Prez Day StL Athletes Under The Radar: 16 Open

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To get all of our needed previews in before first serve on Saturday morning, we're going to double up on our daily dose of information this week. Here is the first of two for the day, covering six athletes from three rosters that look to make this huge recruiting weekend that much bigger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Circle City 16 Purple</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've spent a good amount of virtual space talking about this team, but which players haven't seen as much publicity? Look no further that stud athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='510049' first='Sophia' last='N'Gbesso'] ('26, 5-9 MB, Brownsburg).</strong> A record-holding sprinter, Sophia is a springy, fast-twitch and athletic middle that will outwork and out jump anyone in front of her. I'm also a fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489479' first='Mariana' last='Van Der Aa'] ('26, 5-11 OH, Bloomfield),</strong> who's a transfer from Benton Central, a volleyball powerhouse from Lafayette. She's big, strong, can be a six-rotation passer at the next level and can take over a match when needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team Indiana Elite 16.1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So much talent on this roster, but so little space to talk about them. A fifth place finish in the 16 Open division at Central Zone solidified this squad's potential, and they'll use this coming weekend to solidify their abilities. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489959' first='Addison' last='Wiskus'] ('26, 5-11 MB, Hamilton Southeastern)</strong> is a solid M2 athlete, with the ability to hit all angles and transition fast enough to beat bigger opposing middles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='510050' first='Natalie' last='Sevier'] ('26, 5-10 OH, New Palestine)</strong> is a physical outside that can hit all of the shots and has the stamina to get all of the sets and score points for her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Circle City 16 Black</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notching their own fifth place finish in the 16 Premier Red division of CZ's, this team is playing with the big girls this weekend, and should have their hands full from the start. Look for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402578' first='Lilly' last='Abney'] ('26. 5-9 OH, Zionsville)</strong> to do a little of everything from serve receive to defense to some solid offensive production this weekend. I'm also interested in seeing what <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='510047' first='Wahine' last='Simpson'] ('26, 5-10 MB, Brownsburg)</strong> can do. Yet another of a group of young and athletic middles from Brownsburg, Wahine is no different---quick transition, strong strides from pin to pin and can out-athlete anyone in front of her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->