AAU 15 Open Recap: Michigan Elite 15 Mizuno reaches Final Four
The future of Michigan volleyball is certainly in good hands and that was made clear this weekend when the state was well represented in the gold bracket of the AAU Junior National Championships 15 Open. Both Michigan Elite 15 Mizuno…
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Continue ReadingThe future of Michigan volleyball is certainly in good hands and that was made clear this weekend when the state was well represented in the gold bracket of the AAU Junior National Championships 15 Open.
Both Michigan Elite 15 Mizuno and Legacy 15-Elite reached the gold bracket during the event, putting themselves in a class of just 10 to make it to the very top. In the end, 15 Mizuno made a push for the title, but was topped in three sets in the semifinals.
Michigan Elite put up a 9-3 record over the week and all three losses came in three sets. The talented roster of up-and-comers showed a lot of improvement from previous months and even got the in-state bragging rights with a 23-25, 25-11, 15-7 win over Legacy in the opening round of the gold bracket. The Michigan Elite road came to an end at the hands of Asics Munciana Lorax, 16-25, 26-24, 15-8. Asics would go on to win the national championship.
The name that generated a lot of buzz for Michigan Elite was Serena Nyambio. The 6-1 middle from Detroit Country Day was a dominant presence throughout the weekend, earning 15 Open All-American honors for her play. Nyambio is someone that has really taken her game to the next level over the club season.
Six-rotation player Ava Brizard was also an All-American selection. She has proven to be a steady player for Michigan Elite, piggy-backing off a great freshman season with Marian last fall. Brizard brought her powerful swing to the outside while continuing to shine with her serve and passing. Jessica Mondragon was also key to the defense. Her play at libero was a big asset for 15 Mizuno. The Northville product looks to be the next great defender for the Mustangs.
Blocking was also key for 15 Mizuno and credit for that goes to Sarah Sylvester and Kimani Johnson. Both standing 6-2, their size and length was hard to get past.
Legacy 15-Elite had some dominant stretches over the weekend, but found themselves in a few funks that they couldn’t quite get out off. Still, Legacy has some shining moments from outside Tatum Casper, middle Aly Borellis and libero Josie Bloom. Bloom and Borellis are two members of Notre Dame Prep that got a lot of varsity experience last fall and are showing that that experience paid off this club season. Casper is another young talent for Marian that has the Mustangs looking to be one of the top contenders in Division 1 for the 2019 fall season.
TeamD 15-Red was also in action in the 15 Open and landed 4-8 for the weekend. After some struggles in the opening days, TeamD would reached the emerald bracket championship before falling to ID Crush 15 Hartmann, 19-25, 25-18, 17-15.