Three 16U Club Teams Quietly Rolling In 2025

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 16U crop of club teams is having quite a 2025 club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking around the state, you see a number of different programs picking up championships and victories.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's three teams that don't get as much attention that are piling up the wins, and a look at some of their key players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>HaiFive 16-1</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This 16U club team out of Dexter has produced over 20 wins on the season and just a few losses despite competing at higher age levels in some events. They are coming off a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Festival in the 16 Club Red Division a week ago. <strong>Aykina Weatherspoon</strong> has been a real shining star and one of the most valuable players to her team in the class. She's got a smooth attack on the outside and a high finishing rate. Her defensive play is also solid, especially her blocking. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='780722' first='Courtney' last='Dyer'] </strong>is a 5'10” pin hitter that also puts a good swing on the ball at a high rate. She's showing a lot of promise as her speed of play improves. <strong>Kiley Ellis </strong>is a nice utility player for the squad as well. She can be a dominant defender, but also come through with some timely kills and aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Michigan Elite 16 National East</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16 National East has racked up top-5 finishes in various divisions so far in the 2025 club season. That included a fifth-place finish in the 16 Open/Premier of the Presidents Day Challenge last month. This squad has some really capable offensive talent. Outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762842' first='Laney' last='Champagne'] </strong>has been putting the ball down with a lot of authority and can rack up the kills quickly. <strong>Sophia Didoszak </strong>has been a great asset on the right side as well, consistently finding a home for her attacks. In the middle, 6'2” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762846' first='Adlin' last='Moore']</strong> has a promising future with a high ceiling as she continues to develop her footwork and tempo. <strong>Payton Canham </strong>has been very impactful as one of the setters, and also a right side option. She makes a lot of high-IQ plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Michigan Elite 16 National West</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't look too much further for the next team, as 16 National West has been bringing good success for Michigan Elite as well. They've been in lockstep with National East in terms of wins and finishes during the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442981' first='Grace' last='Belanger'] </strong>has been a machine in the back row, as the libero is piling up the digs and doing a great job of keeping the ball on the floor. That has allowed this team to utilize a strong 1-2 punch on the outside of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442977' first='Demi' last='McCoy'] </strong>and <strong>Abigail Valenzuela</strong>. Both generate a lot of power at the net and have a big approach to produce plenty of momentum for their attacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->