AAU Wave 2: North Country Region 15s Show Up

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Join Prep Dig using code “AVG30” for a discount on your initial membership.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AAU Wave 2 featured the 15 Open, 15 Premier, and 15 Elite divisions which included 11 teams from the North Country Region (Minnesota and Dakotas) taking on some of the best competition in the country. Day one was full of tough pools battles, but several teams put themselves in a great position for the re-pooling of day 2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Open division, Kokoro 15-1 finished the day at 1-2. Northern Lights 15-1 and MN Select 15-1 both went 2-1, but Northern Lights grabbed second place in its pool while MN Select ended up third based on sets won/lost. Kairos Alpha 15-1 easily handled their competition and went 3-0 without even dropping a set. What is even more impressive, is that Kairos Alpha didn't let a team score more than 19 points in a set against them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Premier division saw M1 15-1 finish 2-1 and take second in its pool. Northern Lights 15-2 also had a strong day going 3-0 and claiming the top spot in their pool with only 1 set dropped on the day. MN Select 15-2 and Kairos Beta each finished 1-2 and placed third in their pools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Elite division, [program_tooltip program_id='429186' first='Kandi' last='Elite'] 15-1 played in a 3 team pool and split its matches, going 1-1 to finish second. M1 15-2 finished 1-2 and took third in its pool, while MN Select 15-3 battled through a tough day and finished 0-3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Between all those divisions, players stepped up, filled in, and adjusted when they needed. Below are a few of the standouts on Day 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remember to follow me on Instagram @Prepdigamy and Facebook @PrepDig Amy for up to date event coverage, stories, and more. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["938667"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a3710841beba"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Barsness is just as consistent now as she was when I first saw her back in January. She is a libero that stays balanced, reads early, makes good decisions, and consistently puts herself in the right position in both serve receive and defense. They say everything starts with a pass and Barsness sure delivers. She makes sure her team stays in system so they can run their offense. Her steady play and reliability have been constants all season, and with setter [player_tooltip player_id='742968' first='Hadley' last='Marti'] running the floor, this is a team that is tough to beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["945235"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a3710841bf32"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've only been able to see Inman play a couple of times this year, but every time I do, I am impressed She puts up a consistent ball, does a solid job spreading the offense around, and plays with confidence. What I really like about her game is that she isn't afraid to be bold. She had some great reversals on the day and made some great connections with her middles. I love when setters believe in themselves enough to make aggressive decisions. Inman does and it was fun to see today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["878270"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a371ba79f822"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Huesinkvelt is one of those players right in my backyard that I'm really excited that I get to watch frequently as she grows her game. She is a true outside hitter. She can unload on the outside with a big swing but she is also really good at being the "cleanup" person the position requires. A lot of times, she (just like any other outside hitter) is forced to deal with the out of system or "junk" balls sent her way. What I appreciate about Heusinkvelt is not only can she put down the in system ball but she does a great job turning the out of system junk into points also.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["772137"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a371ba79f896"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Venenga is one of those players I notice every time I am within view of a court she is playing on. You can't help but be drawn to watch her play. I find myself muttering to myself "yep, she's good" every time I walk away. Venenga didn't disappoint again today. Yes, she has a big impressive swing, but what really stands out to me is just how quick and disciplined she is. She is always moving, always transitioning, and seems to always be ready for whatever comes her way. She is going places and I can't wait to see it all unfold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["998448"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a3722d11d950"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Skime is a new player I got to watch today and she stood out pretty quickly on her M1 team. The lefty pin did a solid job getting to the ball, adjusting to the set on the fly, and finding ways to score points for her team. I appreciated that she rarely tried to force things. Instead she found open court and exploited it. For example, one that really stood out was her ability to "chuck" it down the line over the libero's head. That is one of the advantages of being a lefty pin and she clearly knows how to use it. Overall, Skime had a strong showing on the day and really showcased her potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->