Which U18 Players Can Propel Their Teams to Nationals Bid at KC MLK Tourney?
The 2020 Kansas City Martin Luther King Day Tournament is a monster tournament in the Midwest, in addition to being a National Qualifier for U18. Looking at the teams in attendance, vying for the two Open Division, three American and…
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Continue ReadingThe 2020 Kansas City Martin Luther King Day Tournament is a monster tournament in the Midwest, in addition to being a National Qualifier for U18. Looking at the teams in attendance, vying for the two Open Division, three American and lone USA Division bids is going to be a tough task. Here are several players with the ability to help their team snatch a bid to Reno. Let the games begin!
18 Open
Meauna Booth – KC Power 18-1
Many of the players who qualified for nationals as KC Power’s 17-1 team are back at it as the 18-1 team. They surely want to make it back for one last shot at success and are hungry to improve upon the 33rd place finish in the Open Division in 2019. Back for KC Power is the immensely talented middle blocker Meauna Booth, who is set to play at the next level with Long Beach State. The two-time all-conference, one-time all-state selection set Blue Spring South’s school record in blocks with 65 in 2018. She looks to make an impact immediately next season for the Beach.
Caroline Bien, Caroline Crawford & Kimberly Whetstone – MAVS KC 18-1
The lion’s share of the players on MAVS KC 18-1 hail from the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro, but in this case, we will expand the border! This team is incredibly gifted, with all but two players signed to play collegiate volleyball – including a trio staying local to play for the University of Kansas: libero Caroline Bien, middle hitter and U18 USA National Team member Caroline Crawford and middle blocker Kimberly Whetstone. Last season, this team had a top five finish at nationals. Can the MLK tourney be the beginnings of a beautiful bookend to these players’ club career?
Jordan Collard, Kenzie Hines & Tayte Kozlowski – THR33 18 National
CollardThe 18 Open division of this tournament is a bear, but this team is mighty in its own right – chock full of members with state titles in their prep careers and national tournament appearances in their club lives. Did I mention many were also named to the Missouri Coaches Association All-State team at one point in their career? Nixa’s Jordan Collard and Kenzie Hines, fresh off a Class 4 state title run, anchor this team. If that was not enough, enter Kickapoo High School’s Tayte Kozlowski. The trio combined for nearly 800 kills in 2019. Outside Alexa Boyle from Carthage also had a high school career that was nothing to sneeze at, with almost 1,000 kills.
18 USA
Odyssey Warren & Tera Reberry – Dynasty 18 Black
Dynasty 18 Black played its way to a coveted Heart of America Power League spot last weekend and hopes to carry that momentum into this weekend. It has the gifts of all-state selection Odyssey Warren behind them. The outside from Lee’s Summit West finished her career with nearly 900 kills and 475 digs. In the middle is Tera Reberry, a Rockhurst University commit from Sedalia-Smith Cotton. In her junior season, she averaged an insane five kills per set, while hitting .330. She also had 86 solo blocks.
MurrayCarsen Murray & Harper Snyder – PVA 18 Elite
PVA 17 Elite made an appearance at Nationals last season and finished in the top 30 to round out its 2019 club season. PVA is a Kansas club, but has a couple of dynamic Missouri players, including Marquette commit Carsen Murray. The middle blocker had a stellar career for Blue Springs South High as a middle blocker, amassing 169 blocks and 336 kills. They also have Colgate signee Harper Snyder out of Lee’s Summit High School. She joins Murray in the middle and had a great senior season with 262 kills and 95 blocks.
18 American
Annabelle Maassen & Mariah Radmacher – H2 VB Academy 18-1 UA
H2 features Annabelle Maassen out of Jefferson City High School. The outside was absolutely dynamite in her final high school season, with a team-leading 455 kills and 273 digs. She walked away with school records in digs (825) and kills (1,041) and an all-state selection before all was said and done. Joining Maassen on the outside is all-stater Mariah Radmacher out of Blair Oaks High School. The senior captain hit .287 in her senior campaign, while amassing 225 digs. Look for H2 to surprise some teams this weekend with their athleticism.