2024 Club Preview: Five:1 15 Black

Five:1 15 Black is definitely off to a hot start to the 2024 club season.   Featuring a lot of promising stars from around Flint and the tri-cities, Five:1 has already won two of the three events it has participated in this year.   Here's a closer look at what the squad is bringing to the court in 2024.   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='523865' first='Kate' last='Belt'] – Valley Lutheran</td><td>Megyn Benchley – Midland</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard'] – Garber</td></tr><tr><td>Delaynee Witbeck – Frankenmuth</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='523868' first='Bella' last='Jamison'] – Powers Catholic</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='523863' first='Willow' last='Mason'] – Heritage</td></tr><tr><td>Paige Gordley – Powers Catholic</td><td>Miranda Polley – Frankenmuth</td><td>Sam Rouse – Goodrich</td></tr><tr><td>Elsie Hultberg – Valley Lutheran</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setting and defense</h2>   In order to win these close sets, Five:1 has had to be strong with its setting and defensive play.   At setter, [player_tooltip player_id='523865' first='Kate' last='Belt'] and Megyn Benchley have been running the offense.   Each brings a little something different to the position. Belt stands 5'9” and has a little more imposing size to use at the net and that allows her to play some quick shots with her hitters. Benchley is a little smaller, but very spry. She sets a nice ball and is very active defensively.   Speaking of defense, Sam Rouse and Elsie Hultberg have each been wearing the libero jersey.   Rouse has looked very calm and confident in the back row. One area Rouse has really excelled is being able to deliver a nice ball to the hitters when the team is out-of-system. She has great accuracy and touch on her feeds.   Hultberg is definitely on the move and staying light on her feet. She gets herself into good position to make a clean pass and communicates well with the floor to help direct traffic.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adaptable outsides</h2>   Five:1 has some good length and athleticism to work with on the outsides this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard'] is a 6-foot outside with a long wingspan. She's been putting up some big kill numbers already, as she's proven to finish from the outside or the back row. Lenhard has a consistent and solid swing and she has a good feel for the ball, especially when to dial up a powerful kill.   Delaynee Witbeck generates a lot of forward momentum on her swings and she shows impressive hangtime for her age. When she's in sync with her setters, Witbeck is tough to stop.   [player_tooltip player_id='523868' first='Bella' last='Jamison'] covers a lot of space on the floor to get a big swing at the ball. She also has shown she can finish from the back row and is consistent with her velocity and attack angles.   Miranda Polley is can play the middle, but has been effective as a right side as well. She has a nice pop off the ball, as she brings a bit of added aggression at the tail end of her swing.   What all four of these hitters have shown is being able to put away out-of-system balls as well. This team improvises well, which speaks to their success early in the year.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Long middles</h2>   Along with the strong group of outsides, Five:1 15 Black also uses middles [player_tooltip player_id='523863' first='Willow' last='Mason'] and Paige Gordley.   Mason can really elevate off the floor. She looks like she is on springs sometimes, as she is able to play well above blockers. Her hang time allows her to also be patient and adjust on the fly with her shots.   Gordley uses her long reach to work around the blockers and place a lot of successful shots with offspeed swings. She does a good job of high-pointing the ball and making each swing count.   Both are also aggressive in their blocking efforts. They cover a lot of ground defensively across the net, making things easier for their passers.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Early results</h2>   There's been some positive results for Five:1 15 Black.   The team opened the year at the Glass City Gauntlet in Toledo and went 6-0 to win the 15 Girls Division. Included in the wins were three, three-set victories that forced the squad to dig deep.   Following that, Five:1 competed in the Nike Classic in Columbus, placing 13th in the 15 Open. After dropping its first two matches, Five:1 bounced back to win six of its next seven matches, with all six coming in three sets.   This past weekend, Five:1 15 Black competed in the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis. It was another successful weekend as they won the 15 Premier Blue Division, going 7-0 on the weekend.   Included in the unbeaten weekend was a 15-13 third-set semifinal win and a 15-12 third-set championship win.   This Five:1 15 Black team is proving to be very resilient and good at finding ways to win the tough sets.

Five:1 15 Black is definitely off to a hot start to the 2024 club season.