Top Juniors Prospects Playing At The D1 State Tournament

The Junior class in the state of Wisconsin is deep. Plenty of Division 1 commits and a whole cupboard full of athletes who will be pursued by schools at the next level. The Junior year is usually when athletes start narrowing their choices a bit, but yet keep an open mind. ACT Scores, GPA, AP classes, figuring out potential majors, and where they could see themselves post high school starts coming into play. There really is a spot for everyone to play with so many different levels of volleyball and schools with a variety of academic programs to fit the needs of the individual. Here are a few Juniors to watch this week at the state tournament in Division 1. Courtney Pearson - Kimberly - Outside Hitter #10 on Title Photo. Photo Cred: Appleton Post Crescent Pearson came onto the scene last year during the state tournament and has been catching fire since. At 5’11, Pearson can play on either pin and can hit a really sharp angle. An all around athlete who also played in a sectional final for basketball, Pearson is a six rotation outside that keeps climbing up on the radar. This past summer, Pearson was a member of the Badger Region High Performance team that competed in Tulsa. Halle Olson - River Falls - Outside Hitter Olson is drawing plenty of attention from Division 1 college coaches and has already racked up over 1,000 kills for her career. At 6’2, long, and athletic Olson can hit over the block, sharp cross, or down the line. She is also a six rotation player that has over 230 digs as well, a threat to score from any rotation on the court. Kalli Mau - Kimberly - Setter Mau has been with Pearson through all of her high school and club volleyball. Last year she had the likes of Emily Scott who is at Louisville and Brianna Weyenberg who is now at Minnesota-Duluth. Mau is 5’10 and can put up a nice block as well. A solid all around athlete who high jumps in the spring, Mau would be a great catch at the next level with her skill, athleticism, and also a 4.0 GPA. Tahya Pozorski - Oconomowoc - Defensive Specialist Oconomowoc had a ridiculous backline with Caitlin Crawford (committed to South Carolina), as well as Ashley Sharkus. Pozorski has been training with the High Performance USA program and is also the top libero for the 16 Blue MVP team. With some Division 1 interest, Pozorski is extremely smooth in the backrow and a really tough server. Oconomowoc is tough to score against with a physical frontline and gritty backrow. Josie Salzman - Arrowhead - Outside Hitter So gritty tough, Salzman has been the second outside behind Aubrey Hamilton for Arrowhead and has the ability to score with anyone else. Salzman has played high level club with Milwaukee Sting and can play all six rotations on a very deep and talent Arrowhead roster. Emily Larson - Arrowhead - Libero Larson really burst on to the scene when she was named to the Charger Rally all tournament team. She was all over the court saving so many points, keeping the ball in play. Arrowhead has the power all around, but tough to put the power to use if you can’t pass. Larson is definitely a libero on the rise in the Class of 2020. Emily Alan - Burlington - Middle Blocker The backcourt of Burlington gets plenty of accolades and has players committed to big time programs, but Emily Alan is quitely making her way onto the radar. This past club season she was a big part of the success of the Wisconsin Juniors 16-1 club team and has carried that momentum into the season. Alan is hitting .447 with 219 kills. For some average volleyball fans, numbers don’t mean a whole lot, but to explain this a little bit more - it’s ridiculously good. About half the time Alan swings, she gets a kill. Working with setter Kaley Blake definitely has its benefits! Sarah Mattes - Greendale - Middle Blocker Dynamic! Mattes can do a little bit of everything in the front row for Greendale which includes blocking from pin to pin and scoring on a one foot approach. Mattes is hitting just over .400 with 265 kills. The combination of Mattes, Nicole Martin, and Kayce Litzau is quite the trio for Greendale who is making their fourth straight appearance.