Motor City Power Series Weekend 5 Highlights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Be sure to follow&nbsp;@lshotvb&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">Tik Tok&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for all things volleyball!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>The Prep Dig Exposure Tour is coming to Michigan on December 21! This is for all 2026-2029 prospects.&nbsp;<a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2032/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-michigan#register">Click here to register</a>, and use promo code&nbsp;“LSHOTPD25”&nbsp;to get $10 off your registration.<br></strong></em>–</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're closing in on the end of the season and therefore, the end of the ultra competitive Motor City Power Series. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weekend 5 was another one chock full of fun match ups. Despite a lot of the series' heaviest of hitters, we were still treated to a lot of fun volleyball on display from Clarkston to North Branch all the way down to D4 top ranked, Ubly. Aside from them, we got to get a taste of a lot of teams that may not get the most attention but are certainly prepping to make big noise come tournament time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In case you didn't catch all of the fun in person, here's a peak at who the best of the best were at the finale weekend of the Motor City Power Series. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='442995' first='Marlie' last='Smith'] - Clarkston</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can't help but take a seat whenever [player_tooltip player_id='442995' first='Marlie' last='Smith'] is in action. She's a class act on the court and raises the bar at every moment. Smith is everything you want in a setter. Put her in a group of the best attackers in the world or none at all, she can make scoring opportunities for all. Despite the loss to Mercy, Smith and Clarkston looked very strong this weekend with post-season in sight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='757121' first='Stella' last='Smith'] - Clarkston</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right alongside her big sister, [player_tooltip player_id='757121' first='Stella' last='Smith'] looks really strong. Both the setter and libero positions are two of the hardest to come into as freshman and make impact. For the younger Smith, she hasn't seemed to sway from the challenge. Regardless of her youth, Smith has found her voice and leads the back court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='442985' first='Josie' last='Seets'] - Clarkston</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We saw a bit of her last season as a supporting member of this squad. But this year, [player_tooltip player_id='442985' first='Josie' last='Seets'] is the center of attention when it comes to the point scoring. Wherever she is, you have to find her for the win. Seets looks to have taken on this role well this season if this past weekend was any indication. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='490335' first='Makayla' last='Bruman'] - Imlay City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Imlay City looked quite a bit different this weekend with the absence of [player_tooltip player_id='226904' first='Emma' last='Keeping']. However, I was really impressed with the rally amongst this team. Specifically from fellow senior leader, [player_tooltip player_id='490335' first='Makayla' last='Bruman']. This player continues to up her game every single time I catch her live. As a dual-position player, Bruman was at peak performance in both. She's clobbering the ball from all angles of the court and she is putting her hitters in excellent positions. This weekend really showcased just how much of a steal Bruman is for the Saginaw Valley Cardinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='755280' first='Isabella' last='O'Malley'] - Imlay City </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of the absence of Keeping, it allowed for the future of the Imlay City program to shine. When you have as skilled and high level of players in Keeping and Bruman at your position, [player_tooltip player_id='755280' first='Isabella' last='O'Malley'] has been running the show on the JV and developing really well with the play time. That was evident this weekend. Despite spending all season playing at a lower level, O'Malley looked very comfortable stepping up, especially in an event such as the power series. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maddy Ciesielski - Linden</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linden really put a lot of teams on high alert at the Power Series. Led by the play of <strong>Maddy Ciesielski </strong>at the setters positon, Linden ran away with a 4-0 record. Not to drop a single set throughout the day, they took down the likes of Imlay City and Dakota in pretty convincing fashion. Ciesielski runs a very well-balanced offense that is aided off of an incredibly scrappy defensive effort as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ryenn Becher - Linden</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest stars for this team alongside Ciesielski looks to be <strong>Ryenn Becher</strong> in the middle. Her presence at the net rivals that of some of the best middles in the gym. She was making great stops at the net and when she wasn't shutting players down, she was getting important touches. Offensively, Becher is incredibly hard to read, not many defenders could seem to get a grasp on her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='823160' first='Casey' last='Cojocar'] - Dakota</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a lot of good to unpack here with Macomb Dakota. Leading the way is the energy of [player_tooltip player_id='823160' first='Casey' last='Cojocar']. Despite her size in the position, she is an electric player in the middle. A state qualifier in the long jump, Cojocar is extraordinarily springy and can sneak up on a lot of teams. She was making great moves on the block and scoring on very crafty shots all day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='895702' first='Iceiss' last='Morrison'] - Dakota</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the several underclassman on this team and boy does <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='895702' first='Iceiss' last='Morrison']</strong> have a bright future. On the left pin, Morrison is taking on quite the heavy load for a rookie. However, she looks very comfortable taking out the garbage. There were several times throughout the day that you saw a lot of potential out of her. She has a heavy arm and its only getting better and better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='891400' first='Kimora' last='Hansbrough'] - Dakota</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='891400' first='Kimora' last='Hansbrough'] may be one of the very few seniors on this squad, but her impact is felt in big ways. An undersized lefty with an outstanding pop to her hop, Hansbrough is a lot of fun to watch. Her athleticism just oozes all over the court. She's incredibly agile and capable of hitting just about anything you throw up to her. Hansbrough is a highly efficient scorer for Dakota.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->