Minnesota’s Top-ranked players in the NJCAA

<p>  The National Junior College Athletic Association will host the division  III championship in Rochester, Minnesota again this year on November 10, 11, and 12th.  Last year the tourney brought some of the best young junior-college players from the country here.  The top teams came from Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania.  Two teams represented our home state: St. Cloud Tech (5th seed) and Central Lakes (3rd seed).  Eastfield out of Texas defeated Harper to win the National championship.  </p> <p>  This year, several Minnesota players are among the top performers in the division giving hope for then tournament to be filled with even more teams from our state.</p> <p>  Central Lakes out of Brainerd, MN is on the tournament radar again with a number one ranking in the polls and several strong players too.  They are currently 12-1.  Seasoned coach Jane Peterson has been producing tournament worthy players for the last 20+ years.  Middle hitter<strong> Maggi Fellerman</strong> is 11th overall in kills for the season thus far.  She has 160 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .348.  She also is the top blocker for the team.  They are a strong team at the net averaging 10.54 kills per set. </p> <p>  Minnesota State also was ranked high in the preseason polls.  They are currently 11-6.  They have a well-balanced offense with <strong>Hannah Eske, Kassandra Algarate</strong> and setter<b>-Sydney Hovland</b> who is 9th in the league for assists.  They are a really strong serving team and pick apart opponents weaker passers.</p> <p>  Another well-known program from Theif River Falls is Northland Community College.  Likewise, Rochester Community College has had several trips to the tournament in the past and with new setter <b>Brekkin McCready</b>, who is the assist leader in the division, the team has good odds to make a run at the championship.  <b>Carrie Rutledge</b> is their big hitter for Rochester, but Coach Amber Zitzow runs a strong passing-disciplined team.  Other noteworthy players around the state include <strong>Kenzi Riedel</strong>, <strong>Macee Streich</strong> and <strong>Rilee Hohbein</strong>.  </p> <p>  There are so many players that deserve attention playing at all the junior colleges in Minnesota.  This confirms the great level of volleyball taking place all over and in surrounding states.  More of our talented athletes are choosing the junior college path for several reasons: close to home, affordable, manageable schedules, and competitive play.  </p> <p>  This November we hope to see several of Minnesota’s talented teams proving our state has what it takes to make it to the national championship tournament.</p>