What Early Bird 16s Teams Need To Be On Your Radar?

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And don't forget to follow @KypPDIN for all of your Indiana high school and club volleyball news!   Last weekend opened our club season here in Indiana with a ton of local teams playing in the MEPL in Muncie and Louisville. This weekend marks a lot of other teams' starts to the club season, some of which have aspirations of the medal podium in Indy in late June and early July. Here are four 16U teams that need to be on your radar for the coming spring that will be playing in the Early Bird Shootout on Sunday.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Circle City 16 Purple</h2>   This squad finished last club season with a bronze-medal winning performance at 15 Open in GJNC's last season. With a few tweaks and a ton of consistency coming back, this squad looks even tougher than last year. The pins themselves provide plenty all over the court, starting with 1st team All-State honoree [player_tooltip player_id='807856' first='Audrey' last='Utterback']. She's accompanied by high-flying [player_tooltip player_id='586944' first='Blaine' last='Adams'] and heavy-hitting freshman Gabby Gilliard, and the three of them can each take over a match if you let them. The middle is stout, with McKenna Muncy and [player_tooltip player_id='523245' first='Finley' last='Smith'] anchoring the middle defensively. The addition is [player_tooltip player_id='575131' first='Jordyn' last='Blair'], a major addition of size to a squad that was missing an over-six-foot presence. The defenders can each wear the special jersey, with freshman [player_tooltip player_id='745336' first='Gabby' last='Bassett'] the early favorite. [player_tooltip player_id='745189' first='Nora' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='746389' first='Stella' last='Hamood'] are very familiar with high-end training and play, and as I said before, any of the three could be the libero for this squad. Finally, setter [player_tooltip player_id='545996' first='Charlee' last='Groninger'] helms the offense for this squad, and has no shortage of offensive weapons to feed.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PHP 16U</h2>   Pineapple High Performance, in their second year of existence, is already turning heads with their size, skill and overall high volleyball acuity. I was impressed with what PHP brought in their three teams last spring, and this spring's iteration carries five rosters. This 16s group comes from all over, with strengths at every position. In the middle, look for [player_tooltip player_id='569786' first='Paityn' last='Lauck'] to be the main attacker, as she plays much bigger than her 6-foot frame allows, but moves with a fluidity that middles don't normally show. [player_tooltip player_id='787567' first='Emily' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='822302' first='Arielle' last='Stephens'] bring a ton of physicality and size to the position that is much needed at the open level of a 16s age group. On the pins, there's a good variety of attackers. [player_tooltip player_id='847851' first='Victoria' last='Kim'] looks small, but packs a hefty punch and can make the pass-to-attack process look simple. [player_tooltip player_id='839951' first='Lyla' last='Tindall'] comes from a solid family of volleyballers, and should bring some variety in her shot selection and skill to the squad. [player_tooltip player_id='787563' first='Reagan' last='Edwards'] is a big kid from Warsaw that can pound from the right side. It helps Lloy's squad to have a 6'2” athlete blocking and attacking at an elite level—-not too many of those in Indiana, I can assure you. [player_tooltip player_id='553812' first='Elyse' last='Mead'] is a six-rotation attacker that can pound from anywhere. Probably more of an outside at this point, the All-American can do anything a full-time outside needs to do at the next level. The “littles” on this roster are solid and very accustomed to high-end training and play. [player_tooltip player_id='725569' first='Jocelyn' last='Walborn'] is part of a stable of defenders at Carroll that are more than capable of wearing the special jersey at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id='586969' first='Marlowe' last='Weaver'] is a quick and athletic defender that makes the impossible possible, and is an excellent defensive addition to this squad. Setters [player_tooltip player_id='586964' first='Leah' last='Adams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='806552' first='Madison' last='Branam'] look to be running a 6-2, yet both can run offenses on their own without a problem.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Academy 16 Yeti</h2>   Already seeing action at the MEPL this past weekend, they showed up and showed out against elite competition on the JVA side. [player_tooltip player_id='501442' first='Stella' last='Short'] is the first contact for this large roster of 12, and looks to have the libero jersey locked down this season. She's accompanied by a pair of freshmen—-[player_tooltip player_id='846651' first='Payten' last='Osborn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='546225' first='Ellie' last='Rhamy']. Both are impressive in their own right, and should see some serious training upgrades from long time elite-level trainer Corky Robertson. [player_tooltip player_id='582888' first='Caitlyn' last='Gutt'] looks to be the main setter for this group, and is already miles ahead in understanding how a fast offense works. Abigail Boone from Southport is a nice backup setter to have on this roster, and has no choice but to make massive improvements this spring from the training alone. In the middle, although not as big and accomplished as those listed above, the three each bring their own unique qualities to the 900 square feet. [player_tooltip player_id='730306' first='Brynn' last='Baker'] has length that makes her look much taller than her 6'1” frame shows us. [player_tooltip player_id='910652' first='Caroline' last='Damer'] has quickness in her transition, making her consistently available to attack. Finally, a surprise addition from North Decatur graces this roster. [player_tooltip player_id='819318' first='Sophie' last='Rohls'] has enough size and raw athleticism to make a difference on this roster, and will learn a bunch as to what open-level volleyball looks like. The pin attackers all bring size and athleticism to the fold. [player_tooltip player_id='572622' first='Elena' last='Cook'] is a lefty banger that has a bunch of upper body strength, making her tough to block and even tougher to attack against. [player_tooltip player_id='504624' first='Addyson' last='Dean'] is a big and physical pin player, looking more and more like an every-day right side with strength and size to burn. [player_tooltip player_id='586975' first='Ryelle' last='Koomler'] is a springy and explosive outside who can hammer from anywhere. Finally, [player_tooltip player_id='804499' first='Amaya' last='Zander'] is probably THE most athletic attacker on this squad, slowly rounding into the six-rotation D1 outside that I foresee her becoming before season's end.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Union 16 Black</h2>   I left the ladies from southern Indiana until last because only four members of the team are from Indiana. Those four, however, are MAJOR players in southern Indiana in their respective graduating classes, and should be recruited highly this coming spring. [player_tooltip player_id='741564' first='Isabella' last='Manos'] is a six-foot-plus middle that brings a bunch of size and strength to the fold, and looks every bit the part of a future D1 middle. Tresdan McAfee from New Albany is a new name for this author, and looks like another bit of size that Union squads regularly need during their season. Autumn Engle is another new addition to this class for me, and should anchor a lot of defensive needs early on this season. Finally, the main Indiana catalyst on this squad is [player_tooltip player_id='747454' first='Hadley' last='Hasselbring']. A six-rotation outside has a look, and Hadley is the mold from which they should be built. She has all of the tools and the volleyball IQ to get the job done, and should be turning a lot of recruiters' heads this spring.

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