WI and IL Teams that Dominated MEQ

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mideast Qualifier drew some of the top teams in the country. Teams battled in every division, in every bracket. It is such a fun tournament with numerous talented teams. Here are some teams from Wisconsin and Illinois that dominated the Mideast Qualifier. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Milwaukee Sting 16 White</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team has been dominant this season. After earning a Freedom bid at the Badger Qualifier, they turned around and won the Liberty division of MEQ. This team improved their bid to nationals to the Liberty bid and came home with some new hardware and a 10-0 record. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team has several key leaders, including six-rotation outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Paige' last='Boettcher'], libero [player_tooltip player_id='178270' first='Ellie' last='Bruns'], and setter [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Madelyn' last='Marquardt']. All three play nearly all the time and are key to the consistency and success of the team. Another thing that makes this team successful is how dynamic their offense is. Many of their hitters play a rotation in the middle or outside. [player_tooltip player_id='178247' first='Addison' last='Schoenberger'], [player_tooltip player_id='178040' first='Karsyn' last='Goetzke'], and [player_tooltip player_id='275794' first='Kennedy' last='Nimmer'] are all versatile and dynamic players who earn points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>1st Alliance 16 Black </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1st Alliance lost to Sting in the championship and earned a Liberty bid to USAV Nationals. Their only loss came to Sting in the championship match. This team was consistent and gritty. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='222771' first='Natalie' last='Martinez'] never missed a beat. She was everywhere in the back row and made some crazy good plays. Both setters for 1st Alliance are talented. [player_tooltip player_id='734071' first='Brynn' last='Peloquin'] is fast, has great footwork, and a lethal serve. Francesca Lacoco is smart and savvy and has great court awareness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On offense, [player_tooltip player_id='260950' first='Laney' last='Tuttle'] is an impactful pin with a consistent deep line shot. Jennifer Buehler can play on either pin and has a lot of power and good placement of the ball. Isabel Evanson is a six-rotation pin hitter who is consistent across the court and helps manufacture points for her team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sting earned their Open bid to nationals this summer. This team utilizes every athlete on their roster, and they all significantly impact the outcome of a match. They ran a 6-2 with [player_tooltip player_id='178043' first='Madison' last='Marx'] and [player_tooltip player_id='178032' first='Billie' last='Reiter'], high-level setters with great court awareness. [player_tooltip player_id='178033' first='Madison' last='Quest'], one of the top recruits in the class of 2025, played all six rotations and was lethal on the pin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='178029' first='Emma' last='Koceja'] was powerful and explosive. She put up great passes in serve receive and could be relied upon to manufacture points in tight games. [player_tooltip player_id='178030' first='Karli' last='Molnau'], [player_tooltip player_id='178034' first='Gabriella' last='Pitcel'], and [player_tooltip player_id='178039' first='Hailey' last='Goebel'] all contributed in the middle. They moved efficiently pin to pin and were a great first line of defense for their team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>FC Elite 17 White</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FC Elite came in as the 4 seed and left with new hardware. They placed 2nd across the entire tournament and were dominant every day of play. [player_tooltip player_id='151740' first='Laurin' last='Hamann'] protected the backcourt ferociously. She frustrated opposing offenses with her ability to touch nearly every ball that came over the net. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='181810' first='Grace' last='Fruzen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='144816' first='Mariah' last='Potter'] ran the offense very well. They kept pushing the tempo of the ball and rarely made errors. This team was fully engaged on the court and was another team where every athlete was crucial to the team's success. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>1st Alliance 17 Gold</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1st Alliance is an explosive team who earned their Open bid to USAV Nationals with a 3rd place finish at MEQ. This is a team that can make waves on a national level. The top 3 ranked athletes in this class in Illinois are all huge contributors for this team, including libero [player_tooltip player_id='136631' first='Ava' last='Falduto'] (Penn State) and pin hitters [player_tooltip player_id='135954' first='Ellie' last='White'] (Michigan) and [player_tooltip player_id='135950' first='Grace' last='Nelson'] (Kansas). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They run a 6-2 with setters [player_tooltip player_id='135953' first='Kinsey' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='311933' first='Calli' last='Kenny']. Both are incredibly talented athletes with a high volleyball IQ. [player_tooltip player_id='135955' first='Gabrielle' last='Williams'] was key out of the middle for 1st Alliance. She put up a massive block and had numerous powerhouse swings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>414 18 Elite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>414 18 Elite took second place in the 18 American Division. This team was electric throughout the tournament, battling head-to-head to earn their wins and some hardware to go with it! [player_tooltip player_id='151423' first='Allison' last='Pogodzinski'] was key in the back row for 414. She was aggressive and fearless across the backcourt on defense and serve receive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marissa Johanning was a consistent force on the court. She set in the back row and swung in the front row. She earned big kills on offense and moved the ball around well as a setter. Nora Hirthe and Isabella Scott both can play six rotations as pin hitters and be impactful on offense and defense. In the middle, Eve Martin and Deanna White were go-to powerhouse athletes for the team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->