40 Team Hy-Vee Arena Girls Invitational

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You read that right...40 teams ventured to the West Bottoms for the now-annual Hy-Vee Arena Girls Invitational. Ten courts on two levels meant there was plenty of volleyball happening throughout the day, with teams battling through pool play before finding out which bracket they would fight their way through.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By the time we reached the semifinals, St. Pius X took down St. Joe Benton in three sets, while Adrian defeated Maryville in two. The championship was a tightly contested battle, with the two teams splitting the first two sets before Adrian eventually emerged as tournament champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If I had an all-tournament team, here's what it would have looked like from the Gold Bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Tournament MVP</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='635415' first='Grace' last='Engeman'] — S — Adrian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm going with Adrian's [player_tooltip player_id='635415' first='Grace' last='Engeman'] as my MVP, and yes, I'm going with a setter. That's intentional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Engeman was the engine behind an Adrian offense that consistently found ways to score. She controlled the tempo, kept her hitters involved, and made the Lady Blackhawks difficult to defend. The best setters don't always show up as the biggest number on the stat sheet, but their impact shows up in how good everyone around them looks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Engeman had that kind of tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She wasn't simply putting the ball in the air. She was making decisions, creating matchups, and keeping Adrian's offense in rhythm when it mattered most. She was also timely with her dumps throughout the day, keeping opposing defenses honest and finding points when the opportunity presented itself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For me, she was the player who most consistently controlled the tournament from start to finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">All-Tournament Team</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daisy Fenton — OH — Adrian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fenton was the offensive leader for Adrian throughout the day. Her ability to score both in and out of system was on full display, and that versatility was valuable as the Lady Blackhawks worked their way to the tournament title. When Adrian needed someone to put the ball away, Fenton consistently gave them that option.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='485579' first='Mikayla' last='Fox'] — MH — St. Pius X</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fox is so explosive on the court. When her timing is on point, she's awfully tough to stop in the middle. And when St. Pius needed a point, she showed she could step outside and take some big swings from the pin as well. I'd love to see her take even more rips from the pins because there's plenty of offensive ability there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='499154' first='Maddy' last='Collignon'] — S — St. Pius X</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Collignon continues to be one of my favorite setters to watch. She's extremely athletic and plays above the net when she's in the front row. She did a good job getting to balls and delivering quality sets even when the passing broke down a bit. She's also a fierce competitor and did a nice job keeping her team together with her leadership throughout the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833188' first='Jenna' last='Cox'] — OH — St. Joe Benton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like Cox. She wants the ball when her team needs a score, and more often than not, she comes through. She's another player who does a good job adjusting in the air, finding different shots and finding the floor when the obvious swing isn't there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517118' first='Channing' last='Minton'] — L — Maryville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minton was the premier defender in the gym in my eyes. She was steady in the passing game and seemed to be all over the court defensively. Her ability to keep rallies alive and extend points was a treat for those in attendance. There weren't many balls she seemed willing to let hit the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='913132' first='Braylyn' last='Wood'] — OH — Rock Port</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wood was the primary offensive weapon for Rock Port as they worked their way into the Gold Bracket. She showed she could score in a variety of ways, whether it was throwing shots off the block, finding the crosscourt, or simply taking a big swing when the opportunity was there. She was fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='485608' first='Aryana' last='Spry'] — MB — Savannah</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spry was the go-to option in the middle for Savannah throughout the day. When she rotated back onto the court, she received a steady diet of sets, and she consistently found ways to terminate. She gave Savannah a reliable offensive option in the middle and made opposing defenses account for her throughout the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='485603' first='Charlee' last='Pollard'] - OH - Summit Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pollard was very effective all over the court for Summit Christian as they navigated pool play and earned a spot in the gold bracket. Her ability to play solid defense and score in the front row was critical to the team's success that day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->