Prep Dig Nebraska's 18s "Dream Team" for Club Season

OK, before you read any further please make sure to understand the following: this is not an "all-state" team for the club season nor is it designed to honor the 16 best players during the club season. I want to make sure that's very clear. Now, here is a breakdown of what the Prep Dig Nebraska 18s Dream Team for club is. It's a hypothetical look at what I, Berk Brown, would do if I were in charge of putting together a "Dream Team" from Nebraska to compete at the national championships. It's well documented how successful Nebraska teams are during the club season at the national level. What is even more amazing, however, is the fact that a state with a population of roughly 1.9 million people can divide its talent up among five-ish clubs that are able to compete at the national level. Now, THAT is amazing. Plus, consider most of those club teams are dominated by Omaha and Lincoln area players, so the clubs are really only drawing from a population base of closer to 1.2-1.3 million. Now, consider that the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area has roughly 3.2 million people with about three clubs drawing from that pool. The Kansas City metro area has roughly 2.3 million to pull from and Denver has about 2.8 million. That's just comparing the Midwest area, not even taking into account Chicago, Southern California, Texas, Florida, etc. I think you get my drift. So, what if Nebraska consolidated all of its talent into a top team to compete at nationals - hypothetically, of course. What if Nebraska were on an equal footing with all the other national powers when it came to the size of the talent pool it had to draw from. Well, I'm biased, but such an entity would bring home A LOT of hardware - and I'm talking at the Open level here. It's with that thought that I give to you what I think a "Dream Team" from Nebraska would look like. Of course, since this is all hypothetical anyway, I'm going to do things a little differently. So, if I were in charge of this hypothetical club, I would have different hypothetical ways of doing things. First, I'm taking 16 kids on each team. Traditionally teams from Nebraska have 10 players - sometimes more, but USAV restricts your roster. But, here is what drives me crazy about roster restrictions. Teams are picked before Thanksgiving and that's your team until the 4th of July. That's crazy to me. You're telling me that after six or seven full months that the top 10 kids you picked back in November are still your 10 best players? What about injuries? What about kids you develop quickly or simply have the light go on and really flourish? Anyways, I'm taking 16 kids because I want kids to not get burned out. I want kids to play multiple sports in high school, which will cancel out a lot of availability for tournaments, etc. Second, each one of the 16 kids will have a defined role on the team. Nobody sits the bench in consecutive matches. My goal isn't to win all season long, my singular goal is to make kids better each and every day all the way through the season. I'm not going to care about winning tournaments except at nationals. I'm going to showcase all my kids for college coaches. Every single person on the team has a job and it will be vital to the team. Finally, when it comes time to turn in a roster for nationals, I'm entering two teams of eight. I've spent the previous six or seven months finding out who works best with who, getting everyone quality touches in big matches and I'm likely taking the eight hottest players at the moment on my A team and the remainder on my B team, but both would play Open at nationals and I would expect both would be capable of winning it. So, without further ado, if I could have put together an 18s "Dream Team" for nationals this year, it would have looked like this. I would take Jaela Zimmerman (Malcolm) and Kristin Lux (North Bend) as outsides. Both would be able to hit over blocks at the Open level and both could play all the way around if needed. Because she's technically got to play 18s this year because of her age, Omaha Marian's Emily Bressman would be an outside hitter as well. Bressman would give teams a different look from Zimmerman and Lux and teams would likely struggle adjusting their block from 6'2-6'3 OHs to 5'10 Bressman. While we're at it, give me Juliana Kalil (Omaha Duchesne) as an outside hitter/serving specialist. At 18 Open Kalil probably isn't able to terminate the way the other outsides can, but her serve is a weapon and that would be her calling card. In the middle I've got to have Sarah Wing (Omaha Marian) and Melanie Brecka (Lincoln Southeast). I will be the first to admit that they aren't going to put up the tallest block in the middle for 18 Open, but their athletic ability and the way they run slides would give teams nightmares. Besides, my back row is going to be so good, I can live with a little exposure in the middle. I'd add Omaha Marian's Maddie Wiedenfeld into that mix for the more physical middle. On the right side I'm going with Fort Calhoun's Rylee Marshall and Platteview's Sabrina Starks. I would even play with the idea of having Marshall spend time in the middle and outside during the course of the season because she's just that good and capable of bringing a really physical presence all across the net. Nobody has the ability to put up a higher block than Starks and has the talent to shut down an opposing L1. Starks can also play middle if you needed depth there. At setter, I've got two from the opposite ends of the spectrum. You've got to go with Lily Heim of Omaha Marian for her ability to run a 5-1 and to also be a threat as an attacker and blocker. So, enter Rachel Walker of Lincoln Southwest, a flat-out baller that you just have to have on your team. Walker could run a 5-1, but she also gives you the ability to use Heim exclusively as a right side if you want when she's in the front. With Taliyah Flores (Papillion-LaVista South) at libero the floor on our side of the net never needs dusting. Plus, I can take Omaha Marian's Maggie Mullen to wear the jersey at times when Flores plays outside or DS/back-row attacker. I'm rounding out my team with three players that bring versatility, talent and character to the squad. Give me Omaha Roncalli's Halle Meister, an incredibly athletic attacker that can play anywhere along the net. I've got to have Omaha Marian uber sub Grace Hern, who can set or play a mean back row and I want St. Paul's Bailey Lukasiewicz, a back-row wizard who can also be a threat attacking from back there. So, here's your fictional "Dream Team" for 18s Jaela Zimmerman, 6'2, OH, Malcolm (VCNebraska) - committed to Creighton Kristin Lux, 6'3, OH, North Bend (Nebraska Juniors) - committed to West Virginia Emily Bressman, 5'10, OH/DS, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Elite) - committed to Creighton Juliana Kalil, 5'9, OH/Serving Specialist, Omaha Duchesne (Nebraska Elite) - committed to University of Chicago Sarah Wing, 6'2, MH, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Elite) - committed to Iowa Melanie Brecka, 6'1, MH, Lincoln Southeast (Nebraska Juniors) - committed to UMKC Maddie Wiedenfeld, 6'2, MH, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Elite) - committed to New Hampshire Rylee Marshall, 6'1, OH/MH/RS, Fort Calhoun (Nebraska Elite) - committed to Omaha Sabrina Starks, 6'4, RS, Platteview (Club Legacy) - committed to Pittsburgh Halle Meister, 6'1, OH/MH/RS, Omaha Roncalli (Nebraska Juniors) - committed to Washburn Lily Heim, 6'0, Setter, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Juniors) - committed to SMU Rachel Walker, 5'9, Setter, Lincoln Southwest (VCNebraska) - committed to Wayne State Grace Hern, 5'8, Setter/DS, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Juniors) - committed to Colorado State-Pueblo. Taliyah Flores, 5'9, Libero/OH, Papillion-LaVista South (Premier) - committed to North Dakota Maggie Mullen, 5'4, Libero/DS, Omaha Marian (Nebraska Elite) - committed to Louisville Bailey Lukasiewicz, 5'5, Libero/DS, St. Paul (South Central Nebraska) - committed to Hastings College <h2 id="ctl00_ContentBottom_PageHeaderGenericControl"> </h2>