Line Shot's Mid-East Qualifier Hot Shots in 16 Open (Pt. 2)

<p><em><strong>Be sure to follow @lshotvb on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc">Tik Tok </a>and <a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a> for all things volleyball!</strong></em></p>   <p><strong><em><strong><em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb/video/7621354388061179167?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7621309005139035661">IS THIS THE BEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW!?</a></em></strong></em></strong></p>   <p><strong><em>--</em></strong></p>   <p>It's one of the biggest tournaments of the season for a lot of reasons. The Mid-East Qualifier brings in the talent from every corner of the country. From the midwest to the south, to Texas and the PNW, we had representatives from just about everywhere you could imagine. All on the hunt for their bid to return back to the Circle City this summer.</p>   <p>Not only does MEQ bring the heat in terms of talent, but its the half way mark of the regular season in the club season. Qualifier season is nearing its end and we're just 6 weeks away from the quiet period that May brings. From there, its the almighty race for national championships in June and July. We're seeing teams hit their stride and playing some of their best volleyball yet.</p>   <p>The 16 Open continues to be a division on the rise. All eyes are on the ladies of A5. Even without their star ace on the court, this team is dominating the field. Alongside them MN Select came out of the woodworks to prove themselves a viable player in 16 Open. Circle City and Premier Nebraska also had huge weekends, rounding out the final four teams and earning their bids back to Indianapolis in July. </p>   <p>There is a LOT of volleyball to break down here from the 2026 Mid-East Qualifier, let's take a look at more Hot Shots of the tournament.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='515435' first='Leah' last='Stickney'] - A5 </h2>   <p>I said this in another post, but if there were to be an MVP on the weekend, my vote goes to [player_tooltip player_id='515435' first='Leah' last='Stickney']. A5 was out their star player this weekend, but as you can see, none of that matters. Stickney is capable of stepping in and raising the bar. While she doesn't have the height of her counterparts, she can easily match them both in her physicality as well as her ball control.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='742342' first='Leilani' last='Lamar'] - A5 </h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='742342' first='Leilani' last='Lamar'] continues to shine as one of the top rated players in this 2028 class. She simply has all of the attributes needed to be one of the first calls coaches will be making come June 15th. Lamar has the length, she has the range and she has the presence in the back court. Lamar's game was really able to step up another notch in A5's run to MEQ gold.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='845246' first='Azaria' last='Ehima'] - A5</h2>   <p>If you know anything about me, I love me a wicked left handed attacker. [player_tooltip player_id='845246' first='Azaria' last='Ehima'] not only brings the hammer down with her southpaw, but she soars in the air before she seals the deal. Ehima is one of those players that makes the game so much fun to watch via her sheer athleticism. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bethany Benjamin - A5</h2>   <p>I don't know about you, but if I had to say, Bethany Benjamin is making herself a case to be the best libero in this 2028 class. While she has the obvious skillset that a libero needs to be considered above the rest, the reception and defensive prowess, its the extra intangibles that make her shine a tad brighter. Her court presence is massive, despite being one of the quieter ones on the court. But also, her out of system setting is so skilled already, something that seems to take young liberos a long time to develop.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='912878' first='Chelsea' last='Torrence'] - A5</h2>   <p>Speaking of players making themselves an argument to be in the conversations of the best in class... Let's talk [player_tooltip player_id='912878' first='Chelsea' last='Torrence']. I always look to see what these players due when they're in the situation Torrence was in this weekend, she didn't have her number one option. As you can see, it didn't matter. In fact, I found Torrence to have run her most diverse offense of the season. She was going for the adventurous sets, finding her hitters that she wouldn't otherwise and it turned out GOOD. This kind of weekend is what makes Torrence and A5 take a huge step ahead of the competition.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='845872' first='Lina' last='Wang'] - A5</h2>   <p>When in Torrence isn't in the game, making the big plays, incomes [player_tooltip player_id='845872' first='Lina' last='Wang']. And to be quite frank, Wang has the chops to run just about any offense in the country by my vantage point! It takes a lot of focus to be able to be slotted in and out of the game and deliver the way Wang was this weekend. She stepped onto the court and she maintained A5's dominance.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='744267' first='Julia' last='Clarke'] - A5</h2>   <p>The more i watch [player_tooltip player_id='744267' first='Julia' last='Clarke'] do her thing, the bigger of a fan I become. Clarke has all of the skills you want in a middle blocker. She's low, she's pressed and she's ruining the attacker's day. Off the net, she's readily available and capable of bringing a dominating rip. However, it's the post play that always gives me so much life. Clarke is one of the biggest, and loudest, ones on the court for herself and her teammates. It's intimidating if you are an opposing team across the net to see this fire in the middle.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='947005' first='Kennedy' last='Davis'] - A5</h2>   <p>Oh no, there's no break in action when Clarke rotates off the court. incomes [player_tooltip player_id='947005' first='Kennedy' last='Davis'] and she is just as a dominating presence as her counterpart. Together, these two create such a tandem force. For Davis, this was a weekend I really got to see what she was made of outside of her blocking presence. Davis brings the boom! She's a cog in the machine that can really take A5 to another level offensively. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mallory Mizell - Carolina Stars</h2>   <p>This is my first time I have been able to catch this Carolina Stars team live and in action. Let me just tell you, they're FUN! Bringing all of the heat, all of the energy you can imagine. The driving force to the whole thing is Mallory Mizell on the outside. Mizell is a six rotation player that has one heavy arm and can easily take over a match. When in crunch time, fighting for that LAST bid to USAV Nationals, it was Mizell's fire that did the heavy lifting.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riley Gross - Carolina Stars</h2>   <p>Who's the one putting all of this poetry in motion for Stars? It's Riley Gross. And poetry is a good one way to put it because Gross puts on quite the show at the setter position. While Mizell was turning it on towards the stretch, Gross still managed to run an even offense and find her hitters in the most effective spots to score.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Olivia Johnson - Carolina Stars</h2>   <p>If its not Mizell, I am finding Olivia Johnson in the middle to bring in a huge chunk of points. This is a middle that needs to be on everyone's radar as we fastly approach the all important June 15th. Between her size, her lateral speed and transition offense, Johnson has all you need in a middle. Her presence on the court alone leaves the court wide open for Stars.</p>   <p>--</p>   <p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb/video/7620597652283018509?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7621309005139035661"><strong><em>MLV ALL STAR GAME IS THIS WEEKEND - DON'T MISS IT!</em></strong></a></p>

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