Pacific Northwest Qualifier Recap – Rise Volleyball Club

<p>Hundreds of teams from all over the country traveled to Spokane, Washington to compete in the Pacific Northwest National Qualifier.  Their hopes of winning a bid to the USA Volleyball Junior Nationals held in Indianapolis this summer hung in the balance.  Oklahoma was well represented by Rise Volleyball club as they competed in the Liberty division.  Here is how they fared:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Day one they came in ranked second in pool three.  They battled extremely well and finished in second place, which moved them on to division one of round two.  This put them in the top pool with the number one overall seed in the tourney.  They put forth a brilliant effort but came up just a bit short as they won one match and lost two matches.  They almost beat the number one overall seed and showed everyone that they came here to compete.  This put them in the Silver bracket for day three and Rise was on a mission.  They beat two really great Texas teams on their way to winning the championship of the Silver bracket.  Lets meet a few of the players who helped them to the championship. </p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="144099" first="Katelyn" last="Branson"] [2022] 5-6 Libero (HS: Edmond Santa Fe/Club: Rise/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>Katelyn is currently ranked as the 42^ndbest overall prospect according to our class of 2022 Prep Dig State Rankings.  She stars for Edmond Santa Fe high school and the Rise volleyball program.  We profiled her a few times before and here is a refresher of what we stated, “<em>This young lady wowed me with her court play in high school as she doubles as an outside hitter for Santa Fe.  She not only can hit, but scores with ferocity on the left side.  Do not sleep on her because of her size as her athleticism is off the charts.  She is super bouncy and can get up with the best of them.  Her timing is perfect on every approach and she has a cannon despite her small frame. For club, Rise has her playing at libero, which is more toward where she will get recruited at.  She brings those super fast twitch muscle fibers to a position that allows her to be explosive in the back row.  College coaches…give her a good look if you are wanting someone who will definitely bolster your back row ball control.”</em>  She continues to wow everyone when she plays.  Now that she is solely playing as a libero, she is using that fast twitch muscle fiber in the back row covering hitters and flying to dig every ball she can get her hands on.  She has been phenomenal for her team during this club season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176368" first="Kyleigh" last="Whitehead"] [2023] 5-11 Outside (HS: Enid/Club: Rise/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>Kyleigh is currently ranked as the 26^thbest overall prospect according to our class of 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings.  She is a six-rotation banger on the pins for Enid High School and also plays club for the fantastic Rise volleyball program.  I profiled her a few months back when I added her to the state rankings and here is what I stated about her, “<em>I was walking through the convention center in OKC a few weeks ago and noticed this high flying outside who was throttling the ball.  Her play made me stop in my tracks and stay to watch the rest of her match.  This young lady has what it takes to play at the next level with her dynamic offensive skill-set.  Due to watching her in person, we have chosen to add her to the State Rankings.  Please congratulate her on the honor as she definitely deserves the acknowledgement of being one of the best in the State of Oklahoma.”</em>  She has been an assassin for Rise and one of their top kill leaders on their way to winning five matches at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier.  She is able to “Rise” up really well off of the ground and attack the ball with a lot of force.  We truly believe that she has some untapped potential and college coaches should give her a look. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176370" first="Taya" last="McReynolds"] [2023] 5-10 Outside (HS: Yukon/Club: Rise/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>We are proud to announce that Taya is currently ranked as the 28^thbest overall prospect according to our class of 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings.  She is a six-rotation pin hitter for Yukon High School and also plays club for the fantastic Rise volleyball program.  We profiled her when we added her to the rankings and here is what we stated, <em>“I was lucky enough to watch this young lady in person earlier this club season at the Redland Rendezvous tournament.  She was scoring very well on the left side for her Rise squad as they were super competitive with every opponent.  I stopped by her court due to what I witnessed and didn’t leave.  Her play proved to me that she belonged in the conversation of being one of the best in the state.  I also think that her offensive skill-set will move her up in the rankings if she continues to improve.  This youngster can flat out bang!  Please congratulate her on the honor as she definitely deserves the acknowledgement of being one of the best in the State of Oklahoma.”</em>  She was instrumental in helping her squad pull off some close wins against some great teams from all over the country at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier.  Her offensive skill-set and blocking was key to their game plan.  Her back row serve receive was also super helpful in their run to winning the Silver division. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.  If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com.  Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.  Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.  Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Oklahoma Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.  Keep them coming!</p>