The Defenders of Minnesota Prep Volleyball

When it comes to defense in volleyball, many look to the libero as the defensive player, after all that is their main job. However their job is made much easier when she has a block that is set, teammates around her that know their place and their zone of coverage. The middle blocker has to know what hitting combinations she is up against, what setter tendencies are, then to move, jump and put up a wall is no easy combination of skills. In the state of Minnesota there are plenty of defenders who put their team in position to run a clean offense and terminate. Here are just a few. Mari Hinkle - Senior - Libero - Rosemount Committed To UCLA Hinkle brings a pure grit to the floor, a scrappy defender, but more importantly someone who is always in the right position. This past July, Hinkle was named All Tournament for Northern Lights at the USA National Championships enroute to a national championship. She will be taking her game to the Pac 12 and the UCLA Bruins which also has some Minnesota flavor with Jenny Mosser, a Lakeville South alum who is also was a national champion while playing at MN Select. Gabby McCaa - Senior - Middle Blocker - Minneapolis Southwest Committed To USC Strong, physical, and such a dominant force at the net offensively and even more defensively. McCaa was on the Northern Lights 17-1 team with Hinkle, and with one championship under her belt will be looking for more gold when she heads to USC. McCaa, who stands are 6’4 can be quite intimidating to go after across the net. She has the quickness and strength, along with a high IQ to set the block and send it back before the hitter even finishes her approach. With USC building with a new coaching staff and another top middle in the country in Madison Horin of 1st Alliance out of the Chicago area, these athletes from the Midwest will be looking to take the reigns of the Pac 12 starting with a solid middle attack. Maddie Whittington - Junior - Middle Blocker - Stillwater Committed To Illinois Whittington played for Kokoro 16-1 who finished in the top 15 at the AAU National Tournament in Orlando. At 6’3 and touching above 10 feet with her approach, she will be the prototypical physical middle that will have potential to compete early for Illinois and against the best of the best in the Big 10. Whittington is quite dynamic and could even play on the right side as well. The Kokoro 16-1 team has an incredibly skilled and athletic team, playing a quick tempo and players being able to play a variety of positions. Brenna Hesse - Senior - Libero - Farmington Committed to Green Bay Hesse was named an AAU All American for the 17-2 Northern Lights team that had a solid showing in the 17 Premier Division at Nationals in Orlando. Hesse is an athlete where it looks like she could step on a basketball court, soccer field, or softball diamond and be the best athlete out there which is very apparent in how she commands the back row. Green Bay Volleyball has somewhat of a pipeline with Northern Lights in Jessica and Taylor Wolf who are Northern Lights and Waconia alums. Taylor Wolf was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2017. Their sister Kali Wolf is on the Northern Lights 16-1 team. Kaitlyn Weimerskirch - Senior - Libero - Champlin Park Committed to Illinois State Cool, calm, and collected Weimerskirch has a demeanor on the court that has an ease and makes the difficult plays look easy. She will be part of Champlin Park’s roster of Division 1 athletes who will be looking to make a deep run playing for a championship the second weekend of November. An Illinois State commit, Weimerskirch will be joining the Redbirds along with Nicole Lund, a middle blocker who played for SMV out of Rochester. Grace Marti - Senior - Middle Blocker - Willmar Committed To Sioux Falls Marti brings the quickness in her game going from pin to pin and being able to run an uptempo set. For those outside volleyball, the assumption is if you’re the tallest on the team, middle blocker is the spot. A middle needs to move! Move quick - and read the other side. Marti has committed to play for Sioux Falls in the Northern Sun which is starting to gain steam with top recruits from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Marti is a solid fit for the Cougars and will also be joined by Kandi Elite teamming Avery Elfering who is a standout libero!