Youth Movement: Freshmen and Sophomores to Watch at the Wisconsin State Tournament

Here they come, the Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 is ready to make their mark at the state tournament. These Sophomores and Freshmen may not have their driver's license yet, but they know how to be a driving force for a team competing for a gold ball. Some of these athletes may have been playing club ball through the successful programs sponsored by the Badger Region since they weren’t even the height of the bottom of the net. Others may have picked up it up late and have really bloomed in the past couple of years. Either way, it is always excited to see young, up and coming talent that will be high school volleyball household names for the next couple of years. Haley Graetz - River Falls - Middle Blocker - Freshman Graetz was a starter from day one for the Wildcats. River Falls graduated All State middle blocker and Illinois State recruit Marissa Stockman, but as they “Reload”, Graetz has been an instant impact. For being a Freshman, Graetz is a blend of power and high IQ shots where she can find the open spot on the court. For young players, they sometimes struggle on when to be aggressive and when to be smart. Graetz doesn’t get blocked often, she is extremely efficient and will be a key piece to any type of River Falls run this weekend. The Sophomores of Waukesha West Anna Holland, Alexis Boling, Abby Fregien, and Mckenna Scharnek These four have been a huge part behind the success of Waukesha West this season. Holland is a quietly effective libero who is always in the right spot on the court. She has already given her verbal commit to play at Seton Hall. Alexis Boling is pure power out of the middle. Physical, dynamic, and a powerful leaper, Boling has 364 kills on the season. Fregien is a six rotation outside who will hurt the opponents with such a smart shot selection as well as being so dependable in serve receive. Scharnek is the backrow setter when Darragh Dixon goes into the front row. This season Scharnek has tallied nearly 500 assists and almost 300 digs. Elle Truckenbrod - Kettle Moraine Lutheran - Outside Hitter - Sophomore This season everyone knew that KML was going to heavily go to middle blocker and Milwaukee commit Ari Miller, but in order to make a run it takes a team. Truckenbrod is a solid all around athlete who is second on the team in kills with 269 and nearly 300 digs. Truckenbrod provides a swing out of the backrow as well as someone the defense must respect in the front row which allows her and Miller to do some damage together. The Sun Prairie Duo Josie Halbleib and Payton Addink have been quite the duo for the Cardinals this year. Addink is the six rotation outside hitter who plays with a high contact point, is a dependable serve receiver, and is really solid offensively and defensively out of the backrow. Halbleib can do a little bit of everything. At 6’2, the lefty Halbleib has 658 assists, and just shy of 200 digs and 200 kills. Sun Prairie was suppose to be a year away with all the underclassmen on their team, not so fast. This group of athletes play with intensity and are fearless. Katie Winkler - East Troy - Right Side - Sophomore Winkler is 6’0, left handed, and brings a thunderous swing. Defending a left handed hitter can be tough, but she hits a heavy ball which makes her so tough to dig. With Northern Illinois recruit Brianna Scuric on the left side and Winkler on the right, it really stretches the defense out. Winkler is nearing the 400 kill mark and averages just under 4 kills per set. Sammie Seib - Catholic Central - Sophomore - Outside Hitter Seib was on the Badger Region High Performance team this past summer where she could be a defensive specialist or an outside hitter. This past year for Catholic Central, she is really having a breakout year. This year she has racked up 543 kills and 412 digs. This makes for Seib to be a lethal threat in any rotation on the court. Lauren Elliott - Kimberly - Sophomore - Libero Elliot is an extremely solid athlete for the Papermakers and is also a standout softball player. A setter most of her volleyball playing career, Elliott made the switch to libero this fall and the rest is history. She has nearly 500 digs on the season and has been a key cog to the powerful offense of Kimberly led by Courtney Pearson and Maggie Cartwright. Kimberly has another hidden gem that is actually a basketball star in Sophomore middle Maddy Schreiber who has multiple D1 basketball offers. Adriana Studer - Lake Country Lutheran - Freshman - Defensive Specialist Lake Country Lutheran has quite the defensive backline with libero Rylee Vaughn and Freshman, Adriana Studer. As a defensive specialist, Studer has tallied over 200 digs and 52 ace serves on the season. She will be a rising prospect to watch as a libero during the club season in the Class of 2022. Freshman Phenoms at Oconomowoc Oconomowoc has quite the blend when it comes to youth and experience. Elle Shult and Tayler Alden are the upperclassmen who have been through it all, including the rise of Oconomowoc volleyball in the past few years, but Maleah Howe and Haley Koch are two Freshman that are making their presence known. Howe is so dynamic on the outside and a really aggressive attacker with 283 kills on the season where Koch is averaging nearly two per set. Oconomowoc plays Sun Prairie in the first round which their first matchup at the Charger Rally felt like a state tournament game in the middle of September.