National Junior Classic: Top 15s/16s From Minnesota

Minnesota brought plenty of talent down to the Rosemont this weekend to compete in the National Junior Classic by Sports Performance Saturday through Monday. In the 15s division Northern Lights 15-1 took second to Lions out of Chicago with M1 finishing at a tie for with with OT out of Florida. MN Select made it to Gold on the second day finishing in the top ten. In the 16s division, MN Select 16-1 finished 9th, Kokoro 16-1 finished 11th, MN Select 16-2 finished 13th, and Northern Lights 15-1 finishing 15th. Here are some of the top players from the weekend. Maddie Whittington - Middle Blocker - Stillwater - Kokoro 16-1 Class of 2020 - Committed to Illinois Whittington is definitely a Big Ten type players with the size and physicality in the middle, but also the athleticism to adjust mid air and also block from pin to pin. Whittington is a lot of power, but can has finesse that allows her to score points as well. Being a part of Kokoro, athleticism is more than abundant on the 16-1 team. This is a team full of athletes and ones who can play multiple positions. If Whittington doesn’t play in the middle she can also be found playing on the right side here she is putting up a solid block and scoring points with her swing just as well. Kali Wolf - Outside Hitter - Northern Lights 16-1 - Waconia Class of 2020 Power upon power! Wolf is a gamechanger! The power she brings to the net and her physicality all over the court is comparable to the older Northern Lights players who have offers heading to the Big Ten. Wolf definitely has Power 5 conference ability with her physical tools, trainings, and older sisters who have both seen success at the Division 1 level at Green Bay (Taylor Wolf was this years past Freshman of the Year in the Horizon League). Wolf is currently one of the top 2020 recruits who is still uncommitted at this time in the state of Minnesota. Cianna Selbitschka - Outside Hitter - North Branch - Kokoro 16-1 Class of 2020 Selbitschka is your prototypical outside hitter who can absolutely fly and play all the way around. She is a threat to score at any position. With a high reach, Selbitschka is a force at the net and with her athleticism she can score points from the outside out of system. She can also score off one foot and even though her primary position would be on the outside she has the training and tools to play from any front row position. Bronwyn Timperley - Outside Hitter - Northfield - Northern Lights 16-1 Class of 2020 Timperley comes from Northfield High School who is coming off a solid 2017 high school season. This past weekend Timperley was able to showcase her skills for Northern Lights 16-1. Timperley can play six rotations on the outside and has a knack for court vision seeing the open spot and the ability to make adjustments based on what the defense or set is showing her. There are players who have a small window for taking a swing meaning the set has to be perfect. Timperley can score off of any set and make it happen for her team. Jordan Stalpes - Outside Hitter - Champlin Park - MN Select 16-1 Class of 2020 Salpes brings a physicality to the court whether she is in the front or backrow. An outside hitter and MN Select and Champlin Park, she will continue to be a part of programs that are continuously seeing success. Stalpes rules the middle back and can cover endline to endline. Blocking she is quick to jump, get her hands in, and has a knack for the ball. Like all MN Select pin hitters she can hit all the shots and terminate when the opportunity is there. Jasmine Weideman - Setter/Right Side - Lakeville South - MN Select 15-1 Class of 2021 Weideman is scrappy, she has the body language on the court of a competitor where she won’t let you beat her, exactly what you want in a setter who is running the show. Weideman can run a 5-1 with her quickness, athleticism, and for only being 5’8 she can get up and block. On Saturday there were rotations where Weideman would swing on the right side and she was able to hammer as well. Weideman has all the tools of an all around player that can compete. Keep an eye on her and the continued tradition of Lakeville South. Paige Thibault - Outside Hitter/DS - MN Select 15-1 - Watertown-Mayer Class of 2021 MN Select 15-1 has plenty of options in regards to combinations and positions players can play in. Skylar Gray was at some points this past weekend playing libero and Thibault was playing on the outside. Thibault, who is listed as a DS/L can fly on the outside. With skills very comparable to a beach player, Thibault is able to terminate on the outside as well and score points. Sarah Luong - Setter - M1 15-1 - Benilde St. Margarets Class of 2021 M1 made it into the Gold bracket for Monday and has quite the balanced attack to go along with Minnesota recruit, Carter Booth. Luong has middles who are extremely powerful, but she is able to distribute to all hitters and keeps the defense off guard. Luong is also a solid defender in right back and keeps M1 competitive in all matches getting a touch on everything. Emma Grimm - Outside Hitter - M1 15-1 - Eastview Class of 2021 Grimm can play all six rotations and works extremely well with setter, Luong. With many of the opposing teams keying on Carter Booth in the middle, Grimm has plenty of opportunities for open swings. Grimm takes a long, aggressive approach and is incredibly fast to the ball. The speed translates into power and points for M1. Lauren Stenman - Setter/Outside Hitter - Kokoro 16-1 - North St. Paul Class of 2020 So athletic, one of the better all around athletes at the 16s level this past weekend, which Kokoro is full of them. To have your setter be one of your best athletes is ideal. Stenman can make a tight jump set look easy, she can attack to hit, she strong to put a block down, and she can make the routine right back dig look too easy. Beyond all of the skills, she is gritty, she has the competitors edge, the intangibles that puts all of the athletes in the right spot for Kokoro who can score points in a hurry. Stenman is a Division 1 athlete who can be used in a variety of ways and an absolute steal from a club on the rise. Lauren Crowl - Right Side - Northern Lights 15-1 - Eastview Class of 2021 “Guard Your Grill”. A term used for the defender who is on the line and if there is a hitter who has a window to terminate the line, be ready! For someone defending the line against Crowl, they definitely need to “Guard Their Grill” because she will hit with extreme power with the left hand down the line. Crowl has a heavy swing that makes it tough to defend at any spot. A solid all around athlete her stock is rising and has the definite makings of a Division 1 recruit, one of many in the ranks of Northern Lights.