Adidas Bluegrass Open Division Preview

We have reached the eve of the annual Adidas Bluegrass tournament hosted by KIVA in Louisville, KY. It is typically one of the most competitive events of the early season in this area of the country. Here are some of the top teams from Ohio and Kentucky to keep an eye on in the Open-level division for U16-U18 age groups as a handful of the nation's best teams will be in attendance. U18 AVC 18 Red This team has such great depth of talent and high quality competitive experience at each position. They get pin scoring from DI commits [player_tooltip player_id="114454" first="Cadence" last="Shea"] and [player_tooltip player_id="114450" first="Kathryn" last="Randorf"] on the left side and big production from the right in Nebraska recruit [player_tooltip player_id="114534" first="Caroline" last="Jurevicius"]. [player_tooltip player_id="114460" first="Sabrina" last="Gremm"] adds depth on the pin as [player_tooltip player_id="114474" first="Kirsten" last="Barrett"] fills the role to get them quality opportunities with their offense as the primary setter. Middle [player_tooltip player_id="114487" first="Mya" last="Sopata"] has big elevation and can move the ball around while [player_tooltip player_id="137137" first="Abbey" last="Havrilla"] provides good support with her ball control and defense in the back row. NKVYC 18-1 Tsunami This team is pin heavy with Oklahoma recruit [player_tooltip player_id="68127" first="Taylor" last="Preston"], a high flyer and with ability to move the ball around to apply good pressure to the opposing defense. She will get a lot of opportunity at both pins and out of the back row. [player_tooltip player_id="114464" first="Elena" last="Dubuc"] is a Wright State commit and continues to increase her productivity after moving to the left side following a primary role on the right a season ago. [player_tooltip player_id="68129" first="Abby" last="Schaefer"], a Western Kentucky recruit, is a critical piece to their ball control and defense, while the athleticism and crafty hands of setter [player_tooltip player_id="156617" first="Cora" last="Taylor"], a Butler recruit, can create good opportunities for her offense with her distribution skills. [player_tooltip player_id="156621" first="Ava" last="Kidd"] and [player_tooltip player_id="137128" first="Olivia" last="Gentry"] do the work in the middle and both have increasingly developed in their contributions offensively to help support their pin work. Taylor, Schaefer, and Preston combined to help St. Henry win the most recent Kentucky high school volleyball state title this past fall. Others to Watch: <ul> <li>Circle City 18 Purple</li> <li>FaR Out 18 Black</li> <li>KIVA 18 Red</li> <li>Munciana 18 Samurai</li> <li>SPVB 18 Elite</li> </ul> U17 KIVA 17-Red A couple of Texas commits anchor this team as 6'5 outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="106668" first="Sydney" last="Helmers"] and 6'4 middle [player_tooltip player_id="106665" first="Nya" last="Bunton"] have big-time game. They have incredible length in addition to skills that make them highly effective in their roles and very difficult for opponents to contain. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="106669" first="Whitney" last="Woodrow"] is 6'0 and has great size as well. The Fordham commit has great tools and does good work to get her big arms quality opportunities to swing. Also on the outside is 6'2 Olivia Fish, who can score points with good range and through a varied locations, while 6'5 [player_tooltip player_id="106664" first="Gabrielle" last="Gerry"] fills up big space at the net to help them sustain that formidable size through each rotation. Union 17-1 Fresh off their Pioneer Region bid title this team has good momentum and should enter Bluegrass with good confidence in their ability to score points and defend. Setter Grace Purichia makes this team go as they rely heavily on her ability to make things happen on the offensive side in her distribution and ability to disrupt teams through her own offensive opportunities. Middle [player_tooltip player_id="106690" first="Meredith" last="Brown"] is 6'4 and active, as she has ability to put pressure on teams with her length and skills when their ball control is in place to get her involved. They get good pin offense from Alexis Caldwell while also relying on the contributions from Kiki Brown, Caroline Hilbrich, and Lauren Varga to keep create opportunities to be successful. Elevation 17-Goller The gems and strength of this team are in