Instant 17/18 Impressions and Stars from Midwest National Tune-Up

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What an opening day in Des Moines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was incredibly eager to make my return trip to the Horizon Events Center for this weekend's Midwest National Tune-Up. The Iowa Clash set a high bar at this venue earlier this year, but this late-season event offered a different dynamic. It was time to lock in that postseason form.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, I re-entered the Iowa Region's epicenter as the Nebraska visitor. I'm primarily tasked with the 17/18s division this weekend, and the firepower in this group was on full display through Saturday's pool play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before we dive into Sunday's bracket, here are a few first impressions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Court 2 Chaos</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This pool had a little of everything.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our 17/18s division had a unique medley of competitors, and Court 2's entrants demonstrated this well. We had the high-flying 16 Open competitors from Iowa Premier, the physical challengers from Ohana and Iowa PowerPlex, and an emergent 18U group from Fearless. The full age spectrum was represented, and parity ensued.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa Premier might have raised some eyebrows after claiming our No. 1 seed as a 16s team. However, this crew left little doubt about its frontrunner status.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060706266259825086?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060706266259825086?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premier wielded a full cast of frontcourt terminators en route to a 3-0 record. [player_tooltip player_id='781381' first='Gabrielle' last='Hatlevig'] and Hailee Wiederin were effective on the outside in any rotation. 16-1 stout block also left an impression, with [player_tooltip player_id='545971' first='Avery' last='Cordes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='533845' first='Taylor' last='Otte'] anchoring the operation at the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ohana 17U National was perhaps my biggest surprise team of the morning. [player_tooltip player_id='954049' first='Grace' last='Procyk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='730403' first='Delaynee' last='Steele'] put down swings that echoed to adjacent courts. They were complemented by the smooth all-around game of [player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Emma' last='Vanden Hull'], who is ready-made to run a 5-1 offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060723844172616114?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060723844172616114?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pin hitters flourished across the board on Court 2. Iowa PowerPlex 16U Nelson looked to [player_tooltip player_id='763850' first='Gianna' last='Stanfel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='732859' first='Elle' last='Isaacson'] to deliver on the antennas. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='912453' first='Paisley' last='Bro'] remained an unstoppable force for her Fearless unit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This four-team round-robin was a microcosm of the high-level play we saw across this division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Familiar Faces</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's always nice to catch up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even though I primarily patrol my Nebraska homeland, these Iowa events are building some familiarity with the Hawkeye State. The aforementioned Iowa PowerPlex 16U Nelson squad was a champion frontrunner during my Iowa Clash visit, but the reunions don't stop there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been treated to the steady upward trajectory of Iowa PowerPlex 17U Mendoza on the Prep Dig Circuit. Steely veterans like [player_tooltip player_id='555796' first='Lydia' last='Burrell'], [player_tooltip player_id='555797' first='Marlee' last='Ellison'], and Olivia Davis have formed an exceptional core unit for this top-tier contender. The list of accomplishments expanded after Saturday's strong showing in pool play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And, of course, there's no group more familiar to me than South Central NE 18 Black. The small-town all-stars are back! I continue to marvel at the versatility of this group. Bella Sjuts, Sydney Hengelfelt, Taytum Perdew, and Myla Emery have all juggled attacking and setting roles throughout their prep careers. Scouting this team's lineups is an ever-present challenge for opposing teams—as evidenced by the team's 5-1 set count in the three-set, three-team format.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060743777904423064?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"x","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kingsleyatk/status/2060743777904423064?s=46u0026amp;t=-7Z9Ur7KPGe54Sv3Zb4G3A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This series of Iowa events has also allowed us to peer into the deep cast of talent at RVA. The club's 17U K.Palea team entered the spotlight for this event and leveraged an incredibly balanced offense. [player_tooltip player_id='443085' first='Avery' last='Edgington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='831281' first='Cora' last='Shaw'] still took the lead when needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Locking In</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll close out with one overarching point on why we're here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a complicated time in the yearly club cycle. The big wave of April qualifiers is in the rear view, and teams often break off to finish school and unwind for the summer. But, as we all know, players and coaches have to ramp back up for the biggest stage of all: Nationals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summer reps are valuable. How will we know a team has maintained the level of cohesion we saw during the qualifier gauntlet? We've only been through a day of action at the Midwest National Tune-Up, but squads have already embraced the spirit of the venue. Energy in the gym was tremendous, and teams restored those ironclad connections that have formed through the spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Way to shake the rust off. Let's polish things further on Championship Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->