The Dark Horses of the Charger Rally

The rated teams at the Charger Rally hosted by Sussex Hamilton at the Milwaukee Sting Center run deep. First off, we have high powered River Falls and Waunakee, both state tournament participants from a year ago with multiple players having committed to Division 1 schools and so far have an unblemished record heading into the weekend. Oh and there is Arrowhead and Neenah who have carried the number one rankings (so far) this year. I’ve mentioned before the parity of Division 1 teams goes incredibly deep. Who are some teams that can move into that upper tier? Who are the ones who can pull an upset and sneak up on a few? Here are eight teams I think could make a run for a championship bracket and make some noise not only this weekend, but for the postseason as well. Sun Prairie - 18-2 Overall Record Sun Prairie is led by Karlee “KJ” McNabb who is one of the top six rotation outsides in the Class of 2020, already making her commitment to Loyola in Chicago. There will be four other Loyola commits at this tournament in Addison Barnes and Kayla Kraus of Neenah, Kasey Bell of Sheboygan North, and Emily Bannit of River Falls. The Cardinals also have Payton Addink and Josie Halbleib who are some of the top players in the Class of 2021. Addink is a 6’1 outside and Halbleib is a 6’2 setter who can play right side as well (and she’s left handed). This team is young, but extremely talented with high level players with athleticism. Kimberly - 11-4 Overall Record The Papermakers had one tough day at the Joust which resulted in three losses, but that was also without Arkansas recruit Maggie Cartwright. Since then, they have rattled off seven straight wins which include Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Lake Country Lutheran, and most recently conference rival Neenah. Cartwright is a threat to score from anywhere on the court, even if she is standing next to a line judge. Courtney Pearson is a high flying, Junior outside who can hit any angle and puts up a mean block. What makes everything flow together is Kalli Mau, a Junior setter who has experience setting in the state tournament last year. Mau has developed into a leader on this team getting others involved at every position. Sheboygan North - 15-4 Overall Record North had some early season hiccups while finding their go to lineup, but never count out the Golden Raiders with Wisconsin commit, Dru Kuck in the backrow, Loyola commit Kasey Bell in the middle, and the #2 prospect and best available in the Class of 2021 Lizzie Binder who is 6’3, can play on any pin and is a solid defender and on point with her serve receive. They will be in an opening pool with Neenah and Waterford. The Milwaukee Sting Center is like a second home to a lot of these players who will be ready to make some noise this weekend. Sussex Hamilton - 13-11 Overall Record This record is a bit deceiving with having played quite the Gauntlet of a schedule which included an early tournament at Waunakee with Waunakee, Arrowhead, Watertown, and Germantown which was then followed by The Joust and most recently a tournament in Illinois with some top teams down there. Hamilton has Sarah Schrader, a six rotation outside who recently committed to UW-Milwaukee, but they also have Ava Rebarchik and Mckenna Packer in the middle, Kayla Lewinski who is a solid right side who can score and put up a big block, and setter Janelle Stuempfig who is only a Sophomore. The Chargers just have one Senior in Packer and are only getting better each time they get on the court. Cedarburg - 11-3 Overall Cedarburg only has losses to Catholic Memorial, DSHA, and Arrowhead on the season. Plus, I would never count out any team that Kiara Reinhardt is on. The 6’3 middle who is just a Junior is already committed to Creighton and has fellow middle blocker Maddie Barber who has committed to Villanova. What has really opened up the offense is the play of Freshman Aspen Jankowski who is a six rotation outside who just has a natural savvy for the game and to score points. With the bump in difficulty with their schedule, this will be fun to see how it all pans out this weekend and as the last month of the season starts for this relatively young team. Waukesha West West blazed through the summer winning the Prep Dig Summer League and The Slam in the Dells. With a healthy lineup they are one of the most balanced teams in the state. It all starts with the first contact of Anna Holland who is a Junior libero that has committed to Seton Hall. West has two solid setters in Darragh Dixon and Mckenna Scharnek. The middle combo of Alexis Boling and Anna Nerad is tough to top and then their outsides of Kaylee Lorincz and Abby Fregein are always solid outlets. Wisconsin Lutheran - 15-3 Overall Record The only losses for Wisco have been to Cedarburg, SWCHA, and Germantown. An incredibly balanced attack with Senior, Carissa Sundholm and Junior, Julia Treichel on the outside I wouldn’t count them out of any match. A challenging tournament and schedule is exactly what they need when they have a sectional which includes the likes of Catholic Memorial and Kettle Moraine Lutheran. This top five Division 2 team is ready to make a statement. Howards Grove - 11-4 Overall Record This is my wildcard, one of the youngest teams you will see at this tournament with Freshmen Karissa Kaminski, Emma Baierl, and Mykah Roethel. Kaminski may be one of the best all around players in the Class of 2022, setting for the High Performance team this past summer, playing outside hitter for the high school season, and could even play libero if needed. Emily Bruckschen is a 2020 outside hitter who has a ton of power and is developing into a solid six rotation player which has opened up her offense so much, a definite prospect on the rise in the Junior class.