11 Standouts From The Central Zone Premier Divisions

<p>Along with success in the Open Divisions of the Central Zone Invitational, Michigan had a lot of top teams in the Premier Divisions as well last weekend.</p>   <p>Here's a look at some of the players that led their club to top finishes in the respective Premier Divisions.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard'] & Delaynee Witbeck OHs Five:1 15 Black</strong></h2>   <p>Five:1 15 Black took the 15 Premier Blue championship last weekend and it was the 1-2 punch on the left side of Lenhard and Witbeck that led the club to a 7-0 record. Each hitter had their moments where they were in a zone and finishing point after point. Both also contributed well defensively and with their serving. While mixing in different styles, Lenhard and Witbeck just had a nose for finishing plays and riding the momentum they generated.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Samantha Rouse L Five:1 15 Black</strong></h2>   <p>To go with the success of the hitters, Rouse had an outstanding weekend. She had some massive dig numbers in key sets, but also just had a good awareness of the court. She let some attacks and serves by that were right on the border of being in, but she judged correctly and they were out. In the pressure sets, Rouse stayed very composed and worked a lot of strong passes to her setter to allow Five:1 to stay in the driver's seat.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261199' first='Morgin' last='Parsley'], S Legacy 16-2 ADIDAS</strong></h2>   <p>Legacy 16-2 ADIDAS finished second in the 16 Premier Red Division and had any set they lost come down to just a few points. Legacy had a balanced offense throughout the weekend and that's a credit to Parsley, who spread the ball out well and puts a nice touch on her feeds. She also handled out-of-system plays well and still gave her hitters a chance to finish.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226913' first='Abbigayl' last='Sells'], L Legacy 16-2 ADIDAS</strong></h2>   <p>I like the way the Legacy defense played early on in sets to set the tone. They got a lot of good coverage on the back row from Sells, as well as DS <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446704' first='Alexa' last='Randle El']</strong>. They both came through with some tough digs to allow their team to finish points and start fast. Their serve receive was also solid. When the two were on the court together, it led to a lot of success for the team.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Amelia Florkowski, L Krush 18 National</strong></h2>   <p>Krush 18 National placed third in the 18 Premier Division and Florkowski was a big reason why. Teams did their best to stay away from her in serve receive, but they couldn't avoid her during rallies. She had consistently strong first contact and played a lot of nice out-of-system passes that allowed her hitters to take aggressive swings. Florkowski had a lot of lengthy service rallies as well that helped turned the tide of sets for Krush.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Kadence Brummitt, OH Krush 18 National</strong></h2>   <p>Brummitt had a lot of steady play throughout the weekend and took a lot of key swings for Krush. Her all-around play came in handy during the tight sets as she made momentum-swinging serves and digs to compliment her powerful attacks on the outside.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='726472' first='Emma' last='Eldred'], OH High Street 17-1</strong></h2>   <p>Eldred led High Street to a 3<sup>rd</sup>-place finish in the 17 Premier Blue Division with a lot of impressive finishes at the net. High Street went to her early and often and she showed a good mix of swings and attack angles, but also a lot of court IQ to successfully play off the blockers on a consistent basis. Eldred was finishing from anywhere on the court and definitely the catalyst to High Street's success.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Maryssa Safford, OH Five:1 17.2 Black</strong></h2>   <p>Five:1 had a strong weekend, but finished fifth after running into High Street in the 17 Premier Blue Division. Safford still looked solid and held her own with a lot of other strong hitters. She had a balanced game and was able to place the ball well from the front or back row. She also stayed in good position defensively and wasn't hesitant to take control on the court.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490036' first='Emma' last='Rosenow'], OH Monsters 16 Elite</strong></h2>   <p>Monsters came in fifth in the 16 Premier Blue Division and Rosenow had a big hand in that. She was the most consistent finisher on the squad, being able to rack up the kills match after match. Rosenow just played her role well, not trying to press and force shots that weren't there. She's a scrappy outside that is going to find a way to make a play, whether it be offensively or defensively.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Madelyn Russell, OH MVA Rise Academy 62</strong></h2>   <p>Rise Academy also had a nice run in the 16 Premier Blue Division, finishing fifth. Russell was a big force throughout the weekend at the net, especially with her blocking ability. She was relentless with her effort to stuff and slow down opposing attacks and had a lot of success doing so. Russell also brings a powerful shot to the net that finished a lot of points in Indy.</p>

Along with success in the Open Divisions of the Central Zone Invitational, Michigan had a lot of top teams in the Premier Divisions as well last weekend.