Club Team Outlook: NKYVC 18-1 Tsunami

<p>Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="68127" first="Taylor" last="Preston"]</p> <p>One of the biggest and strongest clubs in Kentucky and on a national level, NKYVC will once again showcase top talent from both Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati on their top team this club season. This team is not short of offensive fire power, which will be supported well by athletic setting and defense that can make big plays. Here are some of their key athletes to watch.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="156617" first="Cora" last="Taylor"]</strong> - S | College: Butler<br /> Taylor was the backbone for this squad last year at the setting role and showed her prowess and athletic skill set throughout the recent high school season in guiding the highly effective St. Henry offense to the Kentucky state title. The Crusaders averaged 12.6 kills per set and hit .263 as a team. Taylor, a Butler commit, averaged 9.7 assists per set and totaled 1,179 assists on the season. At 5'10, she is explosive off the floor and can defend well as a blocker as well as be an offensive setter as she had over 100 kills on the season. She has terrific touch on the ball and can distribute from pin to pin with ease and is crafty in her ability to improvise on broken plays or when out of system.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="68129" first="Abby" last="Schaefer"]</strong> - L/DS | College: Western Kentucky<br /> One of the best at her position in the state of Kentucky, Schaefer was the ball control and defensive stabilizer for St. Henry and their run to the Kentucky state title in 2021. She is a competitor and plays with a lot of confidence through the back row. She averaged 12.8 digs per match and contributed well at the service line in leading her team with 40 service aces on the season. She has good quickness and pursuit of the ball on the defensive side and can develop good range to help create transition opportunities for her team. The 2nd team all-Kentucky selection will take her game to a terrific program at Western Kentucky.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="68127" first="Taylor" last="Preston"]</strong> - MB/OH | College: Oklahoma<br /> One of Kentucky's best volleyball players helped guide her St. Henry team to a state title in 2021. She had 460 kills on the season hitting at a .346 clip while averaging 4.7 kills per set. The 1st team all-Kentucky selection is a terrific athlete as her elevation creates a lot of opportunity to swing high above the net and challenge any defense well with her arm. With ability to score in the middle and on the pins, Preston can also pass and defend well as she has good platform skills and range to pursue the first contact. Look for her to possibly swing more from the pins this season given the roster composition for this squad this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114464" first="Elena" last="Dubuc"]</strong> - OH/RS | College: Wright State<br /> A 3rd team all-Ohio selection in 2021, Dubuc led a young Turpin squad on the offensive side with a team high 312 total kills while hitting at a .267 efficiency. She averaged 3.8 kills per set and 8.2 digs per match. Dubuc also had a team leading 55 service aces. She totaled over 900 kills in her high school career. She is a tough stop for defenses as she elevates well and utilizes her high elbow contact effectively from both sides of the floor to generate range and power when she swings. She should be a primary factor for this team over the next few months.</p> <p><strong>CC Shick</strong> - RS/MB | College: Hanover<br /> Shick had a great senior season for Highlands as she led them offensively with 3.5 kills per set. The left-handed attacker has good versatility to be able to score in front and behind the setter with good range in her arm control. The multi-sport athlete brings a dimension to this squad that should help create good offensive balance through both pins. The Hanover commit also averaged five digs per match.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137128" first="Olivia" last="Gentry"]</strong> - MB | College: Springfield<br /> Gentry was an ECC all-conference honorable mention selection for Milford after averaging 2.0 kills per set and hitting at a .226 efficiency as the Eagles finished at 20-5 overall and third in league play. She has a lot of value on the defensive side as well as she paired with her fellow middle teammate to form one of the toughest 1-2 blocking tandems in the ECC as she finished sixth in total blocks. The Springfield commit should complement well the strong pin action on this team with her offense around the setter and ability to get to both pins defensively. Her game should benefit from the elevated position skills around her as well. </p>