New Names To Know at Class AA Showcase

On the other side of the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse the Class AA Showcase was going on with some of the top teams in the state going head to head. In the top ten there was Kasson Mantorville who took home the title, Concordia Academy, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Belle Plaine, Watertown Mayer, and Academy of Holy Angels. To get out in the top half of the pool is a feat in itself. The list of players who stood out is long, but here are some new names to know going into the season and for college coaches to take a look at. Lauren Link - Academy of Holy Angels - Junior - Outside Hitter Link is a strong and physical player who is all over the place, receiving the majority of the sets. Holy Angels will be a tough team to beat with athletes at every position. With Link in the lineup there really isn’t a ball that gets sent over without a strong swing from her. She can hit out of the backrow and a variety of tempos in the front. Julie Mitchell - Academy of Holy Angels - Junior - Middle Blocker Mitchell is incredibly springy. The trend of a middle blocker is not the tallest athlete on the team, but more so the athlete who has quick hops and can go from pin to pin to seal the block. Mitchell is a legit scoring threat too who is able to get to the ball with a quick snap. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Mikayla Coops of Belle Plaine having a night!! <a href="https://t.co/owGod4wEg0">pic.x.com/owGod4wEg0</a> — Prep Dig Minnesota (@PrepDigMN) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigMN/status/1043303152219512832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Mikayla Coops - Belle Plaine - Junior - Right Side Thunder, thats what happens when Coops takes a swing from the right side. Coops has such a heavy, left handed swing where she was blowing up the court. She can go cross or turn on the line where she can really do damage. Belle Plaine is full of athletes and with Coops as a go to it provides a different element for them that most teams don’t see from the right side. A very fun player to watch with a lot of enthusiasm! Kira Fallert - Concordia Academy - Sophomore - Outside Hitter At 5’11 and playing on the outside Fallert has the athleticism and size to be a prospect to definitely take note of. With over 200 kills on the season so far, Fallert is definitely the go to player for Concordia Academy. She handles herself with mature composure as well which really puts her among some of the top players in her class, will be fun to see how her game develops over the next couple of years. Rhyan Herrmann - Glencoe-Silver Lake - Senior - Middle Blocker Herrmann is listed as a middle, but really could play anywhere on the court. On defense her eyes are looking through the net, anticipating the next play, reading where the set is going to go. Her swing is solid and can score points. Glencoe-Silver Lake had some really tough competition, but with Herrmann and fellow Senior Kasidy Cacka they will be a tough opponent for any team. Nicole Niebuhr - Southwest Christian - Senior - Setter Niebuhr may only be 5’6, but she puts up a great ball to her hitters. A smooth release, great footwork, and quick to transition she does what you need a setter to do - lead the team and put the hitters in position to terminate. She has two solid targets in Brenna Krommendyk and Mackenzie Close who are both really dangerous at the net with their swing and block. Janessa Berrios - Watertown-Mayer - Senior - Outside Hitter Paige Thibault - Watertown-Mayer - Sophomore - Outside Hitter Watertown-Mayer is definitely a team that is just fun to watch play the game. They get after it and compete. With two solid outside hitters in Berrios and Thibault the opposing side of the net never gets a break. Berrios has a high contact point and a really quick snap which makes her so tough to defend knowing where the ball is going to go and what pace it will have. The two have combined for close to 500 kills so far this season for a team that is 17-4. Setter Nikki McDonald has just under 600 assists, which is good enough for over 10 per set. Alaina Wolff - Jackson County Central - Junior - Outside hitter For only being 5’6, Wolf plays with fire, she is scrappy, gritty, and finds a way to put the ball to the floor. That’s the way JCC all plays, nothing too flashy when it comes to size, but what they don’t have in height they make up for in effort and intensity. Wolff has a rocket for a jump serve and is a solid defender. She’s the type of player you want at the next level who will contribute anyway you need and bring up the level of energy in the gym! Kasandra Keller - Kenyon-Wanamingo - Senior - Libero Keller is the libero for the Knights who are in one of the toughest AA conferences in the state with Kasson-Mantorville and Stewartville. Keller is steady in serve receive and plays libero out of middle back which she has to do a lot of reading the split in the block and what the offense will be doing. Think of it as a middle linebacker that has to know what the whole offense is doing and being in the right position to keep the rally alive. KW has a lot of weapons on offense, but Keller does a great job of keeping the defense in check.