Quick, Initial Thoughts On Windy City 16 Open
We are getting down to crunch time. Typically at this time of year, teams have one qualifier left before they slow it down before May. Now, teams might have multiple qualifiers ahead of them as well as Triple Crown at…
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Continue ReadingWe are getting down to crunch time. Typically at this time of year, teams have one qualifier left before they slow it down before May. Now, teams might have multiple qualifiers ahead of them as well as Triple Crown at the end of May to prep for. Oh, and college coaches are back on the road starting June 4 which opens up a whole new can of worms heading into the summer. Let the games continue as The Windy City Qualifier now heads to the Gateway, The Arch of St. Louis. Here are a few things to watch for in the 16 Open Windy City Qualifier.
The Already Qualified, and Near Misses
Legacy and Northern Lights are playing with house money as they have already punched their ticket to Vegas in the 16 Open field. However, there are a handful of teams who have had a near miss when it comes to punching their ticket to USAV 16 Open. W Revolution 16 Premier is top-ranked team in the Lone Star Region and lost a key match to TAV at the Lone Star Qualifier which would have put them in a final four position to snag a bid. AVC Cleveland and Circle City 16 Purple have been right there all season, advancing to Gold at MEQ, but just missed out on a final four appearance. They will be in the hunt heading into the weekend who will have a bid on their mind. HPSTL and MAVS were just out of bid contention at Show Me and will be part of a loaded field.
Power At The Pins
In order to succeed at the Open level, teams have to be able to score out of system. Harper Murray of Legacy 16-1 Adidas is one of the top players in the Class of 2023, remove the “almost”. She’s that good, but Legacy has a lineup of athletes that contribute from every position. Avery Bolles of MN Select will be a pin to watch who can do it in every rotation, a pure point scorer, but also a solid passer who will be fun to watch her recruiting process. Campbell Paris Campbell Paris OH Barrington | 2023 State #191 Nation IL is a 6’4 pin hitter for Sky High who has a major upside. She has a high contact point and can hit a variety of angles to score points. Iowa will be bringing some top pins in the Class of 2023 with Lily Dykstra Lily Dykstra 6'0" | OH Urbandale | 2023 State #127 Nation IA of Iowa PowerPlex, Cassidy Hartman Cassidy Hartman 5'10" | MB Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State #130 Nation IA of Six Pack, and Claudia Aschenbrenner Claudia Aschenbrenner 5'10" | OH Osage | 2023 State IA of CIA.
Cassidy Hartman Cassidy Hartman 5'10" | MB Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State #130 Nation IA of @Liberty_VB is 📈📈📈 she is long, athletic and so terminal. Class of 2023 pin pic.twitter.com/kNaMsbX3QC
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) November 2, 2020
Claudia Aschenbrenner Claudia Aschenbrenner 5'10" | OH Osage | 2023 State IA just hitting different this weekend. Playing up on @ClubIowa 18 Black for the day. 2023 looking dangerous from the pin. pic.twitter.com/ABGc4jH1KV
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 6, 2021
Sneaky Darkhorses
A “Darkhorse” would be a little bit of an exaggeration for these teams because they are all extremely strong. Darkhorse meaning they aren’t the top seed in their pool or one of the top nine seeds that would make it to gold pools come Sunday. Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold definitely stands out as one who could turn some heads this weekend. They’ve been a “Gold” team on final tournament days for Central Zone, St. Louis Presidents Day, and MEQ. Nebraska Elite Top Gun has a team that has plenty of powerful athletes led by outside hitter Destiny Ndam-Simpson who has a cannon for an arm. Sky High I still really think has the potential to upset some teams and find themselves in gold contention with top seeds. Their size can give teams problems. Watch for setter Maggie Duyos Maggie Duyos S Huntley | 2023 State IL , super gritty and lights a fire with her team.
Our top-rated prospect in the @PrepDig_NE 2023 class, Destiny Ndam-Simpson (84) of Bellevue West, is taking some nice swings on Court 7. pic.twitter.com/vybl7el4IV
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) December 6, 2020