By Adam Burns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ava Nakai doesn’t just fill out the stat sheet for the Club V 18s. The outside hitter has an innate ability to rise to the occasion. And she quite literally rises, too. When going for a kill, Nakai, standing at 5-foot-10, leaps high and hangs there until it’s time to use her powerful right arm. On most occasions, she makes solid contact and promptly slams it home. “Oh, she absolutely flies,” Club V coach Reed Carlson said of Nakai, who’s committed to Towson. “She just hangs. There’s the Ava who jumps high and then there’s the Ava who jumps really high. And today we saw the one who jumps high.” Nakai helped Club V rattle off three match victories Sunday in the Triple Crown Sports WNIT 18u Elite Division Championship bracket at the Kansas City Convention Center. Playing without middle blocker and University of Texas commit Taylor Harvey in the first couple of matches, the Utah-based squad’s three-win Sunday came after it dropped its first two matches in the uber-competitive power pool. Club V defeated all three opponents in straight sets on Sunday, topping MAVS KC (25-17, 29-27), Mintonette Sports (25-13, 25-21) and Munciana Samurai (25-16, 28-26). “Today was a great day,” Carlson said. “We played some tough teams and played with some lineups before getting to elimination day, and today, we had an aggressive gameplan and were able to execute on that. Anytime we’re able to put more pressure on them than they’re putting on us, it’s a really good thing.” Nakai, one of several highly skilled players for Club V, and the front line in particular were able to apply that pressure. Harvey, for example, stands at 6-3 and has an impressive wingspan in the middle. Also committed to Division I programs from Club V are outside hitter Greta Brown (Fresno State University); middle blocker McKinley Boehm (Xavier University); outside hitter Ella Mortensen (Brigham Young University); and libero Trinidy Tien (Cornell University). “We have some incredible jumpers, some incredible players,” Nakai said. “We’re touching well above 10 feet and it gets us big over the net to shut down incredible hitters. It’s awesome to be a part of.” Carlson agreed. “It’s fun to be around athletes who are committed and want to be the best at what they do,” he said. “Being around these kids and seeing how much they love playing volleyball, it’s amazing.” Nakai is certainly appreciating every moment she has with her teammates, while also enjoying success along the way in the WNIT. “I love this team; it’s an incredible group,” she said. “I love this tournament. We were here last year. It’s extremely competitive and gets us ready for nationals and we love it.” Next up is a date with Championship Monday. For Club V, the approach is simple. “Tomorrow it’s going to come down to building on what we did today and go to work,” Carlson said. |
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