2023 Club Profile: Dead Frog 17 National Black

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are looking for a program that could appear to be a completely different team by season's end, Dead Frog 17 National Black might be the right candidate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taking on a tough schedule this year, 17 National Black has had a slow start, but signs have shown that they are on the verge of really breaking out in the months ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Dead Frog 17 National Black</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":264848,"width":286,"height":206,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/109-Sophie-Crawford.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-264848" width="286" height="206" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='172199' first='Sophie' last='Crawford']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Established prep coach Erin Onken heads up this squad, which features 10 talented players from the Class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17 Black has good leadership on the floor from setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172199' first='Sophie' last='Crawford']</strong>. She's very poised on the floor and has a keen eye for when to call her own number in the offense. Crawford usually scores when she plays a dump. She's got the athleticism and control to get the ball to her hitters with a high percentage to finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crawford has a lot of talented hitters to work with. In the middle, <strong>Kiera Sims</strong>, <strong>Makenzie Ash </strong>and <strong>Taylor Butler</strong> are a collective force.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sims is a 5'11” middle from Portage Northern that has experience on the RS as well. She plays longer than 5'11” and does a great job of high-pointing the ball on her attacks. Sims can cover a lot of ground offensive and defensively and still looks like she can tap into a little more aggression.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ash is a 5'10” middle from Kalamazoo Christian that also has the ability to move out to the RS if needed. This past fall, Ash hit .364 for the Comets and showed improved blocking. She's been building on those traits this club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Butler comes from Parchment and has been a real diamond in the rough from a smaller program. Also around 6-foot, Butler is an active player around the net, finishing points with her blocking and relentlessness. When getting an in-system swing, she shows a lot of power and velocity on her attacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dead Frog has some versatility on the outside this year as well with <strong>Hanna Garrison</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242644' first='Natalie' last='Hart']</strong>, <strong>Makenna Ekkens</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176604' first='Holland' last='DeVries'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DeVries and Ekkens also come from the Kalamazoo Christian program. They helped the Comets reach the D3 state final this fall. DeVries is proven to be a complete six-rotation talent. She finishes at a high rate, defends well and is consistent with serve receive, while also bringing a deadly serve.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ekkens is in the same boat. She can play DS as well as outside and her quickness and instincts are hard to beat in the back row. At the net, she's an explosive athlete that plays with a lot of intelligence. Like DeVries, Ekkens also is a real force from the service line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garrison comes from Portage Northern. The 6'1” outside can play OH or RS. She's very light on her feet for her size and has a really strong passing game. As you would expect, she can deliver a lot of power at the net and has shown a solid attack from the back row as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hart comes from the Watervliet program. The RS has some experience setting as well. As a hitter, she's very patient and takes what she is given. She is composed with out-of-system balls and still finds the floor regularly with them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Dead Frog relies on <strong>Aly Aldrich </strong>as the libero, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='438581' first='Zoe' last='Reeves'] </strong>is a DS alongside Ekkens.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aldrich comes from the Otsego program. She covers a lot of ground in the back row and is good with communication and direction of the defense. Aldrich also has solid serving ability and attacks tough angles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reeves comes from the Kalmazoo Norrix program and is showing a lot of growth in her serve receive. She's looking more comfortable and confident in recent matches. Reeves also has a quick step to make some tough digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dead Frog 17 Black hasn't been shying away from competition. They've played mostly in the 17 Open thus far in the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While it has led to a sub-.500 record, it's been beneficial to the players to compete against this level of talent and improve on some of the holes in their game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their most recent event, the Adidas Bluegrass Tournament saw them go 3-2 for the weekend. After dropping a pair of close matches to start, Dead Frog bounced back with three straight wins to conclude the weekend. They had a nice win over L2 171 in three sets and then defeated Metro VBC 17 Pink by scores of 25-23, 28-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, while they have taken some tough losses on the year, the growth is starting to show as Dead Frog is winning some close sets they may lost in weeks prior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->