Illini Elite 17 Cardinal Battles Through AAU Nationals

I had the opportunity to watch the great [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] 17 Cardinal team battle at AAUs in Orlando. This team runs a sharp 6:2 lineup, really taking advantage of the height and skill of their athletes. Something that caught my eye almost instantly was the maturity of each of the athletes when it came to their discipline, perseverance, and competitiveness on the court. Here are a few of their athletes that are worth looking into:    Thompson (#14) was a beast! Her fast and explosive tempo sets were so fascinating to watch in action. She places the ball with the same exact speed and location every single time. No matter if she was just hustling across the court in a rally before or sprawling across the right back wing, as I said before, Thompson is a beast of a setter!!     Harrison (#24) is also a beast in her libero jersey! I have never seen someone with such beautiful control during every out-of-system platform set. She perfectly placed each set perfectly off the net and inside so that her attackers could put an effective swing on it. With the same control and precision, she dimed every free ball pass, which resulted in a dominating free ball play from her team.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/07/Illini-17-Cardinal-3-rotated-e1782933089800.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1002386" /></figure>    Niepagen (#25) is the offensive weapon of the team. Her transition off the net set the tone for exactly what I anticipated from her attack-powerful, yet creative when needed. In the same light, her net control, along with her solid press over the net, completes her as a very well-rounded outside attacker.     Dawson (#44), standing tall as a pin outside attacker, had the craziest 4-to-4 swing I've ever seen! And when I thought she wouldn't do it again, she did. She looked very confident every time she went up for an attack. I was also amazed at her block coverage because she would really get up all in there to protect her court.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/07/Illini-17-Cardinal-2-rotated-e1782933151454.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1002387" /></figure>    Lamberti (#45) started the set with an ace. Throughout the set, she gained more aces to her stats. What stood out to me the most about her was her setter dumps. She leads with such disguise that it truly kept me guessing if she'd do it again!! I'd keep an eye out as she truly looks like the master of setter dumps!     Hafermann (#23) stands at 6'1'' and you could only imagine how she seals the net. Her blocking presence seemed to scare the opposing middle after she solo blocked them a few times. Her press over the net is so strong that no ball was passing through her wall.    This group was incredibly impressive to watch! They consistently dominated with their offensive system. Their success was made possible because of their disciplined serve receive and setting quarterback. Great job ladies!

I had the opportunity to watch the great Illini Elite 17 Cardinal team battle at AAUs in Orlando. This team runs a sharp 6:2 lineup, really taking advantage of the height and skill of their athletes. Something that caught my eye almost instantly was the maturity of each of the athletes when it came to their discipline, perseverance, and competitiveness on the court. Here are a few of their athletes that are worth looking into: