10 Stand Out Players at the Winter Classic – 17/18 Open

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 17/18 Open division at the Wisconsin Junior's Winter Classic was electric. At one point, I was standing between four courts - two were gold semifinals, one was the silver bracket, and one the bronze, and every match was high-level and competitive. There was no bad volleyball played this weekend in this division. There were many stand-out athletes who impressed throughout the weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["86410"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Katherine is a lefty 6-rotation right side that impacts nearly every play. Whether making a great defensive play, putting in a competitive serve, or letting her power rip on a swing,  Katherine gets a lot of touches on the ball. She is powerful, consistent, and incredibly smart. She is a go-to hitter on this talented team and was a key player in her team, winning the gold championship at the Winter Classic this weekend.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["136737"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Mija impressed in every single match this weekend. When her team needed a big kill, Mija made it happen. She played all six rotations on the pin and was massively powerful. She could find seams in blocks and mix up her shots incredibly well. Her hitting percentage was likely sky-high because she was efficient and smart with her hits in both the front and back row.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["122570"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Delaney impressed me on defense and serve receive at the winter classic. She was a consistent force in the back row for Kokoro 17-1. Delaney was aggressive and scrappy on defense and picked up a lot of tough balls. She was a key player for this team and was a leader in the back row.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["122464"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Kaitlyn was in the libero position, and wow, was she impressive. Her serve receive was near-perfect, and her defense was aggressive and scrappy. She has a huge presence on the court and kept her team alive in many scrappy and out-of-system plays. She has a great energy on the court and never misses an opportunity to pick a ball up for her team.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["92019"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Morgan is a smart and savvy setter who utilizes every hitter on the court. She moves the ball around quickly and cleanly and puts great tempo and pace on her sets. She is a huge leader on whatever court she is on and is very hard for opposing blockers to read. She has a soft touch on the ball and is a fun setter to watch.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["122554"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Avri is a powerhouse hitter. She can play all six rotations but really excels offensively. Her huge vertical, explosive approach, and fast arm swing beats out a lot of opposing blocks. She is disciplined in transition and can bury the ball deep in the court when needed.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["136593"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Caroline was in the middle for MOD this weekend and was very impactful. She mixed up her shots and manufactured points. When she put full power on the ball, it was impressive. Caroline has good ball control and consistent contact with the ball, which helps her mix up her shots and earn points.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["163355"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Stella was a key player for [program_tooltip program_id='431479' first='Wisconsin' last='Juniors'] this weekend. When she was in the back row next to [player_tooltip player_id='122464' first='Kaitlyn' last='Dohs'] they were nearly unstoppable. Her serve receive and defense kept her team in tough matches. She also got some experience playing on the pin as Juniors was down to 8 players. Stella's versatility on the court was a huge asset to her team.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["91946"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Lexi runs the court incredibly well. She moves the ball around and keeps all of her hitters engaged. Her pure athleticism and high volleyball IQ make her a great setter and volleyball player. Add in that she is 6'0,u0022 and that makes her a threat as a blocker as well.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["119434"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Abby is a dynamic and explosive athlete who can play in the middle or on the pin. She played all six rotations as an outside for Juniors this weekend. Abby earned points in both the front and back row and always made herself an option on offense. She showed how versatile she is by excelling in all skills including defense, serve receive, and from the service line.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63c60e27192d2"} /-->