2022 Club Season Spotlight: Iowa Select 18 Mizuno

<p>Another Iowa team is on deck in our spotlight series. Fittingly, this one involves a team that just had a standout performance and earned a Nationals bid at last weekend’s Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha.</p> <p>Iowa Select 18 Mizuno earned their 18 USA bid after making an impressive run through the NLQ tournament field. In fact, Select did not drop a single set en route to the championship match before falling just short to Kairos in the finals. This team clearly has a lot to look forward to as they sharpen their skills in preparation for an appearance at 18s GJNC in Phoenix this April.</p> <p>Let’s meet the squad.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Taking a peek at the 18 USA finals.<br /> <br /> Iowa Select 18 Mizuno is another high-flying team that has swept every match they’ve played this weekend — until now. First set goes to Kairos 18 Adidas. <a href="https://t.co/CbnPeGwnm8">pic.x.com/CbnPeGwnm8</a></p> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1488249242510630922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>A High-Flying Attack</strong></p> <p>An efficient, terminal offense was the cornerstone of Iowa Select’s success last weekend, and there are plenty of players that contribute to this cause.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="79708" first="Ava" last="Schubert"] is the lone 2023 on this roster, and 18 Mizuno finds every way possible to get her the ball. I got to see Schubert early on in her prep career as an up-and-coming attacker with Assumption High School, and she has continuously gotten better since then. She’s incredibly vocal on the court, can hit either a pipe or a D in the back row, and is nearly unstoppable when she rotates to the front.</p> <p>Select also gets plenty of production from its middle blockers. [player_tooltip player_id="103719" first="Kierney" last="McDonald"] was particularly impressive throughout the weekend as she demonstrated that she could get her kills off of one or two feet. She has the quickness to get from pin to pin and seal blocks with ease. It’s a similar story with [player_tooltip player_id="103704" first="Hannah" last="Copeland"], an Illinois native who makes the quick hop to Select and brings irreplaceable physicality to 18 Mizuno.</p> <p>On to the left pin now, where Iowa Select utilizes a pair of multi-skill athletes. [player_tooltip player_id="103715" first="Morgan" last="Barker"] is constantly making smart shots on the outside and reads the game well as a wing blocker. Opposite her in the rotation of left sides is [player_tooltip player_id="103713" first="Grace" last="Graham"], another player who jumps well and can terminate on some tough swings.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Anchoring the Team</strong></p> <p>While the offense can reliably take 18 Mizuno to some great heights, the lineup wouldn’t be complete without the many other players who take care of the ball control work for this team.</p> [caption id="attachment_178077" align="alignright" width="414"]<img class="wp-image-178077" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/02/IMG_6939-crop-3797x2493-1643943373-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="414" height="272" /> Gartner patrols the backcourt for Iowa Select 18 Mizuno.[/caption] <p>[player_tooltip player_id="103709" first="Brianna" last="Gartner"] had the back row locked down in Omaha. She’s another Assumption product on this team who is playing like she has some unfinished business with Iowa Select this year. Gartner is also joined in the backcourt by two stout defensive specialists; [player_tooltip player_id="162876" first="Livia" last="Thomsen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="103716" first="Emily" last="Allison"] have both carved out big roles in the middle-back area of the court and will always be there to anchor serve receive.</p> <p>And, of course, [player_tooltip player_id="79247" first="Ella" last="Caffery"] helps tie everything together at the setter spot. She’s a valuable asset in any rotation, as she has the length to hold her ground in the blocking phase and is a big attacking threat on the second ball. That aggression will serve Iowa Select well as they look to compete for a championship.</p>