More Missouri/Kansas Teams Heading to Nationals
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We are still early in the qualifying season but with region power league action, we have teams now looking to upgrade their bids at nationals. Heart of America region concluded a couple of weekends ago and the top two teams…
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Continue ReadingWe are still early in the qualifying season but with region power league action, we have teams now looking to upgrade their bids at nationals. Heart of America region concluded a couple of weekends ago and the top two teams in the 15s and 16s age groups earned berths in the national division. Here are those teams and some of their key players heading to Las Vegas this summer.
15s
KC Power 15-1 was coming fresh off of a dominant performance at the ASICS Omaha Presidents Day Classic. They won the 15 Open division going 10-0 over the weekend. There is no doubt their confidence was riding sky-high heading into the final play weekend. They wouldn’t drop a set the final weekend. In fact, they didn’t drop a set over the entire power league to finish a perfect 9-0. Setter Janelle Green Janelle Green 5'9" | S Blue Valley North | 2024 State #68 Nation KS continues to impress with her high-level play. Her connection with her hitters is excellent. It’s been rare to see their timing off in the matches we’ve watched. They have numerous weapons offensively to score points. It appears OH Alea Goolsby is almost back to full strength after an ACL injury. She is a powerful hitter, who can get up and elevate. Zoë McDonald Zoë McDonald 6'2" | MB Shawnee Mission East | 2024 State KS , Julia Headley Julia Headley 6'2" | MB St. James | 2024 State #103 Nation KS , and Jillian Huckabey have all shown to be dominant this season. They all exhibit length and are offensive-minded players. Hope Hickman has emerged as a key player on the right pin. She is a player we look forward to watching develop the rest of the season. This squad will be the overall top seed in the 15 open divisions in Indianapolis at the Nike Mideast Qualifier (MEQ).
The runner-ups and national division qualifiers for Las Vegas are Mavs KC 15-1. They finished power league 7-2, with their two defeats coming to the hands of KC Power. They have been getting great play from setter Kelsey Schenck this winter. She helps raise the level of play of her hitters with wise decision-making and taking advantage of 1 on 1 opportunities. Sara Allmon has continued her steady play on the pin for this team. We watched her play earlier this season in Omaha and she appears more powerful as of late. On the right pin, Riona VanDyke has been a standout. She is improved defensively and slowing down offenses with touches and blocks. She also provides a true scoring threat from that side. We have also noticed the play of defensive specialist Sophia Bond Sophia Bond 5'7" | DS/L St. Thomas Aquinas | 2024 State KS . She is quick and a gritty hustler along the back row. This team will continue to get stronger as the season progresses.
16s
KC Power 16-1 was coming fresh off a dominant performance at the ASICS Omaha Presidents Day Classic. They won the 16 Open division going 9-0 over the weekend. Do you see what we did there? We could really continue with the same storyline as above with the Power 15s team. I think one of the main differences is this Power 16-1 team has a target on their back as one, if not the top 16u team in the country. The 16s division in HOA is one of the toughest groups in the nation and we saw that play out during power league. There were easily 5-6 teams who could walk away with a bid. Power would go 9-0 over the two playdates, including two 3 set battles with PVA 16-1 and another 3 setter with Topeka Impact. This team is full of weapons all over the court. Let’s start defensively, the height of this team has caused problems to opponents all season. Ava TeStrake Ava TeStrake 6'4" | OH Olathe Northwest | 2023 State #65 Nation KS , Sawyer Thomsen Sawyer Thomsen 6'2" | MB Free State | 2023 State #145 Nation KS , and Taylor Russel all provide a strong presence across the net. Oh, and they can score at will when in system. Ella Swindle Ella Swindle 6'2" | S Rock Bridge | 2023 State #6 Nation MO continues to be smooth from the setter position. The back row play is what has really stood out to us this season from the early season classics/tournaments in Omaha and throughout the power league. Isabel Day Isabel Day 5'9" | DS/L Park Hill South | 2023 State MO , as a 6 rotation OH is a player who can play along the back row at the next level. Alayna Pearson is one of the top defenders we’ve seen this year in ALL age divisions. Her ability to get ups due to her speed and awareness is top level. Power will be the top seed this weekend at MEQ in Indianapolis.
We remember talking about Mavs 816 16-1 earlier this season after the MLK Omaha Classic. We said then they are a team that has the personnel and fight to earn a nationals bid. We love when a team many aren’t thinking about proves us right! This team is an interesting team to watch and oddly enough, the day of the weekend you catch them on makes a difference. One of their top players doesn’t play on Sundays for personal reasons but that didn’t stop them from playing lights out on the final day of power league play. They would go 6-3 overall, including only losing to Power in the final pool. Libero Sidney Kacsir continues to make her case as one of the top defenders in Kansas. She is calm and steady and pinpoint in her passing. OH Ashlyn Bellamy Ashlyn Bellamy 6'1" | OH Lee's Summit | 2023 State MO is quickly becoming one of our favorite players to watch. She takes no prisoners and looks to dominate every ball off the hands of setter Molly Brown. Shaye Koski Shaye Koski 5'10" | OH Park Hill | 2023 State MO has shown she can score from either pin and another power hitter. Kira Cherry Kira Cherry 5'11" | OH Oak Park | 2023 State MO is an athletic middle who does many things well both offensively and defensively.