2019 Club Team Profile: Far Out Volleyball Club
The Far Out Volleyball Club had a lot of success in the 2018 club season. For 2019, the program brings back a lot of talent and has a lot of new, talented pieces to mix in. Here’s a breakdown of…
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Continue ReadingThe Far Out Volleyball Club had a lot of success in the 2018 club season. For 2019, the program brings back a lot of talent and has a lot of new, talented pieces to mix in. Here’s a breakdown of their Black rosters for the 2019 season and what you can expect from Far Out.
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18 Black
Lindsay TaylorJoe Steenhuysen heads up this impressive collection of 2019 and 2020 players from the west side of Michigan. This squad will return four from a group that finished third in the 18 Open at the AAU National last year. This team has seven players in the 2020 class and five in the 2019 class. One of the newcomers is Grand Rapids Christian setter Jordyn Gates (Arkansas), who is coming off a state championship run in the fall. She is joined at setter by Kaylee Maat (Ferris State) from Hudsonville. Leading the way at the net will be impressive outsides Lindsay Taylor (Miami-Ohio) and Sidney Schiller (Fort Wayne), both of whom were among the top seniors in the fall prep season. Both Riley Homer (Villanova) and Andelyn Simkins (Western Michigan) are versatile hitters that can play outside or right while Maggie McCrary (Miami-Ohio), Emmy Webb (Davenport) and Natalie Foster (Wichita State) can play either the middle or the right. Molly Mirabelli (Miami-Ohio) is also available in the middle after helping lead St. Francis to Battle Creek. In the back row, Alli Wiese (Hillsdale) and Kasey Firestone (Central Michigan) will handle duties. They both have a lot of experience and can lock down the defense. Due to the large amount of new faces to the team, 18 Black could have some early bumps in the road, but this team has a lot of promise to be a top contender come the end of the club season.
16 Black
Anna SmithCameron Rowland will be the head coach for this squad. The Lakewood coach has a squad that has 10 of 12 players returning from a national runner-up finish in the 15 Premier Division. Rowland will have two familiar faces to work with in middle blocker Aubrey O’Gorman (Michigan State) and 2022 OH/RS Maradith O’Gorman (Michigan State), who helped lead Lakewood the Battle Creek this fall. The squad also has outside hitter Anna Smith, who is coming off a dominant run at Battle Creek as she led Mendon to the Division 4 state championship. Emma Hall, Stephanie Stewart and Jenna Reitsma will also contribute on the outside or right side while Anna Butler and Ella Uganski will patrol the middle with O’Gorman. Lydia Harper (Caledonia) and Sophia Powell will have the luxury to set the ball to all of these strong hitters while Abby Boyle will be the team’s primary defender. This team has a lot of promise and plenty of experience with each other. They should continue to build off their strong finish from 2018.
15 Black
Russ and Sherry Carney will co-coach this squad, which features a lot of new members to the club. The team does have some size to work with, as MB/RS Emily Struckmeyer stands at 6-1 while OH/RS Emmalee Murphy is 6-0. Brooke Dzwik and Emma Mirabelli both add to the depth on the outside while Hannah Giere and Leah Rogers can play the outside and right side. Olivia Howlett and Taylor Humphrey add depth at middle while Anna Leigh is the team’s setter. In the back row, Chloe Fornetti and Carlina Bender will be the two the team turns to. Those two will be relied on early in the year as the lineup gets figured out and the young hitters continue to make strides.
14 Black
Toni Cole and Chelsea Brehm will be the coaches for this young squad that includes five from last season’s 13 Black team that finish third in the 13 Club division at AAU Nationals. Leading the way is setter Skylar Bump, who was a 13 Club All-American last season. Carley Piercefield and Madi Derby return as defensive specialists for the squad and their consistency will be a great strength for this team. 14 Black has promising side in the middle as Lizzie Macintosh and Chloe Duckworth both stand 5-11. Aubriegh Oswald and Rachel Steele can both play in the middle and on the outside while Taylor Stephens, Sarah Dunn and Sue Flores can play right side or outside. As the newcomers begin to gel with the returning talent, 14 Black should make a lot of big strides.