8 Dominant Performances on Day 1 of the Chi-Town Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16s and 17/18s divisions of the Chi-Town Classic heated up today (and so did the weather)! It was an awesome day inside the gym, and teams were battling for every point. These athletes had a huge impact on the first day of the tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brynne Burkhart - New Wave 17 Tsunami </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brynne was one of the first names I wrote down in the gym. She played all six rotations and was a consistent force in every aspect of the game. Her passing was impressive, but when she rotated into the front row, she was nearly unstoppable. On top of that, Brynne showed her power from the service line, utilizing both power and placement to force teams out of system point after point. It seemed every time Brynne touched the ball, it had a positive outcome. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='522812' first='Aubree' last='Westerfield'] - Belusa United 18 Cyclones</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aubree played on both pins and as a setter throughout the match. She was the definition of dynamic and well-rounded. She had a high volleyball IQ and just knew exactly what her job was for her team in each rotation. Aubree got a lot of touches on the ball throughout the day, yet she continued to have a massively positive impact on every point. She made smart decisions as a setter and played very clean and consistently. When she was on the pin, she was one of the key point earners for Belusa. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='522644' first='Morgan' last='Buechel'] - [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 17 White</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What caught my eye about Morgan is her ability to push the tempo on nearly every point. She wasn't afraid to speed up her sets even when she was off the net. Morgan had great court awareness as well as awareness of where her hitters were at all times. She seemed to have a strong connection with each of them and made great adjustments throughout the matches I saw. Morgan is the type of player who continues to level up her game, and I am excited to see what she brings to the court on day 2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Vesta Adakauskas</strong> <strong>- [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] Adidas 16 Red</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vesta seemed to have complete control over the match. She was a relentless 6-rotation pin who made great shot selections and saw openings in the opposing defense. She covered a lot of court when she was on defense and did a great job setting up the block. Every aspect of her game was efficient and effective. She was not a flashy player, but one who got the job done. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809328' first='Carolyn' last='Gauntt'] - Sting 16 White</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carolyn had an awesome day out of the back row for Sting. What really set her apart was her clean angles and consistent out-of-system sets. She battled on every point and was all over the court, feeding her setters the ball time and time again. Carolyn was a leader in the back row and an energizer as well. She is a player to watch and one who will likely frustrate a lot of hitters on day 2 of the tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anne Park - The Edge 16 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anne heated up as the day went on, and by the end of her second match, she was nearly unstoppable. Her explosive approach and great ball control off her hand made her an absolute force on the right side for The Edge. She was a difference maker in multiple matches and a key point earner. Anne has a massive amount of potential and really impressed me with her aggressive offensive mindset and ability to terminate in tight matches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chloe Leidholdt - Arch City 16 U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chloe was a setter who moved the ball around quickly and efficiently. She was able to feed her hitters from anywhere on the court, and she did a great job staying neutral and hard to read. She showed her quick touch on the ball and fast tempo offense in all three of their matches today. Chloe never missed a beat and wasn't afraid to push the tempo a bit to earn points. She was a fun setter to watch run the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='741169' first='Megan' last='Komarek'] - [program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] 16 National</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Megan was an offensive force in the front row. She took some absolutely massive rips that gave her team a momentum boost. Megan has a high contact on the ball and a quick armswing, helping her outpace blocks and widening her shot range. She moved her swings around well and utilized the entire opposing side of the court to earn points. Megan's energy was huge for Ice during the matches I saw them play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->