Early Bird Shootout Preview: What Hoosiers Will Be There?

The kick-off to the club season officially begins this weekend with the Early Bird Shootout, hosted by multiple clubs on over forty courts on Sunday, January 10. The who’s who of 1s teams will be at Capitol Sports Center in Plainfield, the home of Circle City. There will be distinct morning and afternoon waves, with the younger (read: 15s and 16s) ages playing early. Yours truly will be in attendance, so here’s the preview of whom to watch. Courts 1 and 4, AM wave A modified pool schedule, emphasizing social distancing and maximizing sanitation on the court for each and every match, headlines this tournament. The 8am matchups are toughies right out of the gate; Court 1 has Circle City 16 Purple matching up against Academy 16 Yeti, while Court 4 features Union UA 16 and Boiler Juniors 16 Gold. Each have their high-profile class of ’23 players. I’ll be keeping an eye on  Quinci Thomas Quinci Thomas 6'3" | OH Brownsburg | 2023 State IN (6-1 OH) and  Faith Burch Faith Burch 5'10" | RS Roncalli | 2023 State IN (5-10 RS) holding the pins down for coach Scott McQueen. The Academy brings their own size and jumping ability, with Mya Ayro Mya Ayro 5'11" | MB Greenwood | 2023 State IN moving her athleticism to the left pin after playing middle on her high school team. I’ll be keeping my other eye on Court 4, where  Cali Cummings Cali Cummings 6'0" | MB Seymour | 2023 State IN (6-0 MB/OH) and  Libby Dippold Libby Dippold 5'11" | MB Columbus East | 2023 State IN (5-11 MB) will anchor the middle. Prepare to see Miss Cummings on one of the pins as well, as 6-4 MB  Meredith Brown Meredith Brown MB Mercy | 2023 State KY from Kentucky should be the main quick tempo option for setter Grace Purichia Grace Purichia 5'7" | S Providence | 2023 State IN . Courts 2 and 3, AM wave Although the younger 15s teams are split between these two courts, they will be matched up in a crossover match to end the day with teams from Courts 1 and 4, depending on their finish. No slouches here; the Boiler Juniors 15 Gold squad is familiar with winning, starting with freshman setter  Allie Shondell Allie Shondell 5'9" | S McCutcheon | 2024 State IN (5-10 S). Riley Whitlock Riley Whitlock 6'0" | OH Lafayette Harrison | 2024 State IN (5-11 OH) will also bring a good amount of athleticism to the fold. They immediately are challenged by a Union 15 UA that looks young, but brings a volleyball IQ higher than most. Kylie Minnis (’23, 5-10 OH) should lead the way from the left pin, while Ellie Priddy will anchor the middle. Courts 1 and 4, PM wave The big girls finally arrive, with Academy’s 18-1 taking on Circle’s 17-1 on Court 1. Experience lead the Rage, with Purdue signee  Raven Colvin Raven Colvin 6'0" | MB Heritage Christian | 2021 State IN and Butler signee  Grace Boggess Grace Boggess 6'3" | MB Center Grove | 2021 State IN  bringing size and massive ability. Circle will put up a fight, with six foot outside  Courtney Jones Courtney Jones 5'11" | OH Terre Haute South | 2022 State IN (Lipscomb commit) and 6-1 middle  Ella Peter Ella Peter 6'0" | MB Noblesville | 2022 State IN (Central Michigan commit) carrying their own size and jumping abilities. Court 4 will be a great matchup early as well, with Union UA 18 taking on Impact 18 Scott. Union has their entire roster signed, led by setter  Emma Kaelin Emma Kaelin 5'10" | S Providence | 2021 State IN (Indiana State) and heavy-armed outside  Ali Hornung Ali Hornung 5'9" | OH Providence | 2021 State IN (Purdue). Impact brings their own talent, starting with senior middle  Madison Ritchie Madison Ritchie 6'0" | MB Fort Wayne Leo | 2022 State IN . Courts 2 and 3, PM wave The top two Circle teams go head-to-head in the first match of our club season on Court 2. 18-1 has a ton of talent, including thumper  Abby Maesch Abby Maesch 5'11" | OH Avon | 2021 State IN (Georgia) and the best hands (IMHO) in the class of ’21 from Indiana,  Bailey DeMier Bailey DeMier 6'0" | S Bloomington South | 2021 State IN (Murray State). 18-2 has their fair share as well, starting with setter  Sidney Veatch Sidney Veatch 6'0" | S Southmont | 2021 State IN (IUPUI) and lefty hammer  GraceAnn Hartman GraceAnn Hartman 6'2" | RS Perry Meridian | 2021 State IN (Ashland). Don’t miss the action on Court 3, however. Impacts #1 team, 18 Jay, matches up against Academy’s 18-2.  Bailey Hartsough Bailey Hartsough 5'10" | OH Lakeland | 2021 State IN (Western Carolina) will be the primary attacker on Impact’s side, while  Carly Sobieralski Carly Sobieralski 5'10" | S Franklin Central | 2021 State IN (Southern Indiana) brings her brand of "attacking setter" to run a 5-1 for the Fury.