United 16s Conquer Difficult Field at Iowa Regional

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - </strong>You could see United's confidence slowly growing during Sunday's Iowa Regional Gold Bracket Final. Members of the first-year club were feeding off each other's energy. They soaked up the fun of playing their best volleyball of this club season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the final point was scored here at the RecPlex, they piled on top of each other in celebration. A straight-set victory against PowerPlex made United the 16U state champs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>United grew a ton since the MLK tournament in Overland Park, Kan. Individual student-athletes sharpened their skills and they improved their connection as a team. Nowhere was it more evident than with their block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The block won United Sunday's match. To win it, it needed to limit PowerPlex's collection of big hitters, including [player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig']. It did that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It started in the middle with [player_tooltip player_id='493660' first='Bailey' last='Simpson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='555725' first='Brielle' last='Trout'] but they had plenty of help. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='489998' first='Belle' last='Seaman'] got in on the act as did outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='493659' first='Adalyn' last='Kruse'] and [player_tooltip player_id='273001' first='Ellie' last='Wilson']. Then there was star [player_tooltip player_id='360642' first='Sophia' last='Austen'], who blocked, swung, dug and played superb overall volleyball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The task was tough for United. The first set was tied at 23-23 when Austen blasted a kill. The Iowa City West sophomore then served the winning point, which ended in a Kruse kill. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pulling out Set One ignited that United confidence. It controlled the second set, hustling around the court and keeping plays alive until getting opportunities to end points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned, Austen was the best player on the floor in the final. Simpson continued here ascent up the ranks of the state's top middles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Often overshadowed on this team and at Iowa City Liberty, [player_tooltip player_id='273001' first='Ellie' last='Wilson'] was dynamite on Sunday. Her swing was on point as she shined though six rotations. United doesn't win this regional without her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trout and Kruse are two of the most improved players in the state's 16U division this season. Trout's defense is strong, and Kruse is hitting at a high level. The back-row duo of [player_tooltip player_id='403543' first='Addie' last='Bollier'] and [player_tooltip player_id='488579' first='Mavrik' last='Schweer'] get to a lot of balls and make it tough on opponents when they manage to hit through the block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What made United's victory even more impressive was how well PowerPlex looked throughout the earlier rounds. Vogt and Ladwig were cranking out kills at a high rate. [player_tooltip player_id='443085' first='Avery' last='Edgington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='490016' first='Raquel' last='Risk'] also delivered big swings, [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='412719' first='Jenna' last='Harbour'] stood out in the back row, and [player_tooltip player_id='493973' first='Gwen' last='Farley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Emma' last='Vanden Hull'] did well in sharing setter duties. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QUICK SETS FROM GOLD BRACKET</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Impact took third place. It's made great strides this season. [player_tooltip player_id='443125' first='Liv' last='Davis'] is a super setter who contributes all over the place. [player_tooltip player_id='443086' first='Brynn' last='Cibula'] stands out through six rotations, and [player_tooltip player_id='493608' first='Bailey' last='Snyder'], [player_tooltip player_id='730385' first='Allison' last='Ricke'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493605' first='Kenlie' last='Erickson'] are dangerous at the net. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Iowa United 16-1 Premier finishing fourth Sunday was one of the weekend's better stories. The feisty squad features some of the state's more underrated players, including Kaitlin Loria, [player_tooltip player_id='589347' first='Clarissa' last='Suhr'] and Paige Johnson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-CIA ended up fifth behind excellent play from [player_tooltip player_id='389853' first='Kennedy' last='Krecklow'], [player_tooltip player_id='493972' first='Tayah' last='Pollock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='702527' first='Ryanne' last='Brubaker']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Sixth place went to Rockets. Most teams stayed away from libero [player_tooltip player_id='316419' first='Edie' last='Miller'], but she answered the call when tested. The setter-hitter combination of [player_tooltip player_id='316380' first='Hadley' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493658' first='Hattie' last='Galloway'] was its usual deadly self. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Select was seventh. [player_tooltip player_id='490015' first='Mazie' last='Sweers'] stood out through six rotations, [player_tooltip player_id='493971' first='Allison' last='Toft'] dominated in the middle of the net and setter [player_tooltip player_id='490009' first='Leah' last='Caffery'] showed she can contribute in a lot of ways. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Ohana ended up eighth but making to the gold bracket in and of itself turned heads. Kennedy Hobbs and Myla Rude stood out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->