Club Preview: Top Columbus Area U18s

<p>Adding to the depth of high quality U18 teams across Ohio are the following two clubs in the Columbus area. Both should compete well on both the regional and national levels.</p> <p><em><strong>Mintonette M.81 National</strong></em></p> <p>Mintonette is one of the premier clubs in the nation and have no shortage of talent representing them this season in the top age division. Prep Dig’s #2 prospect in the class of 2021 is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114377" first="London" last="Davis"]</strong> (Kansas) and she is certain to showcase her point scoring prowess as she has great tools to contribute from the middle and the left pin as they prepare to face some of the country’s best teams over the next several months. Her teammates include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114381" first="Sydney" last="Taylor"]</strong> (Ohio State), one of the top liberos in the state, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114407" first="Logan" last="Flaugh"]</strong> (Xavier), a skilled setter with good size and command of her team’s offense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114434" first="Avery" last="Boyd"]</strong> (Fairfield) is long and creates good balance of arms on the pins for this team. <strong>Riley Kindall</strong> is another capable arm on the left side as she elevates well and can generate power and movement through a strong arm at the top of her jump. Along with London getting some middle play, we should see a lot of middle action for this team through the athleticism of <strong>Tazmin Appiah</strong> and the heavy arm of <strong>Ellen Kinnaird</strong>. Although both are 5’10 and perhaps considered undersized as a middle prospect for most Division I teams at the next level, they both show great movement and engagement, are highly reliable on both sides of the ball, and complement this team well to solidify a lot of value from this position. Other big contributions will come from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114393" first="Olyvia" last="Kennedy"]</strong> (George Mason) as the 5’11 lefty can put some good pace on the ball. Other contributors offensively and in the areas of ball control include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114399" first="Addison" last="Evans"]</strong> (IUPUI), <strong>Bella Illig</strong> (Assumption), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114412" first="Kayla" last="Hardy"]</strong> (UAB). This trio helps create some of the best passing and defensive depth among the region’s U18 teams. Davis and Taylor each earned Division I all-Ohio 1st team honors while Flaugh was a 2nd team selection. Hardy was a DII 2nd team honoree.</p> <p><em><strong>Elite Volleyball 18 Black</strong></em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114378" first="Ava" last="Francis"]</strong> (Arizona) is Prep Dig Ohio’s #3 prospect in the class of 2021 and leads this team offensively with a big arm. Adding support on the left pin are <strong>Wakaya Wilson</strong> (Tiffin), <strong>Lauren Lucas</strong> (Millersville), and <strong>Jose Reinhart</strong> (Tiffin). This trio create different looks from that side of the floor and are all capable of scoring with a good mix of range control, pace, and finesse. On the right pin is a solid presence in 6’4 <strong>Anna Shoemake</strong> (Duquesne). She can terminate well through high contact and power while also putting up a formidable block. At 6’3, middle <strong>Alayna Johnson</strong> (Arizona) is one to watch as well with her size and length. With good momentum build and spacing, her contact point makes is difficult to defend. On the defensive side she has potential to take up a lot of space at the net when blocking. Also in the middle will be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114410" first="Claire" last="Pape"]</strong> (Purdue University-Fort Wayne) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114431" first="Kristin" last="Phillips"]</strong> (Tennessee-Martin). Both have good versatility to contribute well in the middle and from the pins. Pape has big hops and can get on the ball well while Phillips has an active and quick arm. Controlling the offense will be setters <strong>Sophie Mangold</strong> (Nevada) and <strong>Brianna Ebel</strong> (Tiffin) as <strong>Margo Lawson</strong> (Miami) is the libero and brings a lot of competitive fire to match her quickness and ability to make big plays on the defensive side. For their efforts during the recent 2020 high school season, Francis was selected as a DII all-Ohio 1st team member, while Reinhart and Pape were honored with 1st team recognition in DIV.</p>