Lake Orion Invitational Analysis & Standouts

The 2021 prep volleyball season got its first full day of tournament action in well over a year on Saturday. With the 2020 season limiting capacity for a single event, Saturday marked the first time prep teams were able to compete again in tournaments since 2019. I stopped by the Lake Orion Invitational on Saturday and saw some competitive play between 11 teams, including some potential state contenders. In a typical opening-weekend situation, Lake Orion managed to win the event despite having some rough stretches and dropping a set to four of their five opponents. However, the Dragons found their best when they reached the championship match against Northville. Lake Orion kept itself in-system and found some secondary hitting options to compliment [player_tooltip player_id="66309" first="Nina" last="Horning"], working their way to a 25-23, 25-18 win over the Mustangs. Here's some standouts from the day's event. Lake Orion: As mentioned, Horning is a special player. She continues to grow (now at 6'4”) and she plays with a lot of command on the floor. As a junior, she's taking control of the team and playing instinctively, not cautiously. She has a good connection with both setters in [player_tooltip player_id="24863" first="Jaina" last="Macaulay"] and Kara Delventhal. As the day progressed, both Lauren Peters and [player_tooltip player_id="24878" first="Piper" last="Talaga"] stepped up on the outsides to give the Dragons more balance offensively. Each showed good finishing ability. Lake Orion still has a lot of length to work with. If they can find their groove more consistently, the Dragons will again be a tough team to deal with. [caption id="attachment_153912" align="alignright" width="226"]<img class="wp-image-153912 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/08/DSC_3383-226x300.jpg" alt="" width="226" height="300" /> Abby Reck[/caption] Northville: The Mustangs did a lot of good things as they gel with new head coach Sarah Lindstrom. She is moving All-American club middle Abby Reck to the outside and Reck looks quite comfortable in her change. She's getting a lot of swings and was hitting with as much power as anyone at the event. She's also a big block to deal, while improving in other facets to become a complete player. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="60851" first="Juliana" last="Imbuzeiro"] plays with a ton of fire and is definitely a standout at her position. She's got the athleticism, drive and decision-making to be truly great. Middle Erin Morrisey put together some solid finishes throughout the day to try and be a great compliment to Reck. Defensively, Northville has a lot to work with in libero [player_tooltip player_id="108714" first="Taryn" last="Rice"], along with defenders [player_tooltip player_id="24867" first="Jessica" last="Mondragon"] and [player_tooltip player_id="110313" first="Greta" last="McKee"]. Detroit Country Day: The Yellowjackets reached the semifinals before falling to Lake Orion in three sets. DCD was a bit shorthanded, as starting setter [player_tooltip player_id="66300" first="Paige" last="Elliott"] was unable to play on Saturday. That left DCD scrambling to alter the lineup. Standout outsides [player_tooltip player_id="24862" first="Morgan" last="Lockhart"] and [player_tooltip player_id="24869" first="Nyla" last="Muskovin"] saw time at setter, and performed amicably in the powerful Country Day offense. Both were great at their original positions while middles [player_tooltip player_id="24870" first="Serena" last="Nyambio"] and [player_tooltip player_id="66291" first="Laurece" last="Abraham"] were dominant for long stretches. DCD certainly has the firepower to be a top contender in D2, but as coach Kim Lockhart said the key this year will be the team's serve receive and serving. [caption id="attachment_153913" align="alignright" width="277"]<img class="wp-image-153913 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/08/DSC_4054-277x300.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="110282" first="Mallory" last="Bohl"][/caption] Saline: The Hornets were a semifinalist on Saturday, falling to Northville by scores of 25-20, 25-18. [player_tooltip player_id="110282" first="Mallory" last="Bohl"], our second-ranked player in our first <a href="https://prepdig.com/michigan/rankings/2024-rankings/">Class of 2024 rankings</a>, showed a lot of good things on Saturday. She consistently finished her attacks and has great instincts with her blocking as a 6'3” middle. [player_tooltip player_id="153662" first="Catherine" last="Flaharty"] is also a hitter with some size for Saline. She has some polishing to do on her swings, but shows the potential to be a real consistent threat for the Hornets. Outside [player_tooltip player_id="140484" first="Anna" last="Hesse"] plays with a lot of energy as well and has an all-around game that helps Saline remain consistent defensively. Setter Laney Burns mixed things up well and found the hot hitter, while libero Olivia Behen left it all on the floor and repeatedly came through with a clutch dig. Grand Blanc: The Bobcats struggled to find consistency in their play. They showed flashes of being the best team in Lake Orion, but couldn't bottle up that level of play. They lost to Saline in the bracket opener, 25-15, 25-20. [player_tooltip player_id="66316" first="Remi" last="Madison"] remains a great outside that plays at a high level in the front row or back. What Grand Blanc needs is to find more reliable options outside of Madison. Kate Walter was able to finish some key points from the middle. She shows glimpses of being that reliable compliment to Madison. Lakeland: The Eagles were pretty impressive. Despite being outsized by most of their opponents, they still found ways to grind out rallies and win sets. Lakeland faced off twice with Lake Orion, and took a set from the Dragons each time. Their day ended with a 25-23, 11-25, 15-7 loss to Lake Orion in the bracket opener. [player_tooltip player_id="108719" first="Eve" last="Martin"] was one of the top players for the tournament. The junior setter was all over the floor, playing multiple positions throughout the day and excelling everywhere. She is technically sound as a setter, but also was a proven finisher at the net with her swings. Martin also displayed great leadership on the floor for the hard-nosed Eagles. Olivia Krill and Stella Theaker came through with some strong finishes against Lake Orion, while libero Kennedy Hudson also fits the mold of this team. She's tough and gives her all in each point. [player_tooltip player_id="92065" first="Julia" last="Fledderjohn"] is an all-around talent as well. The game seems to come easy to her. Silver Bracket MVP: While Stoney Creek fell to Flushing in the finals of the silver bracket, 24-26, 25-7, 17-15, it is hard to ignore the play of Stoney Creek senior outside [player_tooltip player_id="24881" first="Sydney" last="Tomlak"]. Tomlak was as good as anyone in the gym on Saturday. Though she has massive hitting power, she really worked her offspeed game well and always found the opening on the floor and consistently fooled blockers. Tomlak is as good as they come as a six-rotation outside and she's in store for a big senior year.