall skills and polish of her movement, the 5'8 middle does a lot of good things with the tools she has. She is quick and athletic and very active at the net on both sides of the ball. She shows good commitment what the play requires whether closing the block or in getting off the net in transition to make herself available to use her quick arm speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->