10 Stars: Mizuno Premier Showcase 17-18 Gold Division

Here are the 10 stars – listed alphabetically – from the Mizuno Premier Showcase 17-18 Gold Division Tournament on Sunday.

Kate Bilyeu, Nebraska Elite 18 MOAB – One of the things I was most curious about coming into the tournament was how Bilyeu would do, considering she didn’t play this fall at Omaha Marian. After some early jitters, though, the UMass-Lowell recruit settled right in, as her 10 kills in the championship match showed. 

Emily Bressman, Nebraska Elite 18 MOAB – If there was a tournament MVP, Bressman would be it. Despite being just 5’10, there simply isn’t a block in Nebraska that can stop the Creighton recruit when she’s locked in. The sight of Bressman pounding kill after kill at critical points of a match has simply become commonplace. 

Sydney Fitzgibbons,  Premier 18 Gold – I’m not sure I’ve seen Fitzgibbons play a better match than what she put together in the championship on Sunday. In what was essentially two-and-a-half sets, the Washburn recruit had 13 kills, two kills and an ace serve against an Elite 18 MOAB team with two Division I middles across the net from her. She doesn’t play real high above the net, but she made some great and smart shots on Sunday.

Taliyah Flores, Premier 18 Gold – I’ve come to expect such great things from the North Dakota recruit that I have to remember that an average match for Flores is still an incredible match. Flores was on point all day on Sunday with her usual array of shots and stellar defense. She finished with 11 kills in the championship match.

Brooke Fredrickson, Premier 18 Gold – I have to image that digging a shot from Frederickson is like digging a 10-pound medicine ball. Along with Bressman, Frederickson has to hit one of the heaviest balls of anyone in the state. The North Bend product and Midland University recruit showed she can hang with the best in the state on Sunday.

Lauren Isenberg, Nebraska Elite 18 MOAB – Here is the thing about Isenberg. She’s undersized. She doesn’t blow you away with her athleticism. She doesn’t hammer the ball. All she does is make plays. Her ability to get consistent touches on her blocks and produce a handful of kills every match from the right side was huge for the 18 MOAB team on Sunday.

Lindsay Krause, Premier 15 Gold – Despite being just a freshman, the Husker recruit is probably in the top 10 – even top 5 maybe – of the best attackers in Nebraska right now. She showed that again on Sunday. However, what really grabbed my attention was her play in the back row – a spot she didn’t see this fall at Skutt Catholic. Krause really, really impressed with her passing on Sunday. It’s much more advanced than what I remember seeing last winter. 

Brooklyn Schram, Premier 16 Gold – Club volleyball allows for the showcasing of players in different ways than they are sometimes used in high school. Schram has proved herself to be one of the top setters in the state running a 5-1 at Papillion-LaVista this past fall, but for 16 Gold she is part of a two-setter offense, which allows her to attack from the front row, and man can she hammer the ball. She was impressive on Sunday.

Sarah Wing, Nebraska Elite 18 MOAB – Wing is an absolute freak of nature. She put up good, but not great, numbers in the championship match – which Premier 18 Gold deserves some credit for – but she has the ability to single-handedly dominate a match physically at the net. Her combination of quickness and leaping ability is just about unmatched.

Lydia Yost, Premier 16 Gold – Yost is definitely a little bit undersized for an ideal outside hitter, but man does she elevate and she has an uncanny knack for getting on top of the ball when it is at its high point. The Gretna product also had some nice moments defensively.