President’s Day Indy: Who Did I Like?

<p>Over three days in the Indiana Convention Center, the annual President’s Day tournament brought teams from as far away as Nevada (North Nevada Juniors) and Colorado (303). Today, I’ll chat briefly about the Indiana-based kids that got my attention this weekend.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102465" first="Aniya" last="Kennedy"], ’22, 6-0, MB, Dunes 17 Black</strong></p> <p>As expected, Aniya was far and away the most athletic kid on the court whenever she was playing. Although listed as an outside on the Dunes website, she clearly played middle at a higher level (literally) than anyone else I saw her play on Saturday and Sunday. She pounded everything and blocked everything else, and even showed some shot placement when the set wasn’t the greatest. If you need an athletic, fast, high-flying middle, Aniya’s yours for the signing.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130540" first="Karly" last="Klaer"], ’22, 5-10, S/RS, Dunes 17 Black</strong></p> <p>From the South Bend area, Karly was the captain who led vocally and by example. Setting in the back row and attacking from the front row, this author found out first hand how hard she can hit. She’s relentless, competitive, heavy-armed and runs the offense with ease as well. She’ll make an impact somewhere, considering how versatile she is.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130541" first="Kelsey" last="Waggoner"], ’22, 5-7, OH, Indy United 17-1</strong></p> <p>A new and tiny club in central Indiana features a group of kids right up Prep Dig’s alley. Some of these kids I’ve seen before, but none impressed me more than the abilities of six-rotation outside Kelsey. Hitting a heavy ball, receiving serve well and always the difference-maker for this squad, Kelsey took it upon herself to end a couple of matches with her high-and-hard attack. Although undersized for larger schools, I’m sure a few smaller schools will be calling in the near future for her athleticism alone.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130542" first="Grace" last="Chapman"], ’22, 5-4, L, Indy United 17-1</strong></p> <p>Another under appreciated defender from just south of Indianapolis in Columbus, Grace was the libero for the 17-1s on this day, and finished Monday afternoon with two sweeps of Mission out of the Chicago area and H2 from Saint Louis. Her schedule is mostly club-based (think American level for USAV), but her abilities project her to be making a difference at the next level as either a three-rotation DS or a libero. Her serve receive is confident and steady, and she defends with the best of them. I love her positive attitude and her relentlessness.</p>