Lawrence Pre-National Tournament VCN Storylines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pre-National Tournament in Lawrence, Kansas kicks off at the University of Kansas on Friday, June 7th and lasts until Sunday, June 9th. This is a great opportunity for athletes to showcase their skills and teams fine tune before USAV Nationals in July. Six VCN teams will be attending in the 15-17's age division. Here are some players to keep an eye on over the course of the tournament:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCN's 17 Elite's Class of 2026 setter [player_tooltip player_id='251144' first='Ellie' last='Eckman'] has the softest hands and makes setting look so effortless. She has great footwork and strong wrists, which enables her to set the pin from anywhere on the floor. She has a lot of firepower at the net around her to run a fast offense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6 '0 " Kamryn Behrn's stock continues to rise for 17 Elite. She is a strong lefty that can put the ball down on the right side. She hammered 472 kills in her sophomore campaign, which nearly doubled her 255 total from her freshman year for the David City Scouts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCN 17 Elite Libero/Defensive Specialist [player_tooltip player_id='189328' first='Rya' last='Borer'] is one to keep an eye on too with her quick feet and smooth passing platform. She gets to balls quickly which enables Eckman to run a quicker tempo offense. Borer does a nice job of covering her hitters as well. The Norris senior had 257 digs last year in a State Runner-Up campaign.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCN 17 Black also has some players to keep on your radar. Let's look at [player_tooltip player_id='189371' first='Paisley' last='Piatkowski'], a 5'11” outside who has crafty shots and can see the floor well. Paisley does a great job of making smart shots to keep defenses guessing. She can hit a power cross court shot or roll shot a deep corner kill. She had 158 kills for Class A Elkhorn South last fall. Her strength is her versatility in the front row.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lefty [player_tooltip player_id='189327' first='Kacey' last='Porter'] is explosive on the right side for 17 Black. She also has great floor defense and can pass well from anywhere on the court. She hammered 241 kills for Lincoln Southeast last fall and matched that with 261 digs. Her strength and explosiveness on the right side are a a big upswing at that position.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5 '9 " Wahoo setter [player_tooltip player_id='173537' first='Audrey' last='Waido'] does a phenomenal job of distributing the ball for VCN 17 Black. She has great hands and plays top notch floor defense. Waido definitely has a defense first mindset when releasing from right back. She has eclipsed 2153 set assists in her high school career. She keeps 17 Black playing at a high level as the floor general.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VCN 16 Elite outside [player_tooltip player_id='257188' first='Brooklyn' last='Stehlik'] is a jack of all trades player. She can play outside or swing from the middle. She came on this past year for the Platteview Trojans as a sophomore where she had 156 kills. Stehlik sees the court well and can hit shots. She has the ability to turn a bad ball into a good play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setter [player_tooltip player_id='278995' first='Kaitlyn' last='Bodnar'] on 16 Elite/16 Black stood out at the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo back in December in LaVista. She is not afraid to dump the ball sneakily. Bodnar has strong wrists and does a great job of squaring to her hitters. She can run a fast tempo offense or put a ball higher on the pin to let the hitter take a rip at it. She has great energy out on the floor too!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will be a great weekend for teams to fine tune and then head back to practice to get ready for USAV Nationals!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->