2020 Club Preview: Unified Volleyball
The Unified Volleyball program has been knocking on the door of a breakthrough nationally for years now and the 2020 club is hoping that this is the year it really hits a new level of success. Behind three main squads…
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Continue ReadingThe Unified Volleyball program has been knocking on the door of a breakthrough nationally for years now and the 2020 club is hoping that this is the year it really hits a new level of success.
Behind three main squads from the 17’s-15’s, here’s a look at what Unified will bring to the court in 2020.
17-1
Ainsley GuseVeteran coach Jason Gambone leads this squad, which was competitive in the 2019 AAU Open field, finishing 56th nationally. This group has the potential to take it a step further in 2020. Defense and passing should be a strength for this team. Avery Horejsi is the libero while Alexis Wolas will be a DS. Both are coming off a strong prep year and show great reaction time and hustle in the back row. At the net, Ainsley Guse is a rising star in the Class of 2021 and her play in the middle will be hard for opponents to match. Kennedy Hogan joins her for a great 1-2 punch at middle hitter. 17-1 will have four outside options in Lauren Staruch, Kennedy Jones, Molly Miller and Mikai Quan. Three of the four were part of the competitive OAA Conference where they had to compete against some of the top hitters in the state over the years. Quan comes from Salem, where she was a junior captain this fall. Setting this group of great hitters will be Halle Lieffers and Shay Bordine. Both also played in the OAA Red, Lieffers for Stoney Creek and Bordine played for Clarkston. Bordine approached 1,000 assists during the 2019 fall season.
16-1
Heather Gambone coaches this squad, bringing her years of expertise to the court as a former standout for Walled Lake Central and college player for Western Michigan University and Oakland University. 16-1 is a group that had its moments as 15-1 in 2019, but is hoping to break out of the middle of the pack this year. The team finished 53rd in the Premier classification of the AAU finals in 2019. The back row consists of Elyssa Wallace and Calissa Bordine. Wallace comes from the Notre Dame Prep program that has consistently produced tremendous back-row talent. Bordine comes from Clarkston, where the Wolves have also had great depth with its passing in recent seasons. Baylee Proctor and Taylor Ringwelski will run the offense at setter. Both got some varsity experience this fall, Proctor with Oxford and Ringwelksi with Grand Blanc. They have a lot of promising hitting options to feed. Madelyn Tarrance and Bree Bordine will be on the outside while Lily Chase plays the right. Madison Kinsman can play outside or right, while Kate Walter and Hailee Manconga will be in the middle. Kingsman was a captain at Troy Athens this fall despite being just a sophomore. All of the hitting options have shown a lot of improvement in the last year and are only getting better.
15-1
Greg Brandon coaches this squad, which competed in the Club division of the AAU finals last year as part of 14-1. This team has a lot of versatility, as many of the players can play multiple positions. As the team figures out its lineup, you should see them really take off. Don’t be surprised to see Unified have a breakout season with this group. At hitter, Kennedy Knox, Arianna Hood, Rachel Townsend, Savannah Chapie, Kirei Quan and Jordan Lindner are all options that can move around the net. They will be tested by some high-level play, but the group has plenty of athleticism to work with. Rosalia Simion and Sarah Milam will be the captains of the offense at setter. The depth at hitter should help them be able to spread the ball around and enhance their skills over the club season. Defensively, Isabel Biermann and Katie Helzer will handle DS duties. If they can pass and serve well, that should help Unified get through the early challenges of piecing together the lineup.
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