by Jamison Kruse, PrepDig
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It is incredible to see the game be played at THIS high of a level at such a young age! A5 13 Karen and Dynasty 13 Black put on a show for Kansas City in the Triple Crown 13 Elite Championship. Between the back and forth rallies, the big kills and the raucous crowd, it was the place to be! This match was the perfect showcase for the stars of tomorrow. A5 would take the match with a definitive third set to cap off an incredible 8-1 weekend. Let's breakdown all of the action. SET 1 -- Upon first glance at these two teams, one thing stood out right away. The sheer size difference between the two. A5 is already averaging a front row size of about 6'0 while Dynasty is looking at a 5'9 average. Nonetheless, size proved to not be a problem for Dynasty. Early on this match however, A5 would capitalize on their natural advantages and physicality. With this, they also held up some pretty stellar ball control. L Brooklyn Howard, OH Macurdi Harding and OH Kari Knotts were all playing some of the best defense I had seen out of this age group. This allowed S Sophie Holt to run a rather scary offense. Controlling most of the game, A5 would cruise away with set one off of a really pin heavy offense. Dynasty would show signs of life late in the set with a mini service run by S/OPP Addison VanNees but A5 would ultimately take the opener 25-18. SET 2 -- While losing the first set pretty convincingly, that service run late into the game by VanNees seemed to be what Dynasty needed to play ball. We had ourselves a ball game here in set 2. Back and forth we went, Dynasty's defense really began to hunker down and weather away at the storm that was A5's offense. L Courtney Neil for Dynasty really began to shine her light on the court. She was diving into benches and grabbing the untouchable cover balls all while doing the little things perfectly. Dynasty would take an early lead by as much as three to go up 8-11. They would maintain this lead for quite some time, eventually forcing A5 to call their first timeout of the game after S Scarlett Siebolt would serve two straight aces. A5 would make a surge back but not long before OPP Emani Clifton would smash in a run of kills on the right pin. A5 would call their second and final timeout trailing 18-22. In reverse fashion of the first set, this seemed to be ALL Dynasty in set 2. Dynasty would have set point at 18-24, but A5 would come back with a vengeance. Going on a 7-1 run, A5 would flip the script and had themselves match point! However, this wouldn't be a championship match if it weren't for a little drama. After a side out by Dynasty to tie the game up at 25s, A5 would be called on an out of rotation call due to an early leave on the serve. After a long back and forth rally to tie the game up or send this into a third, Dynasty would clinch the must-win set on an A5 miscue! 25-27 Dynasty! SET 3 -- In the same way Dynasty was able to capitalize on its run late in set 1 to win set 2, A5 would power off on that late 7-1 run to go into the third. Knott was scoring at an unbelievable rate to start it off. A few of her kills would take A5 out to an early 5-2 lead before Dynasty would call a TO. Back in play, the two teams went on to trade side outs. DS Chloe Rowe for A5 would go behind the service line and deliver two straight aces on Dynasty. Not only would this force Dynasty to use their final timeout, but this is what truly secured the set for A5. In a race to 15, A5 was already halfway to the finish line, up 8-3. Out of the the timeout, the bleeding continued to ooze for Dynasty. Both Knotts and MB Milan Tallman buries two cannon balls into the ground, one after another. Now up 10-3, this was practically game over. We'd see a little more of a fight, Dynasty siding out well, but it was all too late. Match point would see an epic rally with flying digs and tight net play, but a tip just outside of bounds and A5 would take the match 15-8. A5 HIGHLIGHTS -- This group has some insanely dynamic athletes. Both pins, Harding and Knotts are not only incredible attackers but hold up really well as six rotation players. Harding hits one of the best out of system balls I think I have ever seen out of a kid at this level. She's almost more effective this way. Despite this team's pin-heavy nature, they too have some really exciting middles with Tallman. She's an exciting attacker to watch and a really developed blocker given her age. DYNASTY HIGHLIGHTS -- Despite having the clear size disadvantage, this team really operates well on their first contact. Neil has such a great court presence; it really helps them operate at such an efficient level. OH Tessa Redmond was an exceptional player in six rotations. Her attack is not only quite powerful but ranges a wide area. Her ability to see the opposing side and find open court was what got Dynasty would of a lot of their ruts. Likewise, Clifton is going to be a player to keep an eye on for years to come. A lefty heavy banger on the right pin, nobody was really thumping the ball like her in this game. When she can get a good grasp on the ball, it was either thundered into the court or knocking a player on their backs. |
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