setter [player_tooltip player_id="141725" first="Lindsey" last="Green"] and middle [player_tooltip player_id="114516" first="Brooke" last="Bultema"]. Green is a savvy and confident floor leader that can set good tempo through all positions. Bultema has the ability to be a game changer with her arm and on the defensive side given her athleticism and length. Other key elements are in the ball control and defensive work as [player_tooltip player_id="114562" first="Ava" last="Wolfer"] and Creighton commit Sydney Breissinger can frustrate opponents. After a solid showing at Central Zones earlier in the season, they opened the high-level NIT event as part of the power pool designation but struggled to find success. Their pin action and balance in the middle opposite Bultema will be necessary for them make a big impact among a top quality field in Louisville. Look for middle [player_tooltip player_id="141721" first="Campbell" last="Robinson"] and pins [player_tooltip player_id="141693" first="Nicole" last="Sargent"], [player_tooltip player_id="114543" first="Ninah" last="Miranda"], and [player_tooltip player_id="141722" first="Audrey" last="Armbruster"] to increase the quality of their contributions. Others to Watch: <ul> <li>A5 17 Mizuno Angel</li> <li>Circle City 17 Purple</li> <li>Dunes 17 Black</li> <li>FaR Out 17 Black</li> <li>NKYVC 17-Tsunami</li> <li>Team Pineapple 17B Harris</li> <li>Top Select 17 Elite Blue</li> </ul> U16 Elite VBTC 16 The presence and athleticism of [player_tooltip player_id="139280" first="Alec" last="Rothe"] is a big factor for this team as she has the ability to be dominant on both sides of the ball. Touching 10'5 in her approach work, she is at 9'11 in her blocking movements, playing well above the net. However, they cannot rely on her alone given the superb quality and depth of talent at this age group. Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="152037" first="Hailey" last="Campagna"] and the athletic and versatile [player_tooltip player_id="152118" first="Olivia" last="Heitkamp"] offer good support on the pins with ability to terminate and defend. NKYVC 16-Tsunami One of the best teams in the country in this age group, if at full strength they should contend well to win this event. They have yet to play with their full roster as standout pin attacker [player_tooltip player_id="107423" first="Alivia" last="Skidmore"] has been out with an injury. She has since returned only to see this team recently lose their other high performing pin hitter in [player_tooltip player_id="114565" first="Sydney" last="Barrett"]. It is anticipated that Barrett will return in time for this tournament and if so, they will be highly dangerous. Middle [player_tooltip player_id="107399" first="Julia" last="Hunt"] is one of the most coveted U16 prospects across the country right now and will benefit greatly from the full strength of this team's pin action. [player_tooltip player_id="107418" first="Macy" last="Lentz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="139273" first="Lilly" last="Gillespie"] also contribute well on the right and left sides and with their passing, while setter [player_tooltip player_id="139272" first="Abby" last="Yoder"] runs the show as [player_tooltip player_id="107422" first="Elizabeth" last="Tabeling"] anchors the ball control and defense with terrific success. Tri-State 16 Blue This team has good potential for success with at every event given the strength in the pin action and the ball control and defense they showcase through their back row personnel. Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="114599" first="Reese" last="Wuebker"] is a high flying and electric attacker and is complemented well by the length and skills of [player_tooltip player_id="139276" first="Sophia" last="Adkins"] as her counterpart. Addy Brus and [player_tooltip player_id="114590" first="Kelsey" last="Niesen"] help in the offense and passing aspects well. [player_tooltip player_id="114578" first="Dakota" last="Henry"] is solid in the passing and defensive phases that helps kickstart their offensive tempo and variability. [player_tooltip player_id="114574" first="Maria" last="Drapp"] is a highly capable setter as she can push the speed of the offense from a broad location of the floor, which can create good space and opportunities for her attackers. Others to Watch: <ul> <li>A5 Mizuno 16-Gabe</li> <li>Circle City 16 Purple</li> <li>FaR Out 16 Black</li> <li>KIVA 16 Red</li> <li>Sports Performance 16 Elite</li> <li>Top Select 16 Elite Blue</li> </ul>