Central Zone Invite Preview: 16 Club Red

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moving on down the immense list of divisions for the CZs this weekend, we hit 16 Club Red, filled with a mixture of bigs and littles. Here are six athletes from four rosters that look to make waves in a very important recruiting year for them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Empowered 16 Elite Onyx</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The equivalent of a 2s team at Empowered has a couple of kids that haven't caught my eye until recently. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505196' first='Ava' last='Felgar'] ('26, 6-0 MB, Manchester)</strong> is a long and lean middle that defends from pin to pin with speed and sees the court well on the attack. Her high attack point and athletic acuity allow her to score points regardless of where the ball is set. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505198' first='Sophia' last='VanBuskirk'] ('26, 5-9 RS/S, Columbia City)</strong> has done a little of everything in volleyball, but her modified 6-2 approach to her position would suit her best at a small school. She can attack with good footwork no matter where the ball is set, and can set in a pinch and understand what each of her hitters needs to score points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Monon Select 16E Medusa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another 2s team from the former "Grand Park", this particular squad will have ball control as its main key to victories this weekend. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505202' first='Tia' last='Williams'] ('26, 5-4 DS/L, Kokomo)</strong> already has libero experience. Her quick moves while keeping her platform calm keeps every touch of hers accurate. A second kid who could be libero as well is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505200' first='Evie' last='Mayer'] ('26, 5-6 DS/L, Westfield).</strong> Exceptional on defense, she uses a read-and-react approach to defending. Going from stopped and ready to accurate pass quickly is her calling card in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">NIVA 16 Black</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another 2s team, this time from northern Indiana, has a bunch of smaller yet athletic kids on the roster. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505204' first='Sydney' last='Keslin'] ('26, 5-7 OH/DS, Penn)</strong> looks the most ready of the bunch, as she has jumping ability and athleticism to play all the way around OR be a three-rotation DS at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rev 16-3 Eagles</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big and strong, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='505206' first='Kara' last='Rush'] ('26, 6-0 MB, Triton Central)</strong> takes up space on the block, powers through weaker and smaller blocks, and is big enough to make adjustments while keeping a high attack point. I like her two-footed approach to attacking, as she looks like a textbook M2 for the next level. Perhaps a smaller school could see her as a right side as well, as her blocking ability is above-average for this graduating class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->